On Boards, Cats and Sarah Palin

First, Bea sent me this link. Be glad the election ended the way it did. The title of the article is "Sarah Palin Turkey Incident: Does TV Interview While Turkeys are Slaughtered in the Background."

And it's not a joke.

The kitties trapped were two males, 8-10 weeks, and they'll be going today for their behavioral assessment. If they can be socialized they'll go to a foster home (again, they can't be at my house because of Emily's FIP–not to mention the hounds. We are trying to keep them alive, after all). Then they go out to one of the weekend adoption afternoons at a local pet supermarket. They're both a bit more feral than I thought–or maybe just terrified. I'm not the expert, so I can't say, although I was invited to learn as much as possible about the behavioral assessment and I think that's a good idea.

I updated my contacts at the building and they're very excited and wanted to help create a database and make sure we document our results. Because of the "holiday" next week, I'm going to try to trap on my own on Sunday night if the gentleman trapper isn't available. And my vet gave me a $40/deal and won't test for FIV (but will test for FeLV), so I'll be going there until a lower cost option is available.

I'm thinking you've had enough of Project Treadstone for quite some time. I will update if anything compelling occurs or if I have any questions. Thanks again for all of your input!

Finally, you may know that I sort of needled Deb Durant about possibly joining the board of Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary. And I've received e-mails about this topic (plus there were recent comments about it), so I thought I'd comment publicly.

Everyone has financial and non-financial assets. We all have something to contribute to the causes we care about: a car, a warm garage, storage space, money, time, furniture, a spare room, expertise and social connections are examples. Being on the board is simply a different kind of commitment to the success and sustainability of an organization. It's not for everyone, as it can be time consuming, but that's not true all of the time as beyond the requirements for board members (which are often minimal) you decide how much more you want to do.

Many board members get to know an organization by volunteering first, and those people are often the best board members because they have hands-on experience and/or they are intimately aware of the workings of the organization. (This is why I was nudging Deb.) You don't have to be financially well off to be a board member, nor do you have to be connected to monied people. All you have to have is passion for the mission and an intention to help it succeed.

Most boards have a combination of wealthy people (read: not me) and people who are the workers (me) who run the board and the committees and maybe research and write grants or develop fundraising ideas. Often the people who do the work resent the people who "just" write checks, but if you think about it every organization needs both. Giving is just as important as doing in many cases, and neither contribution should be minimized. There are also people who have access to major donors, and that contribution is just as important! An attorney who joins a board is invaluable, as is a PR person. So the idea that boards are some magical, mystical, powerful things beyond the reach of "regular" people is a myth.

I'm a regular person. I'm a suburban housewife who's been lucky enough to be able to make a living by writing for two decades so I don't have to work outside of my home. And when I'm passionate about the mission of an organization, I volunteer to help and to find out if it's right for me. Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes I ask to be on the board. Sometimes I ask to be on the board.

Net message: It's a big deal to be on a board because of the fiscal responsibility and financial oversight and program oversight. But it's not a big deal because anyone can jump in and learn what all that means. There's nothing more desirable than people who care about your mission. Sure, your money's great, too. But passion for a cause is invaluable.