Rise above scarcity by embracing abundance

Friend, I want you to do something for me: I want you to close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Turn your face upward. And imagine a clear, blue October sky. 

• The air around you is cool and crisp. 
• The scent of hay and harvest hangs softly in the breeze. 
• The muted honking of distant geese reaches your ears.
• And the heat of the sun is warm on your face.

That feeling your feeling? That sense of possibility and ease? That’s what I want you bringing to your fundraising during this year-end season of giving. And I’m going to help you achieve it.

The Blue Sky exercise is one we use often in our RaiseMN coaching program here at GiveMN, because it shifts our minds into a place of possibility—first asking what could be if we were free from fear and limitations, and then going after it in alignment with your priorities and at your own pace.

This trust in enough is central to who we are and what we do at GiveMN. One of our core values is Operate from Abundance. That means we resist scarcity, believing that philanthropy is not a zero-sum game and that our resources are best invested in ideas that “grow the pie” and bring more people to the philanthropic table. Simply put, we know there is enough to go around, and we’re committed to unlocking that possibility for our neighbors. 

Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my Kokum, perusing garage sales, mall window shopping, and sorting her Mary Kay inventory. And whenever I raised concerns about the money involved in these outings, she told me (and still tells me), “Jenna, you can always find more money.” The truth is, she did. And in doing so, she freed me. 

It isn’t naivety that informs her relationship to money, or toxic positivity. It’s her traditional Anishinaabe understanding of wealth, plus unwavering faith that there will always be enough, and it will always be accessible when we need it.

Money is a tricky thing when we let it be. Lynne Twist gets it. In The Soul of Money, she writes, “When we enter the domain of money, there often seems to be a disconnect from the soulful person we have known ourselves to be...Money itself isn’t the problem. Money itself isn’t bad or good. Money itself doesn’t have power or not have power. It is our interpretation of money, our interaction with it, where the real mischief is...”

When we lose sight of possibility, when we let our unbridled vision for the future and the Why behind it become subservient to the money that powers it, we open ourselves up to scarcity. Our blue sky turns gray.

This happens to me as a fundraiser from time to time (in fact, it happened yesterday). We’re all learning together here. We may be experts in our people and our work, and we all still benefit from reminders now and again. 

So, here’s why I want you to release your fear of scarcity, and instead embrace the case for abundance and optimism: 

• We are in the midst of a Great Wealth Transfer, and $84.4 trillion is in play.
• Americans invested $499.33 billion in their favorite causes last year, with growth in categories like online giving, bequest giving, and giving through donor-advised funds as well as to causes like health, arts & culture, and religion.
• Minnesota is one of the most generous states in the nation, and last year, Minnesotans invested $5.3 billion in charitable causes—$5, $10, and $20 at a time.

That’s a lot of possibility, baby. And in my way of knowing, it’s good medicine. 

So keep your chins up as we head into the year-end season and celebration of generosity, my fellow leaders and fundraisers. Keep that sun on your face, that Why in your mind. When you’ve got that clear, the What and the How of fundraising come easily. And we’re here to help you every step of the way. 

Jenna Ray is GiveMN's deputy executive director for community impact.