One of the differences I’ve noticed as I’ve begun working with folks in the non-profit space is the perceived lack of resources. Not enough funding. Not enough time. Not surprising, I guess. This segment of organizations has the word “no” in its very name! Perhaps as a result it’s preconditioned to focus on what it doesn’t have. Coming from a company and industry where resources were unlimited but not recklessly used, it’s a shift for me. Being a product of the midwest raised with thrift as a core belief, I respect and embrace the desire to do more with less. But not if it means not doing what’s needed.

As I make my professional transition into this new world, I’ve been connecting with people and organizations that can help me learn more about the world of fund development. In Portland, the leading professional organization for development folks is the Willamette Valley Development Officers, or WVDO for short. Today was WVDO’s regional conference and I decided to attend the opening breakfast and hear its keynote speaker. The speaker’s topic of “leaving scarcity behind” intrigued me.

The speaker, Hildy Gottlieb, is a social scientist who has built and consulted with successful mission-driven organizations affecting positive social change, like the first ever diaper bank in Tuscon, Arizona. Her message was clear, refreshing and inspiring. To build an effective non-profit organization that gets the resources that it needs, change the conversation from one around money to one around building relationships with people. Think of your work as “friend raising” not “fund raising." The money and resources will follow.

Among the many learnings I took away from Hildy’s speech were:

Build effective systems for gaining organizational support, not necessarily efficient ones. This was a big one for me, ever in hot pursuit of the quickest and most streamlined process for getting things done. Hildy’s thesis is that in an organization where relationships are the foundation for support, stakeholders must be embedded in the mission and work of the organization to make it grow, even if that means the work takes longer and uses more resources. “The efficient thing,” she says, “is not sustainable. Building a community is.”
There are plenty of resources to go around. This isn’t a zero sum game. In fact, think of your organization’s work not as raising money but as gathering resources.
Together we have everything we need. It is only on our own that we experience scarcity. Building relationships, networks, partnerships with other organizations is critical. Connecting unlikely dots amplifies the power and the opportunity.

Hildy will be speaking at the City Club of Portland’s Friday Forum tomorrow, so you have another chance to hear her compelling message for non-profits. It’d be well worth your time.