Post by BlondeSpiders on Mar 5, 2015 14:49:47 GMT -5
I am the president of a medium-sized non-profit "community center." I have served 2-ish terms, and last month, we voted in a new President whose term starts in July. Additionally, our Development Director sends out a weekly newsletter that highlights what events are happening this week and related off-site events. The DD and Managing Director have a small column in this newsletter, and I occasionally contribute columns as needed.
The newsletter went out yesterday, and I was surprised to see a column from our newly elected member. It started with, "it's my great honor to thank outgoing President (Me, and my name spelled incorrectly) and to announce that I have been named President-Elect, and will blah blah blah until Brittany's term ends in July." She goes on further to state that she will be writing weekly columns to keep the members as informed as possible.
I'm worried that this will just confuse our members, who can't even figure out when our regular board meetings are, let alone remember who is President. I also think her weekly columns will seem odd next to mine, especially if we're writing about the same things (upcoming fundraisers, etc.) I still have things planned for my last few months, and I don't appreciate appearing as a lame duck.
The last year has REALLY turned our organization around, in terms of increased memberships, renewals, and general organization. Under my watch, our board has the largest number of members it's ever had, at 12. (I chair the Recruitment Committee, so I can take credit for this.) Every one of our committees is staffed and functional, and the aura of secretive and shadowy Board meetings has gone away. Members are happy about the level of transparency that I've worked really hard to foster.
Post by ChillyMcFreeze on Mar 5, 2015 14:52:49 GMT -5
Not stupid. That would bother me to no end. The point of a president-elect is to apprentice under the current president and learn the ropes. She's trying to butt in before her turn, and it undermines you. She needs to cool her jets for the next 4 months.
Unless you two are writing about totally different things, I do find this strange, not from a confusion angle so much as an odd toe-stepping angle. If she is merely President-elect, I don't understand why she would start writing a column now, particularly if she hasn't consulted with you, the President, about doing so.
Did you know you were outgoing President? Wow. It seems like an overstep to me. I probably would not write anymore columns except a quick good bye/ thank you post.
ETA: just saw that you recently voted, so you were aware
No, you're not being stupid. What she is doing doesn't make sense at all. I think the intro column was an ok idea, but not a monthly column from now through July. Ideally, she'd back off and let you do your column until July. Then in July, you can do a goodbye column and let her take over the informational stuff. Can you talk to the chair of the board? or the Development Director? Or the president-elect directly?
Not stupid @ all. Who gave her permission to begin submitting a monthly article? I'd definitely try to straighten this out to keep the transparency for which you've worked hard to create! Sheesh- so right in your frustration; I'M rolling my eyes at this lady!! I'm wondering what your relationship is w/ pres-elect? Do you need some help on how to approach this? Can the person in charge of the newsletter be straightened out, & approach her with you? Not to gang up, but to make it less Pres vs. Pres. Elect.
Post by onomatopoeia on Mar 5, 2015 15:05:14 GMT -5
This would drive me crazy, and rightfully so. It's pretty unprofessional on her part to do this, imo, without clearing it with you. That's no way to establish new relationships as president-elect. So no, not stupid of you. Very stupid of her.
Has the administration been trying to shut you out/kick you out the door prior to this?
Post by BlondeSpiders on Mar 5, 2015 15:45:37 GMT -5
You guys are so great, thanks for the support. I felt stupid for feeling undermined, and having my toes stepped on. But it sounds like anyone would feel this way.
My relationship with her has been pretty ok. There was one time where I had to tell her she was overstepping her bounds (correcting a volunteer that everyone knew I was working with directly) and she wrote an apology that was so long and wordy it bordered on obsequious.
Technically I had been past my term for a while now, and for the past 5 months I've been asking board members to consider running for President. I'm tired, and I need a break! I've warned them that June was my last month, and she decided to step up because no one else wanted it. I'm glad she did, because then I can be done!
Our board's relationship with the Directors is very open and friendly. They report to the Board, and as President, I'm kind of at the top. (muah hah hah.) Theoretically, I do have a lot of power, but I'm a very diplomatic type of President. We've had some truly awful, power-hungry, ego-driven Presidents in the past. Also, I'm the first female President in our org's 15-year history, so I'm very aware of the legacy I'm leaving behind.
Here's what I wrote to her:
Hi President-Elect, Let me start by saying how happy I am that you'll be taking the reins in July. I have no doubt that you'll do a wonderful and very thorough job.
I have to admit that I was a little surprised by some of the things you mentioned in the newsletter. Being that I am still in office until July, I worry that weekly updates under the authority of President may confuse our members. I have several newsletter items planned out for spring, and I don't think updates from the President and the President-Elect in the same newsletter make a lot of sense.
I'm thrilled that you're excited about your new position. But I am still here, and I have some ideas cooking. Please don't make me a lame duck.
Does the DD have a team or assistant or some kind of committee to help with the newsletter? If so, I'd try to get in on those meetings. Or does s/he just collect the content and put it together? Is there a layout/template that s/he uses every week?
I do email newsletters and content both for work and for my volunteer organization. I'm pretty adept at being all, "Yeah, unfortunately, that's not going to fit this time, due to some pressing information/current events." From a branding perspective, you don't want to be sending out, like, 11 articles in each newsletter. The recipients' eyes will glaze over and you'll get less hits and be less informative that way.
If the DD is struggling for content, I'd be okay with her writing occasional articles, but definitely at the discretion of everyone else. I wouldn't let her write about big upcoming changes or her plans for the organization, but if she wants to write about an upcoming event or something you guys recently did, whatever. And be sure to by-line her as President-Elect.
Also, do you have a blog on your website? That's something else that can be a vehicle for content that doesn't necessarily make the cut into the newsletter.
Post by charminglife on Mar 5, 2015 16:19:08 GMT -5
I think it's really strange that she was the one to announce her presidency in her own column, rather than it coming out in a press release or in a column written by the managing director.
I think she overstepped but i'd be more concerned about confusion w/ other members as to what's going on. I hope she responds to your email soon.
I wonder what the development director was thinking, publishing that. I'm that person at the org I volunteer-work for. If I published that note at all I would have made the heading something obvious about when this person starts. But really I would have held onto it until June. So to answer your question, yes I'd be annoyed.
"Not gonna lie; I kind of keep expecting you to post one day that you threw down on someone who clearly had no idea that today was NOT THEIR DAY." ~dontcallmeshirley
Wow, I did not peg you as a Brittany. Any spelling.
Lol! I don't know how to take that. I'm a 1984 baby, and my father was a hippie. I'm genuinely lucky my name isn't Sundance Moonflower.
Nah, its because your sn is stan. Which was my grandpa's name. Its kind of like that thing a while ago where people posted pictures of themselves and it came out that many people pictured others as something like their signature picture (so people had an image of major as Obama-ish, etc).
Nah, its because your sn is stan. Which was my grandpa's name. Its kind of like that thing a while ago where people posted pictures of themselves and it came out that many people pictured others as something like their signature picture (so people had an image of major as Obama-ish, etc).
My bff calls me Stan! Most of my friends call me that or my last name (mil friends). I mean hell, some people here are still surprised I'm not a gay man.