My secret weapon; a reflection

I’m often conflicted about a lot of things and I’ll admit that sometimes the conflict stops me from moving forward.  

For example, should Osa Philanthropy, which helps social impact organizations with their fund development and organizational capacity, focus on local organizations where I can see and feel the impact in my own backyard? Or global organizations where I have the most experience and have always dreamed of working?

Another one: Should I work on the fund development side, helping organizations navigate the funding environment so they can ultimately meet their mission? Or work with philanthropists and foundations to help them navigate the grantee side and connect the dots to make more impact?

A call with a client who (oddly) straddles all of these worlds recently brought me clarity. 

She called me her “secret weapon”. I asked her to explain. She said that I track a lot more than I give myself credit for. That I can listen and understand, and then ask questions or move us to action instead of wallowing in the weeds. 

It made me realize that what I’ve been seeing as conflicts, aren’t actually conflicts at all. They are different sides of my world view that I’ve been honing through experience all my life. If I truly want to leave this Earth better than how I found it, then these perspectives are the inputs to how I can successfully help an organization move forward. 

Because…

Without the global work I do, I’m less effective at helping local organizations speak to funders. Why? Because funders are all looking at each other for best practices. It’s not about people in Upstate New York v. people in Nepal. It’s about knowing how to communicate effectively to a funder. That scales.

Without the nonprofit fund development work, I’m less effective at helping philanthropists figure out how to move in the space they occupy and make a true impact.  Why? Because philanthropists want their grantees to be aligned to their values and legacy, while simultaneously doing the most for society that fits within that container. It’s about seeing the dots and finding different ways to connect them.

The unique perspective I bring is my secret weapon and it took me until this week (!) to finally see it. These conflicts will still arise for me, and I’ll admit it gets really hard tracking everything all at once. But I’m not allowing it to hold me back; instead I’m using it to do even better work.