314: You Are Enough: A Reminder for Every Fundraiser Doing The Hard, Important Work

Summary

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Podcast Summary: What the Fundraising — Ep. 314

Episode Title: You Are Enough: A Reminder for Every Fundraiser Doing The Hard, Important Work
Host: Mallory Erickson
Date: August 6, 2026
Duration: ~12 min (main content: ~00:25-10:20)

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Overview

This episode of "What the Fundraising" departs from tactical fundraising strategies to deliver a compassionate, affirming message to nonprofit leaders and fundraisers. Host Mallory Erickson centers self-worth, challenging the narrative that one’s value is tied to productivity or external achievements. Drawing on personal reflections, she encourages listeners to recognize their inherent worth, celebrate themselves, and cultivate self-love—making the case that these are not only personal necessities, but vital for effective, sustainable leadership in the impact sector.

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Key Themes and Discussion Points

1. The Undervalued Role of Fundraisers

• Fundraisers as Change Agents:
  Mallory begins by affirming the foundational role fundraisers play in driving social impact. She counters the perception that fundraising is a mere "necessary evil" supporting "the real work" of programs.

  • Quote:

    “I think good fundraising is the work. It's what builds community and advocates and allows people to live out their values in really critical and important and meaningful ways.” (03:19)

• The Weight of Responsibility:
  She highlights the multifaceted pressures fundraisers face—managing budgets, maintaining donor relationships, supporting peer livelihoods, and serving beneficiaries, often with little recognition.

2. The Octopus Metaphor: Spirit Animal for Fundraisers

• Mallory humorously shares why her coaching business uses the octopus as its logo:

  “...octopus really represent fundraiser spirit animals... They're brilliant and loving. They have three hearts... they're so protective and... they really represent so many of the things that I love and appreciate about fundraisers.” (04:20)

3. The Power of Self-Acceptance and Self-Love

• Permission to Be Enough:
  Mallory delivers a deeply compassionate reminder that worthiness is intrinsic, not earned.

  • Quote:

    "You don't need to do anything to earn your own love. You don't need to be anyone… or be anything different than the sacred, perfectly imperfect human that you are. You deserve love and you are enough just as you are exactly as you are today." (00:25, repeated at 06:00)

• Rejecting Tough Love Myths:
  She challenges the commonly held belief that growth comes from criticizing oneself, suggesting instead that true progress thrives on self-compassion.

  • Quote:

    “We actually grow the most when we love ourselves and we accept ourselves.” (06:30)

• Cultural and Personal Origins:
  Drawing from her own teenage struggles (“will I ever love myself”), Mallory normalizes feelings of self-doubt, rooting them both in personal experience and wider societal pressures.

  • Quote:

    “So many of us have... stories that maybe over the years have made us not believe that we are enough just as we are. We always have to be hustling or grinding or pushing in order to be deserving...” (06:50)

4. A Call to Mindful Affirmation

• Guided Reflection:
  Mallory pauses the episode to gently instruct listeners to physically put their hand on their heart and express three things they’re proud of—a brief, intentional space for positive self-recognition (08:31).

• Self-Talk as Sanctuary:
  Reminding fundraisers of the negativity and criticism that can surround their work, Mallory urges listeners to make self-talk a practice of honoring and affirming their own value.

  • Quote:

    “The only thing we really have at the end of the day is our relationship with ourself and how we talk to ourselves.” (07:36)

5. Closing Affirmation

• Mallory closes with gratitude and encouragement, bearing witness to the “hard, important work” her listeners do:
  • Quote:

    “Even if we don't know each other personally, I am really proud of you. Because I know how hard your job is... and I’m so grateful for you and what you do every single day.” (09:08)

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Worthiness & Self-Love:

  "You don't need to do anything to earn your own love... you are enough just as you are exactly as you are today."
  — Mallory Erickson (00:25, 06:00)

• On the Spirit of Fundraisers:

  “Octopus really represent fundraiser spirit animals... They have three hearts and they're so protective and they have eight arms.”
  — Mallory Erickson (04:20)

• On Self-Compassion & Growth:

  "We actually grow the most when we love ourselves and we accept ourselves."
  — Mallory Erickson (06:30)

• On Self-Respect Amid Doubt:

