Nonprofit Coffee Break: Je T'aime Taylor

I am Je T'aime Taylor, a lover of community, nature, music, and family. I cultivate relationships within the community and assist with amplifying skills, talents, and strengths.
 

My first experience with a nonprofit was during my high school years as a member of the first Ewing Marion Kauffman Youth Advisory Board cohort. We had the privilege to learn about and fund youth-led initiatives in the Greater Kansas City area. My experience with the Youth Advisory Board taught me that in communities there are formal and informal governance structures, some that overlap with structural systems and others that are just understood. No matter the structure the key component is centered in relationships. You have to take into consideration the relationship you have with yourself, your family, the community, and the world; this lesson shapes my past and current work.

I have been in my role longer than the other staff members have been in their roles at Front Porch Alliance. On this day, we had started the process to move beyond the honeymoon phase and stand in our authentic selves. There were a couple of staff that asked if we all would have a statement about the indigenous land that we are occupying in our email signature. At that moment I asked each staff member what their thoughts were; some were intrigued with the idea, others were adamant that we acknowledge the indigenous peoples who lived on the land, and there were some who were against the idea because they thought that the act of acknowledgment was not enough. When staff asked me what I thought I said that I thought we were respectful in listening and sharing our points of view. I let them know that we seem to be at a place where we are shaping our organization and its culture. At that moment, I was proud that I have a team that brought their whole self to the conversation and was willing to process with one another. The moment was transformative; it is in those moments when someone learns, gains insight, or stands in their strength that I am proud of “my work”.

The biggest challenge I have faced in my current role is understanding that not everyone defines community the same way or sees the urgency in community work. Starting my role in the midst of a pandemic, I learned that shared language, storytelling, listening with the intent to understand, and a clear understanding of values and beliefs is a must. For example, organizations, individuals, and institutions all “made it work" when we were at the onset of the pandemic. We found trucks to deliver food, money to pay the bills, lay teachers/neighbors to hold space whilst children learned online, creative ways to stay connected to one another, various ways to stand up for what we believe in, and countless ways to dismantle and disrupt systems of oppression.

A trend I see in nonprofit organizations in our community and across the country is the hiring of Black women in leadership roles. I am excited that the faces of nonprofit organizations and their missions are changing. I cannot speak on behalf of all women of color in leadership roles nor would I. I have a front seat in how we will change the conversation as it concerns the community, power, politics, leveraging resources, organizing, and money.

Rest. I believe that our defaults are exasperated in this time of uncertainty and a year of a shut-in. We are negotiating with ourselves what it is to be a professional, how to leave time for self-care, our mental health, and how to sustain/build our relationships.

My go-to coffeehouse is the Roasterie and if I am in the mood for a smoothie Ruby Jeans calls to me.

Over the years, I have utilized training offered by Nonprofit Connect. More specifically, I recently completed the Executive Director Institute and believe it to be a good tool to learn about the many hats an executive director wears.

My call to action to the viewer is to sit still, listen to your body, your community, and take the time to educate yourself as you begin to embrace and love the growth areas as well as the lessons learned. Finally, be the change.