All posts by stephanie

For the next while, we will be focusing on sustainable holidays. There are a lot of decisions/plans etc to make around the holidays, and not all decisions are easy, clear or straightforward. For today, we’re looking at holiday and year-end donations, although these guidelines apply to all year-round giving, as well.

If you are anything like me, your email inbox is getting overloaded with asks from various NGOs, political parties, faith groups etc, asking for a year-end donation (in addition to phone call asks for money etc.) Sometimes, it’s easy to sort out how to manage all of the requests, and sometimes it can get a bit muddy. So, today, we’re going to talk about some of the red flags and how to make sure that the projects you are donating to are deserving of your donation. In general, these will show up more often in really small organizations, but big organizations can have challenges, as well.

So, here’s a quick (but not exhaustive) list of things to check for before sending off a donation, using an email request (one of many) that I received recently as a case study (in this case asking for funds for an extremely large capital campaign, from a very small organization):

• Email received – Check how often the org emails me, and how often they are asking for $.
  • Answer: Only a handful of short emails per year, and all are asking for $.
  • Result: Fail
  • What to Look For: Regular communication and updates on programming etc, going well beyond asks for $.
• Website Check – After reading the email, I checked the website.
  • Answer: The website has not been maintained in any way. Basic pages are up, but most/all pages are basically empty, because the website has not been maintained. Given that the org is asking for donations for a very large capital campaign, this is very problematic. If the org can’t even maintain a basic website, how can they handle large sums of money? What does this gap say about their ability to run effective programming?
  • Result: Fail
  • What to Look For: Well designed website, appropriate for the size of the org and the projects being funded. Clear, concise info, easy to navigate.
• Overall Transparency and Financial Accountability: With the website and other checks, I’m also checking for accountability and transparency
  • Answer: There are no budgets, annual reports or any other transparency/accountability measures shown anywhere. It appears that funds received are not accounted for, to the public in any way.
  • Result: Fail
  • What to Look For: This piece is really important, and often undervalued in poorly run orgs. (Note: For orgs that are not registered to give tax receipts or acting as a charitable org etc, naturally, some of these rules are a bit different). This, in my opinion, is a significant red flag that funds should not be given.
• Contact info and Org Structure: In addition to the basic website info, I’m looking for easy ways to get in touch with senior leadership, board etc. to help ensure that the org is accountable to the public.
  • Answer: Nobody other than the Exec Director is listed on the website. Given that the website is poorly maintained, the board and others are not named, and the other issues, it does not give confidence that contacting the ED through the website would result in a meaningful and timely reply.
  • Result: Fail
  • What to Look For: Senior Leadership, staff, board etc named and with contact info (eg an email address associated with the org). Reasonable term limits etc are also important. Watch out to see if the same person(s) is in a senior position for 15-20+ years at a time, especially in a small org (instead of transitioning by 10-15 max) – as that’s a red flag for other challenges. The org is at high risk of not successfully managing the transition to the next director, and may end up closing down in the relatively near future, which has implications for your donor dollars.
• Others – This is not an exhaustive list, but is a good start for evaluating end or year (or anytime of the year) support for orgs (particularly small orgs) that might be asking for help, whether financial, volunteer time or other.

Summary: Naturally, in this case, I will not be sending a donation to this organization. I would advise them, if I were their consultant, to drop the large capital campaign and spend their time building up a well-designed website, developing a clear and consistent communications plan with a strong senior leadership team, ensuring that the basic work of transparency and accountability happens every year (eg annual reports, budgets etc), creating a meaningful fundraising plan with an appropriately sized donor base and so on. It’s much better to have a well-designed program in a smaller building than a huge building with poorly designed organizational structures. Ultimately, donors give to support impact first, not for a shiny new building.

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Online Store: There are new, sustainable items being added to the online store every day! Check out the website for more details!

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How to Support Menno Adventures: All of the resources that we share here are free, and we do not charge for access to anything (except for consulting services, naturally.). If you find that these tools and resources are valuable, and would like to support this work, any donation, large or small, is greatly appreciated. Details on the website. Thank you!

Hey everyone!

The online store has been growing rapidly over the last few months, and there are more new items that I will (hopefully) be able to add in the next few weeks!

