Being the digital everything person at a small-to-medium size nonprofit can be exhausting.
Especially in an org that had already been in the red for years, had gone through the last of its downsizing by the time you came onboard, has no money to spend on specialists or contractors, and in a down economy where getting funding is hard.
And you realize that the information architecture, social media, and eCRM had been severely neglected for so long, because predecessors only had time and experience for other important tasks, and because like many nonprofits, the org tried to do more than it could. That and the communication design is relatively poor in terms of concisely delivering the context, vision, and ask so as not to info-overload people.
Yet an optimistic, happy organizational culture keeps you motivated to make a difference, despite all the cleanup you have to do, and things you’re neglecting because there’s just no working time, because you need personal time, and there’s no tech interns interested because your challenges are 4-5 years old in comparison to what’s hip in Silicon Valley, Alley, or Allee (Berlin).
You’ll just have to do most of it yourself, progressively over time, prioritized, while cataloging your progress, and trying not to overwhelm yourself.
Knowing that the extra personal time invested for learning skills is meaningful, and will help you work better and faster with future 3rd party contractors. And in your own projects.
That’s where I am today. Tired yet optimistic that it’ll all pay off. So long as I remember to smile and be kind to myself in the process.
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