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Happy Monday!

We all know we’re in the midst of significant change propelled by new technologies.

We’re living the change every day – with our smart phones and flat screen TVs, our Facebook and Skype accounts.

If you doubt the rapid changes in technology watch this video of Steve Jobs unveiling the Macintosh computer – it makes 26 years seem like ancient history.

So how are all of these changes affecting Philanthropy? Check out the new white paper, Disrupting Philanthropy, for a comprehensive summary of how our access to instant information and capacity for networking online is transforming philanthropy. For a quick synopsis read Working Wikily’s review.

The authors of Disrupting Philanthropy, Bernholz, Skloot and Varela, offer some advice for us on how to deal with all of this rapid change: be flexible, scalable and portable.

“Th(e) institutional structure has remained the predominant model for organized philanthropy for almost a century. Today, peer-supported, data-informed, passion-activated, and technology-enabled networks represent a new structural form in philanthropy, and the institutions that support them will need to be as flexible, scalable, and portable as the networks they serve.”

Happy Monday!

We often talk in fundraising about donor prospecting, cultivation and the all important “ask” – but equally significant for successful relationship building with our supporters is donor stewardship.

Stewardship is defined as “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.”

Every gift that we receive from a donor, large or small is an act of trust.

Donors are trusting that we will use their money in the ways we’ve said that we will. And in a world where financial scandals are reported daily and faith in systems and the people who run them is weaker than ever, this part of our job is even more crucial.

What are the key aspects of good donor stewardship?

1. Honor the intent – Did you receive the gift in response to a targeted appeal? Did the donor send in a note with their gift expressing interest in a specific program? Then that’s where their money needs to go. Talk with the donor about why they are choosing to give to you. Record and respond to their interest.

2. Be Transparent and Honest – Every donor wants to know, “How will my money be spent?” Don’t use fancy marketing or vague lawyer speak to answer this question. We all feel suspicious of that sort of thing. Instead be explicit about organizational costs and expenses using simple language and terms that are easy to understand.

3. Report on successes and challenges – Donors want to hear from us about how their money was used. Did their contribution make a difference? The stories we share about what is made possible because of donor generosity is the pulsing heart that keeps our organizations alive and thriving.

4. Remember where the money comes from – We are simply intermediaries between the donor and their passion. We are helping them do what they want to do in the world. So the money might change bank accounts but it’s never ours.

5. Be your donor’s best friend - Don’t take your donors for granted. No relationship is static. Donors literally have thousands of choices of where to give their money. What will keep them giving to you is the relationship you nurture and build with them.

As passionate crusaders for our cause we can easily slip into the belief that we “deserve this money” and forget how important donor stewardship is.

But as the charities who’ve had to close their doors in the past two years know, without our donors our organizations will not survive. So follow these five basics of donor stewardship and honor the trust your donors place in you each time they make a gift.

(Happy Monday! Today’s post is from Sande Smith, our communications expert.)

One of my favorite quotes by Martin Luther King says anyone can be great, because any of us can serve.

He reminds us that you don’t have to be incredibly bright or skilled, “you don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. . . you only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Growing up, I knew incredibly generous Black women who embodied that meaning of greatness. One of them was my grandmother, who in her 60’s, adopted the 5-year old daughter of a friend.

Hit by a car, the young girl was paralyzed from the waist down. My grandmother’s friend said that she couldn’t do it – she couldn’t take care of her own daughter. So my grandmother did it. For the next 25 years, my grandmother raised her, provided for her, and helped her to grow into an independent woman who would choose a partner and raise two children of her own.

I was reminded of the greatness of the unsung heroines and heroes who commit their lives to service when I listened to the Oakland-born Malaak Compton Rock (at the recent Madam CJ Walker Luncheon) describe her story and personal journey from the time she was a young girl watching her mother engage with social causes. Her mother, Gayle Fleming, included the young Malaak in her activities, whether that be attending a rally, meeting with a nonprofit, or door-to-door canvassing for a political candidate.

Commitment to serving others became integral to Malaak’s life, personal mission and employment, and she went on to work for the US Fund for UNICEF, then started her own organizations: Styleworks, providing image consulting to women moving from welfare to work and then Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, which takes NY teens (many of whom have never left NY before) to South Africa to meet and learn from their young counterparts.

Of Journey for Change, Malaak says, “Ultimately we want them to return to the US encompassing a greater sense of understanding for their blessings, to dream big, and to challenge themselves to become the best young people they can be.”

Malaak’s new book, If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service, and 100+ Ways You Can Too, is a rallying call for action, engagement and service. The book blends personal stories from ordinary people who’ve gotten involved with causes that touch their hearts with how-to tips on choosing organizations to support – whether through donations, volunteering, or promotions.

She also talks about how to start your own organization, how to reach out to and engage celebrities, and ultimately how each of us can tap our passions in order to improve our communities and ultimately, the world.

