Stand Up, Sit Down, Stand Up

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Josh

: Image via Wikipedia

Our politicians got a lot of exercise on Tuesday night at the State of the Union address. It was amazing to watch the aerobics in action with people wearing their stiff ties and trying to look partially interested in what President Obama was sharing with the country.

Rather than looking at components of President Obama’s speech (which every other blog post will do), I think there is a deeper value in the watching of the people who were in attendance at the speech and watching their little exercise routine.

These politicians, who we elected, made an effort to show a unified government by sitting with a “date” of the other party. Rather than keeping the status quo, these politicians decided that it is better to have a room full of people where rather than just one side standing up and sitting down that a mix of people sitting and standing would make for better television. In the past, you will see one side of the room standing and applauding everything and the other side will have everyone sitting.

As I watched the entire hour and twelve minute speech, it was interesting to watch as these politicians squirmed in their seats. As democrats tried to decide when to stand and applaud and republicans sat giving a short clap. They were robots who stood up when the democrat string was pulled and clapped in pain when the republican string was pulled.

Why can’t these politicians think for themselves? Do you really think that they are going to lose a vote in the next election because they might have agreed with something the President said?

This little exercise routine shows the greater cause for concern in the entire nonprofit sector. We are willing to stand up when our organizations need something but when another organization or cause gets pushed to the side, we sit down quietly. We are willing to stand up to get a President elected but then when the media attacks him for a certain decision (which is most likely out of his hands), we sit down quietly again.

We live in a world of puppet strings where we stand up when others around us stand up and sit quietly when others around us sit down but we should be standing up and speaking loudly about the injustices and problems which exist in our neighborhoods and communities. We shouldn’t be living in fear that someone isn’t standing up or that others will give us a nasty stare for standing up when they are sitting down.

As nonprofit professionals, it is our duty to speak up for our causes and to stand up when these causes are getting recognition and not getting recognition. The politicians on Tuesday night tried changing the status quo with the seat changes but in actuality it just highlighted the puppet strings more.

Stand up. Stand up for your causes at all times not just the good or bad times.

Call 911, Hospital Communication Needs to Improve

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Josh

You hear my heartbeat, can you not hear my answers?

Last week, I had the awesome opportunity to have an unplanned surgery.

I went in to my primary doctor and was told, “you will actually have to go to the hospital to have surgery.”

Twelve hours later and dozens of nurses and doctors asking the same questions and my surgery over, I realized what a headache our current health system is in. Not only is there problems with insurance (this topic has been beaten into the ground) and malpractice suits but now I saw the bureaucracy of how the Emergency Room doesn’t communicate with the general hospital who don’t communicate with the operating floor.

How many times do I need to repeat where I live, what my phone number is and whether or not I have a hearing aid? Yes, it is important to get the facts right but to type in my answers every time is crazy.

I sat in an emergency room for 4 hours was moved to another room for 3 hours and then spent 1 hour in surgery before being sent to my recovery room. From the minute I walked into the emergency room, I was poked and prodded by a nurse, a physician’s assistant, a surgeon and another nurse. Each one said, “I will be right back, I need to see what is next.”

I was then moved to another floor where I had a nurse take over 45 minutes to ask me the same questions I had just answered downstairs in ten minutes. When I asked her when I was going to surgery she didn’t have an answer. Then a nurse came in to take blood to see how my blood sugar was. The only problem was this was for the person who was in the room before me! They hadn’t even communicated that this person was already out of the hospital.

Then on the surgery floor, I was asked if I had any anti-biotics yet for the surgery. Shouldn’t that be on the files which are now done on the computer?

Yes my care was excellent and I am feeling a lot better but why in a world of technology and me being in the same building should a hospital act like it is the first day they have ever done some of this. (This was not my first encounter with the poor communication at a hospital, we had a similar situation when my son was born.)

As a nonprofit professional, I know there are communication issues in all nonprofits (and for-profits) but I truly wish an organization which has people’s lives in their hands would come across as knowing what they are doing even if behind the scenes there might be communication issues. The next time you go in for a surgery or the birth of your child, be prepared to answer the same questions over and over.

Youth: Our Future Leaders

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Josh

The future is bright with students as our leaders.

200 Screaming Jewish teenagers, 25 youth workers, four days of events and stuck in one building. Sounds like fun, right?

That is what my (long) weekend is going to look like.

Actually, these weekends are some of my favorite weekends in my job. I get to watch as these teens lead programs, services, socials, social action programs and inspire their peers. Yes, the majority of the programs don’t leave an inspirational moment in these students lives but these students gain a deeper appreciation and passion for their own faith. These are truly the moments I live for.

Today will mark students from across Colorado, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska coming together and meeting up for the first time in a year. These friendships which they have made and will make will last a life time and deep down these students are also becoming our future leaders.

They are cutting their teeth on programming and leading discussions. They are learning that planning the night before for a program is not successful and that sometimes teamwork is more of a headache than they thought. The students are learning skills which will shape who they will become. For some students, this will be the last “convention” they ever attend and they will find other passions in lives. For others, there might be a student who will become a youth director, a rabbi, a cantor, or a board member based on their experience this weekend.

