What are YOUR Global Beliefs?
“All ___ Are ___ — What Are YOUR Global Beliefs?”
We all have them — those global beliefs.
“All vegetarians are just being anti-meat and farmer.”
“All Catholics are opposed to women leading.”
“All teenagers are glued to their phones.”
“All this AI stuff is cheating.”
Now I’m not saying these are MY belief but rather that without a doubt we all create sweeping generalizations from our experiences, our upbringing, the news, or even one strong encounter that left an impression.
Recently I spoke at the 20th Annual BRIDGE to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference in Washington DC. There I took in an excellent closing keynote by Dr. Marcus Collins – a master in decoding the “why” behind what we buy, do and believe. In a nutshell he led us through global beliefs we ALL hold and challenged us to at least consider that they may not still serve us. For years, I had an image of vegetarians as the ones giving waiters a hard time—“Is the meat touching my entrée in the kitchen?” But now that my son and his girlfriend are eating a vegetarian diet, I see it differently. He feels better than he ever has. He’s learned what works for his body. I understand so much more now about food sensitivities and how individual it all is and how much our knowledge has increased since I was 20! That shift changed my belief—not because I was ever unkind, but because I now see a bigger picture.
And isn’t this true in fundraising, too? AND IMPORTANT?
What are your global beliefs about wealth, donors, and money?
“Wealthy people didn’t earn it.”
“All big donors want is their name on a building.”
“All people with money inherited it.”
“All philanthropists are self-serving.”
Or maybe you were raised with:
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
“Rich people aren’t liked.”
“It’s not polite to talk about money.”
These beliefs seep into how we feel about asking for gifts, celebrating generosity, and building relationships with donors. They can color how we see our donors before we’ve even met them.
I often meet development professionals who deeply want to serve their missions but carry quiet, limiting global beliefs about wealth. They hesitate to connect, to ask, to celebrate giving because they’ve absorbed some version of “money = bad” or “rich = selfish.” Sort of a chip on their shoulder when doing our honorable work.
And yes — I had my own global belief about AI. I thought, “All this AI stuff is sort of cheating.” Then, in practice, I discovered my chat is a partner who helps me think more clearly, write more joyfully, and serve my mission better… and FASTER. It’s a tool — like a calculator, a spreadsheet, or a microphone — that I can use for good. That belief shifted because I gave it a chance.
Here’s your reflection invitation this week:
- Fill in the blank — “All _____ are _____.”
- Ask yourself — where did that belief come from?
- Consider — how might that belief impact how you feel about your donors, your work, and yourself?
- Reframe — what could be a more joyful, generous belief?
Try these to get started:
- All fundraisers are ________.
- All board members are ________.
- All major donors are ________.
- All people who put their name on a building are ________.
- All people who ask for money are ________.
- All AI tools are ________.
When we bring awareness to our global beliefs, we free ourselves to see people — and even tools — not labels. We invite connection rather than separation.
Celebrate discovering your own global money beliefs (and maybe your global AI beliefs, too!). It’s part of our joyful journey as artful askers — seeing each person and each act of giving through a lens of respect, curiosity, and delight.
After all, the more we understand, the more we can truly Invest in JOY!™ and inspire generosity!
Invest in Joy!™