Whatever you are looking for to help switch to a more sustainable lifestyle, you can probably find it in the online store! Plus, there might even be some new finds – things that you didn’t know you were looking for, but might become a new favourite.

Haven’t been to the online store recently? Here are just a few of the highlights!

• Plant-based sauces
• Zero-waste items
• Clothing
• Bedding
• Subscription boxes
• Kitchen Items
• Tech-related items
• And so much more!

Know others who are interested in sustainability? Please share this with them, as well! The more the merrier! Thank you for your support!

NOTE: Tech issues remain with posting to IG. Hoping to get that resolved soon. 🙂

Have you checked out the online sustainable store recently? Now’s the time to take another look! Several new partners have been added, and more are on their way!

Whatever you are looking for – sustainable bedding or towels, zero waste items, subscription boxes and more – check out the website for tons of great partners, and amazing products! More partners coming soon – so check back often! Happy browsing!

After a bit of a break over the summer, things are moving along quickly here again – and Sept is being launched with a new addition to the online store! Mellow compostable phone cases are now available, along with all of your other favourite, sustainable and zero waste items!

(NOTE: Due to some tech issues, there may be delays with sharing this to IG. Apologies in advance. We hope to get it sorted out soon!)

Whatever you are looking for as we start another year, the online store has it!

• Tech
• Zero waste items
• Clothing
• Kitchen Items
• Plant-based food
• Bathroom and Laundry Supplies
• and more!

Not sure what you are looking for? Browse through the store and see what is available. There might be a sustainable solution that you didn’t even know was an option!

Happy September!

Viewing on IG or other? Check the website for full details or more info.

Over the years, a conversation that I have had, on numerous occasions, relates to how we as Mennos (and others), do community. Within Mennonite circles, specifically, we have a long history of being very intentional about community-building, and have often done really well at it. At the same time, as with all systems, there are gaps, and places where we don’t meet our own standards, places where what we think of as average/typical/how it’s always done, is actually our idealized/glossed over version of reality – the “what you see on Facebook” version of how we’re doing at community, instead of the actual, real-world, hard reality of the fact that we have gaps, and places where people fall through the cracks.

(Before I get too far, you may be wondering how community fits in with sustainability – the short answer is that we are all working together to share one, livable, thriving planet. Finding ways to build community is one part of working together to share the planet as a whole.)

As a completely non-exhaustive, getting the discussion going, list, here are some of things that I think stand in the way of building better communities:

• Willful blindness – we can’t fix what we don’t’ acknowledge
• Lack of intention – it takes effort to put community building ahead of the countless other things that could take our time and attention
• Discrimination – We don’t name this often enough, but it’s there, and the impacts are real. If a faith group wants to build community, but, for example, opposes full rights for LGBTQ2+ members of the community, the group is choosing to prioritize discrimination over community, welcome and inclusion. Likewise, a faith group may claim to welcome our Middle Eastern neighbors, but support wars in the region that cause harm. We can’t do both – if we want to be in community with our neighbors, we can’t support wars that hurt others. We can’t support wars and then be proud of being a “safe haven” for refugees – or, even worse, support wars and then refuse to accept refugees that are fleeing the very wars we are supporting.
• Other – there are many others, but these are the first few that came to mind for me.

So, given all of this, how do we move forward more positively? Here’s my preliminary list:

