Partner for Better is more than just a business to me. To understand how I got here, I’d like to tell you a short story of my relationship with the word “why”. If you ask my parents, they will probably tell you I asked them “why” more than the average child. From a toddler to a teenager, I just couldn’t accept an answer. I had to understand the motivations and reasoning behind the answer to really be able to accept it. I’ve always had a passion for learning and trying to better understand the world around me. As I’ve grown in my social work career, I’ve learned the question “why” has a lot of weight and judgement attached to it , so I began asking something new: “what is happening here?”.
And oh boy, when I started asking that question, did a whole new world of questions and answers began to appear. I strongly believe in the importance of reflection and not only asking others about their motivations, but thinking about my own as well. That new line of inquiry led me directly to pursue a PhD in Social Work, where I am examining how to better support teams to improve their wellbeing and increase organizational effectiveness.
As I transitioned out of my Executive Director role to pursue my PhD, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my leadership, my successes, my failures, and my dreams for the future. One question I kept coming back to was this: “how can I take my experiences and continue working towards a better future?” The original plan was to work on my PhD research full time for a few years, and then re-join the job market. But in my reflections, and after many conversations with local leaders and friends, I felt the calling to continue in my work now, not a few years from now.
I couldn’t stand being on the sidelines watching friends and colleagues on a mission to change the world struggle. I knew I had skills to help them achieve their goals and I wanted to jump back in and join them in the fight. I wholeheartedly believe it takes all of us, working together, to make a lasting impact.
And with that, I was a woman on a mission.
Partner for Better was created out of my experiences and research that shows one of the primary challenges nonprofits face are a lack of resources (time, money, people, you name it). I wanted to provide affordable services that could make a lasting impact in filling some of those resource gaps. I chose the name Partner for Better because I don’t see the organization as an outside expert coming in to tell leaders what to do to fix all their problems and be the very best. It’s about partnering together to build capacity and do better. Because when we know more, and have a few more tools, we can move a little closer towards changing the world. My role in that? Your local conspirator for good. I’m so glad to be here.
Want to know more about me? Let’s connect on linkedin or read more here.