funding community work?

Fri Nov 16 12:26:58 PST 2007

Harrison,

Yes to following one's nose.  It led me to you and Open Space and on to who 
I am and what I am doing now.

As my work has moved increasingly in the direction of, essentially 
self-sponsoring the projects I do, the question of finances has never been 
fully met in a satisfying way for me.  I assume that it is perfect as it 
is...and I am now experimenting with what happens by asking the questions 
about it out loud.

open-heartedly,
Peggy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net>
To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2007 5:26 AM
Subject: Re: [OSLIST] funding community work?

> 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
> OSLIST: To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the
> archives Visit: www.listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>
>
> -----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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