Dear friend,

On Friday I’m hosting the first of what I hope to be many conversations for those of us in the social profit (new name for the non-profit) world, dealing with the deep, contradictory, messy, important topics that we face daily in our work. This week’s call is called Venting About Time and Urgency in Social Profit Work.

I got into social profit work thinking that before too long, the organization I was working for would solve the issue we were addressing - closing the education gap. So obviously I was naive. I didn’t realize that the injustices I read about in Savage Inequalities in the 90s have actually been going on, in different forms, forever. One social profit organization is not going to “solve” this problem. It isn’t just an education problem - it is social, racial, socioeconomic, historical, technological, political - and there are real incentives to individuals and groups to resist changing the status quo and giving equal opportunity to all children.

But at this organization the rallying cry was very clear - we need to make the difference for THIS generation of students, for these very children we see in front of us right now who deserve it just like all children do. We need to close the education gap not tomorrow, not the next day, but TODAY. I am drawn to that message - it is the right one, it is true. We can’t ask these kids to wait until we get all our shit together and fix this problem. We aren’t here to perpetuate the status quo - we are here to envision a different world and to bring it to reality.

How can we live and do good work with the dissonance of this contradiction present in every passing minute?

In our discussion on Friday we won’t answer this question and we won’t close the education gap. We will use Vent Diagrams as a framework for talking with each other about this contradiction. The aims of this are:

1. To literally vent - to have a space where we can release our feelings, emotions, frustrations, and anxieties that come with living and working in a contradiction.
2. To make space for new thoughts, feelings, and ideas - once we can make some space in our heads and hearts, what else might come through? More space can make room for understanding, openness to generate new ideas, or passion to be used for good.
3. To connect with and learn from each other - there just cannot be too many spaces for this. And if our organizations are not able to fully address our missions alone, then we need more frameworks for joining forces across organizations.
4. To reflect on our values, beliefs, and actions - knowing what to do next about our contradictions is hard. I am reminded of the bible-adjacent assertion that “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.” We will ground ourselves and our next steps in what we value and believe.

This is not a webinar or a workshop - it is a discussion. I would really love for you to be a part of it, and to bring your friends and colleagues as well. Here is the registration link again - hope to see you there!

Peace,

Emily