Is it really that simple?

Money buys opportunity and choices. Is it really that simple?

There was a season of kid-raising where we rarely ate out. We had three adolescent boys at the same time and they reached the age in middle school where they scoffed at the kid-menu (and the pricing that comes with it) and wanted -- okay, I'll concede perhaps they needed -- adult, man-sized meals. The $5.99 kid meal was no more. Limited budgets for food kept us home for most meals during this season of life. They ate what I chose to cook. If we think of money in terms of opportunity and choice, an unlimited meals budget would have provided an opportunity to eat out and the boys could have eaten whatever they chose from the menu. A limited budget limited their options. Lack of money = limited choice.

In our work to contribute to communities where everyone can thrive, I'm wondering if we could perhaps reframe our work in terms of choice. Is Community Development Professionals, LLC really about creating opportunity for people and how does that relate to personal wealth? Is Community Development Professionals about creating communities where individuals have more money and therefore more choice?

As I ponder this reframing, I'll consider:

✔ Does giving someone else opportunity limit my opportunities in some way?
✔Where does having opportunity meet individual responsibility?
✔ Do I have any hidden fear or hesitation over giving others opportunities or choices? Why?
✔ If money is correlated with opportunity and choices, is it noble to donate money to expand someone else's choices while perhaps even limiting my own? How does this consideration impact fundraising and donor development?

These are some thoughts on which I'm reflecting. What are you reflecting on today?

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP

#lifelonglearning #nonprofits #socialenterprise #socialentrepreneurs #reframing #reflecting