Due to the limited capacity of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors, the event will not be held this year. – announcement on Facebook (November 12, 2010)

In a way, this is pretty insulting. Not to the people of Fayetteville, but to the Board of Directors of First Night. To anyone who has worked in the non-profit field, that simple declaration is all too familiar.

In the majority of cases, when an organization fails to meet its goals a lot (if not most) of the blame can be laid squarely at the feet of the board, those charged with keeping said organization alive and vital.

Advertisement

How many organizations have faltered and fallen because the board has been inattentive or put too much on the staff, and not stepped up to the plate (as any good board should do), rolled up their sleeves and made sure the organization met its goals?

The non-profit graveyard is littered with the graves of such groups, and the only etching on their tombstones is a collective, “Could have, would have, should have.”

Advertisement

And when calamity strikes, people in the community are struck-dumb by the news. In a lot of cases, folks would have been there, rolling up their own sleeves, helping an organization stay afloat.

And honestly, it doesn’t take much for the press to cover the world of non-profits, provided the reporters know what they are looking at.

Advertisement

They don’t have to attend meetings, but for crying out loud, but would it hurt to get one’s hands on the board minutes for the various non-profits? You just need to know:

What is being done that shouldn’t be?

Advertisement

What isn’t being done that should be?

How active are the board members? Are they the sort who just sort of phone-in their dedication to the organization, by merely showing up at board meetings?

Advertisement

Fayetteville’s Community Access Television (yeah, I know – I’ve written about this till everyone is sick of hearing it) is the recipient of a lot of sanctimonious finger pointing every year or so, while editorial writers shake their heads at the “in-fighting” that takes place. Of course, thew only reason any one knows anything about the C.A.T. board is that the damn meetings are on television.

It might be a real education for some of the holier-than-thou among us if they started paying some attention to other non-profits – before they collapse, or yearly events fail to take place.

Advertisement

It’s really easy if you try.

*****

Yeah, I forgot to mention a few places

An eagle-eyed reader read my blog about community diversity last week and emailed me to remind me that the Farmer’s Market is also one of the bastions of togetherness in Fayetteville, as well as the pizza establishment on the square, which caters to folks from all walks of life.

Advertisement

You are absolutely right, sir.

I still wish the press around here would cover real issues of poverty – other than homelessness. Covering some working class issues might be kind of nice now and then, as well.

****

Quote of the Day

Middleness is the very enemy of the bold. – Charles Krauthammer

rsdrake@cox.net

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Blackbirds dead, not singing, in the night Next article The line is open