What’s it like to sit on a non-profit board? I am about to find out......From my work and friendships struck up through the local volunteering, I started January 2020 invited to sit on 3 different local volunteer group boards. I knew this was probably too much to handle (in addition to my art - which gets priority, 2 bookclubs, frequent travel, local political activism, and la ronde social life) so I decided to give it 30 days and see how it went. Three different groups / experiences:
The Denton Community Market
In it’s 11th season, the DCM runs from April - December of each year, meets in our beautiful county historical park, features live local bands, and is the largest farmers + makers market in DFW other than the one in downtown Dallas. It averages over 5,000 visitors per Saturday throughout the season. Venders / sellers are vetted, and no re-sellers allowed (no booths selling junk from Asia or just junk). Farmers are local and mostly organic. Crafters are juried and only the top 3 in each type of art are selected. Market days include tie-ins with food trucks, local seasonal / C of C events, yoga classes, kid and dog activities, and is FREE to enter and experience. Come on by and check it out! There’s always something fun going on.
Not to be confused with master gardening - a group which covers a diverse array of gardening topics, interests, approaches, and strategies - The NPSOT educates the community on native plant preservation and habitat - only. Earth-wise, native plant, water-wise gardening techniques. Various local chapters focus on micro-climes and regional habitats, plants, and the critters that interact with them. NPSOT has educational meetings, a plant sale, and falls under the umbrella of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Preserve.
To become an MG is to commit to a year long journey with a college level semester long course and 70+ hours of volunteering in the various local MG projects. Programs vary by county but mine has many projects, large and small, from state and regional wild nature parks to community flower and vegetable gardens, children’s programs, bee keeping, rose and orchid clubs, wild habitat preservation in waterways and prairies, to golf course maintenance, speakers groups for HOAs, libraries, summer camps and churches, plant sales, plant related arts and crafts, field trips for schoolchildren, food production for local food banks, Arbor Day tree give-a-ways, organic, non-organic, and more. It’s a huge group that donates 1000s of unpaid vol hours to our community every year.
Update :
I have had the interesting education of serving on 3 boards of volunteer organizations this past year (descriptions and order above is scrambled, for privacy). My experiences:
#1 was efficiently run, financially stable, but its members were grouchy assholes, and everything was done by a small group of old timers, resistant to fresh ideas, new members, or even basic technology updates like online sign up sheets. Every question I asked p.o.’d people, every offer of help p.o.’d people, every idea I had p.o.’d people......everything I did p.o.’d people......even when I bought and brought my own art supplies and opened up the art activity to all interested folk p.o.’d people.......snacking on an 8 hour vol stint p.o.’d people......starting my own personal FB page with ideas and conversations p.o.’d people......even my personal FB posts p.o. people. Up until this experience, I had thought of myself as a jolly sort who got along with just about everyone....No role for me or anyone else to find and play; wondered why I was there.
#2 was sort of a creative afterthought, run on a catch-as catch-can strategy, no clear goals. I was given many conflicting tasks to do by various members not communicating with each other, who then complained when I did (exactly as directed) the stuff I was told to do (bc no one knew what was going on) by the CEO. Simple stuff, PR.....nothing serious. Unorganized, and as a teacher friend of mine said, “If I’d wanted a lot of different people telling me what to do then complaining about it, I’d have stayed in teaching! This is not what I retired for- to add to my stress.”
#3 was a hot f-ing mess, in serious financial disarray due to poor decisions past and ongoing, a CEO who had been fired but refused to leave, constant churn of board members in and out, hiring unqualified inexperienced employees in paid positions, liability and safety issues not addressed, an ED who refused to follow Roberts Rules of Order (refused to carry out what board unanimously voted to do). Once monthly meetings morphed into 24/7 group texts and zoom meetings....I got to where hearing that “ding!” on my computer made me want to throw up.
Can you guess my reaction to these 3 situations?
