18 Jun “Why I Love McPherson”
Earlier this week the McPherson County Community Foundation held their annual Board Retreat. This year’s retreat included presentations from five organizations who have either collaborated with or been a recipient of a grant from the foundation. Here are a few things I observed:
1. It was totally unintentional on our part…We invited 5 organizations to speak: Arts After School, USD 418, Grace Med, Youth Aviation Programs Association and StepMC; almost all five talked about a collaboration with one of the other presenting organizations.
2. McPherson is full of great people who want to help others. 4 of the 5 organizations use volunteer support to be as successful as they are! That equates to a lot of people giving back to our community – seeing a need and filling a need.
3. Our community excels in finding gaps of need and works to fill them. There are organizations who are mindful of services already being offered. No one wants to duplicate the efforts already put forth by someone else!
4. When given the opportunity, organizations LOVE to share about their work! All 5 organizations eagerly agreed to visit with our Board regarding what they do and who they serve. Each was given a twenty minute time-frame – and I believe all of them would have gladly talked longer! Do you know someone who serves with a local non-profit? If so, ask them about their experience with that organization. Here are a few questions to get you started:
- What drew you to that organization?
- How long have you worked with them?
- Why is this organization important to our community?
My guess is that if you get started with these, the person answering the questions can take the conversation from there!
Lately on Facebook, I’ve been seeing people tag others with the post of “why I love McPherson.” Well, the reasons above are my why! There are many great things happening in our community because of people who care enough to lift others up! Have you connected with an organization? If not, and you would like to, please contact me. I can help you think about what you like to do and help connect that with an organization that may benefit from your help!