Fundraising Is Not Really About Tactics... or Money
So why are we always talking about both of those things, in fundraising?
Today we’re talking about fundraising — perhaps in a different way than you ever have before. I get that it’s a fraught topic for many of you. And I want you to get that it doesn’t have to be… and that you can actually find joy in it. Read on, to find out what I’m talking about….
For You: Today’s Main Course
Fundraising freaks people out.
I see it all the time.
I’m guessing you’ve seen this too?
Maybe experienced it yourself?
Again and again, in the nearly two decades I’ve been working as a professional fundraiser, I’ve seen people lose their ever-loving minds as soon as the conversation turns to raising funds for a cause.
[Until these first few months of 2026, that is.]
What is different now?
In these first months of 2026…
Our entire city of Minneapolis — and the rest of the Twin Cities metro area, and whole state of Minnesota — has become exceptionally rich in solidarity, as we’ve united with each other in defense against an outside, occupying force that genuinely threatened us all.
Because we were all facing a clear and present danger together, and we were so united in community defense, we almost instinctively launched into action to protect each other, doing what each of us could for the cause, not questioning or second-guessing anything — and waiting for directions from no one.
Fear was only one of the many emotions we all were feeling. In fact, I’d say that the entire response to the occupation was driven by emotion — whether while we were patrolling neighborhoods, giving others rides, protecting school communities at drop-off and pick-up times, doing others’ laundry, shopping for and/or delivering food for others, constitutionally observing… or raising funds. Anxiety. Compassion. Care. Anger. Empathy. Grief. Love. All of these emotions — many shades of each — and more pulsed through our veins, as we moved through each day, actively co-creating community in a way we never had before.
Given all of the above, no one was worried about the usual things. Egos were taking a back-seat. No one was playing power games. People readily asked for help when they needed it, and people easily gave it when asked, if they could. Even if people might have felt self-conscious, they put that aside for the good of the cause. No one was worried about their image, or their reputation. No one had time to entertain awkwardness. The prevalent vibe — from neighbor to neighbor, in the interdependent community we had woven — was simply that everyone would do whatever they could, as best they could… and that was enough.
Perhaps most importantly, as it related to fundraising, people weren’t really thinking about the money when they did it. They were grounded in their relationships with the people they were fundraising for — and in how essential it was to meet designated totals for their rent and other needs. Raising that money quite directly, and literally, meant keeping people we cared about housed. Fed. Safe. And money was simply the means to that end.
Here, in a kind of mad-scientist experiment I couldn’t have designed better myself, we had basically an army of people who were completely new to fundraising — or who, if they had fundraised at all before, were definitely not “professionals” — and yet were raising millions of dollars… as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
And I’m not really very surprised.
I’ve said for years that I think we over-complicate fundraising.
Now that a whole “industry” — one with credentials and degrees and progressive career paths — has developed around fundraising, we “professionals” have a vested interest in gate-keeping skills and knowledge about it all.
And sure, there is specialized knowledge around fundraising.
There are special skills, too.
But ultimately?
As we’ve seen here in Minneapolis, fundraising can successfully be done by anyone, for any cause, at any time, no “professionals” needed.
Did I just talk myself out of a job?!
Ummm…
… not exactly.
There are still very important things for me to teach.
And that is why, even though I’m a professional fundraiser (and a consultant and coach helping others fundraise), I don’t write about — nor do I use the podcast for — “tips and tricks” to help you fundraise better. Or the latest funding bomb dropping upon us from the current federal government. Or “My Seven-Point Plan to Help You Raise Seven Figures This Year.” Or the latest shiny object that everyone is talking about in our field (like, ahem, cough — AI — cough).
Because ultimately?
None of that matters that much.
Tactics are fungible.
Best practices are not “best” for all.
Because every organization is unique — in everything from its budget size, to its staffing model, to its programmatic make-up, to its funding mix, to its mission and who is drawn to it, and more — there are no one-size-fits-all answers, despite what many “experts” will try to tell you.
[Especially if they’re selling you something.]
Being an effective fundraiser is not about tactics.
Sure, I can and will always teach you tactical skills…
… but that is not where the most meaningful learning lies.
The real learning…
… is in transforming your relationship to money. Honing your inter-cultural fluency. Listening ever-more closely. Connecting deeply with your own humanity. Reaching out to connect with the humanity of others. Inviting others into, and growing, a sense of community. Communicating clearly and directly. Being present, to others and yourself. Developing greater self-awareness and ability to lead yourself. Growing more courage, compassion, empathy, solidarity, love, and care within yourself.
Being an effective fundraiser is in the being.
Because remember: you are a human being.
You’re not a human doing.
Or a human going.
How you are, in this very human work… is everything.
This truth is why my neighbors in Minneapolis have been so effective in their fundraising this year. As I shared above, the context we’ve all been in has resolved a lot of what usually tends to trip people up.
That context is not available everywhere, to everyone — and thank goodness for that. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And…
… what that means is that people still get tripped up.
They get caught up in their egos…
… or they let anxiety get the best of them…
… or they get self-conscious and bring awkwardness to the table…
… or, one of the big ones, they focus on the money.
