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Home » Capacity Building » It’s Not All Up to You

April 13, 2022 By Nell Edgington Leave a Comment

It’s Not All Up to You

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I will admit that I am often the QUEEN of going it alone. I sometimes (ok, maybe more often than I’d like to admit) believe that it’s all up to me. 

And I see this so often in social change leaders just like you who unknowingly suffer from the “Go it Alone” mentality. This mentality is borne from the scarcity thinking of the nonprofit sector like: 

  • There’s not enough money
  • There are too many organizations vying for that limited money
  • Nonprofit leaders aren’t worthy of additional staff, coaching, support
  • Mission-driven leaders should constantly overgive

When the world looks like it doesn’t have enough for you, it makes sense that you would carry too much on your own shoulders. 

But you don’t have to go it alone. 

In fact, you will do so much better – at achieving your mission, staying sane, and thriving in life – when you identify and work with your larger team. 

This is fundamentally a shift in belief from 

“This is all (or mostly) up to me…” 

to 

“I am part of a powerful team of social changemakers!” 

But how do you find that team when for so long you’ve thought it was all up to you? Start by asking these questions:

Board
Who on my board of directors do I believe might be willing and/or able to step up more, if I asked?

Staff
This is a two part question: 

  • Who on my current staff could I more effectively delegate to? 
  • And, if I fully believed in abundance, what staff position(s) would I add?

Funders
Which current and potential funders could I be more open with about what I really need?

Other Social Change Leaders
What other peers, partners, potential partners, influencers outside my walls might be open to shared efforts?

We are each a tiny part of a vast, complex and ineffable universe that wants to see us succeed.  

And we are far more effective when we let more of that help in. 

Photo Credit: Jackalope West

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    How to Overcome Your Nonprofit's Limiting Beliefs
  • Overcome Social Change Overwhelm
    How to Overcome the Social Change Overwhelm
  • Are you making fear-based decisions?
    Are You Making Fear-Based Decisions?
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Filed Under: Capacity Building Tagged With: Capacity Building, nonprofit, nonprofit capacity, nonprofit leadership, Philanthropy

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