Let’s be honest, and real.
These times are scary. Terrifying, even.
A CEO said to DBD last week, “We are doing what’s in front of us, and I think we’re on track. But I have no way to predict the next 3-6 months. Summer brings in 25 percent of our revenue, and we don’t know if those programs can happen. So how do I plan for what is coming?”
We can’t.
All we can do is the next right thing.
As we take a collective inhale and try to prepare as much as humanly possible—using the best of charts and data about the spread of COVID-19 around the world—it’s easy to feel powerless.
But powerless doesn’t get us anywhere. We must respond. It’s our duty as community-serving organizations. And hundreds of non-profits are doing just that—making a pivot and responding to emerging needs in ways that they can. Whether it’s turning a facility into a homeless shelter, delivering meals to families, shopping for homebound seniors, offering space for temporary medical facilities, or providing emergency child care for health workers—there is a lot that can and is being done.
Michael Beckwith’s model on the stages of spiritual development is an encouraging framework to help us stay grounded and connected to one another in these defining times.
The first stage, To Me, is the stage where we are merely victims, where something outside of us is controlling our present and a future. This feeling is very real in a pandemic. This is the stage that leads to toilet-paper hoarding and judging others.
But the second stage, By Me, is where we take action. Many amazing DBD clients and other non-profits around the world are already using their skills, resources and creative imagination, responding to social issues and manifesting something new to respond to their communities’ needs.
How do we move to that third stage, Through Me, where we can truly serve as a channel for good in the world? Where we steadfastly believe through all this that life is for us? That the universe is progressive? That something wonderful is trying to happen? There will be opportunities for new life to be birthed on the other side of this. This is a place of allowing and of trusting.
And that last stage, which Beckwith calls As Me, is where any separation between us dissolves. Here, we deeply connect with neighbors, communities, other organizations and all of humanity. Here, we remember our oneness with life. We remember our friends around the world who are in this with us. We are one.
Here’s to keeping our individual and collective feet on the ground. Our organizations are moving forward. And as we remember our oneness, our hearts will open more widely to the suffering and the healing that is happening around the world.
For more about Michael Beckwith’s model, click HERE.
Do you need to talk to someone about the challenges your organization is facing? Contact us and request a free consultation.
We are continuing to update our resource page on Fundraising in Uncertain Times. Please check back frequently for tips and samples to help your organization quickly respond to our changing circumstances.