This message of whole-hearted engagement is one that those of us who communicate and fundraise on behalf of good causes simply can’t afford to miss. We can’t afford to think only in terms of raising donations for our organizations, because while money is important, it’s not enough.

We need to make sure that we’re inspiring and moving people to get involved by tapping into their passions, encouraging them to make connections between what they care about personally and what they see going on in the world outside of themselves.

To realize a better world, we have to encourage all of us to realize our greatness, our unlimited capacity to serve with love and grace.

(Today’s post is from Elizabeth Husserl, our money expert.)

As fund raisers we can often feel the awkwardness that comes with asking for money.

We know that our donors want to support our causes and are willing to put their checkbook forward when we do our yearly appeals. Yet, even knowing that we are channeling money to something worthwhile does not make the awkwardness go away.

What would money say? “Don’t be afraid to ask for me”. The more clarity you have on what you need, the more you can accurately communicate that to the world around you and the more you can relax into knowing that there is enough.

In the work I do with individuals and groups, the scariest moment often comes when I ask people to look at their money flow- how exactly does money flow into and out of their lives? This feels terrifying at first because it means looking, it means knowing, and it means facing up to any discrepancies that arise.

But when we go through the exercise and put the numbers down on paper we see that the numbers really just want to talk- they tell us what we need to make our projects and lives a reality. They give us a cornerstone on which to base our plans.

By looking at numbers and doing the “budgets” (or what I prefer to call conscious spending plans) we can then take a deeper step into our projects, our organizations and our lives. We can move beyond the fogginess of “not knowing” into a place of clarity and empowerment where asking becomes more of a spiritual practice of communicating to life that you do know what you need in life.

The question then becomes- how can the flow of abundance provide? (The trick here is then to let abundance flow to you without being attached to what that looks like.)

Ask money to come to you. Look at the dialogue you are currently having with it. Don’t be afraid to invite more into your life- you are big enough to hold it.

Happy Monday!
- Elizabeth

Happy Monday! The outpouring of support and donations for Haiti has been incredible.

In less than one week, millions have been raised from individuals, corporations, governments, foundations and religions institutions around the world.

Everyone is giving.

Over $500 million pledged from Europe, $100 million from the U.S., $5 million from Canada, $1 million from India and China. And the list of government support keeps growing.

Corporations have also been pledging millions of dollars: JP Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanely, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Google, McDonalds, Comcast and many others.

More millions are coming from the NFL, Hollywood stars and from individuals worldwide who have made donations to various charities. The Red Cross has raised $20 million through text message donations alone -  a new trend that fundraisers are sure to be talking about for months to come.

Seeing how quickly we can mobilize to help each other on a global scale - setting aside our national and business interests, our politics, our racism and classism and our obsession with ourselves – is truly inspiring.

A week ago we were focused on what we didn’t have: a robust economy. Today we are all focused on what we can give and how we can help.

Do we have to wait for tragedy to work together in this way? Is there another impetus besides catastrophe to activate the power of our collective compassion and to motivate us to stand unified in our efforts to end human suffering and help those in need?

Where is all this money coming from? What were we spending these millions of dollars on before the earthquake in Haiti?

Happy Monday!

So what’s on your “to do” list this week? Planning meetings? Paperwork? Data entry? Responding to emails?

What about meeting with donors? Does that show up on your daily calendar anywhere?

If not, you need to rearrange your schedule.

It’s easy to get caught up in office tasks and loose sight of the most important aspect of our job: building relationships with the people who are supporting our work.

The 2009 study Significant Gifts: Where Donors Direct Their Largest Gifts and Why conducted by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University confirms that, “Donors to charitable organizations give more when they are asked in person and when someone they know makes the request.”

and “People give to people, and especially to people they know.”

But it’s not just about us initiating face-to-face meetings – we also need to be available.

A longtime supporter emailed recently to say she’d be stopping by the office and “hope to see you for a few minutes at least.” I suggested we go out for lunch and she replied that she already had plans and said, “I never think of trying to have lunch with you guys anymore because you all seem so busy.”

Later that week another donor sent an email asking if we “might be available for a bite of lunch or cup of coffee…I know you are busy, busy people, so just let me know what might work for you.”

Both of these messages were stop signs for me. What kind of relationship can we have with our donors if they think we’re too busy to meet with them?

What’s the most important part of our job as fundraisers?

You know what it is, so get out of the office this week. Go enjoy conversations with people who are passionate about supporting your work. Be available.

(Happy Monday! Today’s post is from Sande Smith our Communications expert.)

I admit it. I’ve got Flip fever.

And the fever’s growing now that I’ve won one of those slim Flip cameras! It happened at the recent Pink Magazine Empowerment Conference.

There was a session on social media and meaningful engagement, and because that’s my latest obsession, I went.

