Before I had children, I asked my mom if she was glad she had kids. There were three of us, and we certainly were not angels.
She paused a while and said,, "It's the hardest thing you'll ever do, but it can also be the most rewarding."
I am so glad that she was honest regarding the struggles of parenthood. My husband and I knew from her warning to expect the good and bad, but it was still hard to prepare for those really tough times.
Having worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years now, I can honestly say that working in this field has a similar type of heartbreak and joy of its own.
Each of us in the social impact sector have an overwhelming desire to advance our missions. We can wear ourselves out by doing good while balancing the budget, fundraising, training, empowering, grant-writing, approving, politicking, visioning, mentoring, and even sometimes disciplining, corralling, and budget-cutting.
As a parent, it helped to know I wasn't alone. I knew I had my mom and others along side me. Sometimes, I just vented. Sometimes, I learned a better way to do things. Sometimes, I got to take a break and get some rest (ok, not so often - but every once in a while).
Would you like some support as your social impact organization grows and fills an important need in the community? Would you like to explore ways to make the everyday a little easier? There's no obligation and no pressure working with Thrive South. Just the opportunity to know someone who's been there has your back. I am always on the other side of email, phone, and social media. Let's chat.
