G'lord!
Can we say frustrated? I knew you could.
Oh, how I wish I could keep my blog posting positive and wonderful. Mara's blogs are almost always uplifting, but I am in the muck right now. Arrgggggh!
It's all about work. I mean, I suppose there might be a few little things in the rest of my life that could be niggling at me, but right here, right now, this is the big one! And yet, I am having trouble naming it. And I probably shouldn't, but I will try to frame it.
The Women's Center was told about a year ago (maybe a bit more) that we would be responsible for raising at least half our operating budget. Well, I understood the rational, but there is an opposing view that due to the clientele we serve that we need to be funded at a higher level. One of the reasons that women approach us is that they don't have the resources and are looking for assistance.
We worked hard to increase our revenues and cut our expenses. We had a fund raiser that cleared $14,000. We eliminate one position and didn't replace our secretary (who read the handwriting on the wall and went looking for cheese in another department of the college), so saved money on two positions. We were in the process of writing proposals for grants to fund us. We were negotiating with agencies that send their clients to us to have the agencies pay for their clients (rather than the client paying). We still weren't at half-way and we were a little worried.
Then, about 3 or 4 months ago, we got a reprieve! We were no longer expected to raise money, maybe even not charge money! We had a bit of difficulty even envisioning quite what that would look like. As things percolated out, it meant that we were no longer in the business of offering classes. All our classes that were not directly in line with our mission of 'providing access' were moved to another division. With the income that came from these classes. Sooo, we are not in the business of making money, but of 'providing access'. What the *&%# does that look like? What does it mean? And if we are not offering classes, what are we offering? How do we measure our successes? What are our goals and measurable outcomes?
I know I sound like a business major, but as I just finished telling one of our students; "Everyone is in business." What I mean is that if whether you are for profit or not-for-profit, business principles still apply.
What it feels like right now at work is a rudderless ship, limping with hanging sails, buffeted about by the random wave. No direction, no goals, no end in sight.
Okay, now for the more specific. We are in the membership push for the Professional Women's Institute. (This is one of our fund raisers, and the college doesn't want us to suspend this, but they also won't fund a position to do the work it takes to make it happen, either, so I have to fit it in with my other duties.) I went to print up a more current calendar of classes, events, meetings, and networkings to send to perspective members. Well, we don't have any scheduled! And it doesn't look like we are going to have any scheduled soon. It is really hard to sell membership in a dis-organization. Why would anyone want to pay $50 so they could not get any benefit? And I met with considerable resistance when I brought the topic up.
Okay, I've vented. I haven't really come up with what to do about it, though. Any thoughts? (Is that the sound of cheese moving that I hear?)
Comments
So, today, I go to the food court and I order a grilled cheese sandwich. But before that I ask, "do you guys have the fake processed swiss cheese that I call ugly white American cheese as opposed to ugly yellow American cheese?" "Sure," the woman behind the counter says. "Well, can I have that on my grilled cheese sandwich instead of the yellow American chees?"
"Sure," she says. I wait patiently in line for my swiss on wheat grilled cheese sandwich. Hungrily i scurry through line and back to my table only to eat half of the sandwich before noticing that it has yellow American cheese on it. Obviously, my order was disregarded, I did not get the fake cheese of my preference on my sandwich. I was, understandably, livid. But you know what? I wasn't, really. I just ate the rest of the thing. I figured that I'd gone this far without noticing and that it just wasn't important enough to get upset about. Instead, we had four people at feast instead of our usual three! I was very happy.
I love you Maman.
Posted by: Mendon | April 8, 2005 10:37 PM
Sounds frustrating. could you offer free classes/programs/events for members only without disregarding the women you are trying to reach? Are you allowed to have classes if they are free?
you can still direct/connect women to the classes that have been pulled out from under your feet.
Sorry you are so frustrated right now.
Posted by: Rae | April 9, 2005 12:17 AM
Umm, Maman, just be careful - the "considerable resistance" may turn out to not like that you wrote about this on a blog. There's even a term (dooce) for someone who gets fired for what they wrote on their blog (typically about work stuff).
I'm not saying I don't hear you or that I don't understand your frustrations - just wanna keep my mama safe.
And Mendon, wow, what can I say?
Posted by: Mara Fojas | April 9, 2005 3:39 AM
Yes dear,
There are always some non-futristic thinking blebs of administrators cacophonating in guttural goofiness with plethoras of nonsensical purporting toward inaneness. Shortness of breath is abbreviated as SOB, which also seems to apply here too.
good luck redefining your mission. Relax, breath deeply to normal tidal volume and exhale naturally using no energy. You will really feel much bettor after twenty minutes.
Dustin
Posted by: papa good | April 14, 2005 12:01 AM