I run a (mostly) state funded non profit, safety net in Calif. Hug me.

[ourbluenation]

Hug our clients.
Domestic violence/sexual assault agency.

Here we go...

[Hello_Kitty]

1. Oh shit!

:hug: to you and your clients.

[ourbluenation]

3. Thx. And a giant hug for my staff, while you're at it. First order of business is 2 unpaid days off

a month for all of us starting July 1 - sooner if we receive IOU's on our grant billings.

[Hello_Kitty]

4. I love how they always cut social services first

So that the people who work in those fields - already underpaid - need to go on government assistance along with many of their clients.

[ourbluenation]

5. well...giant props to VP Biden for VAWA. A nice chunk of our funds comes thru the state from federal

funds - those are safe. It's the state-only funds that are precarious, not to mention our unrestricted contributions dropping into the abyss this year.

FY 09-10 keeps me up at night.

[truedelphi]

11. The most effective way of stimulating the economy would have been

To decide on a figure - in this case close to 780 Billion dollars, divided it up according to per capita, multiply that per capita number by people in each state. California would have received
$ 24K per person - and then stipulate that those monies go directly to the states.

One other stipulation would have been that the states first use the money to keep in place any and all programs threatened by any deficits.

That way you'd have a much more normal and equally distributed group of people receiving the monies. Yes, you'd have infrastructure being built, but you'd also have the services end of the spectrum carrying on.

The social services people, psychiatrists, nurses, teachers, fire fighters, police etc would stay employed. In California's case, we wouldn't see firefighters being laid off right after a winter of low rain fall and perfectly set up massive firestorms. And the more vulnerable end of the population would have their safety net in place.

With the Stimbill the way it is, many projects won't be in line for at least six months. And how many displaced forty year old women teachers or fifty five year old social workers are gonna be able to be out in the trenches pouring concrete in six months?

Also, every dollar handled by a local government is one to ten times more effective than when handled by the Feds. Give a local county money for social services, and they can do ten times as many things as the Federal government can. On the state level, if the state is administering a program rather than sending the money out to the counties, the money is three to five times more effective than when the Federal government administers the dough.

[ourbluenation]

18. I like the way you think, citizen. Very good point about the infrastructure, btw. n/t

[JerseygirlCT]

15. We're doing 3 weeks of furlough - maybe for similar reasons to

your plan - so employees can continue their health care benefits, and apply for unemployment for the weeks off. I'm not sure that will do it, either, but we have to try.

Good luck! I know it's an awful time.

[rurallib]

2. hoo boy - good luck

:grouphug:

[ananda]

6. HUGE hug and a million million hearts.

nt

[Uben]

7. My daughter worked at Phoebe's House...

...it also is a battered women's shelter in College Station, Texas. She graduated with her BA in Psych and was volunteer coordinator and fundraiser for them. She soon found out there was no money in non-profits and went back and got her MBA.
She liked the job okay, but the infighting amongst the girls that worked there was too much.

[ourbluenation]

9. The infighting sounds like more of a mangment issue than anything else.

all it takes is one bad apple.

As for the money - most of us are in this for other reasons, but I certainly understand how frustrating it can be. The volunteer/fundraising positions are two of the most challenging in any non profit. One step forward, five steps back kind of thing.

[JerseygirlCT]

14. Unless you're talking the higher echelons of higher ed or

in hospitals, there *is* non real money in non-profits. I'm surprised she didn't realize that to begin with. Most who work for one do it at least in large part because they want to give back...

The in-fighting? I'm guessing she's going to find that just about anywhere. I've yet to work somewhere without it. It can be especially bad when resources are low - so non-profits are anything but immune to that.

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. I'm sorry

For perspective you should consider that you could have everyday as an unpaid day off - and no direct benefit from the stimulus that your tax dollars will help fund.

[Solly Mack]

10. ((((in my thoughts))))

Damn.

Damn.Damn.Damn.Damn

[roguevalley]

12. bless you, honey. you do the work of the angels. It can only get

better some day. It has to.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. Bad times, for sure. I'm sorry!

Some encouragement from leaders to remember those in need during this time would be a good thing, I think.

And of course, the need only increases as the donations decrease, and as public (gov't) support decreases. A perfect storm of need.

[mdmc]

16. I hear ya

i'm in the same boat ... mental health in nys

[fascisthunter]

17. wow... um... here's my hug

as big a one as you could possibly imagine. Thank you for what you do.

[Redstone]

19. You are a saint. As are the people on your staff. My very best wishes for your

ability to survive in these parlous times.

Redstone

[ourbluenation]

20. thank you all so much for the e-hugs. I'm sure this won't be my one and only request for one...

as for today - onward and upward.

[Maat]

21. Hugs from this retired social worker ...

and prayers and/or positive thoughts!

:hug:

[Ladyhawk]

22. Crap. I'm in Cali, too.

Sorry. :(

Not sure what's going to happen to some of the services I rely on.

:hug:

[OneBlueSky]

23. I work for a similar organization in New York . . .

and while we haven't reached the California nadir just yet, things are beginning to look bleak . . . we've already been notified by the state and the county to anticipate significant cuts next year, and finding new funding sources to make this money up gets more difficult every day . . .

community-based organizations all over the country are going to be hurting, everything from food banks to after-school programs to domestic violence shelters . . . and at a time when client bases are growing rapidly . . .

not good . . . not good at all . . .

[firehorse]

24. *hugs* from sista NYC

How are things today?