Tuesday, August 31, 2010
My two years with Pankhudi have proved good for my personal growth.
When I was elected as its Public Relations representative, earlier this year, I had grand plans for the group. I still do.
Only, now they are more grounded.
One of the most important activities required of a PR Rep is of volunteer management and training. As a part of this, I reach out to young working professionals and college students in Mumbai.
A lot of people believe that good media coverage, participation at NGO fairs, etc. help to get more volunteers.
Often, I also come across reading material that suggests do's and dont's for PR professionals in the non-profit segment. Regular follow-up calls/mails/thank you notes often go a long way to sustain interest levels amongst volunteers and arrest attrition, or so they claim.
The feeling is wrong.
Apart from stroking the ego of the recipient, such notes don't achieve much.
I have come to realise that man finds the purpose, and not vice-versa.
You may want to apply this to your life.
Ever loved a hobby enough to take it to a higher level of proficiency? Didn't you take the initiative to find like minded individuals and learning groups? Did a "welcome" mail from them help to bolster your interest in the activity? Will your commitment increase exponentially, if they mailed you regularly and expressed how grateful they were to have you?
I am sure, it wouldn't.
Since, people who want to pursue a calling, do it anyway.
Understood?
Very good.
Hmm... Err... Did I just ask to be fired??
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I can understand what you mean. And its completely true. You cant force people to do things they dont genuinely like, right?
Man finds the purpose, not the other way round. Nice!
I don't agree with your statement - "Man finds purpose". If that were the case, then our youth (and that includes us) would not be asea.
Have you heard the story of Sir Lancelot? The purpose found him. All of us are not as lucky as Lancelot, but these emails and follow-ups might just help in getting Pankhudi a few much-needed Lancelots.
Go ahead and spread the word
@MM, Kida - Thanks for the comment.
Kida - I agree with the Lancelot bit. I also understand that I must perform the action and not worry about results :-)
Still, I keep coming back to the same point - it's not sustainable. People who want to find us, will do so anyway
Post a Comment