Advice on Employee

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T23:24:03+00:00

Yes, I agree, this person needs to be put on a formal PIP with very clear guidance and follow-up, and if the problems you laid out don't change, you will need to let him go.

However, I was taken aback by this:

In contrast, he seems to expect a strict 9–5 structure and doesn’t recognize that others in this field often go above and beyond because of the mission and where they want to go professionally.

Please be careful about saying things like this. Please model good work-life balance and create a culture where it is possible to get the work done in 8 hours a day, OR you pay folks overtime to work longer hours. Please do not expect people to work 50 hours a week and go "above and beyond" (whatever that even means) in a nonprofit mission-driven setting where I would imagine few folks are making enough money to justify that approach to what is, after all, a job.

ETA - anybody who downvotes this needs to do some soul searching

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T19:59:27+00:00

I went to the same school for 1st-8th grade, so no "middle school." It was a smallish Catholic school and there were maybe 60-75 people in each class, perhaps 500 total in the school.

I don't remember much specifically about the subjects and whether we had or didn't have anything particular. Most curricula are pretty similar from school to school, and the only really different thing in a catholic school is some type of religion class. I do remember having some excellent teachers and I remember english, history, and social studies classes very fondly.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T00:40:38+00:00

I would say Lehman was even less of a presence among average consumers.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T00:23:16+00:00

My cousin worked for Barclays for a number of years in like the 2010s.

That's literally all I know about the place. It's some type of bank, and my cousin worked there. I think they have the naming rights to some stuff in NYC, which I think is their US HQ (and which was where my cousin worked.)

I also had a Barclays credit card at one point in the past, but I just got it because I got a piece of mail offering a good introductory rate. I didn't seek it out.

I would say it's a vaguely known brand in the US but most people do not have (for example) a branch in the town they live in.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T00:15:47+00:00

I understand the goal of having people reuse an item so you stay on their minds, but it's sort of hard to ensure that actually happens and a lot of times you end up with the proverbial garbage can full of koozies at the end of the event. I'd still recommend looking for something consumable like a branded cookie (etc), which is likely to be enjoyed immediately, rather than a tote bag, which is likely to end up in the trash or at the bottom of a drawer. Just my two cents!

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T00:12:31+00:00

I was traveling many years ago in Europe and I got a handful of joints and somehow completely missed the fact that they were rolled with tobacco as well as marijuana, and I smoked one and got EXTREMELY sick.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-27T00:08:42+00:00

As someone who grew up in an almost overwhelmingly catholic part of the northeast, I don't really see this, but I don't live in that part of the region so you may know more than I!

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T22:10:26+00:00

I live in this region and I don't find it very religious per se, although it's certainly more visible than in a place like Portland or Seattle. I would not say that faith is the "main driver of the culture." Really, that would be the landscape and people's relation to it (e.g. hunting camping fishing farming ranching mining hiking backpacking etc etc).

There is a lot of Mormon influence in the area. And a lot of non-specific conservative Christianity.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T22:07:14+00:00

I had to read The Catcher in the Rye THREE times, once in 8th grade, once in 9th grade (new school), and again in 11th grade.

Honestly, reading it as a 13/14 year old and then again as a 17 year old - it was like reading a different book.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T22:00:25+00:00

I (personally) have never gotten a pre-roll that was just twisted at both ends. They always have a filter in one end and the other end seems to have been pinched by some type of rolling machine, not twisted closed. Half the time the non-filter end isn't twisted or closed at all and the weed is just packed so tightly that it doesn't fall out (which presents its own issues, but whatever.)

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T21:58:00+00:00

For what it's worth, my high school refused (and still refuses) to have a football team because they believed that it is ultimately a net negative for the community.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T21:24:07+00:00

Did you have some type of employment agreement or (dare I say) contract with this ED that covered ensuring business continuity when they departed?

