As we take stock of all that September brings; the new academic year, the changing of seasons, the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, we must reflect deeply on our role and purpose in our community.

At Children’s Friend, we are a diverse group of neighbors, allies, and community members who together serve Rhode Island’s most vulnerable children.

Part of our organizational identity as a nonprofit is effective stewardship of resources to maximize the value and impact of our services. Yet, often, nonprofit organizations face resource constraints that challenge their ability to stay focused on the mission behind the work.

Mission-centric mindsets are a guiding light for our work, the shift in thinking from not-for-profit to for-purpose that sustains vision, action, and impact in the face of challenges.

For-purpose thinking enables us to center the lives and experiences we impact throughout decision-making processes. As a result, we continuously design, develop, and strategize in a way that links our investment of resources to the missions and goals of our programs.

Taking time and space with colleagues to ground ourselves in our mission is vitally important this month and every month for us to continue operating as a for-purpose organization.

Lucy Rose-Correia, Chief of Talent