“It’s part of our giving back to the community” (On Generosity)

I’ve just spent a day with professional IT gurus from IBM on a course titled “How to develop a Technology Plan”.

I’m buzzing having been blitzed with their theory, ideas and words that I didn’t even know existed and techniques that I thought were only for the big organisations and the super nerdy. How wrong I was about these lovely guys & gals... and how thankful I am for gaining a brief exchange of their wisdom.

I was reminded in a great way of the subtle yet superior craft of 'keep it simple'. This is how to formulate your plan.

The IBM UK Citizenship team, facilitated by Jeremy, taught us a few of the steps they follow to plan with simplicity and then to enhance your capacity as a small charity through technology by understanding who you are and what you are trying to do. The hard part, by far, being the introspective aspects.

A lot of what we were taught is actually just common sense. I know most of these principles. I still hear words of Socrates echo "know thyself" ring out from my days as a student, and even more so in a charitable organisation where our identity is our most important thing but getting down to do such things like this is not so simple.

It’s certainly not so when you’re a teeny tiny charity.

A day of planning can easily be hijacked by the printer that has just gone on fatal error vacation or when the milk runs out. Or when one of your volunteers ring in sick meaning an entire team reshuffle and there goes your entire week. The list goes on.

All the people, save for the IBM army, in this room are from small charities and most described themselves in the introduction as managers, directors and other auspicious type titles that connote sage like leaders that are inspiring, imparting and firmly directly their band of volunteers. Yet each, over the course of the day, described how far from managing they feel. "Manager" in fact may have seemed a pompous title that is more aptly described as “General Dog’s Body” whose day job is simply keeping the whole thing, barely at best in some cases, ticking along. Anything to do with thinking about common sense guidance principles and strategy is not so simple. It’s a luxury.

Small yes but resourceful oh my. These gals & guys are as I shared and learned are used to being under resourced, over ambitious and way over stretched as an modus operandi.

It was a great mix of sectors in the room today. I am glad to be part of this session together with small charities and a big company.

At some point I ask myself why would a big company deal with the lowly groups like ourselves. Who thought of it and why were they motivated about being helpful to others. What was their empathy story. I didn’t find out on the day, but I did hear one of the IBM volunteer, who was at lunch with us say “it’s part of our giving back to the community”.

There is was. Ah ha. Generosity. The practice of giving.

Generosity, in full blown action, I believe starts with the empathy.

At some point someone somewhere in this company must have thought about others who are in the sole operation exists to help others. They considered the powerful side of empathy, “what if it was me”. What if it was us who were starting up, who were overstretched, who were under resourced scraping by with little donated time by others and desperately reaching out with their all to get to those incredibly hard to reach people that it seems everyone else has forgotten. How would we feel in their place and what would we want a big company to do to help us out.

They then must have reasoned that “it is better for us to share than to safeguard what we have for the greater good”.

Generosity is more than just a good idea... it’s powerful one, it’s a strategic one, it’s an effective one… and when generosity grows it’s ‘wings’ through becoming a practice it ‘flies’... soaring across our communities, criss-crossing and connecting us much, much better together just like today in this session.

It's nice to have a community "Big Brother" to help their little siblings out. Thank you IBM for allowing my charity, Empathy Action to be part of your generosity.

For more information on IBM’s Responsible Citizenship or the Small Charities Coalition events for small charities click on the embedded links.

June 15th-20th, 2015 week also marks Small Charity Week #smallcharityweek

Today @IBMUKCitizen are running a Developing a Technology Plan workshop for #smallcharities. Happy #Smallcharityweek! pic.twitter.com/DVrWHTDtxo

— Small Charities Cltn (@sccoalition) June 15, 2015