Philanthropy, are you prepared to encounter a bear?

A few months ago, during our weekly team check-in, I was inspired by a story that Kevin Singer (PACE's Communications Lead) told about an?experience he had at Yellowstone National Park in 2008 -- and how he thinks this relates to human nature in stressful, anxiety-inducing larger-than-life moments like the looming results of this year's presidential election.

Our team is not a monolith– politically or otherwise. There are lots of candidates and issues that we each feel strongly about– sometimes in very different directions. In preparation for next week (and the days and weeks that will follow it), we’ve been talking openly about how we want to show up– for ourselves, for our work, and for each other. Whether we are confronted with feelings of happiness or fear, what will our values and leadership call us to do? What do we want to hold on to, no matter what? What do we want to commit to and ask for from others?

Kevin’s story offered me such a helpful way to think about preparation at this moment, especially as I seek to remember that my belief in democracy is larger than my political desires. I asked Kevin to share his perspective here, in case it helps others prepare to respond to the results of the election, and the inevitable emotions it will bring.

So that being said, I'll hand the mic over to Kevin.

In 2008, I was a college junior on a summer-long immersion trip to Yellowstone National Park with other college students from around the country. Part of our preparation for a summer in Yellowstone was "bear prep," or, a one-hour training led by a park guide about what to do when you are unexpectedly confronted by a bear on a trail or at your campsite.

At this training, I learned about bear mace and how to use it. I learned that playing dead is always better than running (Grizzlies can apparently hit 40 mph!). But more than these practical tips, I learned that in daunting moments like confronting a bear, we humans are less likely to embody who we aspire to be throughout preparations, and more likely to default to our deepest, primal instincts. While our preparations can be counted by the number of hours, our primal instincts are the result of years, even decades of formation.

In daunting moments like confronting a bear, we humans are less likely to embody who we aspire to be throughout preparations, and more likely to default to our deepest, primal instincts.

Bears don't just send first-time tourists into a rapid tailspin during an encounter; experienced hikers are also susceptible. The guide leading my training session said it best: Many people, new to national parks or trail enthusiasts, default to running away and triggering a chase. Therefore, while practical training can't hurt (and could even save your life), the most important kind of preparation is not in cultivating what you aspire to do during a bear encounter, but to be brutally honest about what you will most likely want to do, despite your best intentions, and to create a plan for when that moment occurs.

To demonstrate this: One of the leaders of my immersion trip was fortunate to survive an encounter with a grizzly bear. He and his hiking partner had gotten separated, leaving him and the bear alone together in a sparsely wooded area where there was nowhere to hide. As he anticipated, he was filled with the primal emotion to fight back as the grizzly stood up on its hind legs and let out a massive roar. However, having considered what he would be tempted to do, he was able to divert that energy into lifting himself up onto a nearby tree stump, lifting his arms as high as he could (or, "making myself look as big as I could"), and screaming with all the sound he could muster. The bear, confused by the display, ran off. The grizzly concluded that this man was the bigger bear. (This is not recommended when engaging your political opponents, however!).

I have been a semi-regular in the pluralism circuit for almost a decade now, long enough to know that if you want to know how a conference-goer really feels about another group in our society, spark up a conversation over a glass of wine after the programming ends. I now consider bridging conferences to be where that "practical preparation" occurs. When professional appearances are no longer required, many people default to sharing how they really feel, and in turn, how they show up when they're not repping their organization (or their best self). Yes, even the most professionally-ardent pluralists can be both polarized and polarizers when they are encountered by the 'bear,' or, that intimidating force in American society that sends them tailspinning to the bottom of a bottle of wine. I have been this person myself. Maybe you have been this person too.

Yes, even the most professionally-ardent pluralists can be both polarized and polarizers when they are encountered by the 'bear,' or, that intimidating force in American society that sends them tailspinning to the bottom of a bottle of wine.

Furthermore, I've found that organizations aspiring to lead during times of division and promote cohesion (I direct one myself) can do a fine job messaging the impact they aspire to make, but when they encounter the 'bear,' their voice and impact rarely goes beyond the default settings, or beyond of their collective “choir.”?

My hypothesis is that this isn't a bug in the system -- it's a feature. Human nature is tribal. Our default is to protect our own. We have nervous systems that kick into gear when we don't feel safe, and these responses are so often involuntary. Throw in a capitalistic society and a scarcity mindset, and keeping consistent with the values of who we apsire to be is all the more difficult. Anyone, or any organization, that aspires to work for the common (democratic) good in a non/bi-partisan way would benefit from naming all of this outright. Knowing and naming our defaults, as the Yellowstone guide explained, is the critical first step toward becoming truly prepared to encounter a bear and leave with our lives -- or to follow the metaphor, to leave with our personal integrity and that of our organization's mission.

I'm sure by now you know where this is going: The 2024 presidential election is the 'bear.' Polls show that the Harris-Trump race, along with a number of other congressional and gubernatorial races and ballot measures, enter November 5th in a dead heat. Are we as democracy advocates, both in philanthropy and non-profit work, really ready to confront the 'bear,' or, any election results that we don't like, even (and especially) if the process to get to the results was fair?

Are we as democracy advocates, both in philanthropy and non-profit work, really ready to confront the 'bear,' or, any election results that we don't like?

This question is a bit daunting on its own, so, I'm going to break it down into five sub-questions that I would encourage you to discuss with your team in the final days before the election.

1. Name the 'bear' for you and/or your organization on November 5th -- that daunting prospect that you may or may not be prepared to encounter.
2. Both personally and as a team, how would we describe our 'default settings' when we encounter this 'bear,' or, those perspectives and political outcomes that may prevail on November 5th?
3. What do you think has formed these default settings over months, years, even decades? This might include your closest relationships, your circle of influence, professional network, and more.
4. How are we aspiring to show up in the days, weeks, and months after the election? How might our default settings undermine these aspirations? Be specific.
5. In closing, fill out this sentence: "While I know I might be tempted to do [X], I know that when this moment comes, I want to do [Y] instead."

In therapy, I have learned that my default settings -- in this case, my nervous system's fight or flight response -- have historically done a very good job keeping me safe. But they aren't perfect, and slowly they can be retrained to respond to perceived threats differently. In the same way, the point of this exercise isn't to condemn our default settings. There are good reasons why we adopted them in the first place.

Rather, this is an opportunity to have a conversation with them in preparation for a high-stakes moment in our professional and organizational journeys. We shouldn't, and we cannot, dispose of our deeply formed habits. However, we can become a little bit more acquainted with our inner selves, and those of our colleagues, as we strive to thoughtfully encounter the November 5th 'bear' together.

I hope these questions are helpful. And if you are looking for other resources from PACE that might be helpful, check out “How to Talk Bridgey,” “Democracy is Larger than Politics” and “Social Cohesion Philanthropy.”

Kevin Singer is Communications Support Lead at PACE.