by Desiree Adaway on February 21, 2012
It is the experience of touching the pain of others that is the key to change…..compassion is a sign of transformation~Jim Wallis
Touching the pain of others…..such powerful words. How often do we allow the pain of others to enter us, touch us and teach us?
Not often enough.
Compassion is the ability to enter into a world that may be totally different from yours and feel what the others feel. To see life beyond our own skin, language and culture. It is related directly to justice.
Compassion is the slayer of ignorance, apathy and numbness.
It asks and invites us to step outside our own complacency and see what life beyond our tiny worldview.
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by Desiree Adaway on February 16, 2012
We hear a lot about servant leadership, but what does a servant focused organization look and feel like? And more importantly, why does it matter?
Servant focused organizations embrace transformation -They see the value of transformation in institutional growth. They know that transformation is more than a buzz word but it is a process that their organizations use to meet their needs. They see the value in transitions and change. They accept that mistakes will happen and build a culture where you admit to mistakes, are forgiven and you are allowed to move on. They focus on the source of their problems and see problems as opportunities to push limits.
Servant focused organizations embrace on-gong learning- They VALUE learning. They want those being served to grow as people, they want their staff and board members to grow as well. They see growth of numerous levels-growing in wisdom, in freedom, and in autonomy. They are committed to holistic growth and liberation. They invest in structures, programs and activities where everyone grows..not just a few. They proudly challenge imbalances of power and thinking. They understand and fully embrace the need to create awareness, even when it disturbs more than it comforts.
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.~Steve Jobs
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by Desiree Adaway on February 14, 2012
Love is a choice-not simply, or necessarily, a rational choice, but rather a willingness to be present to others without pretense or guile.~Carter Heyward
Feeding the hungry is love.
Helping a friend in need is love.
Creating a safe space is love.
Reading to the sick is love.
Sharing a meal with family is love.
Worshiping in community is love
Praising others is love.
Not hiding yourself is love.
It is relatively easy to love everyone in the abstract, but this obligation is more than an abstraction. It is a concrete imperative that must be taken seriously. We must love by doing. Everyday as best we can.
In the Hebrew tradition to love everyone as one loves oneself literally means that before we dress and eat in the morning, we must dress and feed the entire world, and all this after having not gone to sleep the previous night without assuring that everyone has a place to sleep.
No one can do this alone.
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by Desiree Adaway on February 9, 2012
I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day you bet on people, not on strategies. ~Larry Bossidy
Bring it.
Hire the best. Hire the brightest. Hire the hungriest. Then let them do it. Let them do the work. Let them be creative. Let them be controversial let them prove the world wrong. They can do it.
Believe in them.
Stop trying to own your message. It is not yours to own. It belongs to the communities you serve.
Let the voices of your communities and their stories shine.
Success will depend on building strong and sustainable coalitions both online and up the street. This sector no longer owns the messages or how messages are shared. Time to stop being insular, our survival depends on it.
Advocate for change. Educate on your issues. Move people to action.
It’s not about an individual person, it is especially not about the founder. It is not about your logo, not about your board or your image.
It is about the mission, the values, and the impact.
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by Desiree Adaway on February 7, 2012
I hate the giving of the hand unless the whole man accompanies it. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of the benefits of the bad economy has been our need to look for meaning, value and happiness not based on income. Cash donations happen every day despite the pressure and pain that a lot of families feel. My sector is grateful and blessed to partner with so many kind and caring people.
Organizations need unrestricted cash, to pay staff and keep the lights on. It is very important to their long term health and sustainability, yet organizations like people are yearning for something more….. something other than money.
This country was built on the premise of neighbors helping neighbors.
Neighbors lent a hand when they became aware of neighbors they could help. Nobody expected pay. No one knew if they would be helped when they needed it. They took responsibility for one another. They gave so much more than money.
So yesterday I asked a few smart people the following question:
What can you ask people for right now to help move your mission forward OTHER than money?
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by Desiree Adaway on February 2, 2012
Holstee Manifesto
I am sure many of you have seen this. It is the Holstee Company Manifesto. It has been a source of inspiration for me for a couple of years now. I wanted to share it with you all and ask that you take a few minutes to read it and take it all in.
