Making Invisible Work Visible
December 4, 2025 | By David M. Wagner
Have you ever considered just how many people are responsible for producing your morning coffee?
There’s the barista who brews and pours your cup. And the person who selected the roast. And the growers of the beans.
But also the person who designed the lid and the cardboard sleeve that prevents your hand from being burned. And the truck drivers who transported the raw beans to the roaster, the roasted beans to the distributor, the packaged product to your local coffee shop…
This thought experiment – and the act of acknowledging and thanking everyone involved – is the premise of Thanks a Thousand by A.J. Jacobs. A colleague lent me their copy, which became (fittingly) my Thanksgiving weekend reading.
And it got me thinking…
How many people are involved in making your mission possible?
And what could happen if more people learned about all the invisible, behind-the-scenes ways they contribute to your outcomes?
Shining a Light on the Invisible
Think expansively for a moment…who are all the people who make your mission possible?
A short, first-pass list would certainly include your staff, funders, volunteers, and board.
But then there are your constituents or beneficiaries. And your suppliers (accountant, Internet service provider, landlord…). The spouses and partners who support your staff.
The team from your donor management software company who made the donation interface on your website easy to use.
And there’s probably work you and your staff do that others have no idea is a necessary part of operating your organization.
Have you thanked them for their contributions to your mission? And do they even know what all they have made possible? The further they are from your work, the less they’re likely to know.
Have you made your supporters aware of all that goes into making your mission possible? Again, the further they are from seeing your organization from the inside, the more limited their understanding of the many, many hands that go into delivering impact.
Benefits of Making the Invisible Visible
Consider what could happen if more people understood how these many pieces work together to put on a concert, or produce an engaging program for youth, or delivery quality healthcare to someone in need, or whatever your mission is.
Showing appreciation to your vast network of enablers will make them feel valued. And when they understand how their work contributes to your mission outcomes, they can offer you better support – or even suggest new ways to empower your work.
And what if your supporters, including your funders, had a deeper appreciation for the size – and criticality – of your supply chain?
They might come to understand exactly where their support goes and why it is so important. They might also realize that “overhead” is not a luxury, but the very foundation of your mission. They might offer new forms of support and be more inclined to get involved.
Today, I acknowledge:
the staff at Revelstoke Coffee in Concord, NH, who made the chai latte that powered this post,
the Lenovo team that made my laptop so I could type this post from the road, and
the makers of all the software (Word, Squarespace, HubSpot, LinkedIn) that helped me bring this message to you.
It’s an old mantra: “Infrastructure isn’t sexy.” But it’s essential to your work. How might you shed a little more light on all the invisible pieces that make your mission possible?