A candid discussion exploring the importance of taking a break.

In July of 2023, Threshold Philanthropy did something few other organizations dare to: they gave everyone a paid sabbatical. ​

Since 2020, Threshold Philanthropy has been supporting holistic community care by redistributing resources to Black and Indigenous communities. While they’ve been hugely successful, the team began to notice unsustainable and unhealthy patterns in their work – the same dynamics of exploitation and permeable boundaries that have plagued Black and Native women and women of color for centuries.

Most organizations in this position take the easy path: just keep going. Instead, Threshold Philanthropy did something radically different. They offered the entire organization a paid integration sabbatical. With this period of physical, intellectual, and emotional rest, the team had space to reflect, renew, heal, and ultimately build a new culture.

Threshold Philanthropy reached out to us to help communicate the reasoning and significance of this decision clearly to their community through an authentic and nuanced video production.

Creating a safe and affirming environment on set is important for every project we take on and this one was no exception. We chose a longer, more informal format than is customary for a corporate video and worked carefully to ensure each participant had the space and time to be open and honest with their contributions.

The video, in combination with an artful webpage designed by Stacy Nguyen Creative, serves as a thorough resource for anyone interested in learning more about Threshold Philanthropy’s integration sabbatical.

We are honored to have been a part of this project and hope other organizations can take the inspiration to recognize when it’s more important to step back than push forward.