Giving back shapes who we are

Welcome to my new blog.  My name is Rachel Hutchisson, and I have the pleasure of running Blackbaud's global philanthropic initiatives.  That means both how we give as a company -- both the gifts of money and of time -- and how we serve as a catalyst for our 2,100 employees across the world to make a difference. 

We have a corporate value at Blackbaud that "service to others makes the world a better place."  In this blog, I hope to carry on a conversation that celebrates service, shares stories I come across in my travels in philanthropy, and challenge others to participate.

I wholeheartedly believe that giving back shapes who we are.  In my own case, I grew up surrounded by philanthropy without knowing that's what it was called.  My father, a professor of English literature, served on the board of the public library.  My mother tutored adults for a literacy association and spent countless hours helping the senior citizen's center build a sustainable operation.  They gave money to causes they believed in and got their hands dirty, launching a communal gardening and recycling program.

In addition to learning that green and brown glass are worth more than clear glass, my sisters and I all became a part of my parent's volunteer-driven ecosystem.  Of course, I would never admit that back then.  They were my parents, after all, and I was spending my free time sorting glass and weeding the onions.  But here I sit, so many years later, working with nonprofits every day, helping people to match their passion to serve with opportunities to give back and remembering all the things my parents did that headed me in this direction.

Today, I am passionate about the role of nonprofits in society and how each one of us can contribute our own skills in support of their efforts.  I owe a tremendous amount of credit to Blackbaud, the company that opened my eyes to the vast expanse of nonprofits across the world -- and the incredible impact they make.  Working for a company that values service the way Blackbaud does is a privilege.

Each day, I try to live the "service to others" value.  When it's time to go home, it's hard (ok, impossible) to just shut that off.  So I carry the message into the house with me, and to the dinner table, where my 8 and 10 year old boys fill up the dining room with reports about their worlds.  And talk about how much fun it was to help the horticultural society weed all those gardens at the shopping center.  And I think, hey, I'm getting my message across bit by bit...

For the record, I didn't make them weed any onions.  They invited me to join them on their mission to help out in their own neighborhood.  And that, I figure, is a very good thing.