There is Money
May 18th, 2009 |
Published in
Economy, Event Management, Know Abundance, Money
by Lanell Dike
Happy Monday!
I went to a fundraising dinner on Saturday night where more than $45,000 was raised in less than 10 minutes.
I also went to the mall on Saturday to buy a top to wear to the dinner. The mall was Christmas-time packed with long lines in every store I entered or walked by.
Even in “these economic times,” there is money. People are buying things they want and giving to causes they care about.
There was no lamenting over the economy during the dinner program. Every speaker focused on core mission and impact.
Personal stories were shared highlighting:
- the need/problem
- the solution
- what had been accomplished so far (because of our support)
- the continuing need
- how this need was going to be met (with our support)
Given the challenge “Are you in?” from a dynamic speaker, the stage was set for the fundraising ask. And people responded. $10,000, $2,500, $1,000, $500, $100, $25 gifts were enthusiastically made and gratefully received.
There is money. We might not be raising as much as we did last year – but people are still willing to give.
Adjusting to change, especially change we don’t particularly want and didn’t ask for, can be difficult. We can become myopically focused on what used to be or what we wish was.
Babysitting for a friend this week, I watched her five-year-old daughter dissolve into total misery when she couldn’t have what she wanted. We were eating lunch and she had her food, but wanted it in a blue bowl (which her sister had.)
She became fixated on what she didn’t have, refusing to eat. All she could see was the blue bowl she wanted – not the food that was in the purple bowl she had.
We’re like this sometimes. We focus intently on what we can’t have or what we wish we had and stubbornly refuse to enjoy what we have because it’s not exactly what we wanted (or what we see that someone else has.)
The person who led the giving spree came by our table afterwards feeling discouraged. “I didn’t get any gifts at the $5,000 level.” Focused on what wasn’t received, he was disappointed.
When the need is great, we can easily slip into seeing only what is lacking. Step back for a minute. What is in your bowl?