Jeannette Gibson, the speaker, was terrific. She’s Cisco’s Director of New Media, and showed some very simple examples of how Cisco has integrated mini-videos – made with the flip – into their communications plans and interactions with customers. (In March 2009, Cisco bought the maker of Flip video, Pure Digital.)

Some examples:

• John Chambers, Cisco’s CEO, answered questions on the future of the company, his vision & goals. The questions were sent through Twitter, and the result was a 4 minute video.
• A product manager sits next to a Cisco switch and talks about the product – an alternative to the printed fact sheet).
• And my personal favorite because it’s silly, surprising and gives you insight in the CEO’s character – John Chambers showing his team how to do duck calls. That video has 23,415 views!

At the Global Fund for Women, we recently made our own simple Flip video. After Christine Ahn, a Progressive Women’s Media Resource Center fellow and Global Fund colleague, came back fired up from a weekend training where she learned to make Flip videos, she and another Global Fundie, Preeti Shekar, held up the camera and asked staff one simple question.

Why do you care about violence against women?

The result is a simple, moving 4-minute video that helps viewers learn more about the people behind the Global Fund and the reasons we do the work we do. It accompanied our campaign for the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women, and has almost 200 views.

Of course, you don’t have to use a Flip to create simple videos. The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota created a series of simple videos using a Sony camera (with video capacity) on a tripod. With these fun Happy Birthday videos as the basis, the foundation raised almost $5,000 for their girlsBest (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund – in less than a week! How did they do it? I called their Communications Director, Mary Beth Hanson, to find out.

“With our 26th anniversary as the basis for our online campaign, I really wanted to expand our social-media tool chest to include video,” said Mary Beth. After watching the carefully crafted and scripted videos of other nonprofits on YouTube, she realized that most were too long and not very interesting.

“So, I decided that our videos had to be short and celebratory with surprising content that would get folks interested enough to return daily – for the duration of the campaign. And hopefully donate at some point along the way.”

To distribute the videos and promote the campaign, the Foundation used a daily combination of its nonprofit YouTube channel, Facebook page, website and email blasts. Not only did the Foundation nearly reach its $5,000 goal, it attracted many new donors, recharged lapsed ones, and inspired current ones. The campaign was a resounding success.

The lessons? “Short is better, fun is great! While the issues we’re working on are serious, we don’t always have to be serious in our communications. It’s really important to provide ways for people to celebrate with you.”

Instead of thinking about how hard it is to make videos and engage in social media, ask yourself what can I share? What moves me? What’s fun?

(Happy Monday! Today’s post is from Sande Smith, our communications expert.)

This spring, I attended a talk by Kay Sprinkel Grace called, There’s Got to Be a Pony in there Somewhere: Finding Abundance in a Time of Change.

It was one of my favorite talks that I heard at the time – when so many of us in the nonprofit sector were trying to make sense of what the economic collapse would mean for our organizations and the people we serve. Grace retold the story of the boy who digs with gusto through a huge pile of manure in the barn. Why? Because, he said, with so much s**, there’s got to be a pony in there somewhere!

She did a great job of reminding fundraisers that one of the most important things we can do is to hold and convey the vision of what we’re trying to accomplish, and build relationships with donors that are based on shared values. She also called upon us to not forget to ask our supporters what they think about what we’re doing.

The talk inspired me in a number of ways. . . one of which was to work with my team to make the Global Fund for Women’s donor appreciation lunch more interactive so that donors could share with us and one another what inspired their passion for women’s rights.

Kay’s talk also inspired some radical changes in the production of our annual report. A very important vehicle for thanking our supporters and describing the work of women’s organizations around the world, our annual report tends to be 70 pages plus.

Last year’s annual report was no exception. A combined 20th anniversary book and annual report, it featured a 20 year timeline acknowledging achievements of the women’s movement, highlights of our 5-year strategic plan, and case studies of long-time grantees, which showed the impact of our combined partnership.

This year, in response to the financial crisis, we cut our budget by 6 percent, while maintaining grantmaking at 2008 levels. That meant that I had a lot less to spend on this years’ communications. Looking for the pony, I decided to radically transform this year’s annual report. But how?

The notion of streamlining annual reports isn’t new. A lot of organizations are asking themselves, and their donors, whether anyone really reads the annual report. And if they do, what format do they prefer? Print, online, a cd, a dvd video documentary?

The Communications Network has been a vocal advocate for streamlining annual reports. And the Lumina Foundation recently surveyed their donors to ask preferences and learned that many supporters do still want a print annual report.

Furthermore, a survey of Global Fund for Women donors who read our print newsletter revealed that many of our print readers are not active online. So I knew that making this a web publication alone wasn’t the answer. So, fueled by my work with tompertdesign, and sparked by other annual reports that I’ve gotten over the years, my team decided to center this year’s annual report around a poster!

