Abstract
On a recent walk in my neighborhood, I was intrigued by a logo which caught my attention on the window of a small office building across the street. What it appeared to be was a picture of a large, stylized bird (it seemed to be either an eagle or a seagull), carrying a hatchet in its clawed feet.
I looked at it for a minute, but since I was in a hurry, I wasn't able to inspect this interesting sign more carefully. Walking on, dozens of musings immediately began filling my mind.
What could this organization with a bird and hatchet logo represent? Did the hatchet in claw represent a truly militant activist group against legislation? Or, was this a warning to mankind ala Hitchcock's "The Birds" that we can only plunder "their" ranks so long before the inevitable retribution?
Rolling these ideas around in my mind, none of them nestled down comfortably. But then, one thought did bring a wry, albeit bitter, knowing smile on my face.
Of course! This must be a symbol of the prevailing attitude within the bird organization itself of the general attitude towards each other, and perhaps even more towards those by virtue of their visibility within it, and commitment, who have their heads and craws stuck out as an easier chopping target.
Fortunately, this dark little thought left me, but it did conjure up bittersweet reflections of what has befallen many a Non-Profit Organization and spelled its doom, and this is ... lack of team play, or "islanding," poor coordination of activities toward goals, and a lack of clear overview of how all projects should be channeled to fit into the organization's stated purposes.
Equally destructive to an NPO is the failure to place organizational goals above personal ideas or preferences. This pervasive ·'Newcastle'' is often subtle to diagnose, but some classic symptoms are: internal bickering or "hatcheting;" lack of communication to key leadership people about a problem before it reaches crisis stage; unwillingness to blend or correlate individual authority or responsibility into the plans and needs of the whole organization; and little affirming, caring or appreciation of fellow members.
But probably most insidious of all is: members not realizing that if they're not part of the solution, then they're part of the problem. This proves poor member involvement and commitment.
I will leave it to the reader to conclude how he/she sees the AFA in terms of the above criteria. Suffice it to say that if an organization is not in glowing health, some of these symptoms are definitely present.
For most of you with burning curiosity, I did later find out what the mysterious "Bird With Hatchet" logo represented ... Kitchen Industry Aids! Since the firm is located in Santa Monica, I presume the bird was a seagull carrying a meat cleaver. Little do they know what thoughts their logo inspired!
I like President Reagan's statement regarding the tragic, failed Challenger spaceship. He said, "We are not afraid to admit our mistakes, therefore, we will not be doomed to repeat them." Let us hope our organization exhibits the same kind of wisdom.
And on the positive note, I believe some very good things are happening. I am happy to state that in response to my pleas for volunteers to improve our involvement problem, we have been getting responses from you folks. I can't tell you how happy that makes me and how encouraged. Thank you so much!
And, just as I suspected, many of you stated you had never volunteered because no one had ever emphasized how vital your participation was or had asked you. Also, I can see that there is a broad spectrum of talent out there and we can use each one of you.
We have not had an avalanche of responses, so we still need many more of you to respond and join the UPWARD PUSH Team, the "UP" team of volunteers or "UPPTES," as l like to to call them. (Yuppies, move aside!)
Other good things are also happening to AFA. Here are a few examples: Fine delegate volunteers in southern California are making a special drive to gain new members, hold seminars and sell Indexes to benefit the AFA. under a prototype project called EMMA, Emergency Membership and Marketing Action. This program is soon to be put in effect on a national basis.
A new Finance Committee has been formed to help develop financial resources and its first meeting was held May 23rd. I believe we came up with many good ideas for funding projects which now need to be implemented. Again, the unanimous conclusion of the committee was that unless enough committed volunteers would come forth, these projects will not succeed.
I know good things will continue to happen in coming months and we will inform you of these in future issues.