An honest look at my progress at one of the organizations where I volunteer has revealed that I have been deceiving myself into thinking that just showing up is enough.
My task is to raise donations via the Internet. I have been unable to setup the website to receive online donations. Currently, we are restricted by our inability to set up a U.S. bank account, the key piece of the puzzle to allow online donations.
The last few weeks, I have succumbed to this surmountable obstacle, justifying the misuse of time spent at the foundation. A typical work day consists of about 20/30 minutes trying to push our contacts for a US bank account (the missing piece to the puzzle) and the rest is spent at lunch, other online work or random surfing of the Internet.
In the business/corporate world, how your work is perceived by others matters more to your bottom line than the actual work you produce. Granted, doing great work can help the perception, but there are certain tactics/political games that can increase your value, status and salary.
That’s not the case here. No politics, no games. I can quit whenever I want. It leaves me with a hard question: Do I really care about raising money for this foundation?
By care, I don’t mean telling other people that I raised 30 grand for a children’s foundation in Colombia, but an intrinsic value in its own right.
I think I do care underneath my poor work ethic as of late. So I’ll continue. How am I going to change things?
First step was recognizing my problem. Check.
Next major change will be making monthly visits to La Mesa, where the kids live. A spark of motivation for my work in the drab, boring, dimly-lit office in west Bogotá.
Talk is cheap, but taking a step back and looking at what you have (or haven’t done) might be the necessary spark to get back on course.
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excellent post, your self awareness will help you while your honesty will serve others!
Thanks Krista!!!
It’s really refreshing to read your honesty about your experience working as a volunteer. I completely empathize with your sentiments and have found myself in a similar situations at various points in life and work. I respect your courage to push on and think that you’re are already headed in the right direction by recognizing what needs to be done. Hang in there!