Instead of 70 pages, I had 16 pages to tell our story, 8 of which would comprise the poster. Through brainstorming and strategizing conversations, we found a way to feature women’s organizations from each region, share reflections from our Board chair and CEO and thank our international network of supporters, advisors, grantees and board. Everything else would be available on our website.

We’re already receiving feedback from donors that they’re thrilled with our decision to save resources and still tell a compelling story. Plus they have a gorgeous poster to remind them throughout the year that Women Hold the Solutions to solving some of our most pressing problems!

Happy Monday!

I went hiking with some friends on Saturday. Two of us were ahead of our small group on the trail and I said, “Let’s stop a minute and wait for the others.”

My companion replied earnestly, “Waiting is a waste of time!”

She’s five years old and already worried about wasting time. What does “wasting time,” mean to a five-year-old?

In this case, she was focused on getting where she wanted to be and that was all that mattered. She was on a mission. She had a vision of herself playing by the lake and she didn’t want to wait for anyone or anything on her way to her goal.

She especially didn’t want to waste time on a dusty, hot trail when she could be by the lake we were hoping was just around the next bend.

Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Really, who likes to wait at any age? Yet our lives are full of waiting. How do we teach ourselves (so often like five-year-olds in our thinking and behavior) to appreciate waiting?

We start by noticing what is happening while we are waiting.

In this case: sunlight and shadows, tree leaves moving in the wind, dragonflies swooping by, birds playing hide and seek in the bushes, a lizard sunning, a panoramic view of the lake, being together on a summer day.

Or for another example take major donor fundraising. Sure we love those first time donors who make a surprise major gift but those are rare. Most large gifts are a result of respectful donor cultivation and relationship building. This process inherently includes waiting. The donor chooses the pace and decides when the time is right to make a gift.

We ask. We wait for an answer. What is happening while we wait? We provide information and opportunities for meaningful engagement. We build trust in the vision, mission and financial stability of our organizations. We get to know the passions and interests of the people who care about the work we are doing.

The space of waiting is dynamically alive – don’t miss seeing and appreciating this by becoming overly focused on your end goal.

p.s. Another reason to love waiting: Have you ever sent an email or said or done something that, if you had waited a bit to allow yourself a little distance from your initial emotions and thoughts, you might not have said or done? Waiting offers time for reflection and perspective. Take it.

Happy Monday!

Some of the best fundraising advice I’ve received over the years came from Mwosi Swenson at Mal Warwick & Associates.

I was working with the Global Fund for Women at the time and we were brainstorming ideas for a new direct mail package.

My team and I were excited about the possibility of creating a mailing to reach a wider audience – perhaps a letter geared toward men or immigrants in the U.S.

Mwosi said, “You can’t get someone to support something they don’t believe in through the mail. You can only convince someone to support what they already believe.”

Oh. Yeah. Right.

Fundraising is about connecting with people who believe in our mission.

Fundraising is our tool to build partnerships with like-minded individuals, organizations and businesses who “get” what we are trying to accomplish.

Through fundraising we actively engage with people who already care about the issues we are working on.

When you are passionate about your work it’s easy to think that your organization is the answer – and that everyone should know about it, believe in it, fund it. Of course, we all want the broadest possible reach for our cause.

But fundraising is not a public awareness campaign.

Don’t deplete your fundraising energy and budget trying to convince someone to support something they don’t already believe in. Find your choir and preach to them. (Or better yet, start a conversation.)

Then you’ll have money and people power to raise awareness and wider support for your cause.

Happy Tuesday!

I was driving on the freeway last week and noticed a couple of “Free Leonard Peltier” signs hanging in trees off the side of the road.

I was surprised. Isn’t he free already?

I guess not. And there are still people who care.

When do you give up?

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. Or 46 if the total years of apartheid in South Africa are counted.

After ten or twenty or fifty years how do we continue to inspire passion for the change we seek?

Especially today. We have short attention spans and a daily influx of new information, new causes and new crises to focus on.

How do we raise money for issues that people think are over or unwinnable?

• First – we have to know (not just believe) that change is possible.
• Second – we need to make it personal for people and answer the “Why should I care?” question.
• Third – we need to stay focused on our goals even as public attention waxes and wanes.
• Fourth – we need to be current and link our cause with others.
• Fifth – we need to have patience.

There are many problems and issues that seem unbeatable. And structures and systems that appear monolithic.

When you are living the effects of injustice, discrimination, hatred and indifference, even yesterday can seem like too long to wait.

But take the long view. Don’t give up. Stay focused. Strategize. Communicate. Connect. Have Patience. The elusive “tipping point” could be just around the corner.

p.s. Want to make use of past research and articles? Check out this helpful guest post on Katya’s non-profit marketing blog.

Happy Monday!

We act as if only what we can count matters.

How many (Facebook) friends or (Twitter) followers do we have?

How many donors? How many opens and clicks on our email campaigns? How many views on our YouTube videos?

How much money in our bank account?

