No one owes us anything. This is one of my constant refrains to myself and the team at SIVIO. As a nonprofit we run the risk of assuming that we are owed resources by donors. During bad patches we can easily be disappointed by the behaviour of donors. We don’t always quickly regroup to deal with negative energy- which ends up harming us.

I enjoy good relations with all our donors. I can call most of them and have a chat about where we are and what we could with more resources. I am disappointed when they can’t fund us. But they don’t owe us anything. They were not there when we decided to be vulnerable and create a grant seeking organization.

I have noticed that this is hard for some to accept. It’s a very complicated world. There is a lot of competition for resources and layers of approvals that one must go through before funds are approved. At times we want resources released today without an understanding of the behind-the-scenes processes.

However, I believe that the good work we do should speak for itself by focusing on the mission with zeal, always seeking ways to over deliver on commitments made and constantly watching the cost of doing business. But the trap is in assuming that the good work will speak for itself. We fall into the trap of thinking that surely, they can see what we are doing. At times they don’t. But also, maybe it doesn’t matter. There is no reason whatsoever to feel entitled. Just get on with the grind…