funding community work?

Fri Nov 16 05:26:31 PST 2007

Doubtless I have led a blessed and charmed life, at least some might think
so and I know so. But the truth of the matter is that funding for my work
has never been something I worried about, at least not much. In one way or
another things just got taken care of, although not always in the time frame
or amount that I hoped for or expected. Starting in the late '70's when I
left my last honest job (where I actually got a pay check) I simply followed
my nose. If there was a plan I don't have a clue what it was, although in
retrospect everything seems to make a certain amount of sense. And my nose
took me to lots of interesting nooks and cranies, most of which looked
nothing like a job or a paycheck. My facination with organizational culture,
myth (story) and ritual was viewed as odd to say the least, and when I
ventured into the strange new world of transformation in organizations the
common judgement, I think, was that I was just weird. As for Open Space
Technology that, as you all know, was a matter of two martinis. Talk about
the cost of doing business:-) Regardless, I just kept following my nose. And
to date, I have never missed a meal. On occasion friends and colleagues
would ask what it was that I thought I was doing -- and truthfully I
couldn't really say. The closest I ever came to getting "it" into words went
something like this. It was my hope to somehow contribute to the business of
making human life human.

Is there a lesson here? Maybe. One thing that pops out is that I never made
any effort to define "community" -- or maybe more accurately my definition
was about as broad as it could get -- human life, or all of humanity.
Everything was connected even if I couldn't see it at the time. I have
worked in Barrios and Board rooms and as far as I could see it was all the
same. People being people trying to get on in the world. Some did well, some
not so well, but doing well never seemed to have much to do with their
station in life. Corporate presidents could appear as paupers, and beggers
as kings. What I learned in one place always had application in another, and
when I connected deeply with some individual that connection always led to
deeper connections with others. Does this make any sense? I don't know, but
it has been fun.

Harrison

Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com 
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
Holman
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 4:59 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: funding community work?

Yes, to underpin Doug's question below, I find that more and more I am 
working from a place of deep calling.  That call doesn't take me into the 
lucrative business world to fund the work of my heart.  I have jumped in 
with both feet between the cracks, not even with non-profits, but in calling

gatherings beyond the divides of organizational boundaries.  It isn't 
financially sustainable.  Hence the question of how to attract the funds for

work that, according to its participants is of service to their field, but 
requires far more time and energy than is reflected in the compensation. (In

fact, I jokingly say that in my experience, compensation is inversely 
proportional to the complexity of the work.  I find corporate work, with so 
much established infrastructure, some of which is actually useful, much 
easier than the work of reaching out to bring together the ecosystem of a 
subject area, such as journalism, story, philanthropy, etc.

in inquiry,
Peggy

________________________________
Peggy Holman
The Open Circle Company
15347 SE 49th Place
Bellevue, WA  98006
(425) 746-6274

www.opencirclecompany.com

For the new edition of The Change Handbook, go to:
www.bkconnection.com/ChangeHandbook

"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt,

is to become
the fire".
  -- Drew Dellinger

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "douglas germann" <76066.515 at compuserve.com>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:50 PM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] funding community work?

> Harrison, Kerry and Raffi--
>
> Thanks for your replies. They are great strategies and do answer the
> question. They have suggested then a refinement of the question:
>
> If we want to work exclusively or primarily in community work, what are
> the sources of funding which are working for you today?
>
> :- Doug.
>
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