We so often forget that money is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to an end that we humans have created as a stand-in for value… in order to more easily trade truly valuable things for other truly valuable things.
Money is a means. Money is a tool. Money is not an end in itself — the be-all, end-all our dominant culture has made it to be. And we’ve all gotten so confused about this.
Working through lessons in being human — within ourselves and with others — is the essence of becoming a good fundraiser.
As I always say, philanthropy (loving and caring for our fellow human beings) is one of the most human things a human can do.
We need not over-complicate this — especially when we’re fundraising.
So the process of turning our fundraising…
… into philanthropy…
… is usually a process of unbecoming, unlearning, unfolding…
… of peeling away the many layers of conditioning that we’ve been taking on, bit by bit, over the years…
… and ultimately, of entering the joy of being human. Together.
Fundraising is ultimately about a journey — from here… to there.
When we’re fundraising, we’re pointing at the horizon, telling others where we’re all headed, and inviting them to join us on the ride there.
We’re casting visions.
We’re dreaming of what could be.
We’re envisioning a better world…
… starting our own journey towards that world…
… and bringing others with us.
Fundraising is creation.
Fundraising is a prayer.
Fundraising can be… philanthropy.
I know there are a lot of y'all fundraising these days (for mutual aid) that haven't ever done this before. Would you like some help? Guidance? Support? From a social worker (MSW) and Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) who's been doing this for almost two decades? Sign up for an on-demand coaching session with me. Three lengths available to fit your needs (.5 hr | 1 hr | 1.5 hr).
50% of revenue will go straight to rent relief for our neighbors. The rest will provide me a bit of income. And you? You'll be WELL on your way to fundraising better... and more of our neighbors will have their needs met through your increased skill.
Win-win-win... WIN!
PS: Note, this is a regular service I offer to professional fundraisers, so the wording on the webpage linked above may not seem to speak to you, if you're a newbie fundraiser. No worries. I'll meet you where you are.
PPS: As I said above, this service is, historically, primarily focused on PROFESSIONAL fundraisers... so if that's you, I encourage you to jump on this offer too!
Conversation: Your Response
Got more to say? Visit the comments section!
Now is the time to reach out and connect with others. Life doesn’t have to be so hard. Your community is waiting for you! Advice when you need it. Been-there, done-thats. Commiseration. Support. A place to vent. Guidance and mentoring. All of this, and more, is what I anticipate happening at Community-Weaving for Fundraisers.
Just community-based fundraisers. Gathering for (virtual) lunch together. Twice a month. Year-round. Chatting and supporting each other via WhatsApp in between lunches. Being there for each other.
All you need to do is show up, be present… while I guide, facilitate, organize, and create the container.
Practice: Make It Yours
The exercise I’m proposing for you today comes from a book, Henri J.M. Nouwen’s A Spirituality of Money:
If money touches our relationships with family members as well as the world beyond our home, it also reaches into our inner life. It is interesting that the phrase “personal worth” can mean both the extent of our financial assets and our value as a human being.
Once again, some questions may help us explore this aspect of our relationship with money.
How does having, or not having, money affect our self-esteem, our sense of value? Do we feel good about ourselves when we have a lot of money? If we do not have much money, do we feel bad about yourselves? Is a low or even modest income a source of embarrassment? Or do we think money doesn’t matter at all?
Reflect on your relationship to money.
How does money affect your sense of what is valuable… and what is not valuable?
How does money affect… your own value?
Do you find it harder to earn money? Or to spend it?
What words come to mind, when you consider money?
How does money seep into your inner life?
What is your personal worth?
How do you determine that?
Reflect on these questions… and any others that come to you, as you consider your relationship to money… and its relationship to you.
Inspiration: Wisdom to Mull Over
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
- Henry David Thoreau
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You nailed what we need: " … of peeling away the many layers of conditioning that we’ve been taking on, bit by bit, over the years…
Unless we unpack our wacky relationships with money and mission we will continue to lose our way.
I attended yet another Debbie Downer Discussion on the crisis in the nonprofit sector yesterday.
The forecast? Mostly shitty, 90% chance of a scortched earth hellscape ahead for nonprofit organizations. Zombies likely.
Someone asked, Why are foundations not moving money in this unprecedented historic moment when their portfolios are booming?
The answer is probably more complicated than the knee-jerk -- "stingy and stupid" response - (kinda true) but more to do with their hardwired relationship to money.
I wonder if shifting those entrenched habits will require a more of a deeper relational approach than a tactical educational or awareness-building one. "Just tell them to step up - the world is on fire..." etc.
Now, go write some more about this stuff so we can start unlearning.
This really resonated - especially the part about how quickly fundraising becomes natural when the relationship is clear and the stakes are human. What struck me reading this is how much of our “professionalization” of fundraising is really an attempt to manage discomfort - our own and others. And in doing so, we sometimes distance ourselves from the very thing that makes giving work: proximity to what matters. The Minneapolis example doesn’t just simplify fundraising, it exposes what we’ve layered on top of it.