By Angela Joens
This summer has been a blast. I have worked with some of the most amazing and diverse organizations as part of DRGG and it got me thinking. I have been to Denver, San Diego, Georgia, Sausalito, Utah, and San Francisco. I have worked in the performing arts, animal health, environmental justice, community development, and higher education. Each project unique, each organization with its own goal but one common thread. They all want to improve, grow, reach and take their organizations to new heights.
I love that about our industry. We have inspiring missions and set goals to drive us toward our organization’s mission. Status quo is ok for some but not for us! Why is that?
I believe it’s because the people who work in the not-for-profit sector are special! They have calling to serve and make a difference in the lives of others (human or animal). We care! We are passionate about improving the world–whether that means improving a neighborhood, providing cultural experiences, making education affordable to all, or saving animals.
It is this passion that pushes us to ask tough questions. It is why we attend conferences, listen to webinars, read great books (like The 4 Pillars of the Donor Experience), and even follow blogs to learn and exchange new ideas. We take a more critical look at our work, processes, systems, and events and ask ourselves and our donors does it still work. We have the tough conversations with donors and fix the problems because it is the right thing to do. We hire and coach employees with the same mindset because we know they will do this job – not for the fancy title or mega-salary – but because they believe in the mission. We make changes that are necessary – not easy – but necessary to enhance our organization’s future. We test new ideas that seem crazy to others but we know our donors will love them. We say “yes” way more than “no”. We just do it – because to not do it might mean others go without or are not served.
Can you imagine working any other way? Me neither!
That is why I am so grateful to have built a career alongside so many other passionate people who are changing the world every day. People that are different from me in their own beautiful, special, snowflake way but also like me in their hunger to leave the world a better place.
This post was written by DRG Group member, Angela Joens.
