Dressember & the Enneagram
The Enneagram.
There are three options here:
You LOVE it.
You are a little tired of hearing about it.
You have no idea what I am talking about.
To my newbie Enneagram friends, here is a little background information. The Enneagram is a wisdom tradition that has been passed down orally for generations, but has finally made a big splash in mainstream culture. Simply put, it is a personality typology. But this is not your average Buzzfeed Disney princess quiz. It provides a wealth of information on what motivates you and how that impacts your life day to day. It claims there are nine types of core motivations; each of us possesses one of these types.
The Enneagram, when used properly, is an amazing tool for self-awareness, revealing both the good, the bad, and the ugly about yourself. The truth is that it shows your current location and gives you a roadmap to a beautiful, healthy path of transformation.
Why in the world would we be talking about the Enneagram in combination with Dressember?
Good question.
Because I truly believe that each type has their own unique superpower; one that empowers them to make a difference on their own individual Dressember campaign journeys. We can unlock these superpowers through a little self-awareness and the Enneagram.
If you don’t know your number, spend some time digging up what that could be and return back here. I am only providing the SUPER basics. There is so much out there to learn and help you grow.
Now, let’s dig in!
Type 1: The Perfectionist
Dressember Superpower: Type One’s are known as the Perfectionist’s or Reformer’s of the Enneagram world. Your strength in Dressember is that you are passionate about seeking the good for the world, with a strong desire to be rid of the evil of human trafficking and modern day slavery. If you are in a position of leadership on a Dressember team, you will make excellent visionaries and make detailed plans for the team to hit all of the fundraising goals! You are very detail orientated and willing to observe and offer suggestions that better the team. You will have to be careful that you don’t come off as critical, but rather as an encouragement to the team. If you are running an individual campaign, don’t be too hard on yourself either!
Campaign Ideas: Type One’s also make excellent teachers, so leverage that! You can create a calendar of teachings to post on social media. Record a bunch at one time to build momentum and create uniformity. Teachings could include ethical buying practices or styling ideas. OR, if you are comfortable with public speaking, you can ask to teach about Dressember or modern day slavery at a school, church, ministry, library or small business. Your attention to detail will make you a compelling speaker.
Tip for Type Ones: Give yourself grace and remember that the world does not rest on your shoulders. Allow others the space to enter into this very heavy topic, and leave their conclusions up to them. It may take others a bit longer to want to reform the world to what is good than it was for you.
Type 2: The Helper
Dressember Superpower: Type Two’s, you are the Helper’s of the Enneagram, putting others above themselves and often perceive the world through their relationships with others. Your Dressember superpower will be your deep empathy. During Dressember, you can leverage this by communicating with compassion to potential donors or advocates. If you are on a team, you can be the encouragement that the team needs when others hit fundraising burnout, reminding others of those organizations and individuals that Dressember assists with the funds raised.
Campaign Ideas: Two’s would be the perfect type of person to tell the stories of survivors, making empathetic ties to their struggles or the joy of their freedom! They can share a different survivor story on their social media, or in their face to face interactions with donors, appealing to the love of each individual person who has been or still is trapped in slavery.
Tip for Type Two’s: Two’s, don’t wear yourself out trying to do too much this Dressember season. Decide early on what your boundaries are going to be this year! Write them out as your “List of No’s.” Your heart is HUGE but we need you to be healthy and rested this holiday season as much as we need you in this fight!
Type 3: The Performer
Dressember Superpower: Type Three’s are the goal making visionaries who, once they have a dream, are unstoppable. Known as the Performer’s, Type Three’s are very driven and self-motivated and who appear to be very confident. Your Dressember superpower will be your creative ability to strategize and cast vision for their team or personal campaigns, empowering others and yourself to go strongly towards the goal. You are also going to be a force for recruiting other advocates and raising funds with your persuasiveness.
Campaign Ideas: Create a friendly competition within your team and/or for potential donors to get involved. For example, get your donors to vote with their dollar between two funky dress choices. The dress that gets the most money donated to is the one you wear on the last day of your campaign!
Tip for Type Three’s: Three’s, you should put yourself in a position where you will be talking to potential donors face-to-face as often as you can! Your competitive spirit and ability to appeal to a vast array of people will work to your advantage.
Type 4: The Individualists
Dressember Superpower: Type Four’s are known as the Individualists whose core motivation is to be their most authentic selves. You see the beauty of the world, both in the pain and joy of your surroundings. Your Dressember superpower will be your ability to observe the pain of human trafficking and modern day slavery, and put that into words or images for other’s to experience in a moving and experiential way. You are creative and experience a wide array of emotions, reaching a depth that others struggle to reach. You can use this to their advantage by creating a unique invitation to the conversation and donations for your potential donors.
Campaign Ideas: Four’s, you can create something (a song, art piece, photographs, poem etc.) as an incentive for donors to either buy, receive or enter a drawing for. Four’s generally are creative, artistic people, so lean into those gifts by creating something to honor those who donate to your campaign. If you don’t have the skills, commission that out to the other creatives in your circle.
Tip for Type Four’s: Remember that others will struggle with the pain of this world, and they don’t always reflect on it as you do. Accepting the reality of human trafficking may be a difficult topic to discuss and share. But we need you to broaden their perspective, encouraging them to acknowledge pain in the world; knowing they can be a part of the solution.
