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Audacity

Our Book Club is reading Audacious Endeavors throughout February. Author Somya Munjal provides the definition of audacious as:

  1. “showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks” and
  2. “showing an impudent lack of respect” (page 7).

Nonprofit professionals are called to be audacious by boldly pushing for change, higher standards, and being better. In doing this, it is easy to become disrespectful. I’m not talking about being disrespectful to the community we serve, but to others who perhaps get in our way, from other industries, policymakers, politicians, donors, …the list goes on.

I recently heard from a fundraiser about a gift her charity received. All the charity needed to do was cash in the item to be able to access the money. But cashing in the gift was extremely complicated and would require a lot of resources from the time-strapped charity. I am often frustrated, and disrespectful, of donations that cause a burden for charities. Munjal’s quote is a good reminder of what kind audacious I am being.

In the mission to do good work are we boldly taking risks or being disrespectful?

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