The Wild Life

Bobcat Kitten from Lindsay Wildlife Museum

Take a very rainy San Francisco day and add a Taproot Foundation “ScopeAthon”. Mix in a dozen non-profits, about 20 pro bono consultants and some substantial business challenges. It adds up to be a great way to spend a morning in the city, at the very groovy Autodesk Gallery.

My assignment, along with another consultant was to work with the Lindsay Wildlife Museum Operations Director. The museum is a rescue center in the East Bay and is open to the public. It offers many educational events, and gives people an opportunity to connect with nature.

These Taproot events are challenging and intense. Consultants and non-profits are teamed up to work on strategic or tactical organizational challenge. It’s amazing what a small group can accomplish in just a few hours. Especially when laptops are shut, phones are silenced and the goal is clear. I think our “client” left with a workable plan and clear path forward.

It was especially gratifying to apply my business skills in helping Lindsay – a 60-year-old organization that rehabilitates animals affected by intense urban growth. A very small and hopefully useful contribution. I’m looking forward to working with the Museum again in the future.

Here's what amazes me most about working at these Taproot events. People who make their career in the non-profit world are either crazy or saints. Probably both. Kick me if I start to complain about how hard it is to get my job done, how the budget's too small, resources too thin or the competition too fierce.

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