What a year we’ve all been through! With a new year on the horizon, congratulations for making it to the 2020 finish line!
Each day in 2020, we were honored to first help our Creating the Future family (you!) breathe and find calm, and then from there, to step into what is possible. Here is just some of what that included…
- Tackling fear and uncertainty head-on:
Through our writings and through multiple online convenings, we leveraged our research in brain science to help you find calm during the uncertainty this year held. At the links you will see why we believe that your continuing to move forward in your own change work this year was truly a heroic task.
111 - Centering values and integrity for boards:
In our ongoing open experiment in the work of boards of directors, our own board formally reframed their work as an Integrity Board – ensuring the organization’s work is walking the talk of our values. Doing that work openly models what might be possible for other boards, ensuring YOUR work is walking YOUR talk.
111 - Centering racial equity and justice:
2020 wasn’t just about COVID. It was about a racial reckoning, everywhere across the globe. It was about the systemic imbalance of power, systems rooted in patriarchy and white supremacy, colonialism and the extreme form of capitalism that values money over people.
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Our board tackled these questions as a barometer for our own integrity. And all those discussions happened openly, so that we could all learn and explore together. At every point when the conversation got uncomfortable, we asked board members if they would prefer to go behind closed doors. At every point, our board members said, “Keep the door open. We all need to explore and learn together.” That conversation will continue into 2021 and beyond. (Scroll through our 2020 discussions at this link.)In addition, it was an honor to learn that our work was among the many inspirations for the
Community-Centric Fundraising movement, as they aim to center racial equity in the fundraising world.
- Experimenting openly and sharing what we learn:
Creating the Future is a grounds for experimenting with systems change, a place for learning. Importantly, it is a place for broadly sharing what we learn from those explorations. This year was filled with both learning and sharing…
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- Plain-English bylaws: We could not believe that bylaws could be so inspiring! Our discussions were a learning journey, and the result is a template you can use to inspire your own board.
111 - Classes: This year we made all our click-and-play classes “pay-what-you-can.” This not only shares what we’ve learned via the content of the classes; it models what trust looks like in action. And that is something you can take into your own work as well.
111 - Broadly sharing so EVERYONE can learn: We worked closely with the folks at Stanford Social Innovation Review over several months, to share Catalytic Thinking more broadly with the world.
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- Plain-English bylaws: We could not believe that bylaws could be so inspiring! Our discussions were a learning journey, and the result is a template you can use to inspire your own board.
- Helping YOU get past social change barriers:
Sometimes it feels like sustaining social change work is even harder than actually creating the change itself – fundraising, boards, marketing, staying ahead of the curve. This year we stepped firmly into rethinking the way all changemakers do this work day-to-day. Our research and inquiry was exhilarating for what’s next for this grand experiment.
There was so much more. Our online communities continued to grow, providing needed support during a year that was all about supporting each other. We helped groups from Vancouver to Kentucky to reconfigure their conferences, moving from in-person to online events (and we shared what we have learned about what it takes to move all of life online!)
As we head into 2021, we are grateful that you were part of all this. You shared our eJournal with friends and colleagues. You took classes and participated in online discussions. You volunteered to help with tasks both large and small. And you donated. This year, those donations meant more than ever to us, as our primary revenue sources were not possible – in-person speaking and training.
Stepping into 2021, we are excited to explore with you, to step into what is possible. Because these times call for a path to a future different from our past.
And creating that future isn’t just our name; it is our mission.
If our mission resonates with you, we hope you will consider making a contribution to keep our work going strong.