New Non-Profit Blog

Trafton B.

January 9, 2011 - 6:30 PM

Remember when I said that one of my classes this quarter requires me to keep a blog? Well, I thought I'd share with you some of my first blog entry for my Into to the Non-Profit Sector. You might be thinking, "Couldn't I just read this on your other blog?" Well, yes, you could do that. I've included a web link below in case you would like to follow that blog as the term progresses, but for now I'll make things easy on you.

Here's an abridged version of a post from Trafton's Non-Profit Blog,

"...In my experience I both loved and loathed working in the non-profit sector. I have a great deal of respect for my co-workers at Aim High because they're dedication to teaching and improving the quality of life for their students is something I've never experienced. Also, their compassion and enthusiasm made every day a new and exciting experience for me. I genuinely looked forward to each and every day at Aim High.

On the other hand, I found that working for a non-profit also had its down falls. The most common issue I encountered was that I occasionally lacked the necessary support to do my job properly...It was usually a resources issue.

I would say to my supervisor, "I want each student in my class to have a notebook for notes, homework assignments, and daily journal entries," and she would respond, "Well, we can't afford that. Figure out another way." My supervisor would need to troubleshoot another teacher's problem, and I'd be left to brainstorm a new solution with my co-teacher who has less

experience with teaching than I do. Like I said, each day was a new experience, but some were more exciting than others.

Anyways, I should start transitioning into my reactions to this week's reading requirements. The first thing that popped out at me

was the first line of Chapter 1. "The United States is a nation of 281 million individuals" (Non-Profit Nation, 1). WRONG! Bob told

us that this book is a little dated, and know I realize that it's precisely nine years and thirty million individual out of date.

Semantics aside...I'd like to point out the growth of the non-profit sector. The IRS claims that total assets within non-profits tripled between 1975 and 1995. Now it's $1.25 trillion sector. These are the numbers that make me still believe that the morals and

ethics of modern Americans are still in the right place. I'm always a little skeptical of statistics, but I interpret these numbers to

mean that not everyone has been blinded by wealth and greed."

Just so you know, that was less than half of the original blog. I'll speak more about Aim High and other volunteer activities I've been a part of throughout the entire term. At first I wasn't too excited about blogging for this course because, well, I already spend a portion of my week blogging. After writing this first one I realize that my other blog is going to be completely different than this one. Sure I'll be writing in the same style that I always have, but I'll be brainstorming different topics and writing for a different audience. It should be a nice change of pace.

Sadly, however, I still have several assignments yet to complete before my week starts tomorrow morning. It's not that I have to do them tonight, but I'm just planning ahead because there's a football game I'd like to watch tomorrow night.

In case you forgot....

COUNTDOWN TO BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: 23 HOURS!!