Our Promise To You
Last month, I delivered a training on behalf of the St. Louis Community Foundation entitled "Approaches to Fund Development in an Election Year." The description included this passage:
"For the last decade, the term "VUCA" has been used to describe the state of every sector. The nonprofit sector has not been immune to Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Definitions of wealth and who has access to wealth are shifting. Organizations are beginning to approach their vision with both advocacy and direct service. Donors want relationships with organizations they support. In this session, our presenter will share some food for thought and strategies to test as your organization navigates our VUCA world and will provide learnings and tips from previous Give STL day success."
The reality of our "VUCA" world comes into sharp focus as our region grapples with COVID-19. Everything about the pandemic is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. As you make decisions for your institution, employees and other stakeholders, I would like to offer the following:
Our team is in constant communication with each other about the pandemic and shifting direction from public health officials. I have asked us to be smart about where we spend our time - limiting face to face meetings, especially those in public places. Happily, our team is agile and our work can be done well off-site, over the phone, with our children by our side and/or at various hours of day and night. We are not going anywhere.
We come from an abundance perspective. We know that, together, we have everything we need to keep our community safe and healthy. It may require bold imagination and tough choices. Our team is happy to offer each of our institutional partners a complimentary 90-minute strategy session to discuss whatever is on your mind. Think of it as nonprofit therapy :) If you would like to take us up on this, please contact me directly and I'll connect you with your very own Gladiator thought partner.
As it turns out, one of my strengths is staying clear and agile in frantic times. If you imagine a shaken snow globe, I tend to be the object glued to the floor - unmovable in chaos. There is a lot of fear and anxiety in our community and I am making an intentional choice to avoid leading from a perspective of fear and anxiety. In the coming weeks, Gladiator may call you to action. We know that the inequitable circumstances that already persist in our community will be exacerbated by this pandemic. We may practice social distancing and do our work from home, but that doesn't exempt us from using our abundance of resources to make sure our community members aren't suffering.
As we make our way through these uncertain times, I am deeply grateful to work in partnership with you and your institutions. Thank you for being a part of our village.
*Virtual Hugs*
Rachel, Ann, Lisa, Amie, Brooke, Jennifer + Natalie