Isn’t this the question you ask yourself as a fundraising professional, day after day:

• “How do we get the money?

OR

• How do we find the “right” people?
• How do we not wear people out?
• How do we get more, bigger, longer lasting contributions?

I’ve been studying my own language around money for many years, thanks to my favorite book The Soul of Money and its author Lynne Twist and others committed to positive language choices.

Because of what I’ve read, learned and practiced, I have found that re-framing my own language and thoughts about money have allowed more money to flow to me and the social profit organizations I worked with.

The question, I’ve found, is not “How do we get the money?” but actually the question is: “What is our own relationship with money?” as an organization and personally.

There is a significant difference between those two questions.

If your life is like mine you were raised with comments in your house like:

• Money doesn’t grow on trees
• She’s filthy rich
• Money is the root of all evil

We’re often taught at a young age to give power to money and those who have it.

I don’t know about your family, but in mine we were taught: There is not enough. More would be better. And that’s just the way it is. These are the toxic myths of scarcity we can choose to embrace or re-frame.

But what if, just maybe, we take the approach that as a successful organization we are powerful in our knowledge about how to serve others, just as the donor is powerful in their ability to make or give money?

What if we come from the view point that our organization has excellent programs that provide outcomes that truly make a difference?

What if when we speak with a donor or potential donor we use language that levels the playing field of both their success and OUR success?

The conversation might start something like this:

You are incredibly good at making money.  I’m incredibly good at making change.  The change I want to make in the world, unfortunately, does not itself generate much money.  But man oh man does it make change.  It’s a hugely important change.  And what I know about making this change is as good and as important as what you know about making money.  So let’s divide and conquer – you keep on making money, I’ll keep on making change. And if you can lend some of your smarts to the change I’m trying to make, well that’s even better.  But most of the time, we both keep on doing what we’re best at, and if we keep on working together the world will be a better place.

~ Excerpt from Seth Godin: In Defense of Raising Money: a Manifesto for Nonprofit CEOs (and others)

I’m as passionate about language choices as I am about helping staff and board member raise all the money that your important missions require. The truth is, it takes a few more minutes to shift or re-frame our language and our money relationship.

Don’t feel you have to figure this out alone.

I invite you to join me on June 14 here at Asking Matters Fundraising Masters session to learn more about how to shift your relationship. We’ll be talking about the soul of money.

And I promise, we’ll have fun doing it!

You can connect with Lori L. Jacobwith, founder of Ignited Fundraising, on Twitter and Facebook. She’s helped nonprofit organizations raise $300 million from individual donors.