  “The only thing we really have at the end of the day is our relationship with ourself and how we talk to ourselves.”
  — Mallory Erickson (07:36)

• On Being Proud:

  “Even if we don't know each other personally, I am really proud of you.”
  — Mallory Erickson (09:08)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:25 – Core affirmation of “you are enough”; listeners urged to connect with their inherent worth.
• 03:19 – Fundraisers' societal role and unique challenges.
• 04:20 – Octopus analogy and meaning behind it.
• 06:00-07:36 – Self-love as a foundation for growth; countering tough-love narratives.
• 08:31 – Guided reflection: listeners pause to affirm themselves.
• 09:08-09:45 – Closing affirmation and gratitude for nonprofit leaders.

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Episode Tone & Approach

• Warm, nurturing, and uplifting.
• Directly addresses listeners with empathy and understanding.
• Mixes personal anecdotes, gentle challenges to limiting beliefs, and practical mindfulness exercises.

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Takeaway

Mallory Erickson offers more than a pep talk; she equips fundraisers with a reframed mindset, urging them to embrace self-worth as a prerequisite for personal happiness and sector-wide impact. The episode is a “hearts-first” call-to-arms reminding every listener: you are enough—and that is, and always will be, more than sufficient.

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Transcript

[A]

Before we dive in, I want to give a huge shout out to donorperfect for supporting this podcast and the fundraisers who listen to it. They're not just a CRM, they're a partner in helping fundraisers feel more confident, aligned and supported. Learn [e-mail] Mallory.

[B]

You don't need to do anything to earn your own love. You don't need to be anyone. You don't need to hit some milestone. You don't need to raise some amount of money. You don't need to look a certain way or act a certain way or be anything different than the sacred, perfectly imperfect human that you are. You deserve love and you are enough just as you are exactly as you are today.

[A]

Hey, my name is Mat and I'm obsessed with helping leaders in the nonprofit space raise money and run their organizations differently. What the Fundraising is a space for real and raw conversations to both challenge and inspire you. Not too long ago I was in your shoes, uncomfortable with fundraising and unsure of my place in this sector. It wasn't until I started to listen to other experts outside of the fundraising space that I was able to shift my mindset and ultimately shift the way I show up as a leader. This podcast is my way of blending professional and personal development so we as a collective inside the nonprofit sector can feel good about the work we are doing. Join me every week as I interview some of the brightest minds in the personal and professional development space to help you fundamentally change the way you lead and fundraise. I hope you enjoy this episode, so let's dive in.

[B]

