Back in 2011, we were sitting in a café talking about what really matters. We were frustrated by the can’t do, don’t do and won’t do people – the ones who want to play by the rules and play it safe. We talked about injustices that exist in our community (current Government policy on asylum seekers is a perfect example) and the ways we could bring about change. By the end of the conversation, we had written the business plan for The Dragonfly Collective on a napkin.

Given that it was a passion for change and social justice that led to the creation of The Dragonfly Collective, we thought it was appropriate that passion became one of our values.

According to Wikipedia, passion (from the Ancient Greek verb paskho meaning to suffer) is a term applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something.

Our passion at The Dragonfly Collective is to work with others to create a more just world – to not talk about social change, but co-create it. We seek to constantly pursue what’s next, what might be, change and something bigger than ourselves.

It’s the lack of this kind of passion in some parts of the not-for-profit sector that drove us to take a risk and start something new from scratch. It seemed to us that the “desire for something” amongst some not-for-profit leaders often referred to the desire for safety, security or some form of personal kudos.

Is it a lack of passion that allows not-for-profit organisations with huge potential for social impact and advocacy, to just churn out more of the same old stuff? We’re not suggesting the ‘stuff’ isn’t good stuff, but what where is the desire to move beyond the good to the extraordinary?

Where is the passion to challenge the way things have always been done and fight for a better alternative?

There is a Chinese Proverb that says – “those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt the person doing it”.

We encourage everyone that works in the not-for-profit and social enterprise space to harness your passion, and allow it to give you courage to tackle some of the big issues that are highly politicised or complex. Get on and ‘do it’, don’t just be the passive critic.

Imagine the collective impact we could achieve if everyday every one of us acted with  passion to create change for a more just world?