I have been working at a non profit since July.
Anonymous
I have been working at a non profit since July. I was hired because of my expertise. I have almost three decades in the field and advanced degrees. My boss used to be the only employee but because of significant growth, three new employees were hired. We are all significantly experienced. My bosses go to response for ANY request is "no." It's not just me either. All three of us are told "no" so many times a day it is almost ridiculous. She refuses to spend ANY money on just about anything. (The organization is not just in good financial shape, it is in excellent financial shape.) For example, the software we are using hasn't been updated since 2008. We have told her numerous times it has to be updated. It is on the verge of crashing. We're probably talking $2,000 max. My coworker is fairly sure that when the entire system crashes we will lose all our work because the system can't be properly backed up. I asked for a data base to track calls and was told to use Libre Office because it's free. I literally have to bring my own computer in to use my own programs since the ones we have are so woefully out of date, they can no longer do anything besides really basic stuff. I asked for business cards, since I see a lot of clients outside the office and she printed out plain white cards on her home computer that are so unprofessional I would be embarrassed to give them out. She constantly asks for ideas and I have given her dozens and she has shot everyone down and most for not very good reasons. The same with my coworkers. I came up with an amazing idea for a holiday program. She told me it would be "too much work." When I reminded her that I'm not working enough hours as it is she said, "Well, I don't want to plan something we might have to cancel because of the weather." Are you kidding me? I don't know what to do. I'm literally twiddling my thumbs because she wants me to come up with projects and when I do she tells me they are bad ideas. When I ask for her ideas, she seems miffed that I would even ask. She is constantly sharing her "vision" with us but her "vision" is not doable. Our staff and building are physically too small for what she wants us to do. (Think hundreds of people in a space that is rated fire safe for 54.)Today I just decided to do a small project. When I was done she asked me why I did it, it wasn't something she would ever use anyway. She always does this in a tone that makes it sound like she thinks we are stupid. I have been there four months and have accomplished absolutely nothing. I have asked several times for her expectations because they don't seem clear and she just refers me back to my contract. I'm trying to do what my contract says but I am constantly blocked because of her "no." I asked one coworker what she does because my boss always says no to her too and she says she watches videos all day. Today I left totally demoralized. I thought I did some great work today and she basically told me that everything I did today was worthless. It's only been four months. I thought I might stay a year. What do you think?


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