A group of "organizational development" professionals were having an annual conference, and they invited me to give a talk.  I agreed, almost eight months prior to the date.

Six months later, I was getting tickets for an India trip and realized that my flight was $500 cheaper if I timed my departure before the date of the scheduled talk.  So I wrote to the organizers, promising another speaker replacement.  Instead they offered to give me $500 to cover my costs (perhaps because I don't charge for my services).  Alright, well, that was a workable option too. :)

As scheduled, I spoke on Dec 5th, and the spirit of gift-economy elevated everyone to a palpable high in the room.  As we started the Q&A, a woman stood up and proclaimed: "I'm really inspired and I'd like to gift my services to any of my colleagues in this room, for a year."  Another person said, "I'm a cook.  Can I make desserts for Karma Kitchen?"  A former fire-fighter picked up a card from a Smile Deck and was blown away by the serendipity of his "Thank a public servant" draw.  A woman with cancer shares her story with, "Today is the first day that I'm stepping out of the house without a wig."  All in all, a wholesome space of goodness.

I actually had fever that day, but I went anyhow, knowing full well that my body would pay for it later.   At the end, in response to a question, I summed it up: "And to me the reward for doing this is just this, right here, right now."  It was obvious.  Anyone would want be an instrument for whatever was in that room.

Then, two days later, it turned out that my India trip was postponed.  I quickly wrote to the organizers: "Thanks for the opportunity to serve, and your kind offering.  It turns that I had to cancel my tickets, so I won't need the check for the reason you had offered it."  They wrote back asking me to rip up the check and that they hope to pay-it-forward in a better economy. :)

As I was ripping up the check, I had a smile on my face.  If I was thinking about the economy, I would've kept the check.  Instead, here I am, feeling right about ripping up $500.

I've received dozens of fundraising emails for end-of-the-year campaigns by many good friends, running wonderful nonprofit organizations, and I've even personally donated small amounts to some of them.  CharityFocus, however, doesn't send one.  Many industry veterans think it's foolishly naive, but perhaps in the spirit of Clif Young, we beg to differ. :)

Like that $500, abundance has a subtle way of testing your greed.   You can pluck the oh-its-right-there fruits, or trust that ripe fruits will fall naturally.   CharityFocus does the latter.