Finding your why
There is a difference between being involved and being committed.
The world has been rocked on its axis, and things are not the same.
Our work and personal lives collided. Technology leapt forward. There is a greater sense of human connection – with the self and with humanity as a whole. There is a greater sense that things need to change because they can and because they must. And this raises questions…
Why are you here?
What do you believe?
How much are you willing to give for your cause?
We are fundraisers, campaigners, changemakers… In no sector is the personal more tied to the professional than in ours. By and large, we are here for the same reason: we want to see truth and social justice. What matters most to each of us and what changes we are here to bring about won’t be the same, but we have much in common.
However, there is a difference between being involved and being committed. Are we role models for what we stand for when it comes to inequality, corruption, diversity, and harassment? Are we actually doing something about the issues we talk about? Have we interrogated our personal worldview and our mental model of us and them? Does our work create the illusion of change or are we actually changing things?
How can we tackle our systems from within? Is diversity a tactical thing that needs fixing, or is what we need to fix the value we place on the thoughts and perspectives and points of view from different sources? We need to shift from a power system wherein it’s everyone for themselves to an ecosystem that values the role each of us has to play. How can we as individuals accelerate this shift within our sector?
This is about you. Now is the time to find your role in our ecosystem.