“Getting sturdy” in times of change

Dear Walk-In Community,

Late last month, our Board of Directors met and passed a new budget, designed to guide our work in the year ahead. I’d like to acknowledge the incredible investments being made by the volunteer members of our Board of Directors.

They are investing many hours of time, shared expertise, and mental load that extends far beyond our meetings. I’m still new to Walk-In, but I have worked with many nonprofit boards, and this one is truly impressive. Our board members show up in big ways and this work often goes unseen. Like so many of our volunteers, the members of our board are investing generously, and I’m so grateful.

This past year has been one of transition for Walk-In. We’ve moved through a new leader, new budget, and have launched a strategic planning process. We’ve made organizational changes, big and small, and we will continue to transform as we move into a new year. We’re working to align our structure with our mission and resources in ways that will sustain us. Some changes have been very hard and their impact will likely continue to be felt for some time.

A Note About Change

One particularly hard change was our decision to eliminate the Clinic Director position. Jane Ginsberg has served in the Clinic Director role since 2016, strengthening our connection with graduate social work programs and helping us navigate a big leadership transition. We are grateful for all she has invested and accomplished during her time with Walk-In. Jane’s last day is December 31st.

Walk-In has been operating with a deficit for some time, and this decision was necessary to align our structure with sustainable operations. We’re taking steps now to ensure we can focus our resources effectively and build toward long-term impact.

Getting Sturdy

I’m a big fan of Dr. Becky Kennedy’s work on parenting (her work is relevant regardless of experience as a parent) and I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to “get sturdy” before we can build anything on top. It’s a concept that applies here too. Before we can envision and build on what we have in place, we have to find balance first. So, that’s where we are: getting sturdy.

Next year will be about envisioning what comes next and beginning to build towards it. But right now, in this reflective season, we’re finding balance, focusing on our core, and grounding ourselves to what matters.

Sanctuary and Partnership

In conversation with funders recently, we’ve been talking about sanctuary – what it means to offer it and why it matters. Working alongside organizations and people who are also building toward better reminds us to clarify what we’re building toward.

For 56 years, Walk-In has offered sanctuary: support without barriers, care without appointments, help when someone needs it most. That’s only been possible because communities before us built something sturdy enough to last. When we are sturdy, we can be ready for even the unexpected and respond, which is different than react, from a place of strength. Now more than ever, I believe Walk-In is ready to respond. 

Where We Are

Some of you have been with Walk-In for decades. Some of you are newer and still building trust. I haven’t connected with everyone yet but if you feel passion about our mission, my hope is that we will connect soon because I want to do whatever I can to support putting that passion into action in the year ahead. 

All of us are investors in this organization, and we are invested in building something better. Senator Paul Wellstone said, “We all do better when we all do better.” When one person finds support, it ripples outward – to their family, their workplace, their community. That’s what we do and doing more of that is what we’re building toward.

Walk-In is an extraordinary organization. We are all better because it exists. The return on any investments made is not one that we can easily quantify but it is felt immensely and its impact farther reaching than we could easily describe. 

Regardless of your tenure, here’s what I want everyone to hold for the moment: We’re figuring this out. We don’t have all the answers. But we’re well-positioned, and I believe deeply in what becomes possible when we all have access to healing when we need it. We are part of something bigger than any one of us could accomplish on our own. 

And, as we head into this snow-filled and reflective time of year, I invite you to imagine with me: What would it look like if everyone who needed mental health support could walk through a warm and welcoming threshold to get it, no strings attached?

In our shared transition from one year to the next, I wish you and those you love as much connection as possible to peace, sanctuary, and a felt sense of sturdiness. 

The door is open this holiday season, and ongoing. Walk-In.

With gratitude,

Kate