Finishing up 2008

Since tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the office is closed, so today is the last day I'm in the office for 2008.

And do I have a lot to get done. (Why are you blogging then, you ask... good question... but now that I've started, I'll finish this entry.)

We've received a number of year-end donations. This is always a good thing. As is thanking donors, and I've got to get letters out.

There's a grant that's due tomorrow. Most of the time, I don't run up against deadlines quite this close, but since this is an online application, I can submit this afternoon and still be on time. (Somehow, this one wasn't on my radar before last week.)

Tonight is the Starfish Christmas party for our Scholars.... I will not be wearing roller skates, but I will have the camera, so photos should be forthcoming.

In the realm of VISTA supervisordom, I've also got to submit my monthly report of what the three VISTAs have been doing since the beginning of December.

Well, enough whining... I suppose I should actually get things done.

A little lesson

Here is a little lesson on not giving up on your goals too soon.

Remember how I said at $967,000 it was time to reset the money count for the next year because everything I'd written for during my VISTA year had come in? Remember how I said I just missed raising a million bucks?

I may have spoken a bit hastily.

There was an outstanding $50,000 grant that I forgot about. I wrote it in July. Five-six months ago. It was passing through a bunch of hoops that I didn't have anything to do with and what with the breakfast and becoming a VISTA supervisor, etc., it dropped off my radar.

Until today, and a copy of the $50,000 check was on my desk.

So, the money total now.... drumroll please... $1,017,000.

Yes, that's a "1" the millions column.

I guess this is what that expression about "feeling like a million bucks" refers to.

Take Two

It's strange now that I've been here a year, I'm starting to write final grant reports and new proposals for funders that I wrote to at this time last year.

Just this morning, I emailed off a final grant report to the funder of the first grant application I wrote when I was just learning how to do this last winter.

Likely later this week, or next week, just before the holidays, I'll write a new proposal to this same funder.

Something makes me think round two will be harder than round one was. Granted, our grants officer has said, like every foundation, this one is concerned with the stock market and the downturn and the impact that will have on how much they can give away. This makes me think that every proposal I write this year will have to be amazing to make the cut because there will likely be less dollars on the table and more people going after the same pot of money.

But, what this really reminds me of is though is school. When I was in college, because I went to a smaller school, I tended to have the same profs semester after semester. Yet each semester, there was that learning curve again of remembering how they graded their papers. This reminds me of that feeling, wanting to make sure that whatever I resubmit matches what they want.

Not like there's any pressure or anything.

Big News, Part 2

Here's the rest of the news --- this was just too much to put in one Big News post.


Last week, Starfish was awarded the capital improvements grant from United Way! No more blue office for Bethany!

This also significantly changes the VISTA year money total. It now stands at $967,000. The capital fund grant was around $370,000 on its own. This grant pretty much closes out the grant writing I did as a VISTA, so the money coming in now is not part of this rolling total. (The counter has been reset to $0... or more like $2,000.)

So, I didn't quite hit the million-dollar mark. There were a couple grants that we didn't get that would have easily propelled me over that bench. But, I have to say, I'm exceptionally pleased with this total. (The prospect of the non-blue-office is quite appealing as well.)

We're meeting with the design and construction team again next week to finalize the design (it's been June since we really talked about it) and figure out who's moving to what offices and finalize picks of furniture, etc.

Hopefully, I'll have pictures to post of the renovations within a few months.

Big News, Part 1

I had no time to blog yesterday, but some big news here that I must share.

Starfish had three, new full-time VISTA members start yesterday. The other news (which I shared already) is that I'm their supervisor.

All three new members successfully went to PSO and still came to work. (And they came back today for day 2... always a good sign....)

More on them and their projects later. (and hopefully some guest blog posts...)

In little news, we got a $2,000 grant today. In tight times like this, every little bit counts.

A cross-post

Here's what I had to say today in my other blog.

Check it out here.