As #ResearchPride Month comes to a close I wanted to say thank you to everyone – practitioners
and our kind vendor colleagues alike – who participated with loads of tweets, podcasts, blog posts, articles, and even re-posting oldies-but-goodies from years past. It’s been another great month of sharing.
One of the main themes that I noticed this year was the outpouring of gratitude for the way our profession is generously collaborative, and I think that’s something we shouldn’t take for granted.
I have yet to meet a prospect researcher, relationship management professional, or fundraising data science officer who isn’t happy actually enthusiastic to talk to a colleague about what they do, or share tips and tricks when someone is faced with a conundrum. The person approached may not be comfortable standing up in front of a room, but one-on-one? The creativity and problem-solving skills are unleashed, and usually a lively conversation ensues.
What other profession can you think of that has that kind of generosity at its core?
Generosity within a sector that is all about generosity. Honestly, that’s pretty special.
There’s a lot going on in the world right now, and most of it is stuff that we can’t control or even make a small dent in. There’s a lot of worry in the world, and it concerns me that it could deflate our sense of possibility.
But catalyzing our excitement to share our creativity, new ideas, and past knowledge in order to help others have impact within our sector is something we can control. If sharing our innovative strategies and being unafraid to try new strategies from other shops is part of our professional DNA, we all have the power to use our knowledge to make change for good.
To capitalize on this wonderful month, I urge you to get out from behind your desk, meet others, and share your knowledge and your #ResearchPride.
Epángelma (or επάγγελμα if you want to get fancy) is the Greek word for calling or profession. I don’t think philaepangelma is a real word, and it doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue like Philadelphia or philanthropy, but I wished there was a word for “love of profession” so I made it up.
