This past week, our CEO and Founder Stacey Wedding had the wonderful opportunity to attend an event hosted by Catholic Charities: an event that aimed to honor their colleagues at Three Square. It was certainly an occasion to look forward to, although Stacey was worried about fitting into a room with such a large elephant. What was this elephant in the room? Well, it was the fact that these two organizations haven’t always gotten along so well–if well could be used at all. And then something beautiful happened.
The elephant was addressed.
These organizations stood and admitted that playing nice had not always been the reality between these two nonprofit giants. That honesty, it was refreshing and profound–and it brought attention to the elephant in many rooms. Here’s the truth, it is not always easy to work with other organizations. It’s hard to see past the cause that we love in order to see the perspective of our colleagues: no one is immune to this struggle. But when we begin to have thorough collaboration within our own sector, incredible growth and strength is solidified. The relationship between Catholic Charities and Three Square confirmed that.
A very special thank you to these organizations from the PiP team. The honesty was impressive, but the example was essential. May we all work towards a more collaborative nonprofit future!