No, it’s not what you think. This
isn’t about some hippy-dippy, Ohm chanting commitment to serving a higher
universal power. Although that’s a nice thought, too. There are specific
elements of my 11+ years of a consistent yoga practice that feed my work as a
fundraising and philanthropy consultant, both consciously and unconsciously.
Some of these thoughts were bubbling up “on the mat” yesterday, so here they
are:
Precise attention to alignment.
In yoga, where you put your pinky
toe can make all the difference. That pinky toe can help you open up and
stretch your whole body, or, if ignored, it can leave your yoga pose stale and
stagnant.
When I’m writing a grant proposal,
precise attention to the details makes all the difference. Do the number of
participants on page one match the number of participants on page seven? Does
the budget narrative reflect the program we have described throughout the
proposal? Are we answering all of the questions that the potential funder has
asked? A dedication to details shows that we are committed to accuracy,
thoroughness, and follow through.
In a philanthropic context, alignment also has a deeper
meaning. For example, is the project we are describing really aligned with the
potential donor’s interests? Is our proposed project aligned with the
organization’s mission? Is it aligned with the needs of our
clients/constituents? Does it align with our values?
Breathe.
In yoga (as in life!), the breath
is your constant. When it gets tough, breathe. When it gets uncomfortable,
breathe. When you feel off balance, breathe. When you are reaching your “edge”
or your limit, breathe. When you want to celebrate how fantastic or expansive
or light your body feels, breathe. Through every distracting thought, you can
return to the breath to get grounded again.
Fundraising can be a stressful
profession, with deadlines, unanswered questions that need immediate answers,
donors or staffers who must be placated, financial goals that must be met in
order for clients’ needs to be addressed... the list goes on. Going into panic
mode doesn’t help. In fact, going into panic mode can cloud judgment and nudge
nonprofits towards quick fixes that may alleviate stress in the short term but
cause bigger problems long term (e.g. asking a donor for the wrong amount of
money, cutting a program that’s mission critical, wasting time on shoving
proposals out the door that are unlikely to lead to funding, etc.) When the
going gets tough, breathe. This is not only a literal suggestion – inhale,
exhale – but also represents need to return to the things that keep the
nonprofit alive, that keep it functioning and healthy. What are the
organization’s “constants”? What can’t it live without? What keeps the nonprofit
grounded?
Stretch.
Stretching in a yoga pose can feel
amazing. Expansive. Invigorating. But stretching beyond what your body can
handle, or what you have carefully prepared your body to do, can create pain.
That pain can last for days, months, or even years. (Just ask my sacroiliac
joint. Ouch.)
When I work with clients to set new
fundraising goals, train their boards, or envision new programs to integrate
into their existing work, I encourage them to stretch. Pushing beyond their
immediate comfort zones keeps the organization vibrant and healthy. But
stretching too hard, doing something that they are not prepared to do, can
cause pain, or even damage. The wisdom comes when you can figure out how much
of a stretch is too much.
Sweat.
Many
people think yoga is all sitting on the floor and chanting Ohm. Not so! Some
yoga practices are vigorous and sweat-inducing. Even if you are not moving a
lot, just holding a pose in one place can bring on a serious sweat. Sweat is
good. It cleanses you, cools you off, and shows you that you’re working.
It’s
also good for an organization to sweat a little. Even doing the same thing it’s
been doing for a long time (like holding a yoga pose for a long time) can make
an organization sweat, if they are doing it well and with the right level of
effort. Trying new things (like trying a new yoga pose) can make the
organization sweat. And that’s a good thing. It keeps the organization healthy.
And a little bit of sweat and nervous energy never hurt anyone before going in
to meet with a donor for a major solicitation.
Practice, practice, practice.
They call it a “yoga practice” for
a reason. Every time you return to the mat, it gets a little more familiar. The
mat seems to feel a little more like home. Every return to the mat is an
invitation to take things deeper, challenge yourself a little more, find out
what feels really juicy and right in your body. A yoga practice is called a
practice because it’s never really “done.”
The same is true of fundraising and
philanthropic giving. It’s never really done. As soon as you feel you’re on top
of it, you’ve accomplished your goals, you’ve mastered a new skill, that’s your
invitation to take it deeper. It takes practice to get really good at asking
people for donations, writing a grant proposal, or deciding how to give away
your charitable dollars mindfully and carefully. And as soon as you’ve done
what you set out to do, that’s your invitation to learn a new skill, expand
your nonprofit’s work or influence, or explore how your charitable giving is
really moving the needle on an issue that’s important to you. It’s a practice,
one that gets more rewarding each time you return to it.
