It’s February, and I work with the WNC Nature Center – so of course we’re gonna talk about Groundhog Day! Just for fun, the picture you see is of a former Nature Center groundhog, Nibbles. Nibbles had the opportunity to meet Andie MacDowell when she came to the Nature Center to celebrate Groundhog Day back in 2008.
I recently rewatched Bill Murray and Andie McDowell in the 1993 film Groundhog Day, where weatherman Phil Connors get trapped in a time loop on February 2nd, only escaping after he learns to be a better person. Some film geeks estimate that the time loop lasted between eight and 33 years! All this got me thinking about how we encounter repetition in our professional lives and how difficult it is to break through the cycle of boredom.
Have you ever felt stuck? Many of us find ourselves trapped in repetitive cycles of work, whether it’s daily emails, weekly meetings, annual events, or starting back at zero dollars raised at the beginning of a new fiscal year. While routines can help us be more effective fundraisers, it can make things feel stagnant too. We risk becoming complacent, blind to new opportunities, and disconnected from the needs of our community.
So how do we break through our own time loop?
Just like Phil in Groundhog Day, we first have to realize we’re in a loop! Think about those overdone patterns in your work. What’s the cycle that’s been running too long without real change?
Not everything has to change for you to escape the loop. Ask yourself what works, what’s stale, and what could be tweaked for improvement. Make a few meaningful changes – perhaps you record and email a thank you video to your donors instead of writing and mailing them a card. Or maybe you shake up your next board meeting with a field trip that shows your Board your mission in full force.
Traditions – like Groundhog Day, annual events, or well-loved programs – are meaningful for a reason. But you can also find ways to blend the old with the new and create something fresh and innovative that resonates with your donors and your community.
Crossing my fingers that there won’t be six more weeks of winter…
Kate Frost
AFPWNC Board President
