Jump to content

Totally useless work rant


Recommended Posts

Taken from the neglected and worthless pages of Shutupdante.com:

I work for a non-profit. Part of my job is to work with people interested in holding events at the Museum. We charge a rental fee (very small compared to nearly all venues of our stature and capacity) and I’m one of the people on site who write contracts and serve as a point person for clients. While I do give the clients the rental information, I don’t in any way establish the price. Nor (as a fairly entry level position) do I have the authority to issue sponsorships or large price discounts (unless you have VP in your title, you can’t do that).

I get used to people dropping casual hints about seeking a discount. You get the occasional, “well, money is tight for this event”, “It’s not easy being a non-profit” and even, “I’m going to have to mortgage my house to pay for this event”. I’ve become a good negotiator and with the little bit of leeway I’m given (less than 10% typically), I can ussually work out a contract with a client that makes them happy and makes me look like a hero.

Still, you get the occasional client who just refuses to either let up or give in. These clients make you want to claw your eyes out. The client who signs a contract for a day rental and then screams that they thought the rental was for the whole day (all 24 hours of it) and they had planed to use it as such. Or worse, the client who seeks a full sponsorship (meaning they pay $0) and will not leave me (not the person who approves sponsorships) alone. You relay the information of, “I can pass that along to our executive staff but I can not approve any discounts” as much as possible but it makes no difference.

Recently, I’ve come under fire by the most relentless group I’ve ever met. They’re looking to hold a sponsored conference with the proceeds going to orphanages (very noble). Unfortunately, we reached our sponsor limit for the quarter so the VP declined their request. However, this has not prevented them from calling/e-mailing/visiting me on a nearly weekly basis. Each exchange is littered with little guilt trips as to why we should host their event. Things like, “you should of read the stories I am getting from those orphanage houses from developing countries “, ” life of the child saved - that’s what it is”, and “I’m visiting orphanages I’ll try to video tape and document everything”. And while I appreciate it’s noble work, it’s like complaining to the cashier at Burger King about the price of your Whooper.

I just hate getting guilt tripped, especially when there’s nothing I can do about it. I wonder if these people act this way with everything in there life. “Sorry I was speeding officer. I was just off to visit the dying children of the orphanage. Guess the money I use paying this ticket won’t go to dying children.” “I’d like a plane ticket to New Orleans, where I will be visiting the sick orphans left from the hurricane. Can I get this ticket for free? I mean, I’m saving dying kids”.

The odd part is that the place I work is a non-profit too. Maybe I’m not saving dying children but I do work for a company that makes no profit and I don’t think we can really sustain our existence by doing good deeds or has the government started excepting hopes and dreams as legal tender?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×

AdBlock Detected

spacer.png

We noticed that you're using an adBlocker

Yes, I'll whitelist