Opportunity

I had an opportunity this week to help a struggling new nonprofit get over a hurdle. Joe saw an impossible task and an obstacle he had no idea how to overcome. I saw the solution, a straight line from A to B. What he stewed about for 6 months I was able to solve in a matter of minutes. Not every struggle that presents is so easily solved, but this one was.

I will never be able to put a metric around that assistance. He may never become a member of Community Development Professionals or take a training from us. I may never interact with him again, but in that moment, stress and worry were removed from him and that's a win. I wonder how often we look at opportunity to help someone else as a business proposition rather than helping because we can.

Right now I'm studying the idea that work is purposeful and valuable in itself without considering profitability and what's in it for me. In social enterprise we look to master the balance between mission and margin. We consider helping for the sake of helping and not just considering how it impacts our bottom line. But I wonder where we are - or rather, where I am - missing opportunity to just be a good human and help someone else. May we not be so conditioned for profitability that we lose touch with the golden rule. May we not be so driven for WIIFM that we lose our kindness, goodness, and our humanity.

I write this as a reminder to myself and as a challenge to all of us to rethink how we contribute to others today. I feel good about that exchange with Joe and I definitely received more of a blessing than he did.

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP

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