• Admit that we all do some parts of community well, and have room to grow, at the same time
• Treat others as well as we want to be treated. If we do not want groups (faith, community or anything else) to discriminate or close doors to us, we absolutely can not do that to others. We can’t be grateful that we are “in” while supporting policies (based on gender and sexuality, race, religion, ethnicity or anything else) that keeps others “out”. Doesn’t matter if the negative thing that we are promoting doesn’t impact us directly (eg “I don’t identify as xxx, so I can support hurtful policies on that topic, because it won’t exclude me directly.”)
• Actively work to find people to include, who might really appreciate an invite, instead of limiting to the usual group (eg when planning an event/coffee meet up or anything else)
• Adjust systems, when needed, to ensure that everyone is welcome. For example, I know of many faith groups that have a formal “small group” system, to help build community – which can be great, in principle. However, I also know of times when the system denies new people a spot because “All of the groups are full and we don’t want to upset people by making a change, to allow space for the newcomers.” When systems are run like this, and there is active resistance to change, the systems that are supposed to ensure that everybody is included becomes the most direct, clear source of exclusion. (“Everybody has a spot – and nobody is willing to give up their very comfortable position to make space for a new person/family…”) It happens – even within our Menno congregations, and it’s something that I think we should be highly motivated to change.
• Be intentionally aware of when “this is how we’ve always done it” conflicts with “this is what we need to do to be welcoming and inclusive now.” If “the way we’ve always done it” is closing doors to people, and we don’t make a change, we are choosing to be unwelcoming, despite the fact that we probably aren’t naming it as such. Is that really the message we want to be giving to others? If we care more about inclusion than resisting change, are we making sure that the message is getting through to where it needs to be heard?
• Other?

The COVID pandemic, at least in my circles, has been, among many things, a reminder of how important community is. As we move forward, what are we, collectively, going to do to find a new, better normal, instead of going back to the way that it was? What areas of challenge have you seen? What steps have you been a part of to do better in these areas?

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Dr. Dean Ornish, the founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, says this about the effects of loneliness: “I am not aware of any other factor — not diet, not smoking, not exercise, not stress, not genetics, not drugs, not surgery — that has a greater impact on our incidence of illness, and chance of premature death.”

Never underestimate the power you hold as ONE PERSON to save the life of another.

“Come join us,” you’ll say with a smile.

And the recipient will sigh with relief … angst gone instantly … a world of pain cut in half.

One person can do that.

Am I invisible? One mom’s pain-relieving response to being excluded: Link

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Looking for more info or resources? Looking for sustainable, plant-based or zero-waste items? Check out the website for more details!

Guardian

This is a fascinating (if also slightly depressing) bit of research from the Guardian, with implications that go far beyond luggage design. and well into how we live sustainably – with each other, and with the planet. So, it turns out that wheels on suitcases – as obvious as it seems as a design – was held back, for far too long, because of negative gender stereotypes. Short answer: men are strong enough to carry a suitcase themselves, and women will only ever travel somewhere if there is a man with them (husband or other) to carry their bags for them. Therefore, the theory goes, there is no reason to have wheels on bags, since they would only be used by women who are travelling without a male… Seems that the goal was not to make it easier for women to be independent, and, in fact, the goal seems to have been pretty openly opposite – or at minimum, along with other items, was seen as an unworthy use of time/resources etc.

Two assumptions about gender were at work here. The first was that no man would ever roll a suitcase because it was simply “unmanly” to do so. The second was about the mobility of women. There was nothing preventing a woman from rolling a suitcase – she had no masculinity to prove. But women didn’t travel alone, the industry assumed. If a woman travelled, she would travel with a man who would then carry her bag for her. This is why the industry couldn’t see any commercial potential in the rolling suitcase. It took more than 15 years for the invention to go mainstream, even after Sadow had patented it.

Guardian

From this starting point, the research goes on to point out countless other ways in which the contributions (and preferences) of men have dominated society – even when it’s detrimental, not just to society as a whole, but directly to the men impacted by their individual choices.

For example, many of us may have heard that EVs were designed long ago, but gas powered vehicles became more common, leading to a long period of dominance for gas over EVs. The part that was new to me, in this research, is that there was a gendered component to this, as well.

The rolling suitcase is far from the only example. When electric cars first emerged in the 1800s they came to be seen as “feminine” simply because they were slower and less dangerous. This held back the size of the electric car market, especially in the US, and contributed to us building a world for petrol-driven cars. When electric starters for petrol-driven cars were developed they were also considered to be something for the ladies. The assumption was that only women were demanding the type of safety measures that meant being able to start your car without having to crank it at risk of injury. Ideas about gender similarly delayed our efforts to meet the technological challenges of producing closed cars because it was seen as “unmanly” to have a roof on your car. (Bold mine)

Guardian

As the author goes on to point out, this tendency in society, to give preference to things which are actually not in our own – collective – best interest, manifests in countless ways. We know that this is our history – and often part of our present. So, know that we know it’s an area where we tend to slip up (fairly catastrophically, at times), the next step is to own our mistakes, admit that we need to do better, and work hard at creating active, positive change.

