Re-imagining Your Organization

Nick Saul shared Five Good Ideas gleaned from his work in transforming a small, local food bank into a thriving community food centre: a place where people come together over food to build health, hope, skills, self-confidence, environmental sustainability, community and greater equity. The Stop’s story has lessons and inspirational ideas for everyone interested in building healthy community organizations, inclusive public space and creating social change. Today, The Stop serves up dignity and empowerment to a large community by bringing together people from all socio-economic backgrounds and helping make connections through eating, growing, sharing and advocating for good food for all.

Five Good Ideas

1. Listen
2. Make a plan (but don’t always stick to it)
3. Embrace your inner entrepreneur
4. Remember it’s competitive out there
5. Contribute to the public policy conversation (a.k.a. don’t get swallowed up by service delivery)

Resources

1. Anything by Jane Jacobs. In addition to being an urban visionary, she relentlessly makes the case that regular people and their ideas matter. Also Studs Terkel, the master listener, best known for his oral histories such as Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression.
2. Carve out some time to recharge your batteries by watching the innovative people and big ideas at TED Talks.
3. Keep an eye on Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training and the e-news at www.canadianfundraiser.com for good tips and straightforward advice on fundraising and communication matters.
4. Every organization needs a compass for their work. Janet Poppendieck’s Sweet Charity? Emergency Food and the End of Entitlement has helped guide my own and The Stop’s approach to our work. What’s your organization’s preferred read?
5. Track down the 1979 film Norma Rae starring Sally Field. It’s an inspiring movie about drawing a line in the sand and standing up for what you believe in.