Abundance of Possibility Is a Leadership Skill

Photo by Oscar Sutton

Every time I hear a nonprofit talk about an abundance mindset, it's framed around fundraising. It's about educating funders so they're spreading their philanthropy across different types of organizations instead of concentrating it in the same places. It's about understanding and recognizing that there are more than enough donors who can support our work. And all of that matters — I'm not dismissing an abundance mindset when it comes to fundraising.

But somewhere along the way, the nonprofit sector has made abundance mindset almost entirely about philanthropy. We haven't talked about it enough in terms of the other work we do. And because of that, we've maybe forgotten that it actually applies to the rest of the work too — to how we lead, to how we manage, to how we evaluate programs and make decisions when resources are tight.

So let's talk about having an abundance mindset outside of fundraising.

What Is an Abundance of Possibility?

Abundance of possibility is the practice of leading with curiosity and openness before defaulting to constraints. It's asking "what would it take?" before "why we can't." It's treating obstacles as the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one.

Scarcity of possibility sounds like this:

• We don't have the capacity for that.

• We tried something like that once and it didn't work.

• That's not how it's done in this sector.

• This isn't the right time.

And the more we use that muscle, the stronger it gets — until "no" becomes the default not because we actually thought it through, but because protecting what exists feels safer than imagining what could.

What Does Abundance of Possibility Look Like in Practice?

In leadership: A partner org reaches out about co-hosting a high-volume event. Scarcity says: we don't have the staff. Abundance says: okay — what would it actually take? Can we split up the personnel differently? Can we bring in additional support through volunteers? Can we start with a smaller volume event and build from there over the next few years? We might still land on "not right now." But we got there by exploring it first — not by leading with no.

In staff management: When a team member is struggling, scarcity asks: is this person the right fit? Is it worth keeping them on? Abundance asks instead: what do they need to succeed, and does the organization have the ability to help them get there? Sometimes the answer is still that it's not working. But the orientation changes what we see — and what we miss.

In program evaluation: Scarcity looks at a program that isn't hitting its numbers and asks: can we justify keeping this? Abundance asks: what is this program telling us? Is it still aligned with our mission? What would it look like to try something different? One question might make people defensive, especially those running the program. The other might lead to a more fruitful conversation.

In financial decisions: Scarcity says: we can't afford that right now. Abundance asks: what would we need to make this possible, and is there a version of it we could start with? Budget constraints are real. But the first question closes doors. The second one looks for other doors to open.

BIPOC Communities Have Always Had an Abundance of Possibility Mindset

Here's something that doesn't get said enough: a lot of BIPOC leaders are already practicing abundance of possibility — not because our organizations have more resources (they usually don't), but because we come from communities that are ingrained in community care and that have always had to build from something far from enough.

When you're raised in a community-centered worldview, you don't start with "what do I have?" You start with "what do we have?" You think in terms of relationships and reciprocity — who you can call, what you can pull together, what you can create collectively. That's abundance of possibility. It just hasn't always been named that.

The nonprofit sector has told BIPOC leaders for years to be more "realistic." What they often meant was: stop pushing for things that don't exist yet. But what we were doing — imagining differently, problem-solving collectively, refusing to accept the first no as the final answer — that was the work. That was always the work.

So What Can We Do?

Catch yourself mid-sentence when you're about to say "we can't" or "no." Take a moment and ask: is that actually true, or is that just the easiest answer right now — even if it might be true?

Cultivating an abundance of possibility mindset is a muscle. We need to build it — not just in fundraising, but in our meetings, our program reviews, our one-on-ones, and especially in our strategic planning. Bring it into every room where decisions get made.

🔥 Firebrand Challenge

This week, every time you or someone on your team starts a sentence with "we can't," "we don't have the capacity," or just "no" — pause. Ask one question before you close the door:

What would it take?

You don't have to have the answer. You just have to be willing to ask. Because abundance of possibility doesn't start with resources. It starts with the question.