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| Steve Rogers, Sr. Director of Engineering |
In the early days, he was in charge of the back end of the website as well as the front end - and almost everything in between, including internal systems. The job would have overwhelmed lesser mortals. But not Steve. He put his head down and took a never-say-never attitude (admittedly blowing his stack now and then, which no one blamed him for!). He gradually laid the foundation for the world-class tech and product team GlobalGiving has today.
A while ago, the whole GlobalGiving team asked Steve to reflect on what he has learned. Below is an excerpt well worth reading.
"As many of us who have crossed from the private sector for-profit world to the non-profit technology sector, I love the mission and while often being under-funded, under-staffed, and over-achieving, any frustration dissipates at the end of the day when I think of all the great social entrepreneurs and grassroots organizations that benefit from what GlobalGiving provides.
I have learned (and live) these lessons:
- You can’t hit a grand slam if you don’t get some runners on base.
- You can still score (and win) with several well placed “bunts.”
- Incremental and iterative growth (a good leadoff) and change can lead to a “game changer” (stolen base).
- Always be open to new ideas – encourage discussion; be inclusive. Take a seventh inning stretch to reflect and listen!
- Never settle for, or give in to, the status quo. Don’t worry if that fly ball gets “lost in the lights”, track it, chase it down and make the play!"
