It might just be the Monday-est Monday in the history of Mondays. It's after 8pm and I'm just now getting to the mailbag so here's what we have today ....
___________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I'm a R(ecovering) Executive Director and am now the #2 at a large, regional nonprofit. Mostly, I do the stuff my boss doesn't want to do which is fine because normally it means I don't have to deal with the board (other than monthly meetings). Except, my boss had to have emergency surgery and will be out on medical leave for the next three months and I've been appointed the interim ED. We have a large board and they are mostly concerned with fundraising and policy issues but with the ED being out, a few rogue board members are trying to micromanage things up to and including what font I'm using in my emails. What message can I send to them to knock it off so that I can focus on doing my job and my ED's job for the next few months?
Well, your rogue board members might be annoying but they probably aren't evil so that's a good thing. Right? Here's what I'd suggest:
Dear Murgatroyd:
Thank you so much for your concern about how the ORG team is upholding the Brand Standards. It's a concern of mine as well and so I'm attaching a copy of our Brand Standards so you can see how our font, colors and logo use are consistent across all communications channels.
Sincerely,
Interim ED
Dear Beauregard:
Thank you for stopping by yesterday and offering to help with the bank deposit. During your visit, you noted your concern that we're using a paper clip instead of a staple to attach the bank deposit to the checks and I wanted to circle back with you and assure you that our auditors, our financial institution and our insurance company has approved how we prepare and submit the bank deposits. I've attached a copy of our Financial Policies & Procedures Manual for your edification if you have any additional questions. Feel free to send any questions to Scrooge McDuck, our Treasurer at showmethemoney@gmail.com.
_________________________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I live and work in a large metropolitan area with an equally large nonprofit scene that sometimes feels like the smallest town in America. Everyone knows everyone else (or where we work) and everyone is super fake nice to each other but viciously mean behind their backs. I try to ignore it and focus on my work, my two young kids, my grad school classes (what was I thinking???) and my spouse who travels two weeks or more a month.
Sometimes I even almost forget about the "Mean Girls" clique and then I go to one of the quarterly gatherings for a grantmaker or I go to a AFP meeting or I go to an event and there they are, always. (They must make way more than I do as they are out and about ALL THE TIME.) There are air kisses and fake praise for my work and then I overheard Mean Girl 1 telling Mean Girl 2 how incompetent I was while we were all in the bathroom. (Seriously, if you're going to gossip, check under the stalls first! ~ Julie)
What can I do to make it easier to deal with these nasties?
Oh honey. So here's what you're going to do:
1. You need your own collective of like-minded, kindhearted nonprofiteers. Start assembling your Nonprofit SuperFriends and be honest about needing a small community of colleagues who can provide you with wise counsel and support. Share resources, attend events for each other and just generally cultivate friends. This will make walking into those meetings so much easier and it will dull or even diminish the power that the "Mean Girls" have over you.
2. Practice smiling like the Mona Lisa in the mirror. It'll take some time but work on your poker face to the point where you can witness a car accident without flinching and when you see any of the "Mean Girls" in public or someone brings them up, you need to smile a tiny bit, tilt your head a tiny bit and say "bless their heart" or "isn't that nice?" is the mildest tone you can manage. You can never be accused of being anything other than polite.
3. Give yourself a 5 minute temper tantrum allowance every day to flip out about stupid shit like mean people on the internet. Set an alarm. Punch pillows. My friend Barbara recommends stabbing a pillow with a fork and I'm going to try it soon. Your need for venting will diminish over time and your ability to cope will increase but you need to let yourself be mad and petty.
___________________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I've been doing interim and short-term jobs as EDs for the last decade and I'm starting to think that if I ever find "the one" job, I won't get picked for it because I look like a job hopper. How can I present myself as a stable, professional when my resume looks a bit of a mess.
Good gravy, are you me? Here's what I suggest you consider doing:
1. If you haven't done so already, set yourself up as an LLC. It's easy, inexpensive and takes a few hours to get things sorted. I'm sure there's great legal advice out there that you can find by Googling "setting up an LLC in YOUR STATE" and someone at your state's licensing bureau can help you figure out the right paperwork. #notalawyer I DIYd my own paperwork and it was easy enough to get sorted.
2. Revise your resume.
Owner, YOUR CONSULTING FIRM NAME
20XX - present
Provide interim and short-term senior management and leadership to nonprofit organizations in the XXXXXX sectors. Blah blah blah leadershipcakes word salad about your key areas of expertise.
20XX - 20XX CEO, ABC Nonprofit
20XX - 20XX Interim Executive Director, PDQ Inc.
20XX - 20XX Senior Policy Director, XYZ Nonprofit
20XX - 20XX Interim Executive Director, Small Nonprofit
And that's all I've got today, kids. As always, send your communications conundrums to DearMurgatroyd@gmail.com. Cheers!
