November 12, 2024

bouncing back

Social service organizations, like nonprofits and foundations, love resiliency! In their world, resiliency means a person’s ability to bounce back after a crisis. A person might come to them during or after a time of need, like the loss of a job, a family…

written in blood

“Every regulation is written in blood.” I’ve heard this saying in several contexts and it applies to every one. Most rules aren’t written until something bad happens. We require seatbelts in cars because thousands of people died without them. OSHA exists because of the millions of people killed or…

disability justice and belonging

What does it mean to belong? I heard many fantastic speakers cover this topic at the 2024 Othering and Belonging conference last month. john a. powell remarked that we humans are all connected to each other. This is true whether we’re aware of it or not; whether we resist it or not. To him…

tipping the scale

Nothing can inspire fear in a project manager like these six little words: “How soon can we scale this?” Or, worse: “Let’s triple the number of sites.” I spent several years working as a grants manager. In theory, we start with a plan to improve things. Funders provide startup costs. We test out our…

the host with the most

I like socializing among many different groups. Some of my friends I’ve met through work. Others I met in school. Still others started out as friends of friends that I made into my own. I also love hosting parties, the bigger the better. At these parties I invite friends from every group. I relish…

decision to leave

I had a situation gnawing at me for the better part of a year. I was working with a group for several months and had a good rapport with almost everyone. One person in particular was stirring conflict in ways I struggled to respond to. He was dismissive of my approach and methods. He…