What does it look like to live our values as well as we fund them? This is a question that the Dodge staff routinely revisits, in an effort to live and also to work more consciously. You can read about some of our responses to that question in the Living Our Values section of the website, including our most recent experience: partnering with the Great Swamp Watershed Association and the Land Conservancy of New Jersey to learn about the importance of land stewardship.
Dodge believes that effective philanthropy requires time in the field (and on this day, we meant that quite literally) where we can be face to face with the challenges, conditions, joy and accomplishments that our grantees face.
When we think about our investment in organizations that preserve open space, such at the Great Swamp and Land Conservancy, we know that people need to feel connected to the land in order to value and support its protection. What we took back to the office were memories of the earthy smells, the sounds of the crunching leaves and sticks, bird calls (including the guest appearance of a hawk), the sites of the forest, and the camaraderie of the day. We also brought back an enhanced sense of the dedication of our environmental nonprofit partners, the passion they have for the work, and the enormous task of stewardship.