We sometimes forget that our computers and our spreadsheets only capture a portion of our work and a fraction of our lives.

Not everything can be tracked and counted.

I told five or more (I lost count) people I know the past few weeks about a 50% off special that PsPrint was having on business cards for the month of May. These were phone, face-to-face, or personal email conversations. Nothing that can be tracked “on-line” by PsPrint via clicks or Twitter messages.

PsPrint didn’t ask me to join a Facebook Fan page or suggest that I forward a message about this great price break. (Which I wouldn’t have done. I’m not big on spamming my friends or declaring love for a corporate entity.)

Mentioning PsPrint in conversation happened naturally because their services related to a real time need. They had a good deal and because I’ve used their on-line printing with success I felt confident recommending them.

Also in the past few weeks, three people told me about “The Story of Stuff” and Annie Leonard. Two of these were “off-line” face-to-face conversations, one was an email forward of the Global Greengrants e-newsletter from a friend.

The first time I heard about “The Story of Stuff” and Annie Leonard I forgot her name and the name of the video. The second time I said, “Oh yeah, I heard about that but forgot the name of it.” The third time gave me the link to the video and more information.

I still haven’t watched the “Story of Stuff” but now I remember Annie’s name and the title of the video.

These are just two examples of the vast world of “off-the-record” conversations and activity that spread information – and (we hope) create change.

Will Annie ever know the true impact of her video and message? How many people will take the “Story of Stuff” lessons and actually implement a change in their lives? And will this change be because of the video or because of a unique-for-each-person combination of things? (Like the work of other organizations and individuals worldwide on similar issues, system wide changes, media reports, monetary incentives, peer pressure and numerous other factors.)

Who knows?

Not everything can be tracked and counted.

Do your thing. Sure, you can pay attention to the numbers but don’t get lost in thinking that “how many” of anything is what ultimately matters.

——————

p.s.

I was standing in the grocery line one day when a mom and her son, about 7 years old, came up behind me. He was touching all the candy and other treats by the checkout counter and asked his mom the price of something. After she replied with a price, he despondently said, “oh, EVERYTHING costs money.”

I smiled at him and said, “Not everything. Friendship and love don’t cost money.” And his mom said, “That’s right. All of the important things are free.”

Happy Monday!

(from Guest Blogger, Leanne Grossman)

Last week, I canceled my San Francisco Chronicle subscription, and the clerk offered me four other ways to get the Chronicle for less money, but I declined.

One week later, I received another call, “This is Jeannette from the San Francisco Chronicle. Leanne, we DEEPLY miss you,”

I was shocked, then humored. How could someone who doesn’t know me miss me? And does the marketing department at the paper really think I will believe this pronouncement and change my mind?

I didn’t and I haven’t.

Your supporters are sharp. No matter what you may want them to do or give, they won’t follow through if they detect insincerity or coercion in your communications.

When you’re sincere, you share the care you have about your cause.

When you’re sincere, expressing how you feel about that cause comes more easily.

When you’re sincere, others feel it and want to unite with your goals.

So whether you’re writing a direct mail piece, personal letter, fundraising blog, Tweet, or thank you note, keep it simple; keep it sincere.

(Photograph by Mike McCaffrey)

Happy Monday!

Have you ever been at a social function where you were talking to someone and you could tell that they weren’t listening to you?

While you are speaking, they are scanning the room, looking around to see who is there. Their body and their attention focused not on the conversation with you but on seeing who else they could (or “should”) be talking to.

What did you think of this experience?

Do you treat your donors this way?

“Thanks for the gift, but I’m busy right now looking for a donation from someone else, someone who can give us more or who can connect us to important people, someone who is more valuable than you are.”

or

“Thanks for your support, we appreciate it but can you give us another gift as soon as possible and can you give us more next time?”

With the pressure on to raise money, it can be easy to forget that behind every donation is a live person.

Focused on meeting our money goals, we can quickly fall into the habit of valuing high dollar donors and prospects more than our mainstay “average” supporter. This is a counter productive habit that can cause us to neglect or overlook an important segment of our donor base. These are the supporters who have made their gifts and are ready to be noticed, listened to and appreciated.

Right now every single donor, regardless of the gift amount, is making a stretch to give. With fear driving the economy, everyone is concerned about not having enough, needing to cut back and worriedly waiting to see if things will get better.

This means that every donation that comes through your door is a statement of commitment to, and belief in, your organization and mission. Your job is to value the gift and the person who gave it. The amount is irrelevant.

The key to surviving and thriving in “this economy” is the old mainstay of good fundraising: donor appreciation.

We know that supporters who feel connected and appreciated give more. Don’t ignore the donors that you do have. Remember they made a stretch to give to you – they overcame the fear of not having enough for themselves.

While you’re busy looking to see what you might be missing, you can miss seeing what you already have.

Happy Monday!

