Me--planning to quit job. Work--planning grant funded projects for me.
September 12, 2013 7:03 AM   Subscribe

[For folks that work in the non-profit sector] I feel at a loss for what to do. I work for a non-profit that I have been planning to leave for some time. I am taking the GRE this month, applying to schools and even applying for school-compatible part time jobs. At the same time, my non-profit is trying to pull itself out of a budget hole by applying for a multitude of grants. Most of the deliverables are things that I am supposed to deliver and the only other person left to deliver would be my immediate supervisor. I like my supervisor and don't know how she would even get all the work done if I left. My work would not be easily transferred to a new hire. I feel overcome with guilt as each new grant proposal goes out the door because I'm not planning on being around to do this work. I know it would be really dumb to say that before I have an offer in hand for school or a new job. What is the right thing to do? Should I let them build their plans around me when I'm not sure I'll be around?

My non-profit has gone beyond seeking funds for mission fulfilling to the let's-just-get-money, any-money mode. I don't get any say in proposing work and I disagree with a lot of the decisions that have been made during this emergency grant seeking period.

The main reason for my heartburn is that we've been put on threat of imminent downsizing and it has been stated that my coworkers will be fired if funds aren't secured.

I'm one of the few people who would be safe, since they're counting on me to do a majority of the grant activities.

I have a very hard time being dishonest and it is eating me up inside to see so many plans being made that hinge on my contributions. I am a senior level staff person and would likely continue on in the same field once I get my advanced degree.

Does it even matter if I'm not around to do the work? Would a foundation decide not to fund or pull funding if I left (I'm a front of the house person, so I don't know anything about how grants truly work)?
posted by anonymous to Human Relations (15 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
See this question from last week. You have, essentially, the same issues.

Good luck.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:07 AM on September 12, 2013 [3 favorites]


My work would not be easily transferred to a new hire.

Everybody is replaceable. Repeat, everybody is replaceable.

The main reason for my heartburn is that we've been put on threat of imminent downsizing and it has been stated that my coworkers will be fired if funds aren't secured.

They won't hesitate to get rid of people if it is in their best interests. So you shouldn't feel the least bit guilty about doing things that are in your own best interest. Start looking for other work immediately.
posted by futureisunwritten at 7:09 AM on September 12, 2013 [15 favorites]


If they get the grants, they CAN hire somebody to do the work. You can document your work for somebody else to do.

Quite frankly, it sounds like an organization that's going down fast. "I don't get any say in proposing work and I disagree..." sounds like not a place you want to work for.

Unless a funding contract specifies that funding is contingent on YOU being there, a foundation can't pull funding. It can not renew funding, and it can be unhappy, but it can't pull funding. And yes, a foundation can decide not to fund your program if they know you won't be around to do the work. But a foundation can also decide not to fund a program if it looks like the organization is in chaos.
posted by entropone at 7:11 AM on September 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


No organization should be planning for its employees to remain in their current jobs, indefinitely. People leave. They move, change careers, decide to stay home with the kids, etc. Once you decide to leave and have given notice, the question of what happens after you're gone is your supervisor's problem, because that is what your supervisor is paid to do. It's part of her job to manage staffing issues and make sure that, when someone leaves, she knows what your job is and how to search for a replacement. Someone out there has skills and education comparable to yours and can take your place. If the entire org comes crashing down because one person left, then the org was going to collapse anyway, and soon. Best be well clear of the rubble.
posted by 1adam12 at 7:27 AM on September 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


entropone has it. I was a grant writer for many years and worked at an organization like this. We were submitting tons of government grant applications for completely irrelevant programs as I was trying to leave. Jobs are not permanent, and your organization needs to understand that.

The best way to feel better about this is to make sure that you have written extensive documentation about how to do your job. I've come into positions like yours at nonprofits in the past and felt completely hopeless because institutional knowledge was simply nonexistent. Start working on guides and documentation now.
posted by anotheraccount at 7:38 AM on September 12, 2013 [2 favorites]


I agree with what everyone else has said but I'll also add that at a nonprofit where I used to work, it wasn't that unusual for people who wanted to go back to school to continue working for the organization as a contractor. I don't know if you want to completely cut ties with your organization and I understand if that's the case but you may not have to. If that's something that interests you, consider thinking about how you could make that work.
posted by kat518 at 7:45 AM on September 12, 2013


I work for a non-profit. We are always sending out proposals for funding and sometimes we get those projects. You are NOT the only one who can do this work. Funders don't care about the names attached to projects. They won't grant or not grant the funding because it's you attached to it, nor will they pull funding because you in particular have left the organization. If your organization secures funding and you leave, your boss will hire someone to replace you and they will know what skills and experience they will need to be looking for. You are not the only one in your city who can meet the deliverables. They will be fine. Or not. But if the existence of the whole organization rests on you staying there (which I doubt), then yeah, even more reason move on.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:02 AM on September 12, 2013


Does it even matter if I'm not around to do the work? Would a foundation decide not to fund or pull funding if I left (I'm a front of the house person, so I don't know anything about how grants truly work)?

