A Letter to Our ESE Community
When COVID first emerged, so many of us were scared. It wasn’t just the fear of the virus, or the loneliness of social distance, or the unequal distinction in work – as in those who had the luxury of remote work, and those who served as essential workers keeping us all healthy, fed, and safe. It was also the micro and macro shocks of the world – the world was rapidly shifting beneath our feet.
In a word, it was a lot.
And for different reasons, the time we find ourselves in right now might call up those old feelings of disorientation, isolation, and confusion. For many of us, and the populations we serve, the drumbeat of executive orders and dizzying change may feel like the very progress we’ve made in rebuilding, reckoning, and reunifying is not only no longer valued; it’s under deep and existential attack.
In the face of uncertainty, I know that sometimes people look to leaders to signal what’s ok, to make sense of what may feel chaotic, to issue a clear missive as to where and how we move forward. And for your organizations, teams, communities, and families, that leader is likely, you. And the weight that carries can be intense – at times debilitating and others a surge of energy to do something, anything to feel productive.
I have most certainly been feeling these swings, and I don’t have a quick or easy solution to deal with the uncertainty of this moment. But as a member of this Community, what I can offer is a humble message that you don’t have to hold that weight alone. You have more than 200 other social enterprises and hundreds more people who are grappling through with you, and specifically, you have the REDF team ready to support you.
Like you, I’m navigating the twists and turns in real time. And in the face of this unknown, I am committing that the spirit of what we, at REDF, do and who we are – as evangelists and advisors for social enterprises unlocking economic power for those systemically excluded from our economy – is not going anywhere.
We’re also not sitting back and waiting to see what happens. We are carrying out a 3-part iterative process to make sure we’re ready to continue supporting members of this Community:
- Information gathering
- Analysis of pain points specific to ESEs and the ESE field
- Action planning to laser in on policy issues and program interventions that can best support
As new information flows in, we’ll repeat this cycle to ensure our action planning remains relevant and fresh. Simultaneously our team is leaning fully into our role as a support system for you and your organizations. Here is what we will be launching for the Community in the near-term:
- A reinforcement of RESET as a space within this Community dedicated to policy and advocacy where you all surface questions and collectively brainstorm solutions.
- This REDFworkshop page dedicated to emerging resources to navigate changes that influence our field. Bookmark this page, as we will be updating it regularly.
- A regular space for selfcare as we acknowledge that as leaders you are being made to take on a lot (our trucks may be overloaded as New Moms would say) and we may each need a moment to a pause and feel the support of our Community (invitations coming soon).
- Technical assistance to navigate grant proposals and otherwise to ensure eligibility and compliance for federal contracts.
- An open line of communication, both letting you know about additional resources as they arise and being active listeners – please see this as an invitation to reach out to members of our team as needed. We are here for you.
– Maria