I did it!
I mentioned in a prior post what a fiasco the 2007 Heart Walk was, right? Well today I got (yet another) email from the Charlotte Heart Walk organizers (form letter that goes out to all members) all but begging (in a rather panicked voice) us to send out 10 emails recruiting more walkers, thereby boosting our fundraising potential. Well, they've always sent out this type of email, but they've begun to sound deperate, which I'm sure they are, since the event has fallen so short of it's goal.
Well I believe that their lack of success this year has everything to do with the way it went last year, and the fact that this year seems to be headed the same way. The smaller teams have been made to feel totally discounted, unimportant, and passed over in favor of the big matching-shirt corporate company teams. It's all about the money, and while I fully understand that this is, in fact, a FUND RAISING event, I feel that they've shot themselves in the foot by taking this new tact.
Donors from previous years have very little confidence in them. *I* have very little confidence in them and even less motivation, and that's scary because this was my absolute life line for 2 years. But the way they treat us now, well, they aren't so muc making me feel like Team Nova doesn't count as much as inadvertantly saying that Nova and Alexis don't count.
Anyway.
So I responded to the email and gently, and as politely as possible, explained all of this to them. I don't know that I'll get a response, or if they'll hear what I said, but I've stood up for myself, and it feels good to have voiced my opinion, because ever since last year I've held my tongue.
I just adore a woman who speaketh her mind :-)
ReplyDeleteDo keep us posted.
PS: You are NOT an a-hole :-)
ReplyDeleteI had a great time last year, though there was a feeling in the beginning like we were insignificant. There were tents set up for corporations and their employee walkers, plus group photos taken of those teams, but not the smaller independent ones.
ReplyDeleteThen halfway through the walk, we were all so glad to be together, someone said, "We're doing this next year for sure," and I got it into my head to make the team bigger, have shirts, bring along our own photographers, lug our own donuts and coffee if need be.
So that's what we're gonna do this year.
Show up, be proud, remember who we're walking for, and think of you guys while we're doing it.
Just imagine for your sanity's sake that we're all much cooler, and we would never forget your children.
I hope that helps ya.