[Foundation-l] Where we are headed

Sat Jun 3 21:03:43 UTC 2006

Gavin Chait wrote:
> In response to Anthony and other related posts:
> 
> 
>>Someone is needed to bootstrap the
>>organization ... I think it's important to make it
>>clear that this isn't a permanent position, though.  In part, because
>>it's dangerous to assign such a position when you really have no clue
>>what the position is
> 
> 
>>One thing I think is important though is the interim CEO should be
>>made aware that a big part of eir job is going to be explaining eir
>>actions to the entire membership
> 
> 
> So far the CEO / COO / Director *interim* position can be summarised as 
> follows:
> 
> "We need help real fast.  We don't know what help we need and would like you 
> to tell us.  Please don't ruffle any feathers.  Don't do anything without 
> telling everyone in the community.  We'll get back to you about what we 
> decide."
> 
> So, appointing an *interim* CEO / COO / Director will have a result 
> equivalent to not appointing an *interim* CEO / COO / Director.  The core 
> problem: "We don't know what to do next and we need help deciding what to 
> do," won't have been solved and can't be solved until the board and 
> community decide.

Gavin, I really love to read you. I find a lot of insight in what you 
say. I appreciate you share your experience with us.
At the same time, I must tell you that if some of what you suggest is 
very much "to the point" and will certainly suggest some changes to 
bring, in other cases, you are just aside the point.
You are sometimes holding some ideas which are so far from our daily 
reality that it is actually funny ;-) The "core" problem you are citing 
above is not the core problem.

>>You've given your own suggestions above, but what is the board going
>>to do, say "hey, Gavin Chait said this is how we should do it, so lets
>>go with it"?  I don't think it's going to happen.

No :-)

> Why not?  I have 15 years experience in South Africa developing and running 
> non-profit organisations in fields as diverse as HIV / AIDS, education and 
> small business development.  I've worked with student-run, university-based 
> organisations, corporate funded ones, and institutional versions.  I have 
> fund-raised, written proposals, developed ideas and implemented them.  Some 
> of my ideas even work.

I am quite certain of that, but before us doing what you suggest doing, 
you will need to discover more about the internal life of the 
Foundation. Don't get me wrong : I am sure you have a lot to bring. But 
you may need to accept that what you are thinking as factual... is maybe 
not so factual.

> I'm probably not the only person with this sort of experience on this list 
> but I do have some idea of what it takes to run a self-sustaining non-profit 
> social benefit organisation.
> 
> So why not listen to my suggestions?  They are my opinions, based on my 
> experiences.  They are freely and honestly given.  I don't have all the 
> answers but I may be able to save you some bother.