Type 5: The Investigators
Dressember Superpower: Type Five’s, you have a deep need to understand the world around you, having a very objective world view. Your Dressember superpower will be your ability to intellectualize relevant information about human trafficking and provide powerful insight. You will be a wonderful resource of information about the systems that continue to oppress victims, or the ‘how-to’s’ of organization’s ability to help victims become survivors. If you don’t know this already, you will know how to find the information or will have a system for investigating the ‘why.’ Your thirst for truth is invaluable in this campaign. If you have joined a team, you will also make excellent, objective counsel for team leaders who need help making a decision.
Campaign Ideas: Create a list of facts or diagrams that you can share about human trafficking and modern day slavery for your social media, or maybe in the form of a brochure to pass out at any holiday gatherings or the workplace. People look to you for good, well thought out and researched information!
Tip for Type Five’s: Five’s, asking for help or funds may be tough. But create a way for others to ask you questions to ease into the conversation, for example, purchase a, “Ask me about my dress/tie,” button from “Dressember” or create your own!
Type 6: The Loyalists
Dressember Superpower: Type Sixes, you are stereotypically known for your anxiety and fear but in fact, you are so much more than that! You are super responsible, devoted and wonderful team players. Your Dressember superpower is your ability to ask preventative questions like, “What if…?” or “Have we considered…?” on a Dressember team or even on an individual campaign. As long as you don’t sit in the unknowns that provoke your anxiety and help come up with solutions, you will be a HUGE asset in developing winning campaign ideas.
Campaign Ideas: Create a community! While sixes generally (although not all) tend to want to blend rather than lead, they are excellent at being the glue of communities and can create a sense of loyalty. Sixes, use these strengths to foster a sense of community on your team through team in person get-togethers, or a Facebook group to encourage others when the Dressember burn-out hits!
Tip for Type Sixes: Sixes tend to bring fear-mongering into the conversation, and this should be cautioned. While there are real fears around human trafficking, we need to empower others to make a difference through empathy and compassion, rather than using fear tactics.
Type 7: The Enthusiasts
Dressember Superpower: Type Sevens are the LIFE of the party! You bring the fun to every situation, trying to stay on the bright side of life. Your Dressember superpower is your creativity and enthusiasm. Human trafficking and modern day slavery is a very heavy topic, and while we need to respect that, Sevens can remind others that we can approach hard things in a way that is creative and inviting. You will be excellent in coming up with some fun initiatives for teammates and for donors. Chances are you are also a gifted storyteller who can bring to life both the successes of organizations in the fight, AND the difficulties that victims and survivors face when speaking to crowds, their social media or in one-on-one conversations.
Campaign Idea: You are up for the fun, so create some fun benchmarks to celebrate funds coming in. For example, once you reach $200, dress up in a themed dress or tie costume for a day, or cannonball into your local pool in your dress!
Tip for Type Sevens: Try to finish what you start! I know you have so many AMAZING ideas and I encourage you to start something you know you will finish in time for this Dressember season. Also, don’t shy away from the hard parts of the campaign. You can inspire others by looking this issue in the face, ready to take it on no matter how difficult it might be!
Type 8: The Challengers
Dressember Superpower: Our dear Type Eight’s, Dressember is made for you. Type Eight’s are the Challenger’s who are not afraid of confrontation and love to stand up for the cast aside and marginalized. You are a fighter, so put that to good use! Fight for, and make a way, for the underdog. Typically, you care about issues of social justice, which is your Dressember superpower. While others are just starting to discover the world of social justice, for an Eight that is a way of life. You can leverage this by confidently approaching others about human trafficking and modern day slavery, believing that change is possible and necessary!
Campaign Ideas: Read up on local laws, contact local experts and see how you or your team can contact local politicians to support victims of human trafficking and bring attention to needed change in your community, province/state or country.
Tip for Type Eights: You are intense and sometimes that means that others aren’t ready for the force at which you present this sensitive topic of human trafficking and modern day slavery. Try to dip your toe into the topic before you take the big leap! Continue to be confident in the cause but with a little more compassion and knowledge of where they are coming from.
Type 9: The Peacekeepers
Dressember Superpower: Type Nine’s are the peacekeepers of the Enneagram, and when you are healthy, you have the ability to see things from multiple perspectives. Your Dressember superpower is going to be your ability to welcome and include others in the conversation around the difficult topic of human trafficking and modern day slavery. Type Nine’s have a beautiful ability to bring unity and are fantastic listeners, so you will be amazing at hearing the concerns of your potential donors. You will have to be careful not to merge with their concerns, but, rather be a thoughtful responder bringing back harmony to the conversation. Once you are confident in the reasoning for your Dressember participation, you will be a very valuable advocate for the cause!
Campaign Ideas: Nine’s can use their ability to listen and ask thoughtful questions by hosting a human trafficking and modern day slavery panel discussion. Invite experts from your community who work directly with victims and survivors to give their testimonies and ways other people can help. You will make great mediators of a Q&A panel discussion.
Tip for Type Nine’s: Prepare yourself for common arguments or excuses that will surface during the campaign and have a response that you can lean on instead of merging with others. As hard as it is to enter into conflict, know that the cause must be above the need to avoid conflict!
About the Author
Leah Rempel is a photographer, writer, Enneagram enthusiast (soon to be Coach), and third year Dressember advocate - all in the name of Jesus. She is married to her best friend and raising a rambunctious toddler in Edmonton, Alberta.
@leahloves.theenneagram
@leah.rempel