Alex Tindale shares why she’s joined the team at Balanced Good as she delves into work life harmony.
1. Lacey!
Do you remember the old fundraising adage people give to people? (I can still hear this in Ken Wyman’s voice from my days at Humber over a decade ago!)
Well, this extends beyond fundraising as we all make decisions based on how much we trust and respect people. One of the reasons I am so excited to be joining the Balanced Good team is because I have so much respect and admiration for Lacey Kempinski, founder and CEO of Balanced Good!
I first met Lacey when I began working with the Development team at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation in Hamilton. I was hired for a 12-month contract to cover Lacey’s maternity leave and from day one and my initial weeks of onboarding with Lacey, I knew she was special. I ended up working with St. Joe’s for nearly three years and had the pleasure of working closely with Lacey as a colleague, fellow volunteer as she chaired AFP Golden Horseshoe’s National Philanthropy Day, and friend.
I’m thrilled that our paths have brought us together again and couldn’t be more excited to support Lacey at Balanced Good as we work together to help leaders find balanced and non-profits build and develop their fundraising programs.
2. Helping, where help is needed.
Balanced Good is all about supporting the hard-working humans who choose to devote their lives to making the world a better place. Fundraisers and leaders in the non-profit sector are often overworked, underpaid and can sometimes be thrown into leadership positions without much support or understanding of laws governing the sector, best practices or challenges facing non-profits.
One thing that keeps many non-profits leaders up a night is money. And, not having enough of it to do what they need to do to fulfill their mission and plan to grow for their future. Non-profits often can’t take the same risks that businesses do and can feel stuck trying to dig themselves out of a hole so they can make a big impact on a shoe-string budget.
I am excited to be a part of Balanced Good and to help leaders see the forest for the trees. To help make plans that are easy-to-execute and create long-term, sustainable revenue. What I like most about our approach is that this is all done in a way that values leaders as human beings. What is the point of an amazing development plan if all your staff are going to burn out and turn over?
3. Tackling the Big Issues
I have worked as full-time professional fundraiser since I started out as an Events & Campaigns Coordinator at Second Harvest 12 years ago! Year in, year out, 40 hours a week (or more – especially during those event planning days!), fresh out of the Humber Fundraising College, I was committed to working for a cause I was passionate about. My first 2-month internship in fundraising turned into 6 years and several different positions.
Since then, my journey has taken me to larger healthcare organizations, and smaller animal welfare and youth mental health organizations. I’ve worked in all areas of fundraising from events, to direct marketing, to major gifts, to legacy giving, and more.
Over the past 12 years, I have been able to build up my confidence in my skills and expertise. As my confidence grew, I took time to evaluate what I enjoy doing, how I can make a big impact for all the causes that are important to me, and how I want to live my life.
What I realized is that I love coaching colleagues, friends and peers and that I would love to do more of this. I’m excited about taking on the big-picture, complex issues that can often hold organizations back from fundraising success. Over the last few months, I’ve been working part-time with Balanced Good and have seen first-hand how fundraisers can overcome their fears, build their confidence and achieve great things.
4. Being Human
I am excited to be a part of an organization that values balance and intentionally takes steps to help others seek balance. I have often felt a bit out of sorts when talking about work life harmony as I have no children. The fact that I am child-free has always made me feel like I have no right to complain about work life harmony (or even consider it!) as I have so much more available time than my friends and colleagues with children. Working with Lacey and other feminist leaders has helped me understand the importance of setting boundaries and valuing my time that’s separate from my work – whether it’s time with my family, friends or just life outside of work. I have realized that we all deserve and need work life harmony.
5. Making real change
Finally, I’m excited to be working with Balanced Good so that I can speak up on a broader platform and help make change to the non-profit sector. Whether it’s embodying feminist leadership or emphasizing the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in organizations – I am excited to be in a position where I focus some of my energies on amplifying unheard voices and helping organizations grow in a way that moves our sector forward.
