Dear Community,

We extend our condolences to everyone affected by the horrific shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay over the past few days. Lunar New Year should be a time of celebration for many Asian families, and yet we find ourselves here again in an all-too familiar space of grief and despair. 
 

As we shift our systems towards a bottom line that includes people and the planet, finance professionals from non-traditional backgrounds can step into these roles without having to unlearn practices that have held back our economy and in turn our society for so long.  
 

CompassPoint continues to grow our ability to support Black leaders and power building efforts and move toward regenerative financial practices, inside and out. We are thrilled to share that we have three new Project Directors joining our team: Monica Marie Avery, Maryssa Hall, and Kyla Hartsfield. 
 

In service of our commitment to practice liberation inside and out, and in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to share how a few of our Asian staff members at CompassPoint have benefited from convening as a racial affinity space (or as they were called back in 2016 when they were first established at our organization, racial caucuses), in hopes that more social justice organizations can devote time, space, and resources to provide such spaces for their own staff.
 

We shouldn’t have to live and grieve like this, but here we are again. Here we are all too often, our heads in our hands, mourning the loss of lives cut short by a racist killer and witnessing a community rocked to its core. What we saw in Buffalo was a clear and direct attack on Black people. Every person who had their life violently taken away from them on May 15, 2022 was Black; the target of a white man carrying out a white supremacist agenda.
 

Working in organizations and teams means we’ll inevitably have challenging moments where we have to navigate conflict together. Many of us are well versed in naming what parts of conflict we’re “bad” at , but what’s possible when we start from a place of naming our gifts and wisdom instead?
 

When we manage our time and energy solely through the capitalist value of “productivity over people”, we often are unable to tend to our whole selves and practice the self-care habits that may sustain us for the long haul. We're inviting you into a deeper conversation and practice to reclaim time and manage energy.
 

"Grappling with feedback as a practice and a process is hard, messy work that requires humility, vulnerability, and honesty. And I believe it is the kind of work that is worth every ounce of effort we put into it." 
 

It’s been a few months since we shared an update about executive leadership transitions at CompassPoint, and now, we’re excited to share that Liz Derias and Shannon Ellis are formally CompassPoint’s Co-Executive Directors! 
 

How do you know it's time to re-energize and rethink your approach to fundraising? We're inviting fundraisers, leaders, organizers, and volunteers (new and seasoned alike) to imagine their roles more expansively and embrace approaches to mobilizing resources that build and amplify community power.