Wondering what working with uReach is all about?

People have asked our team members over the years, “How did you get this job?” They usually roll their eyes because the process was long and uncertain. They usually started with volunteering, interning, and subtle conversations. It isn’t easy to be a part of this team. It ALWAYS involves fundraising. It can be exhausting. It is fun. It is rewarding. You can find yourself sleeping in weird places or wondering what kind of bug bit you.

We do have some “ramps” to working with us. Internships, residency, and apprenticeships are usually a place to start, but not always. Reach out. Let’s have a conversation. If we can’t scare you away, then who knows – maybe you can join the dream team.

We do A LOT of different things. but they are all based on the idea of reaching desperate people in tough places. Before you even ask what how we do what we do, you should check out what we believe in as a culture. Read on, think about it. Reach out to us.

Reach Culture

This document is about our team culture: the unusual ways we work together so we can serve well. Because of this unique way of working together we put together this culture document as our “fundamental truths” our “non-negotiable.” This is who we are. This is how we work together.

Like many great teams, we strive to recruit the best and we value integrity, excellence, respect, and collaboration. What is unique and special, though, about us is how much we:

1. Encourage independent decision-making by team members
2. Share information openly, broadly, and deliberately
3. Are extraordinarily candid with each other
4. Are dedicated to each other even during the hard times
5. Avoid having too many rules, but follow the important ones deliberately

Our core philosophy is people over process. Systems serve the people that use them, people don’t serve systems. More specifically, we have great people working together as a dream team. With this approach, we are a more flexible, fun, inventive, stimulating, creative, and successful organization.

Specific Values

1. Self-Motivated
   • If we don’t have a job, we find one
   • We look for things to do, we do not wait to be asked
   • Everyone looks for the hardest job to do and chooses that one
   • The nature of what we are doing means there are no set tasks
   • We are entrepreneurs looking for new ways to reach people
2. Inclusive
   • We create the feeling of being part of an exclusive club, while being inclusive of everyone
   • We create reoccurring gags (we don’t have inside jokes that make anyone feel left out, only gags that create familiarity)
   • We create meaningful experiences for the people we serve- by always thinking of those we are serving
3. We Embrace Conflict and Critique
   • We are honest with each other- even if that means saying the hard things to each other
   • We are striving for excellence, and constructive criticism breeds excellence
   • Nothing is sacred, no matter whose idea it is, or how many hours have been put into it
   • You are welcome and encouraged to always voice your opinion, even if it is uncomfortable
4. Servant-hood
   • We are selfless
   • We look for ways to serve each other, our teams, and students
   • If it’s good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for us
   • Being a servant first is important and the key to all good leadership
5. No Small Jobs
   • No one has “made it”
   • We all set up chairs and tear down screens
   • We are never too important to help and be a servant
   • If Jesus could wash feet, surely, we can pick up trash
6. Excellence
   • We put full effort into everything we do
   • We have a passion for making everything as good as it can be, and we never phone it in
   • We strive for a safe environment (we keep good ratios of males to females, we are extremely careful driving, the safety of our teams/students/volunteers is of the utmost importance)
   • We will do whatever it takes to make something better (whether that’s more lights, an inflatable, or getting up early)
   • People over processes (always for the experience and connections, we focus on making things fun)
   • Take smart risks, we do not operate to self-preserve
7. Learning
   • We want to always be growing
   • If we are not growing, we are dying
   • We strive to learn from each other
   • We believe in lifelong learning, always trying to better ourselves
8. Safety to Express Ourselves
   • This ties in closely with embracing criticism, it is always a safe place to offer criticism
   • We are allowed to be vulnerable with each other
   • We deal with the uncomfortable times in life and we are able to let our defenses down in those times
   • No matter if you are an extrovert or an introvert, your opinion is valued and wanted
9. Team of Equals
   • Titles don’t matter, age doesn’t matter, tenure doesn’t matter, all that matters are mutual respect and relationship
   • If we had a flow chart of who oversaw what, it would be incomprehensible, we treat every person as our equal
   • We never wield our authority, if your way is the better way, let us hear why
   • Jeff is our leader, but operates more as an advocate and cheerleader than a boss
10. No Judgement
    • We each come from different backgrounds and different histories, there is never any judgement of our past mistakes
    • Because of our past histories we might be triggered in unique and strange ways, while we do need to get control over our triggers, we are always met with understanding
    • We let dead dogs lie. We do not keep a record of wrongs; we acknowledge mistakes and move on
    • As we travel and spend weeks at a time with each other, that can lead to some crankiness, confront in a good way and then move, or just let it go
11. Share Credit
    • We are a team which means we share in our victories
    • No matter what area we are working in we are conformable with others taking credit for our accomplishments
    • The Baja team can take credit for what’s happening in Nicaragua, and the Zambia team with mentoring students in Sacramento
    • We cannot let our egos get in the way of celebrating others in their triumphs
12. Fundraising
    • It is an important skill to be able to fundraise and vital to what we do- even if it’s just for an event or our salary
    • We are allowed to step away from other responsibilities when it comes to fundraising
    • Fundraising always takes priority

We use this culture as a replacement for rules. This is a special place and a special collection of people and we want to preserve that. Remember, everyone will live by the same culture. If someone isn’t living up to this shared agreement, lovingly call them out on it. We never take ourselves too seriously, but we are serious about who we are as a team.