So in a recent Oregonian (yes I still read the paper) there was a fascinating article on how a small group of women had come together to form the "Joy Adventure Club" with the stated purpose or raising money for food related charities. Their first event raised $1000 for the Oregon Food Bank and 100 women attended. I'm guessing that between word of mouth and media exposure, this relatively modest brainchild will have a major growth spurt.

Challenging times often provide the fertilizer needed for new ideas. As we no doubt all know by now, the Great Depression and other economic downturns ushered in an era of creative government responses to community needs ranging from establishing Social Security to employing artists and crafts people (WPA projects). Families and individuals took pride (and maybe even joy) in making do with less, a mind-set that lasted into the war years.

So it's interesting to me that some nonprofit experts are expecting an "arbitrary winnowing" which would "result in a rebalancing [of] the sector towards larger, richer and fewer [nonprofit] organizations." (Dr. Paul Light in Nonprofit Quarterly). Perhaps Oregon is an anomaly but I'm seeing a concurrent stream where more nonprofit ideas (and organizations) are being generated  as people believe that existing organizations are not meeting community needs. Just today I was contacted by someone founding an organization working with artists.

But existing organizations are being challenged to do more with less or challenged to just make do with fewer donations, less earned income, and fewer government contracts. Some are responding by more carefully examining mergers, acquisitions and partnerships. Others are putting the call out to the community (and the community is answering some of those calls). Still others, I'm sure, are thinking more carefully and creatively about program delivery and income streams.

I'm heartened by the actions of the women who founded the Joy Adventure Club and I believe that many of our nonprofit organizations could benefit from the kind of thinking that led to this effort.  This is a time to bring our best thinking to the fore.

• Get your staff, board and volunteers together for a "blue-sky" day (or half-day) and look at what you could do new or do differently.
• Put aside the old stifling comments ("we tried that once and it didn't work", "that will never work", "it will take too much..." (time, money, volunteers...fill in the blank, etc.).
• And put your minds and hearts to looking at your resources and strengths in new ways.

It's a time to conjure up new ideas and re-create old ones. For example, have you taken the time to talk talk to your donors? Not for more money but to check in with them, to find out what's of interest to them. To build a relationship with them. Maybe now is the time.

New ideas, new responses are happening all over our region.  So I invite you to let us know what you've come across that exemplifies the DIY (do-it-yourself) spirit. Is it a new organization or program response? Is it a new fundraising idea? Let me know at lagola@pdx.edu and I'll print/publish some of your best ideas.