Wally and SOGR say give no thought to poverty.

A previous topic begun by Canadian in Feb. causes me to post this question to my fellow SOGR followers: Do I need to seek a different line of work?

For 18 years, my career has been in advertsing/marketing. A year ago, I accepted a 2 year on-site "consultant styled" gig at a soup kitchen / homeless shelter. The task, in a nut shell, was to to create the marketing plan that drives revenue. With the 1st year under my belt, all is well as revenue is up.

The goal of the shelter is to provide real change in peoples lives. Unfortunately, less than 10% of the people who walk through the door desire change and actually enroll in a recovery or vocational training program.

The goal of every business (including the charities) is to grow. Everyone talks of growing the agency.

I think Wally was right. The best way to help is to show others how to change.

Most friends say "what noble work you do". SOGR says something different.

My task is 50% done. I believe in honoring commitments. But the mixed messages are causing me to not focus on my ultimate CMI.

All thoughts & comments will be appreciated.

Ron

Hi Ron,

It seems that you want to keep your word, your commitment. However, if it is hurting you to do so, is there an "honourable" way to end your association with this organization?

In an earlier post on another thread I said that the United Way and the Food Bank in my city have kept people on their crutches. In fact, the United Way has recently bought property for their offices. It is big business. Every year the United Way collects more money that the previous year but the problems grow ever larger. Yet, no one wants to see this. Too many people are getting their kicks by "doing noble work".

Wally said that it is the "conventional" ways of helping the poor that are to be avoided.

The fact that everyone talks about "growing" the agency shows clearly that there is no real intent of helping those being helped to become independent and responsible for their own lives.

You also use an interesting phrase "to create the marketing plan that drives revenue". Businesses have revenue. For a charity to view the donations it receives as revenue says, to me, that it is being operated as a business. The original intent, if there was one, to get people off of their crutches, has been lost or forgotten.

If you are unhappy there, find a way to leave. Form a CMI of you leaving for something better, with honour.

I wish you the very best.

You have to start where you are. And there are much worse places to be than in a successful position as part of an organization that is attempting to help people. As you clarify your CMI, you'll move on or perhaps be a force of change. It sounds like you are now focusing more on what is wrong with this organization. Give yourself permission to not do that. You'll be most effective when you put your focus back on what you want.

I've worked in jobs that have brought me into close contact with lower-income folks for several years now. I find much to love and appreciate in most people I meet. It helps that I am under no illusion that I have to fix them or my organization. Things do move along established channels. If you think about it, most are less than perfect. But you can create a perfect situation for yourself.

quote:

less than 10% of the people who walk through the door desire change and actually enroll in a recovery or vocational training program.

OK, so almost 10% of the prospects are serious customers. (Same is true in any business.) Those are the ones you are there for.

The other 90%, are they in good faith? If not, why not tell them to their face what you think of them? If they get insulted and leave, so much the better. It's what they needed to hear.

If your colleagues get mad at you for telling too much truth, tell them to their faces what you think of THEM.

Focus on the 10% who do desire to improve their lives. Is your organization really helping them to do so? What specific examples do you have that demonstrate that?

Chances are if you are truly able to help the 10% who want help then the some of the other 90% will start to see that there is a real possibility for them also. Most likely the 90% have just given up hope because they've gone through the process only to have things stay the same.

If they see specific examples of people who were in the same place as them being able to turn their lives around due to your organizations help then some of them might have hope again to try one more time.

Good luck!

Hi Ron,

Here is something else to think about: if you are surrounded all day by negative people and by a glaring example of what doesn't work, and you are in a real sense contributing to this, are you being helped in your quest for riches? And isn't that the reason we are here? To get RICH?

Let those who think that this is "noble work", do it. In my opinion, you do need to seek a different line of work.

But it seems to me that this is a perfect situation in which to use SOGR.

Sit every day in quiet and picture yourself--in the work you wish--in the place you wish, instead of fussing about now realizing the soup kitchen is not where you want to be.

And then let the principles of SOGR take you there.

Wonder

quote:

Originally posted by Ron from Buffalo:
Wally and SOGR say give no thought to poverty.

A previous topic begun by Canadian in Feb. causes me to post this question to my fellow SOGR followers: Do I need to seek a different line of work?

For 18 years, my career has been in advertsing/marketing. A year ago, I accepted a 2 year on-site "consultant styled" gig at a soup kitchen / homeless shelter. The task, in a nut shell, was to to create the marketing plan that drives revenue. With the 1st year under my belt, all is well as revenue is up.

