Ghosts of Employment Past
Today was former employers day or something. During my lunch break, I had a conference call with the DC job about a project I’m helping out with. Well, actually the project was my idea, and I asked to stay involved. However, a lot of people have bought into it, and it will be a fabulous web site. I wish that I could elaborate with more details, but I’m psyched. It’s using social media tools at their best and helping out on an issue that I care about.
Tonight, the Tower Club met at the Creative Discovery Museum, my old stomping ground. In my absence, Chattanooga suddenly became cool and clubs and networking groups for young professionals started. (I know!! Crazy!Who’d have thunk it?). CDM started a young professional auxillery to help fundraise for free programs and scholarships.
It was also Free Family Night! Anyone remember that? (Sadly, I can’t find any posts in my archives. I must have deleted them in the move from Blogger to Wordpress.) It was my baby for over a year. I was given a loose idea from our executive director and ran with it. It’s incredible to look at the success of a program that I nervously put together four years ago. That first night, I was a nervous wreck. All I did that day was pray that people would show up. I think we had about 425 people that first night. Now it’s a staple in the community that serves 12,000 people a year. I’m just so proud that my baby program found legs to stand on. I guess that I fulfilled my VISTA goal of creating a sustainable program that serves at-risk or underserved families.
It was wonderful to hear the sounds of my DC coworkers on the phone and get involved in another web site. I’m so comfortable in the uncharted, new media frontier that it’s a good thing I left it. At some point, my brain started thinking in web sites. Now, it needs to think terms of fundraising proposals and grants.
It was also great to visit CDM and return to my job roots. After college, I questioned why the only door that opened was a VISTA position. Now, I’m so thankful. I learned phenomenal nonprofit fundraising and communication skills there. Serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA was a life-changing experience that I heartily recommend to any recent college grad. The DC Roomie and I joke that you never stop thinking like a VISTA. Every time I think about a program now, I question how it will be sustained. Both of my previous jobs provided skills that I’m now drawing upon. The new job is challenging and requiring everything I’ve ever learned. It’s pretty awesome.