Ok, so we’ve established that:

1. What keeps us from knowing abundance in time is our inability to accept what we have – we always want more and,

2.  Time as we know it and live it is a mental construction.

But, while we’re working on being satisfied and playing around with our ability to shift our time perspective – we still have our endless to do lists and routine daily demands.

How do we “manage our time” and respond to what is happening? Read more…

Happy Monday!

Are you trying to figure out how best to use Web 2.0 strategies to raise money and visibility for your organization and cause?

The buzz around companies like Facebook and Twitter crescendoed recently with Barack Obama’s presidential win.

His use of social networking sites and new media has been identified as one of the top strategies securing his victory. Now, everyone wants to learn from his tactics and mimic his success.

How do we sort through the hype and the buzz? Read more…

Happy Monday!

Are you living from news headline to news headline?

Waiting for someone to tell you when the economic crisis is over? Looking for the signal that you can stop worrying and trust again in the systems we have built to ensure our survival and prosperity?

Daily we are confronted with this (scary) not knowing.

We don’t know what will happen to the economy, we don’t know when things will get better and we don’t know if things will get worse. All of a sudden what we thought we could count on as a sure thing, a solid foundation – is shifting under our feet.

What do we do now? How do we live with the uncertainty of the unknown?

1) We can freeze. We can stay where we are, “hunker down” and hold on tight to whatever we have and wait until the crisis is over.

2) We can blame. We can direct our anger and frustration at everyone and everything that caused this situation.

3) We can worry. We don’t know what is going to happen but we can imagine all of the worst-case scenarios and try to prepare ourselves for them, just in case.

4) We can Trust. We already know that we have the capability to craft and build new systems. History reminds us of our common aptitude to repair, fix, heal, learn from mistakes, adapt, rebuild, improve on, discover, imagine, invent, innovate and create.

Our instinct is to panic. We like to know what is next. We want to be prepared for what might happen. But our propensity to envision (and focus all of our attention on) worst-case scenarios undermines what we are trying to accomplish.

Focused on the bad and the potential worst we become stuck in fear and stagnant in old patterns. We ignore our capacity to create positive futures.

We obsess over the thought that we might lose everything, missing the fact that our greatest loss happens the moment we abandon our ability to see and appreciate the wealth and abundance of what we do have.

Trust is our best option. We will always have the unknown. Every day we wake up, whether we have money in the bank or not, the element of unknown is there. We can’t control the weather, other people, financial markets, the passage of time or life itself.

But how do we trust when we don’t know what is going to happen? What do we hold on to when what we thought was certain has dissolved?

In situations like this I am reminded of the white-faced monkeys in Costa Rica. Early one morning I was sitting by the Montezuma River when a group of fifteen or so monkeys (including a mother with her baby on her back) appeared in the trees above me and began to cross the span of the river.

To get to the other side, the monkeys had to let go of one tree branch and leap towards another branch across the river, trusting, with each leap, that the branch they were reaching for would hold the weight of their body.

Jumping from tree branch to tree branch, there was a moment when each monkey was holding on to nothing.

I held my breath watching them. How could they do that?  Trust so completely, let go and leap?

If the white faced monkeys thought about everything that could go wrong, if they sat on the branch, looking across the river, calculating the distance and weighing their options, would they still jump?

The monkeys trusted themselves, each other, what they knew, the tree branches, their previous experience, and chance. They risked letting go to reach the other side.

Can we do that too? Trust, let go and hold on to nothing?

We can freeze, blame or worry. We can cling to our branch even as it breaks beneath our weight.

Or, we can let go, reach out and leap into the unknown.

Trust.

There will be a branch there. It won’t be the same as the one we let go of. That’s called change. Our old strategies might not work anymore. That’s ok. We can and will create new ones. Trust. We have met the unknown every single day of our lives thus far and survived. Trust.

With all of our senses wide open to the wealth and abundance within us and around us, there is nothing to lose.

Trust.

—

p.s. Thanks to Esther and Em for reminding me recently of the white faced monkey example of trust.

Happy Monday!

We often live as if money is the most important thing.

We hear (and believe?) that time is money, happiness is money, success is money, power is money, freedom is money. Or the inverse: money is time, money is happiness, money is success, money is power, money is freedom.

We have created a world where we can (theoretically) buy whatever we want. Everything is for sale. We can purchase time, happiness, success, power and freedom. Money is the most important thing because money gets us what we want.

But what is money?

Money is, “a current medium of exchange.” What is necessary for exchange? Relationship. What gives a piece of paper with pictures and words on it value? Our relationship with that piece of paper – our collective, accepted belief that the piece of paper means something – is what creates the value.

Money relies on the relationship of our (shared) mental concept with the piece of paper for its existence and on the relationship of buyers and sellers, employers and employees, fundraisers and donors for the exchange.

Money is nothing without relationship.

