Dear Friends,
I’ve found myself looking forward to these annual reports. They are a great time for our team at In Harmony to pause and reflect upon the last year. We celebrate the ways that we have made a difference in our community and we double down on the work yet to be done. I enjoy taking the time to intentionally connect with you, our supporters, on both the celebrations and the work.
This past year a word that has been filling our conversations is the word “Affinity”. Since founding in 2018, our board and staff has had the privilege to connect with folks throughout our community on our shared values and mutual callings. Finding “your people”, aka those folks you feel magnetically drawn to because you have passions in common, is a magical experience.
One of our biggest celebrations this past year has been basking in the glow of the relationships we’ve built with “our people” at In Harmony. Some of them serve on the board, some of them advocate for our mission, some of them donate regularly, some of them like and share our social media posts. It was definitely a highlight of our year to dissect the magic of these connections and understand why folks believe in our mission and how we can work together to continue to address the problems we are trying to solve.
If you’ve been following In Harmony for awhile, you certainly know how passionate we are. One of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves as we look to the future is, “Do our supporters also know what our mission is?” “Do they know what problems we are trying to solve?” “Why do folks feel drawn to connect with the work we are doing?” “Why do folks choose to invest in our organization?”
If you’d like to spend some time exploring these questions yourself, please read the article included in the report titled “Frequently Asked Questions.”
For whatever reason you’re here, supporting our mission and showing up for your community, we appreciate you! Personally, I look forward to connecting with you all again and again in the future on the shared passions we have and the work we can tackle together.
The magic of affinity is that it can work like a flame. The smallest spark of shared passion can spread quickly and invigorate everyone it touches. If one person’s flame begins to dim, the team can gather round and enlighten them again. The more sparks we attract, the bigger and hotter our shared flame becomes and it becomes an entity entirely its own- one that can ebb and flow, breathe and move, and expand well past the reach of any one individual.
I am so thankful that each and every one of our supporters are on our team. Thank YOU for bringing your unique spark to our circle and uplifting our work. I can’t wait to see where our shared burning takes us this next year!
Musically Yours,
Kathryn Bates
President, Board of Directors