Let us not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.
Rabindranath Tagore
What if you were fearless?
What if WE in the nonprofit world were absolutely, no holds barred, balls to the walls FEARLESS in all that we did?
What if you said no to some donors-you heard me, even in this economy- so you could make a space for new donors? The new ones that are better aligned with your strategy and focus and your future vision. The ones that want to collaborate and communicate effectively so you can do philanthropy better.
What if your mission and vision was bigger and badder and bolder than anything you have ever heard in all your days? Not because you want all the glory but because you are willing to tackle the big complex problems that require big complex solutions and your playing small does not serve the world.
What if you began to partner with communities, neighborhoods or populations that were not well liked or stigmatized because in your HEART of HEARTS you knew that is where you needed to be? That those challenges were the ones your organization needed to face.
What if you killed some legacy programs, you heard me STOPPED them– so you could create more relevant and effective ones? Is a 30 year old program still effective and relevant? Maybe…Maybe not, be bold enough to question and brave enough to act.
What if you let some staff, volunteers or leadership leave your organization….maybe even the Founder? Not because you do not value their wisdom and institutional knowledge or their years of sacrifice, but because a part of holistic growth means making space for new voices, and new vision designed by the next generation…and sometime it’s just time for people to go.
What if your organization was fearless?
What if you stood up and integrated political and educational advocacy into every aspect of your organization? Because you know that for justice to be served laws need to change.
What if you invested in technology? Not played at investing, but did it- whole hog, because you know that your amazing staff has made miracles happen with 20 year old databases and little technological support. You can only imagine the magic they could spread with the right tools in their capable hands. Let’s not even discuss what they could do with new media utilized strategically to leverage resources.
What if you invested in R&D? What if you had a room full of crazy creatives that were able to try and fail.. and try and fail over and over again until they succeed in ways you could never imagine. What if your organization valued R&D like Apple or HP or Google?
What if you nurtured yourself and your employees better? What if you let your staff take art classes, work remotely, work flex hours, bring their pets to work, create their own job titles, take mission leave beyond regular vacation- to help them intentionally step away from the creation of strategy or the raising of dollars so they could reconnect and renew their hearts and minds. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
What if it was time for a re-invention? The old ways are no longer working or getting you the required results. Can you look yourself in the eye and admit it’s time to create a new life, new vision, and new mission….to enter a new space?
What if you stayed hungry and foolish? You know like you were in the very beginning when it was 3 of you in your garage working day and night to push your mission forward.
What if you were radical?
What if you were bold?
What if you were brave?
What if you were fearless?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes! Yes, yes, YES!!! Oh, this is fantastic! Energizing, inspiring and true! Imagine starting off a board meeting with this blog post — and then talking about all the great ideas it inspires! I know I’m over-using exclamation points right now, but oh, this is just so completely spot-on. A must read and must reflect for every trustee, volunteer and staff member at a nonprofit. Imagine the possibilities! Thank you, Desiree, for empowering and inspiring so much! I’ve done a lot of work with local history museums — what if they were fearless? They would actually showcase not just the old history — long enough in the past that no one’s feelings get hurt — but the more recent history, that brings up emotions, feelings and can start powerful dialogue. What if we related the past to current issues of the day? Yes, you will get someone angry — but others will be passionate supporters. Imagine the possibilities.
I loved your idea of starting a board meeting off with this post! Or even betetr having your board create their own fearless list. Let’s continue to encourage all levels of governance to be bold and brave. The work we do requires it.
This one brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, beautiful, brave, bold woman! You inspire me, and I’m SO glad we get to hang out on this incredible journey together!
Seriously… the conversation with you, your posts – all of it – are helping me fine tune what I want to put out into the world when I join you in the ranks of the self-employed.
You are such an amazing voice and I can not wait until you join the ranks of the self employed. I look forward to us pushing each other and asking the hard questions so we can help support the building of strong, healthy, communities.
This is a fantastic post! I may just print this out and use it for inspiration when I feel as though the risk-taker in me is being intimidated and letting fear take charge.
I want to inspire folks and call them to action. I hope this post did that for you. Let the risk-taker out to explore…be willing to fail and open to the magic that it creates.
Amen! Thank you for expressing it so powerfully!
I’m archiving it for those days I need to hear it again – or share it
Glad you liked it…… Its a touch stone for me…I was rereading this morning so I thought I would share with new followers or folks that may have missed it last year.
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