Scattering a Hundred Griefs
Great Leaders choose joy.
As free-wheelin’ and prone to cussin’ as I am, it sometimes surprises people to discover that I am a life-long Christian. My husband is a pastor, I try to go to church every Sunday (and not just to give my husband a ride to work), and we’ve been reading the Bible in a year since 2015. The Scriptures are wild, friends.
As I ponder Oddball Leadership™, a lot of the qualities that go into that leadership approach overlap quite a bit with St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians regarding the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THERE SHOULD BE A “WHICH FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT ARE YOU?” QUIZ ON BUZZFEED?
Does Buzzfeed even exist anymore?
If there was such a quiz, and I took it, I’m 99.9999999999% sure I’d get joy. (I sure as heck wouldn’t get self-control tbh. 😆😆😆)
“ONE JOY SCATTERS A HUNDRED GRIEFS.”
Above is an old Chinese proverb, sometimes attributed to Confucius, that has resonated with me since I read it for the first time many years ago. It’s wisdom that I carry with me everywhere I go, even and especially in my professional life.
Seeking and choosing joy is an important trait to have as a leader, especially for us non-profiteers who work in the social services sector. True, I am not a front-line case manager — I am not sure my heart could handle that.
At the same time, when I worked at St. Patrick Center, I often encountered and interacted with folks looking for a way out of homelessness or near-homelessness. And though I worked on the fifth floor of our building — which I jokingly called The Penthouse — I worked directly above the Coordinated Entry point on the first floor. Folks seeking help would be standing outside, screaming and cussing out of desperation and hopelessness. And who could blame them? These were humans having probably the worst day of the life.
Needless to say, it was heartbreaking work, even in an administrative capacity. Pile on any financial shortcomings, surprise federal funding freezes, unreasonable fundraising expectations from leaders, staff, and donors, and it can really become a situation that feels downright hopeless.
In the darkest times, I believe there is always a shred of joy to be found. My job as a leader is finding that shred of joy and sharing it with my team — because when that joy is found, it can send sadness and hardship running for the hills.
I want to be clear. Finding and choosing joy DOES NOT
Deny the disparities, injustices, and brokenness that exist in our world.
Minimize a person’s trauma.
Demand others to also find and choose joy.
Expect others to have the capacity or desire to find and choose joy.
It is hard to be the one people look to as the one to find and choose joy. But for me, as an Oddball Leader™, that is a responsibility and burden I will gladly bear.
PARTING THOUGHT: JOY IN PRACTICE
It was time for Year-End Campaign 2024 — the time of year many fundraisers dread. October through December is when most non-profits see their donor’s activity skyrocket, when the biggest gifts are usually made, and when you can expect to make the most face-to-fact contacts with donors of a certain giving level.
I had set a lofty goal for 2024 initially, at $1 million. This was significantly a higher amount than what had come in during the same time frame in 2023. On top of that, we were facing pressure from staff and leadership to have an EXTRA stellar fundraising year.
We had a rough road ahead, and I wanted to make sure my team felt motivated to bring their best selves to work.
So every Monday morning, during our usual intention-setting meeting, I encouraged each teammate to bring one thing with them to the meeting — one fundraising “win” from the week prior. One shred of joy during a rough time.
A win as inane as “I didn’t lock myself out of my Blackbaud account for once,” or as grand as "the donor who typically supports us at the $15-$20k level gave a $30k unrestricted gift.” Everyone was open to participating.
Before we knew it, fundraising magic began to happen. Gifts were rolling in, many loyal donors were increasing their gifts for the first time, donors giving again for the first time in three years, opportunities were abounding, volunteers and donors were showing up. The work was starting to feel perpetually joyful. The sadness, the fear, and hardship ran for the hills.
We quickly reached $1 million, thanks to a payout from a foundation that was shuttering. So I moved the goal to $1.3 million, keeping the team motivated to love on donors, be bold in asking, and provide excellent donor services.
The $1.3 million goal turned into a $1.33 million goal before the end of November, after reaching the new target. These snowballing goals became the center of many Monday morning fundraising “wins.”
In December, we moved the goal posts very quickly; $1.33 million became $1.5 million, then $1.6 million. By the end of the year, we had raised close to $1.9 million in three months.
I can’t say for sure that this little Monday morning exercise is what allowed us to almost double our original goal. But finding the shreds of joy and celebrating the wins during a typically frenetic time encouraged my team to find their owns shreds of joy, stay motivated, and bring their A-game to work every day.