Your nonprofit will find someone who can fill your position, for which they will have ample time- if you inform them you're leaving right after you get into a school. I doubt they'd up and fire you if you're THAT crucial to the organization.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:08 AM on September 12, 2013


Can't you mention that you are considering graduate school and taking the GRE? They aren't going to fire you for considering going to school (and it seems they can't afford to) but at least it also won't be a surprise when you do tell them you're leaving. If you don't choose to say "Hey, I plan to leave in six-to-nine months" out fear they will replace you in two months (legitimate concern), I would at least throw the idea out there and let them consider the possibility of you leaving in the near future. That said, maybe once you know, you can tell them. Two weeks notice is nice, but maybe two months notice would be better?
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:10 AM on September 12, 2013


Just curious....are some of the deliverables things that are done on a computer? Could this be the part-time job you have been looking for to do while you are in graduate school? Many people these days have jobs that basically have them sitting in a chair and working on a computer for most of it....and that means they can do their work quite effectively from anywhere anytime. Is there part of this work that you can just keep doing from your new location as a part-time gig?
posted by BearClaw6 at 8:25 AM on September 12, 2013


Yes, everyone is replacable.

I used to do a HUGE volume of work for a department. I was taken for granted. So I left. They were confident that they could easily replace me and brought in someone who was somewhat of an insult to me. Seriously, they clearly had no comprehension of what I did and what herculean efforts I went through to do it.

About 3 months in, the new guy had quit in disgust, he couldn't hack the workload and the other two folks that I worked with just shrugged their shoulders and figured something out.

Clearly I was integral to that team, but at the end of the day, even though they had a rough time of it, nothing very terrible happened in the long run.

The lessons:

1. What goes around, comes around--don't screw with Bunny.

2. People will accustom themselves to whatever level of incompetance they need to, and will still manage to get the work done.

You should see what I do for reporting. What I need is a data cube, what I have is Excel and a mighty will.

Do what you need to do for YOU. Trust me, if the place had no funding, you'd be out on your ass so fast your head would spin.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 8:39 AM on September 12, 2013 [3 favorites]


I have been where you are, as recently as last year, when I was very close to quitting my current job. The restructuring that starting happening, though, left me in a position I am happier with, so I wound up not going through with my plans to leave.

Like you, I felt myself to be essential - in fact, I had several other people tell me that if I left, the place would fall apart because no one else knew how to do what I did. It's a guilt trip that we often play on each other in the non-profit sector I think, but there is also some element of truth in it at times - we all have developed certain skills, competencies, and processes for our current jobs that someone new won't know right away. The key thing I have found is to distinguish between me and the role - the role will go on, without me - perhaps split amongst several others, perhaps not, but the role is the important thing.

So I started working on two things - a process binder and a "bus" file. I figure both are good to have no matter what - they essentially contain all the information about where to find certain things, passwords, how to do certain elements and tasks of this role. The idea is that I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and someone else should be able to step in and quickly know what to do and where to find everything.

It isn't a perfect system, but the fact remains - I may not stay here forever. Another golden opportunity could come along tomorrow, or something might happen that drives me to leave (or get forced out). So I am doing what I think is ethical in terms of preserving important information about the role at the organization. It allows to me to think about leaving under a variety of circumstances without feeling like I'm somehow betraying the organization and the people I work with.
posted by nubs at 8:52 AM on September 12, 2013 [9 favorites]


You are putting the cart before the horse. You have yet to take the GRE. You have not gotten into graduate school.

It's possible the truth is that you really don't want to work in a grant-funded position. How graduate school is going to help you get out of working in grant-funded positions is an open question.

Sadly the position you are in is not uncommon. The fact that your organization is putting all jobs on the block and going to any and all funding sources spells it out clear that your organization's mission leadership is out of touch with reality.
posted by parmanparman at 9:01 AM on September 12, 2013


What I need is a data cube, what I have is Excel and a mighty will.
OK, I laughed out loud.


If you're taking the GRE this month, and haven't even applied to schools yet, you're counting chickens before you even have the eggs. Just do your thing, and when you get a grad school offer, let them know as early as possible that you'll be moving on.

If you want to be nice, go ahead and document stuff in the meantime, as suggested upthread...
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:39 AM on September 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


I, too, have been in this position - but in my case I was pregnant and fearful about telling anyone because so much work revolved around my position. Guess what? They made it work without me for three months.

Funders do NOT care who is carrying out the work unless you are a highly-qualified scientist or curator or artistic director. Even then, you're replaceable. In fact, your organization is in a better position to be applying for these grants now, while you're there, than they would be if the position was empty and it would appear as though they were hiring "new" staff. If they have to replace you down the road once the funding is in, it won't be a big deal.

I would keep the grad school thing to yourself for now. There will be plenty of time to help your org through this transition once you know for sure what you're going to do.
posted by jrichards at 11:46 AM on September 12, 2013


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