Perspective. Now say that again ten times fast! All kidding aside, I wanted to take the opportunity to share with you what this word means to me and the significance it has for the rest of founding team at The Fresh (say it with me now!) Perspective Group. (See? This concept is so important to us that we even put it in the company name.) When we think about our values and how we aim to reimagine the way nonprofits use technology to achieve their mission, the concept of perspective plays a large role in it. In this article, I’ll share how this idea helped shape our values here at TFPG. I also want to explore how stepping out of the echo chamber of past assumptions is key when it comes to solving the complex barriers nonprofits face when they strive to use technology. Join me for a dive into the power of perspective, what it means for our team, and the ways this helps our nonprofit clients!
Something I’ve reflected on quite a bit recently is the fact that every single human on the planet has their own life experience, a lens through which they see the world, and a unique point of view. When tackling tough challenges, it’s not always about changing the world—sometimes, it’s about changing how we look at it. Is the glass half empty or is it half full? What's your standard inclination, and what would it mean if it were reversed? That change in perspective can make all the difference. At TFPG, we understand that every person working at a nonprofit organization has an original viewpoint on the challenges they face when using technology to help them achieve their mission. And, trust me, it’s not easy! Even the most forward-thinking and tech-savvy nonprofit staffers can struggle to use the systems they have in place to their full potential. Not only that, but it can also be very easy to accept the status quo or rely on assumptions that have already been made around how technology is used. This is when it becomes very beneficial, or even mission-critical, to find a way to get a fresh take on an old problem.
The team that came together to build The Fresh Perspective group did so because even though we come from a variety of backgrounds and have had many different experiences, we have something important in common. Our team shares a commitment to supporting clients through the efficient use of nonprofit technology, and this is demonstrated through our many decades of combined experience doing just that. Our experience tells us that many nonprofits struggle with getting the most out of their technology investments because of several different factors. These include high staff turnover, resource constraints, and systems that have been inefficiently cobbled together. Our mission is to cut through the clutter and eliminate the technological baggage to provide a fresh perspective for our clients. We feel that tech systems should be built to focus on the people actually using them: their processes, their challenges, their way of working, and their goals. Essentially, technology should serve the people and not the other way around. This is especially true for nonprofits on a mission.
At The Fresh Perspective Group, our values are people, gratitude, simplicity, potential, and fun. We spent a lot of time reflecting on these values to make sure they aligned with our mission, which is to provide a fresh perspective to solve complex issues facing nonprofits. As we move forward and navigate an ever-changing, volatile and ambiguous tech landscape, we feel strongly that these values will guide us towards the meaningful work we want to do. Our belief, to share it again, is that nonprofits are better served by technology systems that are simple rather than complex, and truly people centric. If your team or a nonprofit organization you know could benefit from a fresh take on your technology systems, reach out. Our team would love to connect and share their perspective.