And what about time? How do we measure time? In relationship. We observe the relationship of sun, moon and earth. We create concepts of light and dark, of more and less, and we gauge them in relation to each other. We call more light, “day” and less light, “night.” We assign numbers to our descriptions and then calculate the relationship of these numbers on our clocks to create a meaning of time.

How do we distinguish past, present and future? By their relationship to each other: Here we are in Now, and this (idea, story, memory, experience, goal) that we are thinking of is not happening Now, so it is either past (already happened) or future (hasn’t happened yet.)

Time has no meaning without relationship.

And happiness? What is happiness? Everyone has his or her own definition of happiness. How do we know whether we are happy or not? Through the relationship of our idea of happiness with what is.

We evaluate happiness by comparing what is happening (present) or what has happened (past) or what we plan to have happen (future) to our idea of what happiness is. Is our idea of happiness what is happening? Then we are happy.

Happiness is defined by relationship.

And success? How do we know what success is? We assign value to certain ideas, we create a concept of what “success is” and what “success is not” and then we determine success through the relationship of these concepts to each other.

Success is determined by relationship.

And power? What is power if there is nothing to exert power over, or power with or power to?

Power exists in relationship.

And freedom? One of our most cherished ideals. To not have freedom, something or someone has to be constricting, denying or taking away our freedom. We give up freedom for, grant freedom to, win freedom from, something or someone. Without this something or someone, all we know is freedom.

Freedom can only be restricted, granted or denied in relationship.

What do money, time, happiness, success, power and freedom all have in common? Relationship. They are defined and determined by, exist and are valued and experienced in, relationship.

Relationship is the most important thing.

So as we listen to the economic news and count the dollars in our bank account and as we look at our giving charts, segment our supporters into categories and plan strategies for meeting our fundraising goals – we can remind ourselves that money is not the most important thing – relationship is.

Loosing sight of this is easy to do because our jobs are defined by getting the money. With this pressure, money can seem like the most important thing. But relationship is what brings and keeps the money flowing to support the work. Money is just an exchange, which takes places in relationship.

The key question to ask then is, “What is the quality of our relationship with our supporters?” Do we see them as  “cash cows” or as partners in the work? Are they just a means to an end or vital players in the actualization of our mission?

As you answer these questions and work to raise money to support your cause, remember that relationship is more important than money.

Happy Monday!

This is a photograph I took in Cambodia a few years ago.

These are the beds of young women who work in a garment factory in Phenom Phen. The floor space is communal; the girls sleep in shifts depending on their work hours. They make clothes for the U.S. market.

Can you see how the back wall is a flimsy board barely attached?

The entire two-story building was half constructed and seemed ready for demolition. The ground floor was dirt and muddy with puddles of water that we had to step over to reach the wobbly boards forming an uncertain staircase to the top floor.

Upstairs, where the girls slept, there were gaping holes we had to look out for to avoid falling through to the floor below. Exposed wires were everywhere. The girls told us the place had burned down a few times and been rebuilt.

For over a year after the trip, I kept this picture on my refrigerator. I wanted the daily reminder of the living conditions of the women who make the clothes we wear.

The photograph was a guilt trigger for me. I felt guilty for my living conditions, which were so vastly different. I felt guilty for being born American. I felt guilty for my desire to always buy the lowest priced goods, knowing that this consumer action perpetuates a company’s search for the cheapest labor to ensure maximum profit.

I felt guilty for my inability to change the monolithic global systems which structure reality for my life in America and reality for the life of young women in Cambodia.

The photograph was my version of penance. My ‘note to self’ that all was not right in the world.

How often do we feel guilty about a reality that we cannot altar? Or carry guilt for something beyond our control?

The amount of information we receive now on a daily basis about local and global problems is greater than at any other time in our history. The increased influx can make the problems seem larger than the solutions. It’s easy to get stuck hopelessly asking, “What can one person really do anyway?”

This is where our organizations and groups step in to motivate and encourage. We invite the community to work together to create solutions and solve problems and show how individual energy fuels the power of collective action. We offer an answer to the “What can one person do?” question by creating a place for people to share their time, passion, resources and ideas.

There is the temptation in fundraising and social change organizing to play on guilt that people feel or to create a sense of guilt and then use the emotion to motivate giving or encourage a change in action.

This is a short-sighted strategy.

The guilt approach taps into emotion that people most often describe as unpleasant or negative. People don’t particularly enjoy feeling guilt. Sadness, depression, resentment or bitterness often accompany the guilty feelings. Even if it can earn us money, are these the emotions with which we want to build an organization or movement?

At the heart of guilt is the message, “You are the problem.” Making people feel bad is a limited motivator.

“You are the solution” is a more powerful message. We witnessed just how powerful with U.S. President Obama’s “Yes We Can” campaign.

Building lasting change is possible (and more enjoyable) when people feel respected, valued, inspired and empowered.

