Our IPAC digest recently sent our a call for donations to the IPAC Endowment Fund (re-pasted in both official languages below) and I started to see envelopes come in with donations from people who already volunteer so much of their time and energy to IPAC. I asked myself how it was that they felt the need to contribute even more?
Was it because it was the holidays?
Was is for the last minute tax break?
Was it because they felt they should?
Or was it because they wanted to support what they/we do?
I thought about this last one for a moment again when I received a gift in the mail for my daughter from a former IPAC colleague. I was touched, because she wrote in her note that growing up, this type of gift was her favourite. Though she had few gifts in her youth, this particular gift was a creative one that helped spark her imagination and made her into the person she is today.
I though again about the motives of the donators and realized that they too feel they have benefited in some way from working in public administration, and from IPAC, and that they wanted to see others have the same experience. It is difficult during this time of year to ask others to extend themselves either time-wise, or financially, or otherwise...but it is very easy - in contrast - to ask people to help spread more joy, more positive feeling, and more happiness. Perhaps that ends up being a financial contribution like it was for our IPAC colleagues, or perhaps it is simply a word of encouragement to a younger inexperienced colleague. Perhaps it is the gift of advice, of wisdom, of empathy, of a listening ear, of an open mind, of a tool for personal or professional success...
Whatever your contribution to others who work in public administration or the public sphere, I hope that you give of yourself in some way - this year and the next - that reminds you of what and who helped you become successful, fulfilled, happy or satisfied in what you do. Can you imagine if everyone felt that way in their work most of the time? Imagine the empowerment, the workplace peace, and the progress we would make in advancing the collective good?
The only thing stopping us from that vision is us. We can choose to help another person the way others helped us. Imagine if we didn't have that choice to help at all? That would be worse, way worse, for all of us.
I'm very grateful to my former colleague for encouraging my child, and equally grateful to my colleagues for being a professional example to others and to myself, but I'm most grateful for the perspective that those acts provide.
I have provided the donations links below for those who are interested. However, I would be so interested in knowing how you have and can encourage a junior colleague in their professional journey in public administration.
Interesting comments and examples are welcome.
Thanks IPAC network colleagues for reading to the end of this first blog post!
Merci collègues de l'IAPC pour avoir eu la patience de lire en anglais jusqu'à la fin, je voulais m'exprimer dans ma langue maternelle!
Happy Holidays,
- Michele Anderson
Lead Member and Partner Support
IPAC e-digest text from December 2015:
To our Members, Partners and Friends / A nos membres, partenaires et ami(e)s,
Help us continue to build Canada's public sector, please take
a moment to donate to IPAC's Endowment Fund. Your gift will directly support
research, training and recognition of today's and tomorrow's public servants.
To help make a difference please go online and click on IPAC's
Endowment Fund donation www.ipac.ca/donation
or complete the form http://www.ipac.ca/documents/DonationForm-Bilingual.pdf.
A receipt for a tax credit will be issued to you. Give a gift that matters -
the future of public service in Canada.
See what others have said about IPAC's support: http://www.ipac.ca/Testimonials
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pour nous aider à continuer à développer le secteur
public du Canada, s'il vous plaît prenez un moment pour faire un don au fonds
de dotation de l'IAPC. Votre don appuiera directement la recherche, la
formation et la reconnaissance des fonctionnaires d'aujourd'hui et de
demain.
Pour faire votre don
en ligne, veuillez cliquer sur le Fonds de dotation de l'IAPC: http://www.iapc.ca/Fondsdedotation ou remplir le formulaire http://www.ipac.ca/documents/DonationForm-Bilingual.pdf . Un reçu pour les impôts vous sera envoyé. Soutenez
une cause qui compte - l'avenir de la fonction publique du Canada.
Cliquez ici pour lire les témoignages des autres sur le soutien de l'IAPC: http://www.ipac.ca/Testimonials
