I had a brave moment where I asked a group of Board members to "come out". The context was different than one might think. In this environment, I was working with volunteer leaders of a women’s group on an issue that they were struggling with - ‘visibility’ of their organization. One of the tenents for nonprofit success is a group of leaders who share their stories, engage with people, and find a way to make the exchange fun, informative, and/or energizing.
My idea of "coming out" is feeling safe enough to fully express yourself no matter what the environment or the context. This is an ongoing choice we make repeatedly in various settings. Every day we need to check in with our voice and our intent and decide in many situations, do I have the courage, confidence, energy, etc to put my questions / my ideas / my story into this conversation?
For example, if you are a Board member of an organization that is working on women having equal access and opportunity and you witness women partners in your law office being treated differently than men, do you feel safe enough to “come out” and say or do something as an advocate? If not, what might you do to ‘come out’ as a social change activist or a supporter of humanity? It should not be nearly as hard to share with colleagues your ideas than it is for people who 'come out' about their sexuality in a country or state where people have been killed because of this.
My friend Jacki is a collector of Wonder Woman items and I love her ability and desire to own that archetype to address challenging topics. For me, I use any of the suffragettes to get energy to come out about women’s rights. I can get a lot of chi and energy thinking about Alice Paul’s hunger strike or the National Women’s Party members picketing outside the White House in the winter during wartime. Not that their model of advocacy needs to be mimicked – just their bravery and courage. As well, the 90 years it took for women to get the vote is a good reminder of the endurance that some social change takes.
The session focus was campaign readiness and what I and the organization leadership thought were key next steps for success. The topic of branding and marketing is always near the top of campaign readiness list for people. With little or no dollars in the budget for marketing, it is imperative that Board members share the vision and values of an organization and “live the brand” with their presence and story. Once they come out and repeatedly share their personal authentic story of their connection to the mission and work, people will be more likely to inquire about how they can help.
So - with the energy and passion that hopefully pervades the work of the organization and its leadership, come on out and tell your stories - then true Fun Raising can happen and campaigns can be launched. Feel free to read another blog I wrote on this from a philanthropist's perspective.
I had the honor of being part of the Women’s Funding Network Worldwide Conference where women from Serbia, Mexico, Australia, Scotland, Nigeria, Canada, and every place in between, descended upon Brooklyn, New York for three days of convening and learning. We spent time together skills sharing, relationship building, and listening to impassioned speeches from some of the world’s most dynamic female thought leaders. 
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