Dead Tree Standing

Last weekend I took a wonderful walk through the woods with some life-long friends. As we ambled along and talked, one of my colleagues stopped dead in her tracks, looked up and said, “Dead tree standing”, referring to a tall tree in our path that had no foliage left on its bare trunk.
She then said, “I recently attended a lecture on the importance of leaving dead trees standing. The reason is that their root systems are so intricately entwined with their neighbors’ that by taking them down, it jeopardizes the support of all the neighboring trees.”

I started thinking what a great metaphor this is for life. Each trees’ root system is so intricately entwined with its neighbors’ that if disturbed, it could weaken the forest. And as individuals, many of us, when depleted or ill, continue to depend upon the root systems of our more healthy neighbors for strength.

Apply this same metaphor to philanthropy. Many nonprofits are facing drastic times and the people who depend on them face perilous days ahead. Those of us still standing tall with healthy branches and vibrant leaves have to reach down deep to help provide an infrastructure for others to build on. That is the principle behind Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP). The skill sets and expertise that PIP consultants bring to struggling organizations is like the root system that can help them stand tall in the face of economic woes.