What might that look like, for different people/circumstances?

• switching to a (partly or fully), plant-based diet
• getting rid of the gas-powered vehicle (as soon as is reasonably possible) and switching to other options
• using legs, bikes and public transit more, and a personal vehicle less
• buying/owning fewer consumer goods and being content with less
• using zero waste products, instead of single use alternatives
• downsizing to a smaller living space
• less overtime at work (when financially possible) and more time with family/friends/community/volunteering etc (NOTE: This is in reference specifically to working unnecessary overtime to maintain an expensive, high end house/lifestyle etc. eg if you could downsize your house/lifestyle etc by 25-50+% and still have plenty of room for everyone, this one might apply to you…)
• flying less, even when pandemic restrictions open up and allow greater opportunities
• Other?

The sustainability of our planet, and how we care for each other, locally and globally, is critical – and far too important to get overtaken with outdated and gendered notions of what good choices look like. We can do better, together. 😃

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Looking for sustainable, plant-based or zero-waste info or items? Check out the MennoAdventures website and online store!

Reading this on IG or other spots? Full details on the website.

It’s almost the weekend, and today’s highlight is all about the online store! There are lots of great options for sustainable, plant-based and zero-waste items. Haven’t checked the store in a while? There are many options that you may have missed. Plus, two new partners have been added this week- and more may be coming soon! Happy browsing!

Here are some of the highlights:

Plus:

• Plant-Bases Sauces
• Clothing
• Zero-Waste Laundry Detergent
• Replacements for common single use items
• And so much more!

The online store saves you time – by finding a range of sustainable, plant-based and zero-waste items, all put together for you, in one handy spot! No need to search the internet – everything you need is in one spot for you. Whatever you are looking for – there’s a good chance that the online store has it, and we might even have some new favourites that you didn’t even know you were looking for! Plus, new partners are being added regularly, so check back often to see the newest sustainable items! 😃

CBC

This is a terrible week in Ontario, as we deal with the reality of a terrorist attack in London, along with more info regarding our history with residential schools. A family was targeted in an attack, seemingly only for being Muslim. There is absolutely shameful, and has no place in Canada. And yet, it happened regardless, seemingly fueled by some combination of anti-Asian racism, Islamophobia, and perhaps white supremacy – although details remain sketchy and unclear at this time.

Canada has, I believe, a reputation for being a safe and welcoming place. However, that has not always been our history (with First Nations, newcomers and others), and it is not always our present. That must be acknowledged, and we must work hard to face our problems, and do better. I will not, in any way, attempt to speak for the Muslim community, or pretend that I understand the pain and grief that they are going through at this stage. It is not my place to take others’ voice away – only to draw attention to what is going on, and offer ideas to consider as we, collectively, try to move forward to a more positive place.

“Muslims in Canada have become all too familiar with the violence of Islamophobia,” Mustafa Farooq, the council’s chief executive, said in a statement. “But this loss of a family, the loss of a child in our community because of Islamophobia — this is a sorrow that will run deep for a long time. But let that sorrow be the ground where we stand for justice, and stand for change.”

Washington Post

In brief, here are a few important things to consider, among many others, as we attempt to create a better future than the present we currently have:

• There is absolutely no place for white supremacy, racism, discrimination or anything else in Canada, or anywhere else. It still happens, and we all have an obligation to do better than claim “I’m not a racist.” Those of us that are white and/or privileged and/or male have an even greater responsibility – both to listen more to under-represented voices, as well as to use our position to speak truth to power, and ensure that change happens.
• The perpetuation of all types of negatively (from micro-aggressions to direct attacks) – whether grounded in faith/religion, tradition, skin colour, national identity or anything else – must end. That includes everything – whether it is an attack based on ethnicity, skin colour, what one is wearing (or not wearing), one’s religious identity, gender and sexuality identity or anything else.
• Many politicians, faith leaders and others are actively working to end systemic racism and discrimination, and that should be applauded. Others, however, are still promoting a “me first” world-view, in which others are attacked as an “easy way to get votes” instead of doing the hard work of building a more inclusive world. They must be held accountable, and absolutely not rewarded with votes, big salaries, or other encouragement.
• If our faith/faith leaders, community, politicians, internet circles, or anyone else, is telling us that others are “wrong” or “bad” for their faith, what they wear (or don’t wear), who they love, their gender identity, or anything else, we must reinterpret our faith, change the tone of our community and our piolitics, find better resources on the internet. If a faith group (or others), refuses to let go of hatred for and rejection of others (for any reason), find a more inclusive and welcoming community. We must have zero tolerance for hatred and discrimination, of any kind.

