ED Potluck - a new virtual gathering for healing and community

As you may or may not know, EDs are NOT well right now. Smart, dedicated, passionate EDs are fleeing the non-profit industrial complex or (like me) being thrown off the proverbial cliff. There is an overall lack of support for folks in our roles, made only more challenging for those of us who are women, folks of color, or with other marginalized identities. Yesterday I was listening to The Way Out is In podcast, episode 3 and journalist Jo Confino shared:

I lost my connection to the intimacy of this work - it was almost like a one-way street. I kept on giving but I wasn’t really getting much back. And I realized that I wanted to come back to a feeling of intimacy, of deep connection with myself, so that whatever I did in my life, that it would come from the very heart of me rather than something from the outside of me.

It resonated deeply - I became an ED because the mission was something I believed in to my core. I believed I could make an impact on our communities and create a thriving working environment for folks equally dedicated to being in the struggle for collective liberation. This vibe seems consistent with what I keep hearing from other EDs who share painful stories of their experiences working at, or being thrown out from, their organizations. I recently gathered with some EDs from throughout the country to listen and learn about our struggles, grief, and exhaustion. I wanted to gauge the need and interest in a virtual space for our collective healing.

In short: it’s BEEN needed.

The current structure is failing to thoroughly and satisfactorily support its EDs. The structure is inhumane and unsustainable, even for the strongest, most accountable, boundaried of us. In part, it’s because Boards don’t know how to support us. Even Board members who want nothing more than to ensure they got their EDs backs. (Spoiler alert - they don’t. I’m not talking about the Board members who are complicit in keeping not-so-great EDs in their roles. That’s a WHOLE other beast to tackle at some other point.) The structure is set up in such a way that EDs get the short end of the stick time and time again. Why? Well-intended folks turn into assholes when the get on boards. Thank you, Vu Le for saying what needed to be said.

So until the time when we acknowledge harm, abolish or at least reform the current non-profit industrial complex and Board’s unwillingness or inability to adequately support EDs - we must take it upon ourselves to support one another.

So this is what I am committing to doing:

@thepassiondoula

If you’re interested in being a guest, please reach out as space will be limited to foster intimacy and connection. Please feel free to share this with others who are desiring a virtual container for collective healing.