Opinionated Procrastination: Government Shutdowns and Non-Profit Management

Government Shutdown
Dear friends, I am disappointed in you.  My Facebook newsfeed is seemingly void of any discussion of America's most current and shocking failure.  Pia, the stunning and talented American Idol was sent home last night because of your failure to vote.  Instead, I am seeing a constant stream of poorly informed chatter about government shutdowns and Obama's failures.  Don't you understand that a talented Jersey girl's dreams were crushed, just crushed last night?

Ok, in all seriousness, folks, I don't watch American Idol and I'm slightly embarrassed for even knowing about this Pia woman.  I am disappointed, though.  I'm disappointed that people make poorly educated statements blaming Obama and the Dems for this government shutdown.  First of all, the government is shutting down because of our representatives' inability to compromise and play nice for the sake of the American people.  In case you missed Kindergarten, a compromise (definition: to come to agreement by mutual concession) requires give and take from all parties.  So 50% of this crises cannot be blamed on Obama & Co (and I think that's being generous).  Secondly, the reason Congress is getting paid while other deserving and essential employees and troops are not is because the Republicans failed to pass a bill that would stop Congress' paychecks in the event of a shutdown.  Hear that?  So before you go copying and pasting Facebook statuses blaming Obama for the troops and employees not getting paid while he and Congress get their paychecks, let's all remember that Obama & Co not only agree with you, but they tried to do something about it.  Oh, and please, get your shit together about Planned Parenthood before you spout made-up non-facts on the Senate floor.

Non-profit Management
On a very different note, I would like to vent briefly about how not to run a non-profit.  Over the past few weeks I have been stockpiling frustrations with the many non-profits I am involved in and I have compiled a collection of non-profit no nos.  To be clear, this is not directed at any particular non-profit and is based on experiences with at least 5 different organizations and I am not naming names or calling anybody out.

1. When people make a donation, do not include a donation slip in your thank you letter.  That's just tacky.
2. Do not affiliate with poorly planned and distasteful events (eg. beer pong tournaments), even if it does mean money for you.
3. Do affiliate with well-planned, well-organized, and tasteful events (eg. book talks, walkathons, picnics), even when they may not be all about you, especially if it does mean money for you. (#3 is also known as cutting off the nose to spite the face)
4. Do not host an upscale volunteer dinner and tell volunteers that they can't bring a guest/date (even at a charge), especially when the volunteers don't know each other.  Who wants to show up at a formal reception when they don't know a single other person?

Now I must get back to my seemingly hundredth paper in 2 years on the obesity epidemic.  If you haven't had enough frustration, anger, or disappointment in your day, I suggest you check out the pretty colors in this video.