Nonprofit Champion is more than the name of the business I run. It’s even more that the work I do every day, supporting nonprofits.
It’s the result of a lifelong dream.
It started when I was a Brownie (that’s a young Girl Scout). I was in the second grade and my mother was the troop leader. I wasn’t very good at crafts, failed at selling cookies, and couldn’t grasp the idea of good deeds. I had skipped kindergarten, so I probably didn’t know a lot of important life lessons.
Then I heard about Juliette Low.
Learning how this woman (a bit eccentric but I didn’t know that yet) had started an organization just for girls was eye opening. It was not just my little troop, but there were other Brownies in other schools all over the country. Wow. That was impressive to my little beanie-wearing self.
Juliette became my idol. She taught me that girls matter. She taught me that you could create a movement and that movement was called a nonprofit.
I went on to learn a lot of things as a Girl Scout. Many of them impacted my life but nothing was more important to me than the simple lesson I learned from the Juliette Low story: If you have a vision you can create something much bigger than yourself.
I’d like to say that there was a straight path from that discovery until today. There was not. I did many things in my career, including a short (disappointing) stint working for the Girl Scouts. But as I used the leadership skills I learned in Girl Scouts and became successful in my marketing career, thoughts of her never went away. I knew I still wanted to inspire possibility like she did.
That dream landed me right where I needed to be. I began working with nonprofits, using my marketing communications expertise. I realized I did not want to be Juliette Low, I wanted to create Juliette Lows.
I’m sharing this story with you because it is the reason I champion nonprofit founders and leaders. It is also the reason I believe your possibilities are endless. Juliette Low started Girls Scouts 108 years ago. Imagine the millions of girls it has served! Imagine how much the lives of girls and women have changed in that time! Yet, it, like so many great organizations, has adapted and continues to fill a need. That’s what nonprofits do.
Juliette Low helped me discover my purpose. Today as I write and speak about fulfilling the Vision of a nonprofit organization, I remember the story of Juliette and all the great founders I have had the honor of knowing and working with.
Dig deep for your purpose, tell your story. You can change the world. Act like Juliette, even if you are just starting your career.
Merle Benny, Nonprofit Champion.
Merle is the voice of Nonprofit Champions everywhere. She writes and speaks to inspire more nonprofit leaders in the community and world. She loves connections! Email merle@nonprofitchampion.com or follow Nonprofit Champion on Facebook or LinkedIn.