___________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I'm a R(ecovering) Executive Director and am now the #2 at a large, regional nonprofit. Mostly, I do the stuff my boss doesn't want to do which is fine because normally it means I don't have to deal with the board (other than monthly meetings). Except, my boss had to have emergency surgery and will be out on medical leave for the next three months and I've been appointed the interim ED. We have a large board and they are mostly concerned with fundraising and policy issues but with the ED being out, a few rogue board members are trying to micromanage things up to and including what font I'm using in my emails. What message can I send to them to knock it off so that I can focus on doing my job and my ED's job for the next few months?
Well, your rogue board members might be annoying but they probably aren't evil so that's a good thing. Right? Here's what I'd suggest:
Dear Murgatroyd:
Thank you so much for your concern about how the ORG team is upholding the Brand Standards. It's a concern of mine as well and so I'm attaching a copy of our Brand Standards so you can see how our font, colors and logo use are consistent across all communications channels.
Sincerely,
Interim ED
Dear Beauregard:
Thank you for stopping by yesterday and offering to help with the bank deposit. During your visit, you noted your concern that we're using a paper clip instead of a staple to attach the bank deposit to the checks and I wanted to circle back with you and assure you that our auditors, our financial institution and our insurance company has approved how we prepare and submit the bank deposits. I've attached a copy of our Financial Policies & Procedures Manual for your edification if you have any additional questions. Feel free to send any questions to Scrooge McDuck, our Treasurer at showmethemoney@gmail.com.
_________________________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I live and work in a large metropolitan area with an equally large nonprofit scene that sometimes feels like the smallest town in America. Everyone knows everyone else (or where we work) and everyone is super fake nice to each other but viciously mean behind their backs. I try to ignore it and focus on my work, my two young kids, my grad school classes (what was I thinking???) and my spouse who travels two weeks or more a month.
Sometimes I even almost forget about the "Mean Girls" clique and then I go to one of the quarterly gatherings for a grantmaker or I go to a AFP meeting or I go to an event and there they are, always. (They must make way more than I do as they are out and about ALL THE TIME.) There are air kisses and fake praise for my work and then I overheard Mean Girl 1 telling Mean Girl 2 how incompetent I was while we were all in the bathroom. (Seriously, if you're going to gossip, check under the stalls first! ~ Julie)
What can I do to make it easier to deal with these nasties?
Oh honey. So here's what you're going to do:
1. You need your own collective of like-minded, kindhearted nonprofiteers. Start assembling your Nonprofit SuperFriends and be honest about needing a small community of colleagues who can provide you with wise counsel and support. Share resources, attend events for each other and just generally cultivate friends. This will make walking into those meetings so much easier and it will dull or even diminish the power that the "Mean Girls" have over you.
2. Practice smiling like the Mona Lisa in the mirror. It'll take some time but work on your poker face to the point where you can witness a car accident without flinching and when you see any of the "Mean Girls" in public or someone brings them up, you need to smile a tiny bit, tilt your head a tiny bit and say "bless their heart" or "isn't that nice?" is the mildest tone you can manage. You can never be accused of being anything other than polite.
3. Give yourself a 5 minute temper tantrum allowance every day to flip out about stupid shit like mean people on the internet. Set an alarm. Punch pillows. My friend Barbara recommends stabbing a pillow with a fork and I'm going to try it soon. Your need for venting will diminish over time and your ability to cope will increase but you need to let yourself be mad and petty.
___________________________________________________
Dear Julie:
I've been doing interim and short-term jobs as EDs for the last decade and I'm starting to think that if I ever find "the one" job, I won't get picked for it because I look like a job hopper. How can I present myself as a stable, professional when my resume looks a bit of a mess.
Good gravy, are you me? Here's what I suggest you consider doing:
1. If you haven't done so already, set yourself up as an LLC. It's easy, inexpensive and takes a few hours to get things sorted. I'm sure there's great legal advice out there that you can find by Googling "setting up an LLC in YOUR STATE" and someone at your state's licensing bureau can help you figure out the right paperwork. #notalawyer I DIYd my own paperwork and it was easy enough to get sorted.
2. Revise your resume.
Owner, YOUR CONSULTING FIRM NAME
20XX - present
Provide interim and short-term senior management and leadership to nonprofit organizations in the XXXXXX sectors. Blah blah blah leadershipcakes word salad about your key areas of expertise.
20XX - 20XX CEO, ABC Nonprofit
20XX - 20XX Interim Executive Director, PDQ Inc.
20XX - 20XX Senior Policy Director, XYZ Nonprofit
20XX - 20XX Interim Executive Director, Small Nonprofit
And that's all I've got today, kids. As always, send your communications conundrums to DearMurgatroyd@gmail.com. Cheers!
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