Current e-Journal
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September 24, 2025
Ask for what you really want
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Invitations and Announcements
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: Ask for what you really want
- Resources to Further Your Practice
Stepping into your POWER in these dark times
Life is pretty harrowing for changemakers right now. Whipsawed by government policy that is growing more and more authoritarian in so many countries around the world, those of us working to help the people in our communities need approaches that help us SEE the power we already have, and to then STEP INTO that power. That is what our newest webinar is about. How to take control when you feel like you have no control. How to make the most effective decisions when you're in crisis mode. How to move beyond always playing defense. It all starts here…
What U.S. Nonprofits Need to Know About the Current Federal Grant Landscape
The National Council of Nonprofits is hosting a free session on what nonprofits need to consider as they plan for future federal grants - from what to think about in the application process, how to navigate the new grant certifications, and how to plan for new processes. Find out how to navigate the new reality here…
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
Ask for what you really want
Let’s get right to the point: The ultimate purpose of fundraising is NOT to raise money. The ultimate purpose of fundraising is to get the stuff the money will buy us.
In these unsettling times, reliance on outside funding sources is scary. Foundations are pondering their grants strategy in light of dark economic forecasts. And the US government, who funded not only organizations within the US but all around the world, has slashed that funding. All of this is leaving many organizations worrying about serious threats to their funding.
What if you could rely on your community to support the work you're doing by sharing what they have, building upon each other's strengths? What if instead of focusing solely on raising money, organizations asked for all that stuff we really need – the stuff the money would buy us?
Hildy and Dimitri often share the story of building the world’s first diaper bank. Rather than establishing a cash budget and seeking money to meet that budget, they first asked for what they really needed.
As a result, they shared warehousing space, caseworkers, public relations, transportation, volunteer management. From there, they only had to raise money for the stuff no one could provide directly.
Think about how much less money you would have to raise if you were sharing a resource rather than needing to own it. Or if someone just gave you the stuff you need, with no strings attached. Think about the relationships that could be built by sharing what we have.
- Vehicles owned by an after school program, that could be shared with a senior center who needs a van in the mornings.
- Storage space that could be shared with another organization rather than having to rent a storage locker.
- Back office functions like bookkeeping and human resources and volunteer coordination.
That is the power of Collective Enoughness, the economic theory that together we have everything we need.
| Collective Enoughness: Together we have everything we need. It is only on our own that we experience scarcity. |
Hildy and Dimitri often cite the benefits of building that first diaper bank as a collaboration of community resources.
First, from warehousing to casework to everything in between, the diaper bank leadership didn’t have to worry about managing any of that. Imagine having 50 caseworkers across the community, or a busy warehouse operation, and not having to manage ANY of that.
Secondly, yes, they needed to raise significantly less cash.
But most important was the fact that every one of those partners became part of a larger family, all focused on the vision of a community where everyone had their basic needs met. The warehouse worker who offered to do his own diaper drive when he saw that a particular size was running low. The casework partner who shared their volunteer manager, rounding up their own volunteers when the diaper bank needed help.
The diaper bank became a place to connect as real people, sharing what they had. The program was building community simply by the way it resourced the stuff they needed.
Debra Jacobs shares similar stories in this week’s podcast episode. Debra is the CEO of the Patterson Foundation in Sarasota, Florida. And under the foundation’s guidance, collective enoughness efforts are popping up all across their region. If you want to be inspired by what is possible for your own organization, listen to Debra’s stories.
By definition, money is scarce. But the real resources we need are abundant and easy to share.
What could your organization accomplish if instead of always seeking money to buy stuff, you asked for what you really need?
The feeling of wealth is enhanced when you give, not when you take, since, subliminally, giving means you have enough to share, while taking means you may not be getting enough.
~ Robert Thurman
Try this:
If this sounds simple, that’s because it is simple. And it is something you can do right now. It is something you can add to your year-end appeal this year. The more you focus on what you really need, the more that becomes just the way you operate.
Step 1:
Identify what you really need. You already do that when you create your cash budget, so that step is simple.
Step 2:
Next, instead of turning that list into a cash budget, simply ask for what you really need. You might identify who in town already has what you need. Or you might simply ask for it outright.
You see us do that every once in a while here at Creating the Future. Instead of tucking that request away at the bottom of the newsletter where few people will see it, we send a short newsletter to ask our community to help with this or that.
And if you’ve ever wondered if people respond to those notes, here are our results:
Every single time we ask, people respond.
Every. Single. Time.
Step 3:
Think about adding just one of those request emails to your fundraising rotation. Make it short and sweet, simply asking for what you need. Do it as an experiment, to see what happens.
The worst result will be that nothing happens. And the best possible outcome? New friends who are happy to share what they have.
Thinking about resources in this way is powerful for so many reasons. Yes, you will get stuff. And yes, you will save money.
Your efforts will also look even more attractive to funders and donors, as you show them that their contribution will fill in the gaps of what you’ve already gotten directly – a different kind of resource matching. (Make sure to add the dollar value of those resources to your budget!)
Hildy and Dimitri recall one of the Diaper Bank’s funders telling them,
“This is the best philanthropic bang for the buck we can get!”
But most importantly, you will be building relationships and community, not based on money, but based on what folks already have, that they are happy to share. That is why the practice of Collective Enoughness is a crucial part of the Catalytic Thinking framework.
Resources to Further Your Practice
- LEARN: Our upcoming webinar will provide insights and practical tools for dealing with this new reality. Step into your power here…
- LISTEN: This foundation is taking a Collective Enoughness approach to creating change in their community. You’ll get all sorts of ideas listening to their practical stories here…
- READ: When these groups asked for what they really needed, great stuff happened! Hear their stories here…
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