Some people choose to feel guilty, like I did. You can’t control why people give or how people feel, but you do control the spirit of your invitation. “You are the solution” is a message to build upon.

So when faced with the decision, “To guilt or not to guilt?” think long term and skip the guilt. Energize support for your organization and forge lasting donor relationships with inspiration as your motivator. Engage the community as part of the solution and as partners in your work and the money will come.

__

P.S. If you are fundraising in America, right now is a great opportunity to organize Action Days and get people involved in actively supporting your organization. With the excitement and momentum of the recent Inauguration people are looking to participate and help “rebuild America.” Is there a hands-on way you can include supporters? Figure out what it is and open your doors.

Happy Monday!

The news about the economy is bad, donors are decreasing their giving because of fears about financial security and you are worried about meeting your fundraising goals for the year.

Wouldn’t thinking positive in the face of these realities mean burying your head in the sand?

Sometimes what we think is true is not true.

The idiom “bury your head in the sand” came from a belief that ostriches burry their heads in the sand when threatened by danger. Ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand.

Sometimes what we think is true is not true.

But the news about the economy is bad, donors are concerned about financial security, you do worry. This is true. But is this all that is true?

Is your organization helping someone in need? Are your programs having an impact in the community? Does your work educate, inspire and connect people? Isn’t this also true?

What is it in us that does not allow the positive to co-exist with the negative, the good news with the bad news. The glass can only be half full or half empty – never just a glass with water in it.

We take a simple childhood story of a girl who played a “glad game” no matter what happened and make her into something we don’t want to be. We define finding something to be glad about in every situation as being “naively optimistic.” Positive thinking is sugar coating reality. We don’t want to be Pollyanna.

So instead we hold on to part of the truth as the whole truth. We tell ourselves that we are not focusing on the negative. We are facing reality. Even though we know that there is black, white, shades of grey and colors too. Even though we know that sometimes, what we think is true is not true.

Alongside this don’t-want-to-be Pollyanna habit, at the other end of the spectrum we have a desire to believe in The Secret and the Law of Attraction. Isn’t it also true that what we think about creates our reality?

There are hundreds of books, articles, websites and blogs which debate all sides of positive and negative thinking, optimistic or pessimistic outlooks and the what is truth and what is reality questions. We might have to wait awhile for a definitive answer…so in the meantime, you can run some tests for yourself. Look at the list of words below and notice how you respond to them.

abundance    lack
scarcity     plenty
generous     greedy
shortage     surplus

How does each word make you feel? Are there certain thoughts that you unconsciously attach to each word? Does your energy go up or down depending on which word you focus on? What happens to your breathing? Does it expand or constrict?

You can test this with your own words and thoughts. And then observe how your thinking affects your interactions with people and how your emotions shape your response to situations.

I know the news is bad and that not everything in your life either at work or home or in the world is perfect. Positive thinking is not about sugar coating reality but about allowing yourself to see that what you think or feel is not the whole truth.

Positive thinking helps create options that don’t appear available when you are focused on how bad things are and trying to predict and prepare for what other horrible things might happen in the future.

Positive thinking is not a magic wand to erase all of your worries or an end to all of your problems. Positive thinking is a tool you can use to shift your thought patterns, expand your perspective, lighten your mood, calm your anxious heart rate and relax your breathing.

Why think positive? You’ll feel better (which is not a bad thing) and have more ability to deal with challenges as they arise, including news about the economy, donor fears about financial security and your worry about meeting budget.

Why not play the Pollyanna game just for fun this week and see what happens?

Let me know how it goes.

p.s. And don’t use positive thinking as a way to feel bad about yourself or to judge others. That’s so not the point.

Welcome to Know Abundance!

A new positive thinking blog for fundraisers – and anyone else looking to supplant scarcity mentality with abundant living.

Delivered fresh every Monday – just when you need a dose of positivity to get your fundraising act in gear.

Know Abundance is living and working from the awareness that there is nothing you need that you don’t already have.

This blog is for you if:

• you worry about how to raise money to support your organization
• you stress about how to get everything done
• you wonder how to manage donor (and your own) fears about economy

Posted every Monday, Know Abundance is:

• fundraising from plenty and gratitude
• positive thinking to help you navigate your work week
• perspective to widen your outlook beyond daily headlines

Know Abundance is a shared journey. I, like you, am learning to live and work in new ways. To shed the thought patterns and beliefs that keep us trapped in a never-ending scramble for time, money, resources, and market share. To embrace the mantra, “Everything I need I already have.”

I know how hard you are working to bring into reality your vision of a better world. Know Abundance is for you. The weekly posts offer tools to see your worry, stress and fears in a different light, to know abundance even in the midst of scarcity.

Coming up in January:

Jan. 12 – Why think positive?

Jan. 19 – Live Your Dreams Today

Jan. 26 – Scarcity as Reality is Relative

I welcome your comments, questions and participation as we learn together.