Hello my favorite people in the whole wide world. Do you know why you're my favorite people in the whole wide world? You are my favorites because you do the incredibly hard, vulnerable work of moving money towards what matters most. And I really believe that the future of social change and social impact rests on your shoulders, sort of unfairly. And you don't get a lot of credit for that because so often fundraising is thought of as this means to an end or a necessary evil. And the good work is in the program. And this is just what funds the program. But I don't really see you that way at all. I think good fundraising is the work. It's what builds community and advocates and allows people to live out their values in really critical and important and meaningful ways. And it helps make everybody better, better representations of their best selves and giving really brings out best in everybody. And I really see you all as the facilitators of that. And you know, it's a Big reason why in practivated our coach is an octopus Tivi. Because to me, octopus really represent fundraiser spirit animals. I don't know if you know anything about octopus, but they are incredible. They're brilliant and loving. They have three hearts and they're so protective and they have eight arms. So to me, they really represent so many of the things that I love and appreciate about fundraisers. The last three episodes have been probably a lot to digest, especially if you've never been exposed to executive coaching principles or ideas or prompts before. So this episode is going to be really short and I want you to just put your hand on your heart and I want you to close your eyes and I want you to really listen to what I'm going to say right now. I want you to know how special and important and sacred you are and your work is. And I want you to know that you can do it. That I know how hard it is, how misunderstood you feel a lot, how isolated. And the pressure, the pressure to fulfill this mission that you care so much about, the pressure to hold your own job and salary and your peers jobs and salary in the balance of the budget and the pressure to hold all of that while holding the donor relationships and their hopes and dreams and the program's hopes and dreams and the beneficiaries of your organization. And I know that sometimes all of that can feel so suffocating. But I don't want you to lose sight of the fact that you are doing it. You are making all of those things possible and you are building a better world every single time you push through that discomfort and you have these hard, tender conversations and invite people to be a part of your organization, to be a part of making change in the world. And I just want you to know that you're enough just as you are. And that loving yourself and celebrating yourself and telling yourself that you're proud of yourself and recognizing all the hard things that you do every single day, that doesn't mean that you won't grow. I think sometimes we think that tough love is the way that we're going to grow and get better, but it's not true. We actually grow the most when we love ourselves and we accept ourselves. And I know that so many of us have different types of wounds or tenderness or stories that maybe over the years have made us not believe that we are enough just as we are. We always have to be hustling or grinding or pushing in order to be deserving either of accolades or recognition or love. And I know this was Definitely true for me in terms of what I believed about myself for a long time. And recently I found this poem that I wrote, maybe in high school or middle school, I'm not sure, and it was heartbreaking. And one of the lines at the end of it was, you know, will I ever love myself? And you know, middle school is not known as the time when we're filled with so much self love. So it makes sense that that was a time where I don't even know if I thought it was possible to think positively about myself, but I think there are so many of you that are still wondering that. And you don't need to do anything to earn your own love. You don't need to be anyone. You don't need to hit some milestone, you don't need to raise some amount of money. You don't need to look a certain way or act a certain way or be anything different than the sacred, perfectly imperfect human that you are. You deserve love and you are enough just as you are exactly as you are today. And I really, really hope because in a world that can tear us down and where there's enough negativity or, I don't know, what do they call them, keypad warriors out there to make us doubt ourselves. The only thing we really have at the end of the day is our relationship with ourself and how we talk to ourselves. And I just hope that no matter what happens out there, no matter what your boss is saying to you, no matter what, you know, anyone in your life is saying to you, that the way that you talk to yourself is something that really honors the sacredness and specialness of who you are. Because I really believe that you already have everything inside of you that you need. And really so much of what I focus on in my work is how do I help remove the chatter, the lies, the societal constraints or veils that have for some reason made you believe or think for one second that you aren't perfect and amazing and enough exactly as you are. So I hope that you will put your hand on your heart and just say three really loving things to yourself right now. Things that you're proud of yourself for, that you're inspired around, that you're grateful for, about who you are and how you show up and what you're doing. Because believe it or not, even if we don't know each other personally, I am really proud of you. Because I know how hard your job is, I know how hard it is to do what you're doing in this world today. And I'M so grateful for you and what you do every single day. Okay, I love you. See you tomorrow.

[A]

I hope today's episode inspired or challenged you to think differently. For additional takeaways, tips, show notes, and more about our amazing guest and sponsors, head on over to Mallorykson.com podcast podcast and if you didn't know, hosting this podcast isn't the only thing I do every day. I coach, guide and help fundraisers and leaders just like you inside of my program, the Power Partners Formula Collective. Inside the program, I share my methods, tools and experiences that have helped me fundraise millions of dollars and feel good about myself in the process. To learn more about how I can help you, visit Malloryerickson.com Last but not least, if you enjoyed this episode, I'd love to encourage you to share it with a friend you know would benefit or leave a review. I'm so grateful for all of you and the good, hard work you're doing to make our world a better place. I can't wait to see you in the next episode.

[B]

Hey, I want to tell you about a podcast I genuinely love, the Small Nonprofit Podcast. It's hosted by the incredible Maria Rio,

[A]

and it speaks directly to the realities so many of us are living inside every day. Maria, tell us about your show.

[C]

Hi, I'm your host, Maria Rio. I moved to Canada as a refugee, use charitable services myself, and have been fundraising for over a decade. I love exploring ways our sector can grow, change and make the world more equitable. The Small Nonprofit Podcast is where we do just that. I believe small nonprofits are where the most transformative work happens, but we've been set up to fail by systems that expect us to do more with less. Every week I sit down with leaders, fundraisers, and change makers who are doing things differently. They're building sustainable funding without compromising their values, creating power instead of dependence and pushing back on the broken systems we've all inherited. You'll walk away with actionable strategies you can use, not just inspiration. So if you're ready to stop scrambling and start building something that lasts, you're in the right place. Let's get into it.

[B]

If you're leading or fundraising at a small nonprofit and you're craving work that

[A]

feels aligned, sustainable, and human, go listen to the Small Nonprofit Podcast. Search the Small Nonprofit Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen.