Quotes Can Inspire Us

Ever since junior high school, I have been inspired by quotes. My eighth-grade history teacher would provide us with at least one significant quote a week. I was inspired by these quotes on a variety of topics. Quotes make you think at times of the past, the present and vision for the future. As I am only into non-fiction publications, I look these days for quotes that are real and in my field of study, which is fundraising or nonprofit management.

Greeting card poet Michael & Gabriel, Inc. notes that giving and fundraising quotes remind us all the importance of charitable acts.

“Giving gives you back more than you can imagine. In fact, the greatest of minds think that we are born to give and not just to receive. For many, there is no other sensation that comes close to the gratification that comes from giving. Charity is great for the giver in many ways. It is beneficial for your conscious and makes you feel better. It also makes you feel that you are a contributor to the universe around you. In other words, you feel like being able to make a difference.”

Here are some charity, fundraising and giving quotes:

• “Charity begins at home, but should not end there.” — Andrew Carnegie
• “ There can be no Christianity where there is no charity.” — Abraham Lincoln
• “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” — Mother Teresa
• “Giving is the master key to success, in all applications of human life.” — Brene Brown
• “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he can receive.” — Amy Carmichael
• “For it is in giving that we receive.” — Albert Einstein
• “Give cheerfully and freely. It is the energy behind the giving that matters so do not give grudgingly. The law of cause and effect guarantees that you shall receive plenty for what you give.” — Anne Frank
• “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” — Dorothy Day
• “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” — Pablo Picasso
• “Donors don’t give to institutions. They invest in ideas and people in whom they believe.” — Kay Sprinkel Grace
• “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” — Hank Rosso
• “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.” — Ken Burnett

In this Rewarding-Fundraising-Ideas.com article, the author notes that charity quotes can be used in so many ways to help your fundraising campaigns. Use them to inspire and motivate plus encourage supporters to donate or participate.

Some recommended quotes are:

• “An effort made for the happiness of others lifts us above ourselves.” — Mrs. Lydia Maria Child
• “Generosity consists not in the sum given, but in the way it is bestowed.” — Mahatma Gandhi
• “As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.” — Paul Shane Spear
• “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” — Dalai Lama

The article titled “50 Inspiring Quotations to Delight and Motivate your Group” provides examples of quotes to study in our profession. One of my favorite quotes that I cited in my master’s thesis long ago was the following:

• “To give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every men’s power nor an easy matter.” — Aristotle
• “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.” — Tom Brokaw
• “Helping people doesn’t have to be an unsound financial strategy.” — Melinda Gates
• “Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.” — Brian Tracy
• “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” — Mother Teresa
• “Only a life lived for others, is a life worthwhile.” — Albert Einstein

The Ultimate Fundraiser’s Favorite Quotes emphasizes that quotes are one of those things that we hang on to as humans to keep our lives together and to remind us about the important aspects of life in just a sentence or two. If you work in the nonprofit arena, you constantly enjoy being motivated and inspired by the actions or quotes of others. Study many quotes and notice the quality and quantity of quotes in our profession.

If I created a quote mine would be:

“Experience the feeling of the total joy of giving of whatever you possess, whether it is time, talent or treasure. There is no feeling like it. It is a state of mind, heart and soul. It is in your DNA and will transform others. Give often and never expect anything in return except the glow of surprise and happiness. Make a difference for one person and that act will be multiplied a thousand times over time through the chain of life’s charity.”