The goal of the shelter is to provide real change in peoples lives. Unfortunately, less than 10% of the people who walk through the door desire change and actually enroll in a recovery or vocational training program.

The goal of every business (including the charities) is to grow. Everyone talks of growing the agency.

I think Wally was right. The best way to help is to show others how to change.

Most friends say "what noble work you do". SOGR says something different.

My task is 50% done. I believe in honoring commitments. But the mixed messages are causing me to not focus on my ultimate CMI.

All thoughts & comments will be appreciated.

Ron

Did you have to sign a contract to stay at the company? Was the time commitment in writing?
If not, then what can happen if you leave now?

Negative people can be a drain but the only thing we have control over is our attitude. Most people don't want to change and remain stuck in bad situations.

How about your friends, "what noble work you do"
My real success happened when I started hanging out with friends who more than me. I can't pull people along with me or push them along. Do you want to be noble or rich? It seems you want to be rich! You can do a lot of noble work when you are rich.

Donald wrote, "My real success happened when I started hanging out with friends who more than me."

While this might sound harsh, it is very true that who we hang out with is very important. Hanging out with negative people ("neggies") and whiners is most unhelpful. There is an old saying which makes the point, "Birds of a feather flock together."

quote:

I think Wally was right. The best way to help is to show others how to change.

Exactly. There are too many give a man a fish programs out there (e.g. the "food banks" and "food repositories" and "shelters" out there piled onto the myriad social welfare programs in most western countries) and not nearly enough TEACH A MAN to fish programs. Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for life.

I'm of the opinion that Bill Gates did more to end world hunger than 12 Mother Theresas ever could. One of the few charities I support is Frank McKinney's ( www.frank-mckinney.com ) Caring House Project Foundation which builds housing, but also has schools, and teaches animal husbandry and agriculture with an aim to make folks SELF-RELIANT for crying out loud. Is that too much to ask? It is not.

Paul

I agree it is good to teach a man to fish.
However, there are times that when a man is in quick sand that all the teaching to get him out is pointless. You have to give him the rope and get him out of the sand or he will drown.

Do you know who Bill Gates hangs out with? His friend is Warren Buffett, the second richest person on earth. Bill Gates is also on the board of Mr Buffett's company. Warren Buffett was taught and worked for Benjamin Graham. Mr Graham wrote by far the best book on investing,
The Intelligent Investor. Mr Graham and Mr Buffett are considered the greatest investores ever.

"No man is an island."
John Donne


"No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions- he had money."
Margaret Thatcher.

“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
Martin Luther King, Jr

quote:

My real success happened when I started hanging out with friends who more than me.

There a verb missing here. Your new friends did what? Knew more? Made more money? Were more?

quote:

Originally posted by Rod Schmidt:

quote:

My real success happened when I started hanging out with friends who more than me.

There a verb missing here. Your new friends did what? Knew more? Made more money? Were more?

Thanks, I left out important details.
My friends make more money (millionaires and billionaires). It is a huge network.

Everyone is connected in some way to a rich person. You can attract them if you desire. It is like the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

As your network grows, so does your networth.

It is what you know and who you know.

I made friends twice. First in my mind, then in the physical.

I attracted a lot of good people in my life. I really watch my thoughts.

Donald Trump

Hi Donald,

Thanks for the clarification.

WOW! Thank all of you for your input.

I'll answer a few questions. 1st) I do enjoy being there. Being able to truly help the 10% is rather fulfilling. 2nd) Have I signed a written contract? No, just my word w/ the Exec. Dir. 3rd) Is it a place where I can refine my CMI? Without question. 4th) is there an honorable way out? I believe so. Using Wallies "give more in use value" concept: I'm laying the ground for a plan that could run on auto-pilot long after I'm gone. I'll then recruit, train and replace myself. I think that's pretty honorable.

By no means is this the end of the line for me. It's a long story on how I got there...some other time.

As written previously, I too believe in the "teaching a man to fish concept". This is a great place to just that.

The part I'm trying to reconcile is the growth for growths sake. Avinash spoke on this in detail.

To Donald Jr.; I too have surrounded myself with those who have acheived or are in the process of acheiving what they want. There is great power in the "master-mind group".

I do know the business model, the audience, the financial goals, etc. that I seek. Each day, it gets clearer.

Thank each of you again for your input!