Being Thankful
Post by Dania Toscano Miwa
I apologize that the post for last week is a bit late. I’ve been trying to put in to words what it is I’m most thankful for. It’s been hard for me to find words that encompass a mission driven sector. Many who’s staff and volunteers spend most of their waking hours not thinking about how to make money, but how to stretch every last dollar the farthest it can go to make the biggest impact.
I sometimes get bogged down in the minutia and forget to look at the big picture. There are thousands of nonprofits, who every day are improving someones lives, helping our communities, and making the world a safer place. After a great deal of musing, this is my top 5 list of why I’m thankful for the Nonprofit sector:
1. The Staff. I’ve met so many dedicated people who have chosen to work for a nonprofit, many who work tirelessly for little or no recognition and on really important issues. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
2. The Boards. Working boards, governance boards, start-up boards. These are all difficult jobs, especially when hard choices need to be made. To volunteer time to an organization and to be dedicated to helping it function is one of the most selfless acts I can think of. Thank you.
3. The “Helper Orgs” as I’ve nicknamed them. I did a blog post about many of them in my 12 of My Favorite Nonprofit Resources. Having organizations dedicated to the continued education and success of this sector is a blessing. The amount of free and highly discounted resources, networks and support systems are truly inspiring. Thank you.
4. The Donors. Those individuals who have made philanthropy a priority. Who in Minnesota alone, raised 13.4 million dollars in one day. This support is incredible. It is encouraging and inspiring for organizations when they receive individual support. Thank you, we really couldn’t do it without you.
5. The Foundations and Corporations. Our country is fortunate to have many philanthropic companies and many foundations. While everyone is concerned about money and making next years budgets, there is still an enormous amount of money nationally going to fill need. I’m thankful we have foundations and private companies to help fill the gap that government and the private sector cannot always fill. Thank you.
May the coming year be fulfilling and exciting for those working with, and for, all nonprofit organizations. I’m honored to work with many of you and see this amazing sector continue to thrive.
Copyright 2011, The Good Counsel, division of Toscano Advisors, LLC. May be duplicated with citation.