Abundance is a word with many meanings. The definition I reference for this column is that abundance is a feeling of richness and fullness in all aspects of life. This includes relationships, health, joy, and personal fulfillment.

People who believe in abundance know there is always enough of everything to go around. Consider this scenario: Your neighbor has tremendous fun decorating his home for the holidays. You want to decorate too, so you pick up items at the store and get started. The project is going well until your neighbor comes over and asks, “Why are you decorating with candy cane lights? We always use candy cane lights.” I know the scenario is silly but this kind of thinking is happening in all walks of life. This person is sounding an alarm because he does not see the benefit of what more lights can do for his neighborhood. Instead, the neighbor lacks abundance and has a scarcity mindset.

Ingrid Fetell Lee writes that a scarcity mindset is a zero-sum way of seeing the world that makes it hard to find joy. Scarcity mindset teaches us that there’s a limited amount of good stuff in the world, and everything we want in life must come at a cost to someone else. It elevates competition over collaboration, hoarding over sharing.

Why do I write about this now? Because scarcity mindset is a problem and unfortunately, it is devastating for nonprofits. An organization has to believe that the people they serve are also serving them in a positive way. A nonprofit’s mission usually includes building relationships and lifting people up but if they are territorial and disagreeable, they tear people down. As soon as a nonprofit develops a scarcity mindset, they lose valuable members, appear desperate and fail to make decisions without judgement.

The magical part I’d like to emphasize is that there is a quick recovery from a scarcity mindset; Act from a place of abundance. You do this and just like magic, you create more abundance. I am not writing this for the masses because the majority of people truly believe in abundance and they lead with that mindset. But, because nonprofits work so hard for what they have, the mindset of abundance can be forgotten. My advice for every nonprofit is to be confident in the people you serve. Believe that people are on your side. Know that everything you need to run your organization is within your grasp. DO NOT let the people with scarcity mindset have a say in how you collaborate and share. And, last by not least, sharing “candy cane lights” are the best way to be a good neighbor. Happy Thanksgiving!

Contact Gayle Gross at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org or 719-233-9902 if you want your nonprofit to be part of this column or to be part of the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County. Gayle Gross has worked with nonprofits in the community since 1998. Now, she facilitates SOAR’s Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County. Meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month, 9:30 a.m. – 10:45. The group meets at Reserve Our Gallery or at a nonprofit’s location. Join the group on March 12 at the gallery.