I’m still singing the praises of LinkedIn as a tool to recruit to Soroptimist International.
Through it, I am connected to Dr Rupinder Kaur who lives in Pune, India. She is an Executive Coach, Inclusion Strategist and a Veteran. I follow her blogs and this week she posted a blog that struck a chord with what we are trying to do.
“It’s so easy for us to feel that we don’t count, that we are not significant that we are less than, and we hear it all the time at our homes, in our schools, at workplaces.
I feel that anything that you do for the upbuilding of humanity is significant no matter how small you think it is. All of the people of the world cannot do the so‐called big things. Some of us will have to be content to do the so-called little things, but we must do the little things in a big way.
We must do the ordinary things in an extraordinary manner.”
As Soroptimists, our seemingly ‘little things’ amount to so much more when they are recorded on our database and used as evidence by United Nations to influence global government policy.
As I talk to members across our Federation, I get the feeling that some members of longer standing think they are not contributing. By being members, you are contributing. By meeting together and discussing the needs of women and girls, you are contributing. By collectively taking food to the food bank, donating Easter Eggs to refugee children, by signing petitions on issues for women and girls, you are contributing.
Newer members are living and working in the world of today and are able to connect with local networks of women. Many of those networks are collectively doing ‘big things’ but that gets lost without it reaching our database. The world of business is recognising that it must add social value as well as the product it sells. That’s the ‘offer’ we have as Soroptimists as we embark on May Membership Month.
Now is the time to get ourselves into our communities and be seen having the significant conversations. Wearing orange when you are out on the 25th of each month is one of the ideas from you. But, be bold. As Soroptimists we are significant, make sure that as many of our communities as possible know what we do.
“You become like the squirrel who stood before the mountain one day.
He looked up and noticed its gigantic peaks and its curvaceous slopes.
He stood back and said, all is well and wisely put.
If I cannot take a forest on my back neither can you crack a nut.”
Dishi Attwood