A few dollars a day does not a budget make...

Can you imagine running a business with 25 employees serving approximately 1000 customers, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on a budget of $6500.00 annually? Yeah, me neither. This is what most rural, volunteer fire departments do on a continual basis. And yes, I realize the actual folks doing the work are volunteers, but there are still expenses to be covered besides payroll. They have expenses such as gas, equipment, maintenance, overhead, and wow… it would be really great if you got a little insurance coverage. And I don’t mean the cozy, comfy kind of insurance with co-pays and drug benefits. I am referring to the kind of insurance that would cover you if you were severely injured while saving someone’s life and property. Appreciate your volunteer firefighters; most of us have no idea what they go through just to “stay in business.”

Another reminder

I subscribe to a service that emails me each time a firefighter in the US loses his or her life, and today, I received one of those notifications. Although it’s a convenience that makes my job easier, it’s also a bitter reminder that someone lost a husband, dad, best friend, sister, or mom.

I always read the information contained in these notifications, and I’m often struck by how old a firefighter may have been—anywhere from 17 to 80 years old. Some of them are volunteer firefighters, and some are commissioned.

These notices often serve as the first piece of documentation on a family that eventually comes to us for assistance, so I dutifully print out each notification and put it in a file. I have received 14 of these messages just since January; I wish I would never receive another.

Let's hear it for first responders!

Now, here’s the best idea I have heard in a long time. A non profit has come up with an excellent campaign to honor our first responders. You can check it out for yourself at www.firstresponsecoalition.org. These folks are asking us to decide whether our firefighters, police, and emergency services deserve a day of recognition. I say YES they do; if you agree, then why not sign the petition? That our nation would honor the likes of the stinky catfish while failing to recognize the first responders is a little disturbing. Watch the video, and I bet you will agree with me.

To grow, or not to grow?

In the ever-growing world of the non-profit sector, I often wonder if I am doing everything I can for my small non-profit. My organization is volunteer-based, which means no paid employees and no regular hours. I have a part-time job and a couple of kids, so I don't have a whole lot of extra time to devote to the cause. But the cause is very important to me, so I do what I can and end up postponing a lot of great ideas. I often have to convince myself that doing what I can, when I can, is much better than doing nothing at all.

I am blessed with a few active board members and a couple of enthusiastic volunteers / supporters who are extremely helpful when it comes to crunch time. I am also blessed with generous support from the public and corporate sectors… for this I am grateful.

As much as growing bigger and doing more is the goal of any non-profit, a part of me feels it is best for the organization to stay small, uncomplicated, and simple. After all, who wants to deal with employees, payroll taxes, and idiotic administrative duties that take away from the mission? Large non-profits can get a lot accomplished, but there's a fine line between whether that's where we need to be yet, if ever. Do we want to grow so much that all of those business requirements become necessary?