50 Fundraising Quotes to Boost Donations & Motivate Volunteers

Looking for a fundraising quote to spark the spirit of giving? Look no further!

We’ve rounded up thirty unique quotes from some of the biggest philanthropists, writers, and scholars of all time. Find the right quote about:

• Giving
• Fundraising
• The impact of giving
• Motivation
• Giving success below.

Then, just copy and paste into a video template to make a video like the one below and get right to raising awareness, donations, and more.

Quotes about giving and generosity

• "No one has ever become poor by giving." – Anne Frank
• "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." – Winston Churchill
• "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." – Amy Carmichael, Irish Christian missionary and writer
• "The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." – Pablo Picasso
• "Charity begins at home, but should not end there." – Thomas Fuller, English historian and churchman
• "Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference." – Kathy Calvin, American businesswoman and philanthropist
• "For it is in giving that we receive." – Francis of Assisi
• "Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give." – Ben Carson, American neurosurgeon and politician
• "A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal." – Steve Maraboli, American author and motivational speaker
• "Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more." – H. Jackson Brown Jr., American author

Quotes about fundraising

• "Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving." – Hank Rosso, American nonprofit leader and fundraising expert
• "Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man." – Iain Duncan Smith, British politician and author
• "Every charitable act is a stepping stone toward heaven." – Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman and social reformer
• "Fundraising is not about money. It’s about relationships." – Larry C. Johnson, American nonprofit consultant and author
• "Fundraising is the servant of philanthropy." – Larry C. Johnson, American nonprofit consultant and author
• "Philanthropy is not about money. It’s about feeling the pain of others and caring enough to help." – Timothy Pina, American author and motivational speaker
• "To give away money is an easy matter and in any man’s power. But to decide to whom to give it and how much, and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither in every man’s power nor an easy matter." – Aristotle
• "If you become a helper of hearts, springs of wisdom will flow from your heart." – Rumi, Persian poet and Sufi mystic
• "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." – Mahatma Gandhi
• "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." – Khalil Gibran, Lebanese-American poet and writer

Quotes about the impact of giving

• "It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving." – Mother Teresa
• "The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation." – Corrie Ten Boom, Dutch Christian writer and Holocaust survivor
• "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller, American author and disability rights advocate
• "Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others." – Barbara Bush, Former First Lady of the United States
• "Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth." – Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer and activist
• "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." – African Proverb
• "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." – William James, American philosopher and psychologist
• "To move forward, you have to give back." – Oprah Winfrey
• "Generosity consists not of the sum given, but the manner in which it is bestowed." – Mahatma Gandhi
• "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." – Mark Twain

Quotes about motivation

• "Don’t just count your blessings. Be the blessing other people count on." – Anonymous
• "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention." – Oscar Wilde
• "It takes each of us to make a difference for all of us." – Jackie Mutcheson, Inspirational speaker and author
• "Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator
• "The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit." – Nelson Henderson, Canadian farmer and author
• "You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you." – John Bunyan, English writer and preacher
• "Life’s persistent and most urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’" – Martin Luther King Jr.
• "A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity." – Buddha
• "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." – Dalai Lama
• "Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." – Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop and human rights activist

Quotes about success in giving

• "Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others." – Danny Thomas, American entertainer and founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• "True charity is the desire to be useful to others without thought of recompense." – Emanuel Swedenborg, Swedish scientist and mystic
• "The heart that gives, gathers." – Tao Te Ching, Ancient Chinese philosophical text by Laozi
• "Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others." – Plato
• "Charity sees the need, not the cause." – German Proverb
• "Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return." – Roy T. Bennett, Author and motivational speaker
• "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." – Aesop
• "In a gentle way, you can shake the world." – Mahatma Gandhi
• "As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way." – Mary Anne Radmacher, American author and artist
• "Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary." – Martin Luther King Jr.

Nonprofit video templates

Now that you have the words to propel your cause forward, make sure they’re heard by creating a video! Don’t worry, with Animoto it’s easy, even if you haven’t ever made a video before.

Below are some free nonprofit video templates that you can use to knock all of your fundraising and marketing goals out of the park. Just pick the right fit for your cause, add your photos and message, and customize it to fit your brand with a couple clicks.

cause awareness

fundraising

sharing stories

volunteer recruitment

spread the word

Need more inspiration and support for your nonprofit marketing? Just visit our blog and learn how to leverage video for your cause!