I’ve been thinking a lot about a recent conversation I had with a colleague. As we were catching up, she shared more about her work and the frustration she had been facing. 

At her foundation, they not only were in the process of changing grants management systems, but also were doing a strategic restructuring internally with a few team roles. Also, they claimed to be an organization committed to social justice, but the organization had been quiet about many of the injustices happening in our broader society. They hadn’t shifted their grantmaking or practices to reflect the urgency at hand. 

As a team leader, she saw how this was affecting teammates. Everyone seemed frustrated, burnt out, and drained. She felt like she had been yelling into the void, and didn’t have answers for all the uncertainty, change, and fear. 

“The world is on fire.”

It’s a phrase I’ve been encountering (and using) often. At this point, we’ve almost resorted to this phrase as a replacement for our standard greetings. 

“How are you, Chantias?” “Ehh the world’s on fire”. 

It feels more authentic than that vapid “I’m okay, how are you?”. Because we’re not okay. We are leading through a moment that refuses to stabilize. 

Somewhere between urgency and exhaustion, many of us are struggling to find our footing.   

It’s a heavy time, in the world, and in the philanthropy sector.  The world feels like it’s on fire, and our sector is scared, stagnant, angry, and feeling a full range of emotions. I’ve always been a strong proponent of emotions as a tool—as much as we say there’s no place for emotions in the workplace, they shape every decision we make, and we should be more in tune with them to be honest and make decisions thoughtfully.  As I reflected on my own emotions, did research, and spoke with friends, colleagues, and field-leaders, one strong need came up— a need for more joy.

PhilanthroJoy was born.