I for one look forward to the craziness because I know that I was once where they are and if even 10 of them walk away with a new found passion or a desire to create change I have succeeded in my job.

Anything But Normal

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Josh

: Cover of Next to Normal (Original Broadway Cast)

On Sunday, I went with my wife and saw the musical Next to Normal. This was unlike many other musicals I have ever seen which can leave the audience wanting to buy the cd or seeing it again. Yes, this was an amazing musical and the actors and actresses did an amazing performance (we even had an understudy for one of the main roles). The audience left thinking about how this musical can relate to their own lives.

The musical addresses the state of mental health disorders and how the process of the drugs and medication impact the entire family and network of friends not just the one living with the health issues. As I sat in my seat watching the characters go back and forth with the family dynamics completely a mess due to the drugs in some scenes and the lack of drugs in other scenes, I realized this musical had a message for each audience member; it is alright to be anything but normal.

In a society where we hang on the words of our athletes, celebrities and politicians and watch in jealousy and awe as these same people make millions of dollars and in a society where laws and rules seem to not be for them, we think they are leading normal lives. Every single one American still looks at the American Dream as being normal. In reality, there is no normal. Each of our lives is going to be anything but normal and that is okay because that allows us to have individuality and success. We are not robots and we cannot be expected to be the same as our neighbors, our parents, our siblings or our friends. Rather than sitting around hoping we can live the lives of the celebrities, we should be out creating a name for ourselves.

As for the health industry, there are millions of news stories and blog posts about the current health care issues in the United States but when it comes to the topic of mental health, our society seems to try and hide this topic. When will our society start putting real effort into changing the way we talk about depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia disorder, ADHD, ADD and many other disorders? We seem to step on shells when discussing these disorders while we try to help the patients become “next to normal.” If there is no normal for people without these disorders why should there be a normal for people living with any of these disorders? We talk about them living a “normal” life when we should be talking about them leading a fulfilling and satisfied life. Yes, we need to get them help when they need it but the help for one of them is not going to be the same for the next person.

Let’s remember that we are anything but normal and our expectations should not be any different.

The Need to Slow Down

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Josh

Stop what you are doing. Step away from your phone. Quit pounding the keyboard.

You need to take a step back and take a look at yourself and what you are doing.

Today, I attended the funeral of a gentle human being. This gentle giant (he always towered over me), was someone who loved the outdoors and truly cared about his wife, his daughter and his three granddaughters. As I was sitting and watching these people mourn the loss of their loved one, I also was watching the outside world stand still for the hour I was there.

I did not check my watch. I did not check my phone. I was there in the moment listening and watching as this loved one was put to rest.

In our technological savvy society, we have become so enthralled with the new “toy” or the next smartphone that we have truly lost what life truly means. I have always known that Americans are working to live but I think it is a great time for us to step back and look at what it means to live. I know that I do the work I am in because it makes me feel good but I also have fallen victim to the social media craze and the smartphone craze.

Imagine how our lives would look if we stepped away from our televisions, computers and phones for even 15 minutes a day. Imagine if we spent that time telling our loved ones how much they mean to us, or calling a friend we haven’t talked to in years. Imagine a time where you wished someone “Happy Birthday” in person or with a card rather than on the social network.

Yes, we need to use the social network as a tool for the future growth of our professions but we also need to take time to be with those who mean so much to us. So instead of checking Facebook for the twelfth time today, why not go call a grandparent, a parent or a friend and make the most of the lives we are living.

Written in memory of Henry. May your memories be a blessing to your family and friends and may your free spirit live on for many years to come.

2011: Nonprofit Gold Outlook

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Josh

Six days in and only now writing the outlook for 2011?

In my post, September: What Went Wrong? I explained that writing out a plan for a whole month was something which didn’t work. Yes, I could sit down and say since I wrote over 50 articles in 6 months last year, this year I plan on writing over 100. I could also say I plan on covering the following topics in the nonprofit sector.

Seeing as I have no idea what tomorrow (or even later today) brings, I will not set up my outlook for the year on specifics. Rather, I will look at the general message I hope to give as we go forward in 2011.

2011 will serve as a year of growth for me. This year will mark my graduation from Regis University‘s Master’s in Nonprofit Management program. This year also marks my second year of employment at my current position which has gone by so fast. I will also be working on challenging myself in some areas including: fundraising and evaluation.

As for Nonprofit Gold, 2011 brings a brand new world of excitement. Nonprofit Gold is currently working with two individuals and helping them establish blogs/Web sites for their businesses. Nonprofit Gold will also begin working with established consulting firms and individuals to help with projects and start to get the brand out there. In addition to gaining experience from other consultants, Nonprofit Gold looks to establish themselves as a resource for small nonprofit organizations to gain a foothold in the social media world.

2011 will be the year when Nonprofit Gold “Helps Nonprofits Shine.”