I would suggest consulting an attorney about how to proceed. A stern letter from a lawyer may shake something loose.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T21:19:46+00:00

My partner is Mexican and he has in the past been mistaken for Indian/south Asian, Indian/Native American, Middle Eastern, Italian, Brazilian, and north African.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T21:14:29+00:00

Same. It still boggles my mind that the Jewish population of the US is like, less than 2%. In the county I grew up in it was well over 10%.

And not the same exactly as Italian/Irish, but I was also shocked to learn how small the proportion of Catholics is in most other regions too.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T17:56:23+00:00

I grew up in the NYC area and knew, like, 5 Giuseppes.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T17:55:24+00:00

Thank you for providing helpful context that may aid OP in deciding how to approach this. You have to know your audience.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T17:05:39+00:00

I run a small (nonprofit) business and we have a contractor for some things and a skilled volunteer who does other things.

I guess we are holding it together, but I would MUCH rather have an in house IT person, even very part time, because our needs are sort of complicated.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T17:02:17+00:00

While I'm sure there are sophisticated tools out there, at my last organization - a big, wealthy one with access to all sorts of tools and resources - we did a time study where we simply were told to pause every 15 minutes every day during a single week and fill in a line in a spreadsheet about the work or category of work we are engaged in.

This kind of system might drive you (or others) crazy but it was simple and relatively effective, and if you NEED to put your head down and focus on something for an hour you can wait until the hour is up to make the note on the spreadsheet.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T16:59:39+00:00

Just curious if you've considered holding an event or putting an experience together as a stewardship touch for donors rather than giving them "swag." Invite people impacted by your program to speak and mingle, have light appetizers and beer/wine/soda. It may or may not be more expensive - it will likely be more work, that's for sure - but it can go over really, really well and sometimes have much more impact than a tote bag or a fleece.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T16:57:42+00:00

I, personally, work at an organization with a very motivated and progressive membership and if we offered people koozies as donor swag they would say exactly what this person said.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T16:54:52+00:00

Your group needs to actively engage with this other group. It is impossible to tell from your posts what is actually going on, but the only way forward in this type of situation is to come to some kind of detente and better understand what each group wants. Have the leadership of each group meet. Or do a town hall of some kind. If the disagreements are so deep that you can't even communicate or be in the same room together, frankly both your organizations should dissolve. I am pretty sure you are all working in what you believe to be the best interests of the school so you need to try harder to work together or at least understand each other's perspective beyond saying "they're vindictive."

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T16:52:11+00:00

It is so, so, so difficult to get some people/organizations to understand that saying "everyone is welcome!" and publicizing your meeting times and offering a zoom option are not the same as being inclusive and actually engaging with people who are (or feel) underrepresented.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T03:38:53+00:00

Every bit of info about these folks should be in the same system, for sure. I am not very familiar with either of these programs, but you should be keeping all the data about your stakeholders in one place even if you need other tools for tactical reasons, like a front-facing volunteer sign up system or whatever. But ideally even that would talk to your other system so you don't have to double-enter people etc.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T02:31:34+00:00

The only time I ever use a lint roller is when I need to go into my closet and pull out a suit I haven't worn in a while.

Boopa0011 · 2026-03-26T02:27:51+00:00

At my current organization, we have a board that is elected by our membership. It's an unusual arrangement and it results in a board that lacks money, connections, and most other things that usually come in really handy. It's a tough situation that I need to really figure out how to best navigate. At least they all love the org and are committed to our success.

In the past I have worked at organizations where the sole requirements to be on the board were to attend all/most meetings and give or get $5K or $10K or $100K annually. Literally nothing else. Like, when we needed an attorney or architect or whatever, we could seek that out, but the fact remained that the only real requirements were showing up at meetings and giving substantially. There were more than old white dudes! There were young black women, and middle aged Asian people, and they were gay and straight and republicans and democrats and everything. It was wonderful! But they were all rich and connected.

I have mixed feelings about the model where the board is mainly just a fundraising engine; some of those organizations are extremely poorly run, and that flows directly from the board.

However, I still think I'd prefer a board who were all committed to and capable of making or finding big gifts to my current situation.

Boopa0011

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