e-Community January 2009

Dear Friends,

I was asked the dreaded question on January 2nd, "What is your New Year's resolution?" As usual, I cued an interested face and quickly turned the tables, "Tell me about yours!" I have a hard time with resolutions because I hate making promises I can't keep. When I give my word, I take it seriously. It's generally a good quality except when it prevents me from setting an intimidating stretch goal or committing to a challenge I may not achieve.

When I started as CEO of Community Shares, the first thing I did was write the following quote on my white board: What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? When I am unsure of taking on a challenge on behalf of the organization, I look to the quote, make the commitment, and we work as a team to find a way to fulfill the promise.

Community Shares' mission is our unbreakable promise: We connect Coloradans to the charities and causes they care about most. In these times of economic turmoil, we have not scaled back our efforts. Our nonprofit agencies and those they serve especially need our support this year. Any setbacks or doubts fall second to our resolve to achieve our goals. Sometimes our resolutions are bigger than ourselves. Over the six years I've been with Community Shares, the most important thing I've learned is: when we work together, we cannot fail. In 2009, join Community Shares as we remain steady in our commitments, hopeful in our goals, and comforted knowing we are a part of a caring community.

Best,


Alyssa Kopf
CEO, Community Shares