It starts with one moment when you realize the world is so much bigger than you. You feel that you have to do something. You have to change the world. What a daunting task!
I have always felt that there was more I should be doing. Yet taking on the world and deciding to change it made me feel small and overwrought. My mind changed when I first heard Jon Duschinsky speak about (me)volution. It is TRULY possible to be the change and it does NOT have to be daunting.
It starts with me
(me)volution’s tagline is “Change begins with me.” Wouldn’t you agree? It’s hard to expect change when you don’t change yourself. The smallest action we can take as an individual can ripple through our world without us knowing. It can be something as simple as smiling at a stranger. That stranger will feel uplifted for the rest of the day and treat other people the same way … or so I believe. This is how I live my life. It’s called the “ripple effect.” Your actions no matter how small, reach everyone in our world.
It seems I have no time as I am always swamped with mundane activities, but I am wrong. I have lots of time. While reading (me)volution I instantly felt empowered. (me)volution is a movement proposed through a model that describes the process people go through during their journey in philanthropy and change-making.
While working on this project, authors Tony Myers and Jon Duschinsky explored a story by each of seven authors from seven continents. The (me)volution model ends with a community actualized by individuals creating a true difference. When looking at this model, Myers and Duschinsky realized that every world leader, every change-maker, every YOU has been through (me)volution.
You’re saying, “But Christina, I am not a world leader.” Says who? I know there is some injustice in this world that you feel upset about. It can be locally, nationally and/or globally. You can be the change in your world.
Who, me?
If you’re reading this article it is safe to assume you are already engaged in the world of philanthropy; you have already created change. So how can (me)volution help you? If you already work in a nonprofit organization we want to help you connect further to your cause. We want you to continue to feel empowered to create change, raise funds, engage volunteers, board members and donors, to donate and share your belief system.
There are three core areas necessary to create change:
Your organization already raises funds and promotes advocacy. Is your organization completely mission-driven? It is hard to stay motivated by the cause when you have a fiscal goal to reach, a marketing plan that must remain stringent. When you leave work, do you remember why you went to work in the morning? It wasn’t just to fulfill your need to take care of yourself. It was to help take care of others. Everyone can use extra empowerment and encouragement to further your cause, whether it is professional or personal.
Read (me)volution and you will feel empowered to create change in this world. Through the seven stories you will meet regular people who made big and small commitments to help someone or something. You will feel how that affected them and their world, our world.
Join me in the next eight weeks as we walk through the (me)volution model together. I will provide different perspectives and stories about philanthropy. Remember that we all share this world and therefore your world is our world.
Christina Hemens was drawn to philanthropy while growing up in Muskoka, Ontario. At Concordia University in Montreal, Christina honed her philanthropic spirit and passion for fundraising. After completing her post-graduate certification in Fundraising and Volunteer Management from Humber College she is now Marketing and Communications Coordinator at (me)volution, where she is able to create a positive difference in her lifetime.
Connect with the (me)voluntion community through Facebook, Twitter or its blog. Contact Christina through @ChristinaHemens or by email.
