Funding Friday: Making Room at the Bowl
Yesterday, our household got a little bigger.
Our one-year-old tortoiseshell cat, Yoshimi (better known as Yoshi), became the not-so-thrilled big sister to a three-month-old tortoiseshell kitten named Dorothy Parker, or simply Parker.
Parker joined our family thanks to Cali Cats Rescue, a wonderful nonprofit organization dedicated to finding loving homes for cats in need. If you're a fellow cat lover like me, I encourage you to learn more about their work and consider supporting them or adopting your next furry family member through them. Every adoption changes two lives: the one that finds a home and the one that now has room to be rescued.
Parker is named in memory of a dear friend of mine who loved cats. Her full name is also a tribute to the celebrated American writer Dorothy Parker, whose wit, humor, and remarkable body of work continue to inspire readers nearly sixty years after her passing. Every time we call our little Parker's name, we're reminded that the people we love continue to shape our lives long after they're gone.
As if she wasn't special enough already, Parker is also a polydactyl cat, often affectionately called a "Hemingway cat." Ernest Hemingway famously kept six-toed cats at his home in Key West, The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum: Our Cats, and their descendants still live there today. Parker has a few extra toes and an extra dose of personality to match.
If you've ever introduced a new cat into your home, you know it isn't always love at first sight.
There has been some hissing, some cautious staring from across the room, and plenty of curiosity mixed with uncertainty. Yoshi is trying to figure out what this newcomer means for her world.
From Yoshi's perspective, everything has changed.
From ours, nothing has been taken away.
She still has her favorite places to nap, her favorite toys, and plenty of love and attention. The only real difference is that our family has grown. We haven't divided our affection. We've expanded our capacity to give it.
As I watched the two of them begin the slow process of getting to know one another, I couldn't help but think about fundraising.
Sometimes nonprofit organizations approach fundraising as though there is only one bowl of food to go around. We worry that adding a new donor will somehow lessen the importance of existing supporters. We hesitate to pursue new grants because we're focused on maintaining current relationships. We wonder whether expanding our programs will stretch us too thin.
Healthy fundraising doesn't work that way.
The strongest organizations understand that growth isn't about replacing relationships. It's about building new ones while continuing to care for the people who believed in your mission from the very beginning. Every new donor, volunteer, board member, corporate partner, or foundation becomes another part of your organization's family. That doesn't diminish the value of those who came before. Instead, it creates a stronger, more resilient community of people working toward a common purpose.
Of course, just like introducing a new kitten, growth takes patience. Relationships aren't built overnight. Trust develops through consistent communication, genuine appreciation, and thoughtful stewardship. Some connections happen quickly. Others take months or even years. Both are worth the investment.
Perhaps that's the lesson Yoshi and Parker are teaching me this week.
There is always room at the bowl.
Whether you're welcoming a new donor, launching a new program, or introducing a new volunteer to your organization, don't view growth as a competition for limited resources. View it as an opportunity to expand your community and your impact.
Because in fundraising, as in life, the goal isn't to replace what you already have.
It's to make room for one more.
Learn More
🐾 Cali Cats Rescue: Cali Cats Rescue
📚 Dorothy Parker: Biography of Dorothy Parker
🐈 Why they're called "Hemingway cats": The Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum: Our Cats
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