Today I am coaching and teaching a class on starting a nonprofit and consuming lots of amazing knowledge from colleagues.
I love days like today. I get to build and support community in a way that taps into my natural talents and gifts.
I am a lucky girl.
Today I was able to share my passion about nonprofits and with other geeky sector folks like myself. These are people with big dreams – big hairy audacious goals that they are working hard to make reality. They are changing the way we look at the food we eat, the way we interact with the environment, the way we educate our young.
They are trailblazers. Their work is never simple or easy.
They are here to transform the world. Their lives have meaning and their gifts are impactful.
They go deeper because the world demands it.
I love my work.
So today I invite you to go out and create something powerful and transformative and to use your passions and strengths in ways that serve the greater good.
If you want to build core nonprofit management skills crucial to your organization’s success you can schedule some 1:1 time with me here or learn about other ways we can work together here. You can also get inspiration, ideas, resources tools and freebies by signing up for my newsletter
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by Desiree Adaway on February 1, 2012
A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise. ~Aldo Leopold
As I was meditating this morning my mind began to wander. That is nothing new- that is a key part of the practice. You get lost but you come back You come back to your breath, to your core, to your center…..with gentleness you return home.
You were lost but now you are found. With every breath you have the opportunity to start a new. In all honesty its one of my favorite things about meditation.
It offers grace, mercy and renewal for the practitioner.
This is what I want for Susan G Komen for the Cure
I am sure you heard that yesterday the nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, is halting its partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates. That money was used to fund breast cancer screening and education programs to women. Planned Parenthood says Komen grants have paid for about 170,000 breast exams in the past five years.
Poor women. Women in need. Many of these women had no where else to go for care.
Women are being hurt and being left behind….by an organization whose main purpose was to support women.
I am not here to argue about how or why politics played a hand in this decision. I am here to say this:
You are lost, but you can come home.
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by Desiree Adaway on January 31, 2012
Not in his goals but in his transitions man is great.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Every organization has a rhythm. A rhythm that is uniquely its own. It is filled highs and lows. Times where it may seem to only whisper and other times where the volume seems to be permanently turned to 10.
We have a rhythm. A rhythm of disorientation, growth, reorientation and transformation. These are key periods in the life of a nonprofit. Some times we step boldly into the unknown willingly- with careful thought and planning- but many times not.
We don’t choose it, it chooses us.
Many times is it accidental and mysterious or comes from a place of pain and stress. We take charge and plan carefully weighing all the options. Evolution. A new chapter.
Times of change can involve new relationships, new partnerships, new places or new projects.
They can just as easily be triggered from securing a huge grant or having your executive director give notice.
New goals. New direction.
New goals are scary. They move us from our comfortable settings, from the communities that we know and even more importantly the communities that know us.
It may mean unpacking old baggage, exposing flaws and learning new skills.
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by Desiree Adaway on January 24, 2012
Strengthen me by sympathizing with my strength, not my weakness. ~Amos Bronson Alcott
I get Google Alerts everyday on subjects that matter to me like nonprofit organizations, executive directors and board governance. Some days I have to admit I am a little ill. Some days it feels like we are being ambushed by weaknesses…. stories of organizations going bankrupt, volunteers jailed for embezzlement, boards making questionable ethic decisions.
I could just look at these reports and think that I know what is wrong with these organizations and in all honesty I would be wrong and that would be short sighted. In every society, organization, or group, something works.
We are not our wounds or our weaknesses.
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by Desiree Adaway on January 18, 2012
Without initiative, leaders are simply workers in leadership positions.
Bo Bennett
I am going to tell you something that I have learned over the past 25 years….You want a better organization? You have to start with a better Executive Director. You have to start with better leadership.
What does an average executive director do every day? They organize fundraisers. They work with their board of directors. They write grants. They provide direct services and programs. They motivate volunteers. They deal with the news media and handle marketing. They manage staff. They manage budgets and are in charge of the financial numbers. They make sound legal, ethical decisions. Many do all these things before 11am.
They build the ark while animals are climbing on board.
The to do list that I just ran through literally came off the top of my head. They do all of the above and so much more. I honor the hard work that they do everyday… and because of that I want executive directors to be honest with their boards and funders.
You need to be better equipped to do the work. What could honesty look like ?
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