December 2022 ~ Generative Economic Update

By Chris Wolf

Through this school year it has been very encouraging to see our monthly financial commitments coming in, mostly as expected so far. However, while essential to our financial health, those commitments only account for a little over 20% of the revenue we need to raise to meet our budget this year. A significant portion of our budget is met every year through fundraising, and yet we start out our December campaign by making a $1,000 donation to another non-profit?! Some people might think this is insane, or maybe just a poor decision. But we believe it is only a poor decision when we operate in a paradigm of disconnection and scarcity that we are trying to move beyond. When we all protect and defend limited resources, the world becomes more isolated and antagonized; not exactly a place of thriving. When we embody a spirit of generosity it begets joy and gratitude and more generosity. 

I have found that I am able to consciously align with this principle of compounding generosity. On a couple occasions, before sending out a large number of personalized requests for donations on behalf of Springhouse, I have given away some money to a person, organization or cause that is in need, or that inspires me. Somehow this has made space within me to reach out in a way that was not rooted in fear that we might not meet our goal, and it even allayed much of the awkwardness that can come up around asking for money, allowing my appeals to come from a spacious place of love and trust. And I have been met with inspiring support. 

When we practice our give-away, we are honoring the generosity that we encounter flowing toward us time and time again at Springhouse. We are also imitating our greatest teacher – the Earth – which gives us many examples of systems operating on abundance and reciprocal relationships. We are counting on each individual in our community to do what they can to help us meet our goal of $35,000 in this December campaign, not just so we can continue our day-to-day work, but so that the world is a place with more joy and generosity and gratitude.