At the end of January, I resigned from #1and #2 of the boards (not a good fit with my personality, skills, and interests) but stayed on the one I felt most passionate about, for awhile longer.....Then Covid-19 pandemic came and the quarantine shut it down. Still feel like I could maybe help them - I am very organized, a hard worker, have marketing experience from my days at P&G, Used to think I worked well w others, know lots of local folk to help, pull in, from my political activism....But am concerned about liability issues.
https://safeharborim.com/top-reasons-why-volunteers-quit/
https://volpro.net/5-reasons-why-volunteers-quit/
https://influencemagazine.com/Practice/Five-Reasons-Your-Volunteers-Quit
My thoughts about Denton Co MGs - not MGs in general:
At age 59, almost 60, I have spent my entire life working hard to get along w different kinds of people. Lived in big cities (NYC, Houston, LA, Wash DC) and small towns (Lindale and Sulphur Springs, Tx.) and everywhere in between. Taught rich white kids at a posh Houston private prep school, and poor inner city Af-Am kids in DC, too. Got along w parents and faculty in both situations. Students like me and friend me on FB. I have always straddled that line between being both well off and poor at various points in my life, smart and stupid, pretty and dorky, popular and unknown, quiet and loud. But I have never been universally unliked. Feared, yes (in teaching, and I was ok w that). Respected, often (for many years, over 20+ I have been heavily involved w Denton politics, my church, my college alumni assoc, local arts, my neighborhood, etc.) The mayor of Denton once gave me a commendation for my service to the city. Have friends new and old (going back to elem school.) I’m in 2 bookclubs with folk who enjoy laughter, wine, and pretending we read the book. I know I am not perfect and have many faults. When people criticize me, I take it to heart , and try to mend fences, do what I am told, repair the situation.
BUT I have never been a part of an organization where I felt as if everything I did - even while doing what I was told to do - was wrong. And that’s how I feel at DCMGA.
The tiniest things seem to set people off : A friend and I got yelled at for snacking during the day while vol for a 6 hour shift at JR MG summer camp. I kinda got along w the ladies doing garden tours at Bayless Selby House, and offered to help them set up their calendar online, but got yelled at by the person in charge, even though I was told to do this by the Board President. (And then soon after telling me I was not allowed to help, person who yelled at me for trying to help quit bc she was overwhelmed w work.....) The fall fest lady yelled at me for asking Q there. A different set of ladies at the JR MG summer camp kicked up a huge stink bc I opened up the art activities to everyone, incl staff - I even bought my own supplies so there was enough for everyone - so the teens helping out could participate, too. Half a dozen crabby old ladies descended on me barking “crafts are for kids only!” (My response was, why? As a teacher, I know it’s good for kids when they see adults model good behavior with them.....) I started and run a neighborhood FB page, with a separate gardening page, and regularly I get pm-ed from a DCMGA old lady that this or that post is proprietary info and I am not allowed to share it. Or telling me I’m wrong, when I’m not (bc I never post without an authoritative source to back it up.) My offers of serving on the newsletter (stuff I’m good at) were rebuffed. The Board Pres. put me in charge of a sub group, Denton branch of Tx Native Plant Society, and directly asked me to do PR, social media posts, techy online support, calendar updates, and more. I started to, but received so much bitching *for doing what I was told to do*, that I quit. A fellow intern wrote some “don’t do this” news article for the newsletter about my *behavior* and felt compelled to *have a talk to me about my actions* even as I was doing what Board Pres. was telling me what to do and various members in charge of projects were complaining about no help.
Even my husband, who stopped by the plant sale set up day last May to bring me lunch, water, etc said he’d never in his life been around so many surly, unhelpful people - and all he did was ask “where is the perennials section?”
As a retired teacher friend once said, “ I retired so I don’t have to take this kind of bs.” I set myself a goal, to earn the DCMGA badge, and I did it. But at this point, I don’t care if I can re-certify or not. Life is too short and who wants to spend time where they are disliked. I will likely fade out from DCMGA. I learned what I need and plan to keep working on my yard and maybe start some vol civic gardening projects in my neighborhood park.
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