By Douglas Shaw

On two different occasions, I served in the development/advancement departments of a long-standing nonprofit, serving the needs of the poor and those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

My thoughts return to those times when I think of calendar year-end. As a fundraiser, I’ve always loved what I consider to be “giving season” for most nonprofit organizations and ministries.

In North America, it seems that donors and prospective donors develop a generous spirit as the year comes to a close. I can remember racing downstairs to our gift processing department and taking extreme delight when the mail trays arrived brimming with donor responses to our appeals and newsletters, as well as the many gifts in white envelopes that couldn’t be traced to any specific effort on my part. Year-end always seemed to be a time of plenty.

So many things have changed since those days. The incredible contributions of online communication and giving being most significant. But the generosity of the human heart has not changed. People give as the year draws to a close.

May this issue of Donor Focus help you to prepare as the calendar changes from 2022 to 2023! And may your donors continue to change the world through you as they demonstrate their generosity!

Thank you for being a part of what is right with the world.

Doug