News

Steward is 'one in the middle'

Next Allouez What: Claude Allouez Forum, sponsored by the Green Bay Diocese; it is open to the public. When: 7:15 a.m. April 4. Where: Bemis International Center, St. Norbert College. Who: Frank Wood, retired professor and publishing executive. Topic: Gifted and Giving Experiences of Stewardship as a newspaper publisher. Cost: $10, includes breakfast. Reservations: (920)437-7531 or (toll-free) 1-877-500-3580, ext. 8173.

DE PERE -- Stewardship invites nonprofit groups to ask both themselves and their donors to discover the real meaning of who we are, what we value and what we possess, a professional fund-raiser told the March Claude Allouez Forum.

Margie Shurgot Hynes, senior consultant for major gift development at St. Norbert College, called stewardship "the conscience of philanthropy, a sentinel calling us all to responsible action in our asking, our giving and our receiving."

The four underlying principles of stewardship are gratitude, accountability, generous sharing and giving back with increase, Hynes told the monthly forum, sponsored by the Green Bay Diocese.

Hynes said the Old and Middle English definition of a steward "is the one in the middle -- the one to whom responsibility is delegated and of whom much is expected." That is "a perfect symbol for the Christian life of care and responsibility, because that is how most of us live -- in between God and our neighbors."

As good stewards, Hynes said, nonprofit organizations, "must demonstrate that they have strong leadership, exemplary fiscal management, and a genuine willingness to be held accountable for all aspects of their mission."

Hank Russo, who Hynes called the father of contemporary fund-raising, often spoke of the lessons of stewardship he learned from the canon of an Episcopal cathedral for whom he conducted a capital campaign to build a new cathedral.

The canon, Russo said, spoke of the need to touch the depths of contributor's souls. "Explain," he said, "the rare and glorious opportunity that is theirs to help build a cathedral. Though they cannot build a cathedral with their own hands, they can be an integral part of this accomplishment simply by making a gift. A gift to the best of their ability. A gift that will bring joy to their hearts. A gift from the top of their resources. Don't foster reluctant giving. Reluctant gifts are urged by the mind. They depress the spirit. Ask them to make a gift prompted by the heart, a gift that will fill them with joy."

Joy of giving is what prompted Louise Davies, a generous supporter of San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall, Hynes said.

"'Making the gifts has done an awful lot for me,'" Hynes said, quoting Davies. "'To get involved, it really does something for you. It makes you glow. That's the only way I can describe it. I glow! I feel terribly sorry for those who do not give -- people from every economic level. I think that each time that we make a gift in some measure we are saying thank you for the gift of life."

Nor must generous giving be confined to the wealthy, Hynes said. "Historically, those of modest means give a significantly larger percentage of their incomes to charity than do the wealthy."

As an example, she cited a middle-aged postal worker earning $26,000 a year -- the son of an Alabama sharecropper -- who gave $35,000 to the University of Colorado to endow a scholarship fund. The money came from his personal savings and a $15,000 loan.

And once, Hynes said, after giving a presentation in a private home for a new hospital, the hostess' daughter gave her all the money in her piggy bank -- $6 and change -- to help the cause.

"Stewardship," Hynes said, "is a way of life. It is a way of living each day in gratitude for all the blessings that God has given to us. We do not own the gifts God gives to us. We are only here on earth to use those gifts to do God's work."

As such, stewardship "asks us to look at who we are as people who care about one another and the world we live in," rather than "seeing meaning in the positions we hold or in the things we possess."

That means asking ourselves fundamental questions about our gifts and resources, she said. "What do I own and what owns me? Have I become a slave to the very gifts and resources that I think I own? Or do I dare to take the risk and give myself the freedom to recognize God as the real source of who I am and what I possess? And can I trust in a good and gracious God to be with me as I give of myself, my voice, and my gifts to others?"