The social media comparison spiral is REAL

Even in the nonprofit world

It’s normal to feel like a “bad” marketer or totally out of your depth if you don’t hit all your goals, like reaching your latest campaign fundraising number. ESPECIALLY when folks are blasting their massive successes on social media.

They seem to have it all figured out, right? So why don’t we? Are we even fit for the job?

YES! We are. Remember—social media is a highlight reel. 

They have their own frustrations and are learning lessons along the way. They may have been in the game much longer, and you have no idea what the full story is.

It reminds me of my time in Ghana with the Peace Corps. 

I idolized one of my Peace Corps volunteer neighbors, who spent so much time immersed in her village. She seemed to so easily and naturally fit it. She was, shall we say, “fully integrated”. 

I, on the other hand, am introverted. While I had a handful of amazing friends in my village, I needed a lot of alone time. It took energy for me to casually venture through my village. I dealt with a lot of guilt that I wasn't spending my afternoons shucking ground nuts with a group of wise women. 

I spent an incredible amount of time with people in my village, but it was very structured. I created numerous and regular health, literacy, and business programs for nearly every group you could imagine: with teachers, with nurses, with students, with widows, with men, with seniors, with a young girls group, with a young boys group, the list goes on. 

One day this Peace Corps Volunteer neighbor told me she felt insecure about the lack of programs she was implementing compared to me, and I was floored.

It’s easy to feel imposter syndrome when we fall into the comparison trap, especially in nonprofit marketing.

You might feel like you’re not doing a great job, but there’s someone out there admiring your impact!

Keep on doing what you’re doing. It’s making a difference.