Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Saturday Night Massacre at MaxFund

[Thursday]  This post is a duplicate of the one I put on Tucker's blog, which is why I mention doggies.

[Later]  I've invited MaxFund volunteers to come here to discuss this situation or actually any other that's too controversial for the official volunteer forum.

Essentially nobody else knows about this blog, except that it's been mentioned all of twice, I think, on Tucker's blog. So it should be relatively safe.

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mr_ed:  Sorry, doggies, but I gotta butt in here.

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Saturday Night Massacre?

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35 years ago, President Nixon told Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Archibald Cox.  Richardson had appointed Cox independent special prosecutor for the Watergate break-in.

Richardson had promised Congress that he wouldn't interfere with Cox, so he refused the President's order and resigned in protest.

Nixon then told Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox.  Ruckelshaus had made the same promise to Congress, so he refused and resigned as well.

Nixon finally got satisfaction from the number three man in the Justice Department, Solicitor General Robert Bork.  Bork hadn't made any promises to Congress.  Cox was fired.

The media dubbed the loss of Richardson, Ruckelshaus, and Cox in one weekend the Saturday Night Massacre.



Details are sketchy at this time, as they say in the media, but it sure sounds to me as though MaxFund had its own version of the Saturday Night Massacre, but on a Tuesday night.

MaxFund apparently has an Advisory Committee as well as a Board of Directors. I hadn't heard of the Committee before, but it seems to hold the trump cards.

As told to me, the Committee decided to fire Lori Moss, who's been something like the operational head of MaxFund and also its shelter manager.

- The Advisory Committee told the Board of Directors to fire Lori Moss;

- The Board of Directors refused;

- The Advisory Committee disbanded the Board of Directors


Lori hadn't been fired as of 10:19 Tuesday night, but....

Full disclosure: I like Lori, I consider her a friend, and I strongly disagree with firing her.



I've volunteered with MaxFund for maybe a year and a half, and this isn't the first or second abrupt dismissal of top people that I've witnessed. Never mind the ones that I've heard about happening before I started there.

But this one takes the cake ... if, indeed, there's any cake to be taken.

Since MaxFund politics have nothing to do with Tucker or Sinjin, I won't make it a cause célèbre of this blog. But I'm really steamed and wouldn't have been able to get to sleep without working off some energy on the issue.

Since I'm Volunteer of the Month and all.

Now what do I do?

   -- ⅇⅆ

p.s. - it's snowing

7 comments:

Ed. Mister Ed. said...

Here's part of someone else's comment that I agree with completely.

I'm reposting it without their name in case they want a little protection because I challenged readers of MaxFund's volunteer forum to come here and read about one of the effects of this incident that's too controversial to write about there:

"How many times can we witness people, good people, being thrown away? At what point does our silence become complicity?

"The other times, 'it's all about the animals' has ultimately been the reason we continued as volunteers. But shouldn't an organization devoted to the humane care of animals treat its humans humanely, too?"

Of course he (or she or they) is (or are) welcome to take credit for their own thoughts - no theft of intellectual property is intended!

:-)

Anonymous said...

What I'm wondering, is why is there all of a sudden this change in leadership just when Maxfund is so close to winning the big bucks in the makeover contest? Does somebody want a slice of that pie? I gotta tell you, the little lady who was doing all the delegating onm WEd at the shelter - I want NOTHING to do with her. If she is going to be in charge of ANYTHING more than what she is already - I will not, I CANNOT be down there! We are ther ebecause we love animals, but also because we like people. You cannot separate the two. People come in there with their hearts on their sleeves, wanting a companion. Or maybe they have to give us their companion and they don;t want to.. Maybe they have a sick or injured companion and they can no longer care fo r him or her. WE have to care for thehuman as well as the animal. And the aforementioned little lady has been witeneesed by this here volunteer treating these sels-same sad individuals like peices of dog feces!! I will not be a part of it, I cannot condone it!

I adopted Rosey on the spot! I will not take any chances that someone will decide that because of something I say, do or wqrite on my blog or website that I am no longer fit to be Roisey's foster parent. I saved her life! Now whe is a furever part of my family and no one can take that away!

Thank you Ed for giving us this plpace to sound off. I am worried, I am concerned, I love MaxFund and all of the people who work so hard for the animals there. I have loved and I have lost there. I don;t want to see it go down, but I am afraid it is going to. That is my greatest fear.

(please excuse any typos, I'm terrible)

Sheri, Ryan, Rosey, Harley & Oliver

RollingStoneHD said...

it's called
Founder's syndrome is a label normally used to refer to a pattern of negative or undesirable behavior on the part of the founder(s) of an organization. The term is anecdotal/unofficial and does not actually refer to a medical syndrome. Founder's syndrome is most often associated with non-profit organizations especially those where there has only been one person leading the organization or the board of directors since its inception. The syndrome can affect for-profit organizations, but enterpeneurial activities necessarily revolve around an individual or group and tend to continue so as long as the founder or group is able to compete effectively in the commercial world.

This phenomenon often occurs after the initial growth of an NPO, when its mission evolves beyond what its founder originally had in mind; this creates conflict between newcomers, who want the organization to adapt, and the founder, who wants to keep things the way they were

Unknown said...

Well!! Having been through the Mother's Day Massacre at MaxFund nearly a year ago, I am sympathetic to Lori Moss' situation, even though Lori was instrumental in said massacre. I wrote a summary/report of my stay as executive director and sent it to the Board of Directors and to many other people connected to the MaxFund (including several volunteers.) All of the information in that report is fully documented as well as other information that I did not include in that report. I did not hear from a single member of the board, nor from anyone else that received a copy of that report. I attached a letter describing my dismissal to that report, as well. I have never heard from anyone who was willing to step up and address the conditions at MaxFund. It appears that almost a year has gone by and the situation has only gotten worse. Where are all the people who hold themselves out to be stewards of the animals who depend on the MaxFund? What responsibility does the MaxFund have to all the people who send $2.00, $5.00, $25.00 every month to "help the animals"? Who is left to address these issues now, and when are they going to do it? The MaxFund has the possibilities of becoming a true no-kill shelter, a model no-kill shelter in Colorado, and a shelter that only grew in stature and ability, compassion and true stewardship for all "four-leggeds" (and "two-leggeds",as well.) If not here, then where? If not now, then when? If not you, then who?? The MaxFund needs an internal make-over far more than it needs an external make-over.

forthefurries said...

d'ann

I am sorry for the mothersday massacre. Although yes I was involved, I was put in a position (looking back I should not have participated!)that I could not control. I totally agree that the MF needs an internal Makeover...without that an external makeover will not do any good! Please lets talk.

forthefurries said...

also D'ann, I never received the report you mentioned.

Unknown said...

To: Forthefurries
I don't know who I'm talking to and I really don't understand blogs yet. I am, however, open to conversation any time. Please feel free to email me at dorothyann.evans@gmail.com.
Thanks for your reply.
Peace,
D'Ann