I was at a "board development" retreat, facilitated by Kristi Nelson of Northampton, MA on Tuesday. (I'm now on the board for the five-year old Foundation for Fiber Art in Amherst, MA).
Kristi's business card says it all: "Advancing Spiritual Social Change through Values-Aligned Fundraising and Organizational Development." Her working premise is, people give to agencies/organizations that they feel hold the same core values they do. And organizations (especially non-profits) work best (and raise money best)when they can clearly articulate their core values.
We'll actually work on articulating our core values at another meeting. This workshop focused on how we, as a board, can come together and build our organization in concrete and tangible ways.
A start-up non-profit feels like those awful/awesome days of a new parenthood. Your two-person marriage suddenly changes overnight into a family. The workload doesn't just "increase"--it quadruples.
It can put a strain on the marriage. There is so much work to do, and you are working sooooo hard, and yet there is so much more to do--you suspect the other person is not doing their share. When, in reality, there is so much to do, two people simply can't handle it all.
It's the same with new non-profits. The members, the staff, the board, the donors, all see what's not being done, and suspect that SOMEONE must be to blame....
That's where someone like Kristi Nelson comes in. She gently leads everyone back to a common vision and a united front to achieve that vision, seeing the differences and diversity not as a source of contention but a resource of strength.
It was a fascinating day, full of insights and leaps of vision. I highly recommend Ms. Nelson's services. Her workshop was focused, inspirational and productive. Our board is a diverse group of people with varied skills, backgrounds, abilities and expectations. We came to see that this will be our strength and an asset to our beloved Fiber Art Center.
One thing Kristi said that keeps coming back.... She spoke of the "intoxicated dream" state--the wild rush of enthusiasm and manic energy that comes with inspired new venture--and the "sober dream" state--the harsh realities of running that venture in a mundane world that operates on cold hard cash, long hours, and very small rewards. Both are ultimately destructive places to stay too long, she cautioned. What is needed is to find the balance point between those two extremes, the "light buzz" stage. Keeping both feet on the ground while gently reaching for the stars.
It occurred to me that the same principle applies to my little art business. I've gone from the heady days of "start-up" and hit the wall a few years ago. I now agonize about money, next steps, my workload. How to make sense of a to-do list a mile long. How to reconcile that with my dream of making wonderful art.
My next step is to discover that "light buzz" dream stage for MY business.
The food was really good, too!
