From My Seat in the Front Row … I See Hope

Historically, this time of year is a reflective one for me. Q4 finds me thoughtfully assessing the year’s highs, lows, and lessons learned as I formulate my message to the RevJen community. But this year … I’m not even sure where to start.

What can I say to you, the RevJen community of nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, and funders? You know all too well that this year we have weathered literal and figurative storms – a pandemic, hurricanes, renewed calls for racial justice, wildfires, and a bitter election fight – which have made this perhaps the hardest year I have born witness to.

From where I sit as I lead RevJen, I have a unique vantage point to observe the social sector.  So this year, as I reflect, I want to share what I see.

I see:

• Courageous leaders steering their teams through rough personal and professional waters.
• Program teams innovating to meet the new and exploding needs of the people they serve, even when their traditional routes closed.
• Sales and fundraising teams finding creative ways to connect with customers and donors, and keep them engaged in their causes.
• Changemakers who choose to see the opportunity and light when others focus on the darkness.

I see a community filled with people who, when they see something is broken, commit themselves to fixing it. This year, that’s been a particularly heavy burden. I see it on your faces and hear it in your voices.

But I see something else too – hope and resolve.  And, from where I sit, that’s incredibly inspiring. 

So, while I didn’t know how to start this reflection, I know where I want it to end … by thanking you for giving me a front-row seat to witness the hope and progress you and your organizations are fighting for. Someone once shared with me an acronym for hope: Helping Other People Excel.  That’s what I see reflected in you.

I am grateful for each member of the RevJen community, for the work that you do, and for your contributions to our world.  Thank you.