Now don’t get me wrong. This blog is by no means a complaint about my job or my life as Founder and Executive Director of Seres. In fact, I am the first at any dinner conversation to claim I have the best job in the world, and wouldn’t change it for anything. But that doesn’t mean that it is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. It has its moments, and not all of them are high. The cold hard reality is that there are days when I feel like I have done nothing more than bang my head against the wall, quiet times when I am alone at night when I close my eyes, grit my teeth, take a deep breath and imagine myself ‘going under’ for another long slog. And times when I have to do some things that I just don’t like. Period. But that’s the name of the game.
One of these tasks is the one that I have been embroiled in for the past few weeks. And I am fairly certain that in the Etiquette Book for Non-Profit ED’s, it says that I shouldn’t really share this with you: our friends, supporters and donors. But I say: well, I haven’t got a copy of that book, I don’t like to follow rules, and this blog – well, it’s about sharing all things Seres. So here it is, one of those little secrets from the life of an ED…from me to you.
During the last few weeks, we have had a big fundraising push: with the goal to raise enough money in July to allow us to complete the 5 Resilient Communities projects that we have going by the end of the year. If we reach our goal of $8,000 it will be fantastic. We will be able to send one of our farm managers to train and visit other Guatemalan permaculture and seed banking projects, we will be able to run a whole lot more capacity-building workshops with the youth environment group in Suchitoto, and we will be able to get into more schools to work with kids to teach them about recycling and looking after the environment. For me personally, it means that I can concentrate on doing what I am here to do without having to worry each month about scraping together enough money to pay the bills and stay working out in the communities. Believe me, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel…but that doesn’t mean that the tunnel isn’t full of hurdles and obstacles blocking my way.

Making eco-bricks at the San Isidro school

To explain, let me paint you a picture:
Before starting Seres, I could always say that since leaving home at the age of seventeen I have been financially independent. Having been lucky enough to receive a scholarship to attend University and then land a well-paying job straight after finishing, I have never had to borrow money from my parents – a fact I have always been quite proud of. Added to this, I have what I call a strong sense of independence – and my mother calls “bloody-minded stubbornness” (we have agreed to disagree on this) – which basically means that I am not used to (and not very good at) asking for help. Am I really the best candidate for running a project that ultimately relies on my ability to ask for help and support? Because the fact is that that reaching out to my friends and family and asking them to support me and help me raise $8,000 is…well…quite terrifying.
Now I know that if I went along to any fundraising workshops or took a course on how to approach donors, I would probably learn about how to do this better and the right way to think about it. And I know that many, many times I have been told: “you aren’t asking for yourself, you’re asking for the sake of the Project”. But the reality is I haven’t had the opportunity to attend any courses and I haven’t had the time to study up on the best way to ask donors. And so as yet I haven’t yet found a way to turn this into one of my most favorite activities.

Francisco, one of Seres' sponsored Farm Managers

The thing that makes me most uncomfortable is the thought that people may donate because they feel guilty or uncomfortable, giving $10 just to make us go away. But I don’t want to be the charity in the animal suit with a bucket standing out the front of the supermarket, or the guys in bright shirts that accost you as you are walking down the street. I want people to support us because they understand and believe in what we are doing. I want people to support us because they believe that their contribution can make a difference. And most importantly, I want people to support us because they want to be a part of Seres, and because being a part of Seres is a positive, uplifting experience.
With this as my goal, I set out to write individual letters to each and every person that I know, telling them about Seres, about what we are trying to do, about why we need the money. It turned out to be quite the trip down memory lane, which bought about a strong dose of homesickness touched with a little guilt as I realized how long it had been since I had contacted some of these friends. It also turned out to be a sure method for developing RSI, as I tapped away a few hundred long emails on the tiny keyboard of my mini-laptop, my fingers protesting.
However, after the first few days of emailing, something started to change and it turns out that this July Fundraising Appeal may be a step in the right direction for curing my aversion to fundraising. Because while there have been many emails that I have not had a response to, for each of those that write back and make a donation it is like receiving an injection of inspiration to keep on going, to keep on doing what we are doing. From the friend that pledged $1,000 if we made it to $7,000 (just as an incentive because he knew how averse I was to undertaking this task), to a group of clients that I used to work with pooling together to make a donation; from my ex-engineering colleague “buying” me a beer, to my parents calling me every few days with an update on a new $25 that they have gathered from a friend. Each and every one of these experiences has made it worthwhile. It has given me a new boost of energy to work even harder, to make more change, to experience more of those precious moments when someone from the community takes my hand with tears in their eyes and a smile on their face to thank us for being there. Because they are not just thanking me, they are thanking all of you: our friends, donors and supporters that have made this work possible. And so my commitment to you is this: to capture those moments, to help you see through my eyes the work we are doing and the benefit it is having and to help you feel the rush of emotion when you realise the difference that we are really making.

To those that have donated, that are thinking of donating and that will donate in the future: thankyou. On behalf of Seres and the people that we work with, you have our deepest gratitude.

Corrina