Seahorses

At the Dragon's Cauldron Brigid ritual, I came up with an image of a seahorse that I put into our egg. I've no clue why mystery puts such images in my head, but the reality is that I have learned to trust those simple flashes, as they usually lead to something of magical importance. So I headed to google and have been doing a bit of reading about the seahorse.

A website at UCSD has a basic website on seahorses. Some fascinating information includes the fact that the male is the one that becomes pregnant after the female drops the eggs into the males brood pouch. The coronet is like a human fingerprint in that no two are alike. The prehensile tail is used to grab and hold objects and to stabilize the seahorse in the water. Of course you can't do research without coming across seadragons. Take a look at their picture. Tell me that magic does not exist. I dare ya.

 

Bragging a bit

I won an award. Granted it was an award from work and only 32 people were eligible but it was a lovely compliment to feel that my work in the organization to promote the organization and support the internal changes has been recognized by others at my workplace. It's a nice trophy, isn't it.

Factors influencing the communication of nonprofit boards

I've started working with a professor over at NCSU on collecting data for some work that focuses on Board communication and effectiveness. One of the things I've generated are some thoughts about some of the issues and questions associated with Board meetings and the types of communication that goes on in a Board meeting. Here is the list and my hope is that this will serve as the basis for some of our observations and the beginning of a questionnaire to collect data.

Who speaks the most at a Board meeting?

Based on roles the Chair, the ED and the Treasurer are the ones who will speak a lot and the rest of the Board responds. Committee chairs may be responsible for reporting out activities, but it would be interesting to notice who speaks the most and what the content is of those who speak. Is it a function of role? Is there a function associated with longevity on the Board? In other words are newer board members less likely to speak up?

Who creates the ideas and who does the work?

Boards are a plethora of ideas in my experience. It would be interesting to figure out who actually follows through on the ideas generated at a Board meeting? This also relates to another notion of when a direct request from one Board member (or the staff) goes out to other Board members, how many follow through and who? Are there agreements about work that is to get done at the Board meeting and, if so, who does them?

Percentage of Board's Activities

If we think about the Board's job responsibilities - what percentage of time over the year do they spend on fundraising, financial review, ED performance/evaluation, their own governance/nominations process, the outcomes of the program, etc??

Board Participation measures

Those who speak, those who use email, how often the visit the site, how often they volunteer outside of their board role, whether or not they make a financial contribution, how many committee meetings do they attend, etc. Those who speak, those who use email, how often the visit the site, how often they volunteer outside of their board role, whether or not they make a financial contribution, how many committee meetings do they attend, etc.

Decision Making

This might be interesting to look at from a couple of ways. Is it consensus or vote? How do they gather data to make decisions (who brings the data) and then when is it enough to make the decision? Who makes the agenda? What decisions are made? This might be interesting to look at from a couple of ways. Is it consensus or vote? How do they gather data to make decisions (who brings the data) and then when is it enough to make the decision? Who makes the agenda? What decisions are made?

Relationship with ED

This relates to both performance evaluation and the balance of micromanagement vs. governing but I don't have any more thoughts on this right now. There is some literature on this, not a lot, but I'd need to dig in my files for this one.

Myers Briggs at Work

In my world, all things are connected and the more we learn about ourselves the more we connect into the magical world beyond our mere senses. Last week, a collegue and I, led a two hour Myers Briggs workshop for staff where I work. About 5 years ago, I actually became an official Myers Briggs administrator and have done individual assessments on and off during that time. This was the first time I had done it with a group and it was quite eye opening.

The theory behind the MBTI instrument is based on work Carl Jung did on personality type. When his work was translated into English in the 1920s, Katherine Briggs and her daughter began to observe and study personality type. In the 1940s, Isabel Briggs Myers designed the instrument. The history of all three individuals is fascinating and all three were radicals in their own right.

What's fun about the Myers Brigss instrument is that it opens a doorway into the the self and the relationship to others. It has been validated and tested and has a thorough scientific base. It's one of those places where science and magic intersect for me. One of the excercises we work with in Reclaiming is getting to know the Companion Self. That self that is not you. I remember one time specifically working with that part of me that I'm not, the ESTP Companion Self. How did he behave differently than I in the world? How did he behavie similarly to what I do in the world? What are my lessons from this Companion of mine? All vital questions and invaluable gifts for the lessons.

The other thing about the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is that there are 16 personality types. Now for those of you who know me, my route to magic started with the Tarot. In a tarot deck there are 16 court cards. I can't help but think that there may be some overlap in the two. However, I've not ever taken the time to compare the two and build the connections. I've heard people say they've tried, but I'm not convinced that science and magic are that separate.

Check out Collinette's new sock yarn. It's a really soft merino. Yum!!

Counting the Homeless

In the Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft we talk about the tradition being built on a three-legged stool. The legs are an earth-based spirituality, personal development, and political activism. There are many debates in the tradition about what makes up political activism, but for years I have been participating in my own activism based on the work I do professionally.

After finishing graduate school the first time in 1990, I became the Director of the NC Lesbian and Gay Health Project. LGHP did a lot of basic HIV/AIDS prevention, lesbian and gay community organizing and referral services for sympathetic health care providers. After that I was a Development Director for two organizations that did community organizing around race and class related issues. In 1996, I became the Executive Director of a transitional housing program for homeless families. Each year since that time I have participated in the Point In Time Count. This count is required for communities receiving federal support for homeless programs.

In past years, I participated in Durham's count, usually finding up to 3 different folks who were homeless. This year, I went out with a team from Raleigh. We counted 24 folks on our team only. It was amazing. Three of the folks I talked with were 23-25 years old. Two of them were a couple and refused to be split up and as a result didn't have any access to shelter. They had been on the streets for six months. The 25 year old had been on and off the streets for the last 5 years. He had a physcial disability, and based on some initial observations, perhaps mental illness. Later we went to a camp in the woods and found two gentlement in their 50s. They had been drinking, but it was clear these two had adjusted to life in the woods. They had a barrel that functioned as a wood stove with stove pipe directing the smoke about six feet up. They were difficult to talk to because of their inebriation, yet all we could do was tell them to take care of themselves and try to stay warm. When asked if they needed any help, they were quite content to say they were doing all right tonight.

I'm incredibly priviledged in what I do. My role is to work with all three counties in the Triangle in the creation and implementation of each county's 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. True activism in that I'm constantly interacting with local officials and advocating for better resources to serve those who are the hardest to server. It can be frustrating as I know that many people would say that the folks I talked to that night were choosing to live in the street. Yet, those people are making many assumptions. Assumptions that say the mental health system was functioning and accessible to all of these individuals. That drug treatment was readily available when they wanted it. These assumptions, based on my own experiences are false, and it is a system that fails the individual and they in turn feel better off alone, in the woods and out on the street, as opposed to being in a warm place.