S04E00 - Introducing Season 4

Season Four of The Intersection Hub podcast is going to be completely different.

This season we have eight real examples of organizations and people that are coming forward to offer hope to us all for a new way forward. We are having conversations with practitioners who are advancing anti racist work, trust-based philanthropy and taking care of the physical and metal well-being of their staff.

In this introduction I share a little bit more of how I came to make this shift, why it is important and what we can learn from these amazing examples.

Our sector contributes such a significant economic impact to these three global economies it is hard to relate too. But one thing I know for sure is that the world expects a lot from us. Do you think we are living up to expectations? No – no we are not.

I know that based on my 25 years working as a charity executive or consultant. I know that based on the 50 brilliant guests that have appeared on this podcast. We are failing. We keep talking about the same shifts needed and we aren’t getting much traction.

You know it too.

You know it if you are an Executive Director who is trying to feed hungry children and donors are complaining about your utility bills and you rarely make it home for dinner with your family. I’ve been there.

You know if you are a Chief Philanthropy Officer and your biggest donor is asking you to build a new program that they think bits perfectly into their interests and your mission. But it doesn’t and now you have to go to the board, your boss and the program staff to try and convince them that you can accept the gift and deliver your budget and in fact turn a square peg into a round hole. I’ve been there.

You know if you are trying to deliver life changing programs and you are using out of date materials because you can’t afford to get the old ones replaced and the programs need to continue so that you can demonstrate impact to funder. I’ve been there.

You know it if you have busting your ass for you organization and suddenly, without warning your entire body just stops. The work you are so passionate about, the kids you love, the husband you cherish – all seem unimportant. You can’t get out of bed; you can’t even walk the dog anymore. Because your job – in the charitable sector has left you depleted and utterly useless to everyone you love. I’ve been there – twice. It will be ok. You will be ok.

You know this if you gave up on working in the sector and started consulting for the sector. You make better money now – sure. But perfectly good smart fundraisers are using their charitable dollars to pay you way more than they should to tell their boards things that they could have. But we all know the board will listen to you because your skin is a different colour.

I was tired of talking about these problems and I wanted to find examples of organizations who are actually making great strides in turning these challenges around in their own organizations. I wanted to find the passionate folks who are, against odds, modelling a new way forward and offering hope for us all.

In season four of this podcast we are creating space. The folks in organizations who are diligently working away to change internal structures and systems so that their staff are able to be mentally, physically and spiritual fit so they can continue to have extraordinary community impact.

So – what can you do to get involved in this change? Well – listen, subscribe, share and give your feedback of course!

Please share this podcast or the email list with your staff. Consider making sharing these conversations part of your team internal professional development. Give your staff an episode a month to listen to and then gather to talk about how you might be able to implement so of these practices in your organization. By looking inside and asking yourselves together if you are really making progress on these three very important fronts:

Advancing antiracist work

Revisiting conversations with donors and moving the bar on trust based philanthropy

And finally – taking care of the mental, physical and spiritual well being of your staff.

I hope this podcast can prove to you like it has me, I believe this is the future of our sector.

It is time we stop talking and start acting. It is time to prioritize the safety and well being of our people. As our first guest this season Brandon Yan said so brilliantly “how can we claim to advance social justice when we don’t see the health and well being of our on staff as critical to mission delivery?” Brandon and the other guests this season are offering hope to us all.

So please join us in conversation. Get on the email list at intersection hub.ca or subscribe to The intersection hub podcast wherever you get your podcasts and don’t miss a single episode.

And always please get in touch if you have suggestions for other organizations, we can profile in season five. And of course – I’m on the hunt for more fabulous examples of this work so if you are sitting there thinking that your organization or one you know has some examples to share please do be in touch. You can reach me at k@kimberleymackenzie.ca or @kimberleycanada on social media.

We are also always grateful for your feedback, referrals and for sharing this podcast. As we start to unveil these conversations, Do let us know what you think! I’d love to hear from you.

Resources: Infographic history of the charitable sector https://blog.winspireme.com/a-brief-history-of-charitable-giving-infographic#:~:text=Charity%20has%20been%20part%20of,Egyptians%20were%20building%20the%20pyramids.

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/charity-and-voluntary-work/overview-of-the-uk-charity-sector#:~:text=The%20majority%20of%20these%20organisations,Northern%20Ireland%20has%20the%20lowest.

https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/news-events/news-item/giving-usa:-total-u.s.-charitable-giving-declined-in-2022-to-$499.33-billion-following-two-years-of-record-generosity.html?id=422

https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/about-us-research/uk_giving_2023.pdf

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/job-sectors/charity-and-voluntary-work/overview-of-the-uk-charity-sector#:~:text=In%202022%20almost%20one%20million,Northern%20Ireland%20has%20the%20lowest.

https://www.imaginecanada.ca/sites/default/files/Infographic-sector-stat-2021.pdf

https://www.imaginecanada.ca/en/About-the-sector

NOTE: 89% of charity staff say they don’t have enough resources to do their job properly and 48% of fundraisers say they are likely to leave their jobs in the next two year. Think about that for a second. Half of the people who raising $500 Billion dollars collectively per year and thinking about leaving their jobs in 24 months. Sheesh – that is a hit. And guess what – that statistic hasn’t moved in at least 15 years.