Leaders Reflect

Our nonprofit community is driven by purpose. Each organization has a unique mission and niche within the community in which they serve. Many are established change-makers. But when change-makers are met with new needs, challenges or opportunities – what happens? How is purpose-driven work altered by new community issues? Or perhaps matters that aren’t new, but are newly recognized?  For this year’s Pillars of Philanthropy publication, nine nonprofit leaders wrote about what they’ve learned or experienced as they’ve taken on new goals or embraced uncertainty. These nine leaders are just a sampling of the many organizations that make a difference in Central Iowa. But what I found so profound about working with each leader on their letter was that despite drastically different missions and focuses – from history education to animals, to mentorship, to individual liberties, to poverty, to sex trafficking survivors, to racial justice, to health care and general community support – each leader illuminated common themes. Persevering. Learning. Creating. Acknowledging. Overcoming.  Through their lessons, we hope you can do good and feel good about change.  This magazine is dedicated to celebrating the work our nonprofit leaders have done embarking on the unknown, but it also reminds each of us to keep the issues that matter most at the forefront.

Enjoy,

Emily Barske, Business Record editor