Our family foundation board meets today.
When I take my seat, I’ve got some questions I need answered. They’re not on the agenda, but they’re similar to questions I’ve had in the past. Whether my fellow trustees pay attention to them or not, they’ve got questions too. Today, I’m going to take my questions seriously and see where they lead.
First and foremost, will I feel welcome? Will the others relate to me, talk to me, listen to me as a full-on member of the group? Are we all in this together?
Question number two is just as basic: Will I click with the core of what we do today? Will the real reason we come together – our giving – mean something to me?
And what about the group? Are we on the same page with this work? When the meeting’s over, will we be able to honestly say we delivered on our promise to serve something bigger than ourselves?
I have other questions, too.
Will I have the courage to say what’s on my mind? Or to speak from my heart? I remember the last time that happened: will I risk it this time if my voice goes wobbly?
But I know that goes both ways. Will I really listen to what the others have to say? Even if it’s different than what I think or believe? Or will I grind my version of a charitable axe? And what if someone else’s voice gets wobbly? Or tense?
Of course, there’s one question I’ll have answered before I sit down. Was I willing to set aside the time and do the work to get ready for today? If not, will I let myself wonder why? Or maybe I already know.
Will our work today build on what we did last time and the time before that or will it be yet another wild ride through territory that always seems new and unpredictable? Or perhaps it’ll be exactly the same. Groundhog Day at the Foundation. Rubber stamp and done. Endlessly repeating some sleepy version of what we’ve done too many times to count, without signs of life or change.
Will today’s meeting make me think? Will it challenge my notions about the community we serve, the issues we say we care about, and the ways our partners go about the work? Will my understanding and empathy deepen for the people on the other side of the foundation’s philanthropic relationships. And as I learn, is it possible I might discover something about myself or the board mate who’s always been a mystery, a thorn, or even a friend?
And dare I ask, will our group enter that magic zone where it all just flows? All of us, circled up as a working group, rallying around a common purpose with sleeves rolled up, bringing our best selves – not perfect but good enough – to the joy of loving humanity?
Our family foundation board meets today.
What’s it like to serve with your family foundation board? Contact me at [email protected] and visit www.givingrelated.org.
