Torn Down, Built Up

I often have meetings that I know will not lead to any immediate financial support. These meetings are intended to establish a relationship and make people aware of our work. Last week, I had two such meetings with significant players in DC's funding community. The meetings were very different in tone.

Tuesday: While definitely interested in our approach to literacy remediation, the conversation in this meeting focused on the terrible state of foundation finances. It is, as you can imagine, incredibly intimidating to hear about established organizations going out of business, foundations choosing not to work with any new partners, and organizations merging to consolidate resources. That being said, our work is necessary. Even when I hear - like in this meeting - that I made the wrong decision to launch Reach in this climate, I am confident. Maybe this isn't the right time for most nonprofits to launch. We're not most nonprofits. We will survive and succeed.

Thursday: Braced for another challenging discussion, this conversation took a much more pleasant tone. While some of the questions asked by this huge name in the DC nonprofit community were challenging, the discussion was one focused on learning. One of the highlights of my time as Reach's leader occurred when she looked up from her oatmeal and said, "this is a really elegant solution" (what an awesome compliment!).

Both these meetings occurred with really intelligent women that know the DC nonprofit community exceedingly well. And, to be sure, they're both correct in their assessment of the challenges associated with being a new nonprofit in these trying economic times. However, during a recent conversation with Charles Phaneuf, Managing Director at Joe's Movement Emporium, I was reminded of a comment by a former professor of mine, Chris Stone. To paraphrase: Money is never the finite resource. Good ideas are the finite resource. Create great programs and you'll find money.

Despite the challenging economy, I think often of those that have given more to Reach than they've ever given to an organization before. While many organizations are struggling to survive, we're planning for growth. We're privileged to have your support, and we look forward to our continued growth toward the future.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark