The Realities of Running a Non-Profit

For two and a half years I have been working for a non-profit. I am new to this crazy world and often struggle with staying in it. I used to make six figures, now I struggle week to week. I used to have  huge teams to help me accomplish goals, now I have 1, plus a growing crew of volunteers. I used to have huge amounts of money to invest in smart projects, now I invest mostly sweat. I used to know what my days were going to be like, now I am routinely surprised with how my days unfold. I used to show up at an office to work, now I go to a office, a kitchen, a jail, a rescue mission, a halfway house, a court house, a hospital and when I am lucky a coffee shop.

I used to have to sneak in a lil prayer with a colleague, now I get to openly say grace before every shared meal. I used to have to ask permission to give someone a second chance, now I meditate before I do and let it unfold. I used to question why I was doing what I do, today I am crystal clear about my place in this world. I used to think I was in control of it all, now I am darn glad, I know who is! I used to work with people who only cared about the bottom line, now I work with people who walk the high road. I used to have to hide my emotions, now I celebrate and harness the power of them.

Yes, most days I am ecstatically working and seeing massive strides happen. Other days, not so much. The blend of the kinds of days that I have now is what keeps me on my toes, spiritually, intellectually, emotionally and physically...

Basically there a few kinds of days here in the non-profit world. Pretty similar to the rest of the world, yet, for me, the spiritual and emotional elements make it waaay more intense.

Basically Four kinds of days:
1.  The work we do matters and we are making a difference in the world. Yee haa!! I love my life.
2.  Nobody cares about the work we do, if they did, I would have more money to do it. Gotta work harder to grow this bad boy...
3.  Why the heck am I doing this, I must be crazy, stupid, a dreamer...I gotta find a new job.
4.  Ohh right...this is why I sacrifice, a life has been touched.

These days ebb and flow, ya just never know what will come at ya on any given day in this world full of emotions, full of passion, full of risk and most importantly full of love.

I was having a number three kind of day...Today I asked for some prayer to help me ask for more help. Just as I posted a prayer request I had a conversation with with a man I help and he told me he has a job interview that looks hopeful. As the day rolled on I have been blessed to receive prayers, loving calls, hugz and even some tangible expressions of support. Veggies, money and a few hours of volunteers time. Suddenly I was having a four kinda day, that quickly found itself being a ONE...

So if ya out there having a three kinda day...reach out for help and I guarantee it will shift itself soon!!

The Birth of a Social Enterprise.

As we work to fully launch Conscious Eats, we are in awe of all the support that is coming our way. We have been very generously supported by so many gracious members of our community. 

Time, talent and treasure have all been flowing our way in support of creating a social enterprise that will employ those who need a second chance and are diligently proving themselves worthy of a second chance. 

We are learning so much about creativity, compassion and diligence to name a few. We are working on a very tight budget to get Conscious Eats up and running. We are creating a catering company that will bring healthy delicious food to your office or home. We bring tasting experiences that not only are healthy, they educate and inspire exploration. 

Seeing our team use every ounce of their creativity to create a brand and a product that stands for the six pillars of character, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring fairness and citizenship has shown me a whole new perspective on brand and mission development. 

As we continue to grow and evolve, I will work to give you a peek behind the scenes. 

We invite you to join in the conversation and as you do we hope you will join us around the table!

With the whirlwind of activity that is happening at Character Counts! in Jacksonville, it is increasingly necessary to provide timely updates to our supporters so that you can all be aware of our progress, decisions, successes and setbacks.  We are learning in leaps and bounds and hope that you are inspired to chip in as you see the progress being made.

First Quarter Report

For Character Counts:

• Almost 300 supporters celebrated our Golden Rule award winner Jim Baily!
• Joined the NonProfit Center of Northeast Florida
• Joined the Jax Chamber
• Joined Hands On Jax
• Worked with Perdue Office Systems to design and layout the interior plans for our warehouse/event space
• Cleaned out and organized our downtown warehouse space with the support of a great MEETUP volunteer team led by Bill Bade.
• Met with the District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church about potential initiative in the local schools
• Invited to the Interfaith Council at the school board (remember the goal to be invited back into the school systems!!)
• Hired two interns for the summer months
• Prepared for the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast event (May 10th, 2013).  Promoting and Advertising the event.  Preparing for volunteers, contract with the library, coordinating drinks & refreshments.
• Visited Baker CI to work with soon-to-be-released men.
• Continued Teen Court Parenting classes - received a touching letter from a parent who graduated from the class, that express deep gratitude for the class.
• Continued City Rescue Mission classes - deepening relationship with the team to create an employee funnel for Conscious Eats. 
• Establishing long term organizational chart and writing job descriptions for it.

For Conscious Eats:

• Hired our first full time employee, Shawn Bryson!
• Filed Fictitious Name with the state of Florida for our Conscious Eats catering company
• Obtained Tax ID # for the items to be sold
• Filed Application for Catering License with State of Florida
• Continued research and preparation for Conscious Eats - suppliers such as US Foods, Blue Buddha; requirements to meet state laws; identified potential Executive Chef
• Catered events for AIGA and JAMA for promotional purposes
• Catered our first event and deposited a check from it!!
• Identified potential Executive Chef, retired Navy vet, who is looking to volunteer his time. 
• Establishing long term organizational chart and writing job descriptions for it.

Are You Conscious? Of WHAT?

Our ability to choose to be conscious is what separates us from our animal friends. They act upon pure instinct. We have the capacity to understand and seek knowledge.

Our brains are designed to make choices. We do it constantly. Literally millions of times per day. 

I find myself making choices out of habit because I am sometimes lazy. I am tired, do not want to think, expel energy to make a choice. 

Other times when I make habitual choices it is about routine, leveraging the power of not thinking and using my time more wisely or many times making the same choice to create a predictable result.

So what are you thinking about consciousness???

I Choose Consciously

How do you decide what to eat day to day? Week to week?

Over the past few years, I have come to realize, in a very deep way, that my food choices are directly related to my personal sense of well being.

Eleven years ago I lost over 200 pounds. As I did this, I had to make a choice to have a whole new relationship with food. I came to clear understanding that food was my way to show myself a loving attitude several times a day. 

I began to realize that each and every time I put food into my mouth, I had a chance to say I love YOU, Florence. I had always seen that chance when I cooked for others, yet making that choice for myself became a radical way for me to re-shape my relationship with food.

Today, I choose wisely. I know that when I decide to eat something I know my body loves, like garlic spinach, I will feel good physically, emotionally, intellectually and most important to me, spiritually. I love food and now that my food loves me.

Saying YES & NO with Respect

Prudent Decisions are REAL, HARD and DEMAND Respectful Explanations. Often many people are involved and affected by a decision, so taking the time to share the decision making process is required.

It is with confidence that Character Counts! in Jacksonville makes this really hard decision to pull out of One Spark. After considering the costs and the massive shift of focus necessary to make it happen, as we work to launch Conscious Eats, we have come to the conclusion that we must step away. The costs associated with making it happen are better served to ensure we are able to pay the salary of our new employee for a few additional weeks. Our recent fundraiser raised enough money for six months of salary. Every additional week we can source funds for his employment, is a step closer to launching our social enterprise. Every cent we have matters. 

Many have tried to talk us out of this decision, while others fully see the reasoning. I have personally worried about what would people think about us as we step away. Are they unfocused?  How can they not see the potential? ...etc. We are willing for people to think those things about us. That is their choice. I know we have vetted this conversation with my board members. We have done the financial analysis and discussed it with several wise business leaders. This is the right, hard decision to walk away from something that is very fun, exciting and risky all at the same time. 

 
As I have grown in this role as a social enterprise leader, I have had to learn how to say NO and YES to the RIGHT things. We believe in the work of One Spark and know the spirit of the effort is amazing. At this moment in time, we have had to see where we are in our business launch and look to the launch strategy of the and the Mission of our organization: To EMPLOY ex-felons. This decision supports that core idea, at a very simple and clear level, right NOW.

We thank the One Spark team for all the conversations we have had about the power of focus, the power of collaboration...etc. We have been inspired by them greatly and ironically it is those conversations that led us to re-camp and get VERY focused and intentional.

Several years ago, I did a consulting project with Harbinger Sign. We were working to create the transition strategy, as founder, Roger Williams was planning his retirement. During a session he very proudly stated, "We have NEVER missed a payroll."  The face of his son, Steve Williams, glowed with pride, as he realized the impact of his dad's legacy.

It is that wisdom that has fueled our decision to step away and ensure that the commitment we have made to our amazing new employee is honored. We thank the team, Elton Rivas, Varick Rosete, Dennis Eusebio, Vince Cavin and the rest of the amazing posse for all they are doing to make our city rock! We wish you all the greatest of luck...we will participate in the way we can by supporting others.

Dreams DO become Reality - with commitment!

Today a dream is becoming a reality for Character Counts! in Jacksonville.

We are launching a youth forum in collaboration with The Self Movement. The primary goal of the forum is to teach high school students the skill of collaboration. 

We are partnering with Duval County Public Schools to create a youth forum that will initially teach collaboration skills but ultimately look to our youth to help solve some of the challenges we face as a community. 

The kickoff today is the "Beta" test. The forum is intentionally designed to give voice to the students. We have created the day with a huge amount of trust in the belief that our students are capable of great thinking. The structure of the three hour session is intentionally loose and open to see where the students curiosity and intelligence will lead us.

Bill Bade, the Executive Director of The Self Movement, the brains behind the idea, invited CCINJAX to the table to ensure the forum was grounded in character and ethics. We will explore the Six Pillars of Character at the opening of the session and will use them as the basis of how we come together as a forum.

The problem we are asking the students to solve this morning is to create a scholarship fund process. The Self Movement is bringing a chunk of money to the table that the students will help decide how the money is granted to one or several DCPS students. 

This highly unique approach is potentially risky, yet we have faith in the process of collaboration. We are resting in our capacity to create an environment that is based on the 6 Pillars, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. 

So why are we saying this is a dream come true today? Well, two years ago when I came to the world of Character Counts, I pulled together such a forum. I had never run a non-profit and knew that my sphere of influence could advise me. We gathered together in a very similar fashion and brainstormed where Character Counts needed to go. 

We spoke about creating a sustainable organization that brought the conversation of character and ethics across our community in creative and engaging ways. We set the goal that we would be "invited" into the schools. We believed that by virtue of being invited, it would create a more meaningful and potentially lasting relationship. 

Today is the result of a great deal of hard work to foster meaningful relationships with like minded individuals and organizations across our community. We are blessed to have the chance to partner with Bill and his team and look forward to meaningful experiences with the bright minds of our community!

We will keep you up to date on the results and will work to engage more of you in this collaboration as it evolves.