These attacks on others, for basic, protected characteristics (faith, ethnicity, gender, sexuality or anything else), must end. It’s time to go beyond being nice, passive Canadians, and stick our necks out (peacefully, of course), to support our neighbours, and build the Canada, in reality, as perfectly ideal as we imagine it to be.

More details (among the countless pages that have been already written on the internet, too many to list here):

• Muslim family ID’d in fatal truck attack in London, Ont., known for commitment to community – CBC
• ‘This was a terrorist attack’: Trudeau condemns London hit-and-run that left four Muslim family members dead CBC
• Four Muslim family members in Canada killed in ‘targeted’ attack, police say WP

LGBTQ2+ MINORITY STRESS IN THE WORKPLACE: HOW DISCRIMINATION HURTS HEALTH: Charity Village

As we continue with Pride Month, today’s focus is on LGBTQ2+ inclusion (or the lack of it) at work, specifically within non-profits and faith-based organizations. While others have much greater first hand experience and expertise on this issue, I have seen discrimination and other issues organizations that I have been connected with, and will be using the research that others have done to highlight areas in which critical changes are needed.

In my experience, some of what I have observed in organizations includes things like having a formal policy that states that the org “supports” or “believes in” only certain types of relationships (ie only straight relationships). This type of policy not only eliminates those who are actively in other relationships, it also removes their allies, who are forced to choose between a job vs supporting their LGBTQ2+ friends/family with integrity.

Similarly, and by extension, I am aware of limits on placing people in LGBTQ2+ relationships in overseas positions in the NGO world – as a blanket ban. I have heard it justified based on the idea that it may be either unsafe for the couple in certain geographical contexts, and/or opposed by local partners, or donors/constituents, who might be offended by the idea of working with/supporting an LGBTQ2+ staff person. I would like to challenge all of these.

1. Any international NGO with integrity knows that some positions or locations may be more or less safe than others, for a variety of reasons, and has a long list of safety policies in place to ensure the safety of workers. Others may have heard of something that I am not aware of, but I do not know of any cases in which a blanket ban is imposed on something, simply because it may not be safe in a particular geographical location. For example, if it may not be safe to travel as a single woman in a certain work placement, that would be noted in the position – but single women would not be banned from applying for positions anywhere else in the world. Likewise, travelling on certain passports may be unsafe in particular political contexts, but those passport holders are still welcome and encouraged to work somewhere that is safe for them.
2. With any NGO, as we work with our partners, we, naturally, aim to build up a positive relationship. At the same time, there are limits to what requests we will accommodate. For example, a peacebuilding org (eg a Menno org), will never, as far as I am aware, accept a request to support the military. It’s not who we are, and it’s not how we operate. Likewise, a request from a partner to only hire white staff, or only men, not women, for that office (as opposed to a visible minority or women) would not be accommodated, because any orgs that I am aware of do not tolerate open discrimination in their hiring policies, even if a partner requests it. As noted above, if it’s unsafe for a worker to be placed, safety policies are in place for that. However, when the work is safe for staff to do, and the reason for not placing someone is simply that partners want to discriminate, or do not support inclusion, NGOs do not accommodate the request – unless it’s related to related to LGBTQ2+ status, in which case it seems that, at least in some orgs, it’s still happening extensively.
3. The other reason that I have heard is that constituency/donors might be upset by inclusion, and therefore, the policies are in place in order to “not rock the boat.” As with #2, above, if active discrimination against others is the price to pay for a donation, is it really worth it? Are we seriously having hard conversations about this in our orgs, or simply accepting it as “the way we’ve always done it”?

