Seasons Fund for Social Transformation - christopher reardon

CASE STUDYMAKING CONNECTIONSFor a grassroots organization, the only thing harder than cutting back is expanding rapidly. Just askDiana Autin, co-director of the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network of New Jersey, which supportschildren and families affected by poverty, disability, and discrimination. Several years ago, a period ofheavy growth nearly overwhelmed the network, as it went from 12 employees in a single office to 40staff members spread across six locations. “People working here identified more with their projectsthan with SPAN as a whole,” Autin recalls. “They knew what other projects were doing, but it waswith their head, not their heart.”As confusion mounted and morale waned, it was only a matter of time before families relying on thenetwork noticed something was amiss.To regain a sense of cohesion, Autin and her colleagues turnedto Claudia Horwitz, the director of stone circles in Durham, N.C. Horwitz founded it in 1995 to sustainactivists and strengthen their work for justice through spiritual practices and principles.“If we’reinterested in liberation in the world,” she explains, “then we need to be able to cultivate a sense offreedom on the inside.”While leading a two-day retreat at SPAN, Horwitz set up an exercise she called Stations of Reflection,posing a series of questions like: What brought you to this work? Are there beliefs you have neverwavered from in your life? How do those beliefs come to life on a day-to-day basis? “Almost immediatelyyou could feel shoulders relaxing,” says Autin, as staff members began “thinking and reflecting,thinking back to their children and their own frustration and hurt, how they got help, and how thatmade them want to help others.”The next day’s leadership retreat focused on theorganizational culture: its strengths and whatpeople wanted to see changed. SPANintroduced a new meeting structuredesigned to build emotional connections,for example, and staffmembers took the initiative informing new committees to tackleemerging issues. Ensuing discussionshelped staff memberssee each other from a new perspective,no longer defined solelyby work roles. Exploring howinner values and beliefs affected