A pep talk for fundraisers
Yesterday morning, like all of you, I woke up to a changed world. Many of us have a lot to process, and it will take time. But thinking of all of you—the face of your organizations—putting into motion ‘scenario plans’ you made weeks and months ago, I wanted to share a little reflection to fuel us through this moment.
Meditation as a metaphor
This weekend, I had the privilege of hiding from the world at a yoga retreat. In one session, we practiced a traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation called tonglen, which translates to ‘sending and receiving’.
It is a practice of compassion—meaning tapping into our ability to connect to one another through empathy. Basically, it’s the opposite of typical meditation, where we breathe in goodness and breathe out the ick. Here, we breathe in the pain of the world and breathe out what would alleviate suffering and bring happiness.
For example: Breathe in fear. Breathe out peace.
Sounds awful, right? (It was definitely, uh, hard.)
But also: powerful. It’s a visceral reminder that we, through our being—through our compassion—have the power to transform, transmute, convert. We already have all we need to change the world.
Understanding our power as fundraisers
And that’s how I think of about our lives as fundraisers.
More than any other time in history, our nonprofit sector is the ‘tip of the spear’ for societal change. Our organizations represent our best hopes for our communities, our country, our planet, and our humanity. So many of us got into this work because we dream of a better world. So many of us stay in the work because our organizations’ missions move us closer to our ideals.
If you’re feeling exposed right now, it’s because you are. As a fundraiser, you are the ‘tip of the spear’ for the ‘tip of the spear’. You are out in front. You are talking about things before they are polished, answering questions on your feet, getting unfiltered feedback, reaching out to people you don’t agree with, and even potentially facing personal distress and harm.
Your work is courage. The courage to get out there, lead through discomfort, and mobilize resources for something that doesn’t exist yet—the possibility of a better world.
As fundraisers, we are movement builders. Every day, through our conversations, connections, and communications, we cultivate coalitions of people who share our hopes and dreams. The investments we inspire turn those hopes and dreams into realities—realities that change the lives of real people and really change the world.
In doing so, we are like tonglen meditation. We see, touch, feel what is broken about the world. We push out the vision, solutions, and hope that heals it.
This is powerful work. And, in a moment like this, that power comes with great vulnerability—and, if we’re up for it, great responsibility.
A pep talk
So, take the time to process. Take the time to feel. To breathe. To recharge.
And then take the time to reflect: How can you use your conversations, connections, and communications to push out something the world needs in this moment?
Maybe you can transform…
Division into connection?
Judgement into understanding?
Hatred into love?
Bigotry into humanity?
Brokenness into healing?
Hunger into fullness?
Heaviness into joy?
Scarcity into abundance?
Exhaustion into rest—and eventually, rejuvenation?
Whatever you hope for in the world, you can bring forward through the powerful work you do. You are your own instrument of change. It is a gift to hold this power in this moment. Trust it, and trust yourself.
And most of all, trust that you are not alone.
