I
like it best when they donate two-ply, but I can’t complain when
the operative word is
“donate.”
It
has been nearly two years since I joined the #nonprofit world.
Little by little my eyes
have been opened to the road that brought me
here. It’s a meandering path filled with
nuance and subtle changes.
The
learning curve hasn’t been too broad. I saw enough behind the
scenes of church work
in my youth to know that people are not always
what they appear to be at first glance. This
time, though, the
revelations have been more about me than them.
The crust of life must
continually be chipped away to keep my heart soft and pliable, even
when I help folks that I know are lying and looking to con me out of
what I want to freely
give.
Here
are a few rules of #nonprofit life that I am learning:
The
first rule of #nonprofit life is that there are no set rules. People
don’t need food and
clothing at the appointed hours of giving. Sometimes
they drag themselves in when it isn’t
convenient and yet, they came
through the doors and humbled themselves and asked for
help. That’s
what I try to remember.
The
second rule of #nonprofit life is that all job descriptions include
the clause: willing to
do anything at any time to get it done. Before
hours, after hours, during hours, and even
when it has absolutely
nothing to do with the job you were hired to do. May include heavy
lifting (i.e. carrying large sofas down twisted staircases), folding
tangled aprons, or looking
for expiration dates on 1,000 cans before
sorting them for the food pantry.
The
third rule of #nonprofit life is that you must ask for money and
donations. Often.
Really often. I never knew I would constantly be on
the lookout for yet another way to say,
“Please give because we’re
worth it.” I believe in what we do. Deep down, I just want you to
believe too, without all of the begging. But it doesn’t work that
way.
By the way, got an extra $4?
You can purchase a meal for one of
our clients.
The
fourth rule of #nonprofit life is that when you start to feel
cynicism creep into your
belly, stop right then and go help someone. Drive a Meals on Wheels route. Take a fan to
someone that doesn't have an air conditioner.
Go buy a whole flat of canned fruit for the
pantry. That’s the only
way to stop the inner critic. That
helps me remember why I’m here.
Help someone and help some more.
I
pray loudly to God and ask him to use me. And he does, in the most
unusual ways. And
the more I see him at work, the more I see that it
has not, nor ever will be about me.
I am a vessel.
I want more than
ever to be a vessel that is dinged, chipped, and smudged because I’m
being used over and over again to get the hard work done. Not just
because I work for a
#nonprofit. Because I work for Him.