So, we know that when orgs maintain discriminatory policies on LGBTQ2+ status, there are inconsistencies, and that they would not act in an equivalent manner on other matters of equality or discrimination. And, based on this report from Charity Village (along with common sense) we know that the harms caused are significant.

So, why are we, as NGOs and faith-based groups, holding on to discriminatory policies, that go against our overall values, are harmful to countless people, go against basic anti-discrimination laws, and simply have no place in a modern, inclusive organization?

Discrimination is never OK. I have heard, in some orgs (eg a generation or so ago), that change was coming very soon, and a bit of time was needed to ensure a smooth process. However, problems are still clearly prevalent, and so change has not happened, and the “grace period” that might have been requested decades ago is long finished.

So, what are we, as people connected to NGOs and faith-based groups doing with this info? How are we taking active steps to ensure full inclusion, instead of turning a blind eye and hoping nobody notices?

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Looking for sustainable, plant-based or zero-waste info or items? Check out the MennoAdventures website and online store!

CBC

Although this is only a small step in the right direction, it is worth celebrating. At the same time, there is still a shocking level of resistance – within the Ontario Catholic system and in other places, to a move as modest as flying a flag to demonstrate inclusion. For the record, the “faith-based” resistance to full acceptance of our LGBTQ+ members is not new, and it’s not something I am going to use space articulating here (but it is cited in the article, above). I’m sure that we’ve all heard it before, and the focus here is on how to move forward, more positively, not on giving space to outdated and discriminatory ideas.

So, in order to help transform the conversation from negative, to positive, I (along with countless others that are working for more inclusive faith groups), would like to suggest the following as a reframing of how we view our faith and actions, for ourselves, and others:

Instead of the too-often used, traditional, inaccurate and discriminatory stance:

“My faith tells me, based on centuries old (mis)understandings of gender and sexuality, that you – and your basic core identifiers, or what you do with your body – are wrong, and I am right. For me to live true to my faith, I need you to change who you are, in order for me to tolerate you.”

Let’s switch to:

• “My faith tells me to love my neighbour, so I am called to accept and embrace the diversity (including gender, sexuality and many other things) that we all bring, without judgement or prejudice.”
• “My faith tells me to be a good neighbour, so I am called to serve others, instead of demanding that others change their core identity to appease me.”
• “My faith tells me that if I own two coats, and my neighbour has none, I should share – so therefore, I am called to give up my big house and move somewhere smaller, live simply, share my wealth, support a universal basic income and work to end wealth inequality in the world.”
• “My faith tells me to care for creation, so I am called to stop eating animal products, use zero waste instead of single use products, switch away from my gas vehicle as soon as possible, and vote for governments that take the climate crisis seriously.”
• My faith tells me to not kill others, so I am called to actively support peacebuilding instead of militaries, not own a gun, ensure that I am not glorifying war or weapons in any way, and actively vote in governments that show love to our global neighbours instead of engaging in war.”
• “My faith tells me to live at peace with others, so I am called to learn the history of racism and discrimination in the world, locally and globally, and actively work to deconstruct any misperceptions I may have about systemic racism in our world. Likewise, I am called to actively welcome refugees and other newcomers with open arms.”
• and so on…

Or, in the super-simplified form…

“My/our faith calls me/us to be better global citizen(s), and to serve others, without discrimination. One of the worst things we can do is latch on to the misguided idea that all we need to do is force someone else to change who they are (“be straight instead of LQBTQ+”, “don’t get an abortion”, “don’t be a refugee”…) and then that will be our ticket into heaven. Over and over, in countless faith traditions, we are called to change our own actions (giving up our own wealth, serving the poor and refugees, giving up our own power and status) instead of forcing change on others, especially on aspects of core identity, that break modern anti-discrimination laws in many countries. God calls us to give up our own privilege and wealth, (which is very hard to do), instead of demanding that others change who they are to appease us.”

So, with that, let’s get Pride Month going!😀

More info:

Taking a stand for her father and her family, she’s raising the Pride flag at her former Catholic school – CBC

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Looking for zero-waste, plant-based or sustainable items? Check out the MennoAdventures online store! There are always lots of great deals to be found, with our many amazing partners! Happy browsing!