“Fail fast and often. When is the last time we’ve failed? And what came of it?” These are the provocative words of Aaron Hurst, Taproot Foundation, who kicked off the Center for Nonprofit Management’s 501(c)onference last Friday. Blue Garnet was fortunate to be a part of this annual gathering of 300 leaders who are working to imagine, design and build our sector into a new era, focused on creating a lasting impact in Southern California and in our world. We were present as volunteers, attendees and speakers, with Jenni partnering with Ana Ponce of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA) to bring “From Output to Impact: Defining the ‘So What’ for Your Organization.” Session attendees got to witness the Impact FormulaTM in action with the example of CNCA and were able to practice articulating their own visions for impact. The day ended with Cathy Benko from Deloitte, who encouraged nonprofits, for-profits and the government to work together toward collective impact. She left us by quoting Winston Churchill, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Maybe failing is not giving enough. And that is why we work harder each time we try to make change.
