6 ms·
>multi-million dollar a year non-profit At 24 I ended up as the chair of a not for profit that stood on top of $30 million of real estate _because no one else
by llm_trw 2y ago
>multi-million dollar a year non-profit
At 24 I ended up as the chair of a not for profit that stood on top of $30 million of real estate _because no one else wanted to_. Getting quorum was impossible because we needed three out of five board members to show up to a meeting.
People have this idea it's mustache twirling villains running these things. It's usually the idiot thats about to burn out.
- ianhawes 2y agoHappy to hear that my experience in non-profits was not unique.
- llm_trw 2y agoOne of these days I should write a book about it. Question: It's 2 am, a dead opossum is stuck in the main drain for the property and the water is rising during a once in a decade storm. What do you do? Answer: Wade neck deep into the water, with a stoner tripping on mushroom holding a light, then stab it with a crowbar until the water pressure flushes it down.
- justinclift 2y agoAnd the stoner tripping on mushrooms was you, but you didn't realise it wasn't someone else at the time? :) Maybe you could turn it into a movie script, something like 'Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas'? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120669
- I_Am_Nous 2y agoGlad to know you didn't get sucked down too, neck deep water draining has some crazy strength. I'm sure that was quite a magical experience for Flashlight Stoner as well!
- QuinnyPig 2y ago[flagged]
- 8372049 2y agoThe reason you're getting downvoted is because we avoid reddit-esque cookie cutter jokes like that on here. They don't add much to the discussion and lower the signal to noise ratio.
- eropple 2y agoKnowing a little about who you're replying to, I don't think he needs a lecture.
- DANmode 2y agoKnowing nothing about them, or the comment - everyone makes mistakes, and the community agreed this was one.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- 8372049 2y agoI'm not sure what you mean by that. In any case it's not a "lecture" in the scalding meaning of the word. Explaining why something is bad is better than simply downvoting.
- cpach 2y ago“One of these days I should write a book about it.” Please do!
- garaetjjte 2y agoWas that part of chairman duties?
- llm_trw 2y agoThat crowbar was basically my badge of office. So many uses. Removing asbestos, evicting crackheads, opening windows, finding a hidden room behind a fake wall.
- datadrivenangel 2y agoas another idiot about to burn out, it's not unique. :)
- OccamsMirror 2y ago> It's usually the idiot thats about to burn out. 99 times out of 100 it's that idiot. The only time it's not is when it is someone that has figured out how to truly benefit themselves from the appointment. Whether ethically or no.
- llm_trw 2y agoEveryone wants to be Mitchell Baker.
- drewda 2y agoBaker was the CEO of the Mozilla Foundation. For what it's worth, the above comments are talking about serving on the board of directors of a foundation -- which is most often part-time and not paid.
- Dalewyn 2y agoBaker is the Chairman of Mozilla Foundation and is (was) the CEO of Mozilla Corporation.
- drewda 2y agoYes, but for what it's worth, I was reading the above comment as being about the large compensation package that Baker received as the CEO of Mozilla Foundation.
- fetzu 2y agoA compensation (as CEO of Mozilla Corporation) which is set by (I imagine) the board of the Mozilla Foundation.
- gabrielsroka 2y agoChairwoman https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/leadership/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/about/leadership/
- MikeTheGreat 2y agoGenuine question: Why did you include "about to burn out" in the description? Is it because the chairing the non-profit is enough work/burden that it causes folks to burn out, or does this role tend to attract people who are already on the path to burning out, or some other thing? I thought that was a really interesting detail to include but couldn't quite figure it out on my own. :) Thanks in advance!
- sdenton4 2y agoIt's often people who have a hard time saying no who end up spread thin over a number of gigs - this leads to burn out. Or not showing up to meetings... The 3/5 of the board who can't be rounded up are also signed up for too many things.
- ghaff 2y agoWhen I was chair of a small non-profit (currently still a board member after a hiatus for a few years), I'm not sure I'd have described it as burnout but increased lack of engagement and interest definitely became a problem over time. When we did require in-person votes/quorums, that did become a problem because it usually required traveling for most board members 2 or 3 weekends a year. At some point, while I was on hiatus, the board did change its rules to allow telephone and, later, Zoom attendance which has been IMO something of a mixed bag but probably inevitable especially post-COVID. I'd like people to get together in person more but it's harder than when the board skewed younger; people have more family responsibilities at this point and, of course at this point, a lot of people just have less patience about getting together physically when business can mostly be taken care of over a couple hour Zoom call. Fortunately, the non-profit's regular activities and finances have been on a pretty even keel so the board mostly just keeps an eye out for problems.
- extragood 2y agoNot sure if it's what was meant, but an HOA board isn't too far off of that description. In my experience, the job is necessary but relatively thankless and uncompensated. No one wanted to volunteer their time, and I was interested in cash flow and a building improvement so I served for a year. The only other board members ran uncontested and also had very demanding jobs outside of the association. Everyone else was happy to let us take care of all the minutiae of coordinating maintenance, budget, property management, etc. It was a lot of work. So to answer your question, I've observed that it attracts people who are already ambitious in other aspects of their life (and maybe a little too generous with their own time), and the extra work it entails compounds with their other commitments which can lead to burnout.
- yieldcrv 2y agoamusing, private foundations + a donor advised fund is way better, have you tried that?
- protocolture 2y agoEeeh I have seen some pretty shoddy dealings in the not for profit sector. It usually doesnt come out of the small guys tho. When the grifters get in its usually over.
- DragonStrength 2y agoNo, we have a view of people who are over-stretched failing to meet their obligations while still taking those spots for clout and resume. Your example fits that perfectly. No one wants to be the chair of a non-profit that isn't doing anything because lazy people have packed the board and refuse to work. We can't help but wonder how much better those resources could be used if not restricted to the in-group.
- llm_trw 2y agoGiven how often I had to deal with crackhead infestations: the place would have burned down in a month if it wasn't restricted to an in group.