As we head into our third year of All Moms as a nonprofit, we are looking back to review how each year in the life of this org, we have grown and shifted and reshaped to reflect the needs of our moms and the needs of this community. I can’t express how grateful I am for the ones who have stuck with us throughout all the changes and iterations. So many of you have been so patient with us, believing in the heart of our mission- moms supporting moms. As a scrappy group of dedicated women- with no nonprofit experience- we have experimented with the structure of the group, changing up the formula every year to work more efficiently, ensure sustainability, and ultimately- to make a bigger impact on our people. We thank you for coming along for the ride.
All of this has come with growing pains. As hard as we try, we’ve had to accept that we can’t do it all, can’t be all things to all people- and there’s been so much trial and so much error!
As we sat with all of this, reviewing the life of our org, we had a realization. As leaders, we’ve been trying to solve the wrong problems, and no amount of restructuring can fix it. To understand why, we had to look all the way back to where we began.
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that All Moms the nonprofit grew out of All Moms the church ministry. A ministry is built to serve- a few people pour out, and everyone else is poured into. That is a beautiful thing, and it's our origin story; we're grateful for it, and grateful still to Arapaho UMC, who hosts and supports us to this day. But All Moms isn't a church group — we're an independent nonprofit, with our own mission and our own way of doing things. Somewhere along the way, it clicked: we'd been trying to run a village on a ministry's blueprint. That model was never built to be shared.
We all know that to have a village, you need villagers.
In a healthy community, everyone pitches in, so that no one person carries too much.
Once this idea landed, it didn’t feel like a change, it felt like a homecoming- returning to what we were becoming all along.
A small group of us believed in healthy motherhood and community so much, that we carried it on our own. Our love for this group hasn’t changed. What has to change is the formula- from a few serving many, to all of us caring for one another. We know you believe in what we are trying to create. To make All Moms reach its potential- we have to carry it together.
So what does this mean for you, our members? It means that everyone will take a turn giving back when they can- in a way that fits their skills, interests, and capacity. We are not asking you to do more mothering (unless that fuels you). Our purpose is not to recruit volunteers, we’re inviting you into more meaningful participation. This isn’t as much about filling roles as it is about what it means to belong here. Recently, one of our board members explained the concept of “mattering” to me.
Mattering means you feel valued and you add value — you both depend on others and are depended upon. When you matter to our group, your absence will be noticed. Not from a place of judgement- from a place of care.
Giving back might look like bringing a snack, welcoming a nervous new mom at the door, sharing something you're good at, helping stack chairs, or — when you've got the capacity — taking on something bigger. Most turns are small.
So… what is Homecoming? Imagine what it feels like to walk into a home where you feel safe and loved. It’s a holiday or gathering of some sort. There’s a long table- a container for your loved ones, your chosen family. Everyone squeals gleefully when you walk in. You baked. You brought flowers. You had your shit together this week — and it feels good. (Last week? You'd have shown up empty-handed and a little feral, and that would've been just fine too.) You add your cookies to the table- full with other offerings. Your people greet you in the way they know you like to be greeted, you’re not a hugger. You take it all in- the warmth, the joyful overstimulation, the spot they saved for you. The conversation is easy. Not because it’s always been that way- it’s because you’ve shown up, been vulnerable, and done the work of tending to these relationships over time.
If this is starting to sound like a Pinterest board, let me set the record straight. The inspiration for our vision is less “tradwife” and more Little Women. Our space isn’t a spotless kitchen or a life that looks effortless on the highlight reel. It's imperfect and mismatched. It’s a room full of your chaotic sisters, each with their arms full of their own “stuff,” propping each other up anyway.
And still, that ease, that saved seat, that full table — none of it just happens. We build it, together, every time we show up. This is our Homecoming. Welcome home.