Three years ago I took a leap of faith by deciding to leave my 8-year, military-connected student services career within the higher education system. I remember writing, “I am excited to spread my wings and take what I have learned to a national level.”
I remember being scared, anxious, and proud all at the same time, and today as I sit here and write this letter I am washed over with the exact same feelings. Never in a million years did I ever think I would go from building and leading local communities & programmatic solutions to building and leading around the world as the President & Founder of The Paradigm Switch.
You deserve the truth, and the truth is, I was innovative.
I was bold.
I was naive.
Today, I am heartbroken to inform you that The Paradigm Switch does not have the financial resources we need to continue serving this mission any longer. We have looked at this issue from every angle and discussed it with our Board of Directors, key stakeholders, staff, mentors, friends, and family over the last few weeks. These conversations have led me to one of the hardest decisions of my life. Unless our 2020 budget is secured within the next 30 days, we will scale back the vast majority of our operations on March 1, 2020.
When I started this organization three years ago, I told myself, “if I could change one person’s life then it would be worth it.” The truth is, we have changed hundreds of lives and influenced thousands around the world. In only three short years we were able to build a global community of almost 2,000 military spouses with over 45% of them engaging in real and authentic conversations on a daily basis. We also provided scholarships to leading tech schools and training courses to over 140 deserving military spouses with an average value of $4,000.00 each.
We launched a Digital Career Bootcamp and taught military spouses how to work anywhere in the world. Our boot camp is handmade and designed by military spouses, for military spouses. All 170 pages of the course curriculum were built to empower military spouses to leverage technology and take control of their careers. Since our boot camp debut in August 2019, we successfully enrolled over 500 military spouses and achieved an average of 24% percent completion rate.
We raised over $400,000.00 in cash and in-kind donations combined. We started a movement of military spouses who are unapologetic about their career ambitions AND their commitment to the military lifestyle.
We “Switched the Paradigm” for military spouses everywhere.
We saw a problem, built a solution, and started a global grassroots movement of military spouse leaders who are doing the hard work they need to do for themselves to effect real change.
But I want to be clear with you: I am still very much in this fight.
I want you to know that this organization was built to equal the playing field. It was never only about military spouse unemployment. It was always about breaking down stereotypes and creating access to information for those who needed it the most, so they could do what they were already capable of doing.
It was always about building a community and programs that served everyone and not just those who live in major cities and/or who had the “right” networks.
That’s my fight.
My fight is about equality and equitable solutions for all.
It was always about creating careers and not just jobs so you could financially contribute to your families as an equal partner and not just a “dependent.”
That’s my fight.
And I will continue to fight for you, for me, and for everyone after us.
Laying off my team last week and making calls to our current Board of Directors, our new unannounced 2020 Board of Directors, partners, friends, family, and our most trusted advisors to admit that I was unable to make 2020 payroll broke me.
This wasn’t the plan, and I know exactly where I went wrong.
I wasn’t donor-focused enough. I was obsessed with serving the military spouse and obsessed with developing our programs. I didn’t cater to corporate sponsors and I stuck to our core values. I turned down deals and partnerships that didn’t serve our community’s best interests and I kept my ego in check when it came to the PR spotlight.
I focused on our culture and the people who were working for the mission, and unfortunately, I have learned the hard way that this strategy does not work well in the nonprofit space.
As a result, I disappointed you and for that, I am truly sorry.
We have a lot to be proud of and while this news is shocking and disappointing I have zero doubt that the movement and culture we have built will live on forever. There are a lot of you who have been on this journey with us for years and some for just a few short months or weeks.
I want you to know that you are the future.
You did the hard work that will set you up to work anywhere in the world, and you are ready. You have earned a seat at the table, and I want you to take it. Not only do I want you to take it, but I want you to pay it forward. I want you to “be the change” and role model the behavior you want to see in the world. I want you to be a bold and innovative leader in whatever industry you choose to work in.
I want you to continue to be “The Paradigm Switch.”
I am extremely grateful for the board members, mentors, volunteers, and staff who have dedicated countless hours to this mission over the last three years. Through you, I have learned my own work/life balance and what it truly means to be a fearless and authentic leader. While serving you, I have learned how to walk the walk and more importantly how to handle situations that used to baffle me.
In closing, please be kind to TPS staff members over the holiday season. We know that we have a lot of questions to answer, and we definitely will answer each and every one of them. Please do not forget that we are human and are processing this news just like you. We ask that you be patient with us over the next few weeks while we lean into our families and work through our transition plans personally and professionally both together as a team and individually with our own mentors.
We have ten scholarships available through our partnership with GreenFig for a 3-month Digital Marketing course, and applications are still open until 12/31. We will be awarding those ten scholarships in the new year and of course, we will continue to communicate our transition plan with you transparently and authentically along the way.
If you have questions or concerns please feel free to email me directly at Justine@theparadigmswitch.org at any time.
With Gratitude,
Justine Evirs
President & Founder
The Paradigm Switch
