Fwd: Change is Coming to MAASBESA??

[Mark Kosmo]

Since people seem to be reading massalbanians these days see below.  If you think you know someone who might be interested tell them to email me.  No job description is written yet, but more or less the person should have these qualities to be effective -- it can't be a very young person without much work experience -- to me the ideal person is someone who has some free-time and who is not concerned with his/her career for now since it would only be part-time, but also someone who is dynamic and can make things happen.

Qualifications

 

• Bilingual English and Albanian
• College Education
• At Least 5 Years Living in Massachusetts
• Familiar with MAASBESA, Its Activities, and people

I'm sending this now to see if there is any interest out there or not.  If not, MAASBESA will go downhill this year -- its time for change -- change or die as they say.  A formal process will follow, of course.  More details beow in email i sent a few days ago to MASBESA Board of Directors and Advisory Board.

Mark Kosmo

617-372-0931 (phone)

617-262-2340 (fax)

markk...@gmail.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark Kosmo <markk...@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 30, 2014 at 5:37 PM
Subject: Change is Coming to MAASBESA??
To: Arber Muhameti <meti...@gmail.com>, Ardian Preci <ardian...@gmail.com>, Bashkim Braho <kimb...@yahoo.com>, Donald Braho <Donald...@yahoo.com>, Eda Laze' <laz...@hotmail.com>, Eglantina Malaj <eglanti...@gmail.com>, Erin Karagjozi <erin.ka...@gmail.com>, Genti Puto <gent...@gmail.com>, Ilir Koci <ilir....@gmail.com>, Migen Hasanaj <mhas...@msn.com>, Petrit Alibeaj <petrit_...@hotmail.com>, Redis Kelmendi <r.kel...@yahoo.com>, Stefan Kochi 3 <sko...@gmail.com>, Ada Kokoshi <adako...@gmail.com>, Adi Mlika <adml...@gmail.com>, Aida Jovani <aida....@gmail.com>, Anila Piqani <api...@gmail.com>, Besnik Bajrami <besi...@gmail.com>, Ed Birce <edb...@gmail.com>, Irida Dautaj <iri...@gmail.com>, Katherine Vlladesi <nerejda....@yahoo.com>, Liri Qirici <iqte...@yahoo.com>, Sonila Gjata <son...@yahoo.it>

Since MAASBESA started (November 2006) we never had much money -- not until a year ago (we got 25-30k now).  

Usually we did not have tons of people offering to help, and that is not so different today either -- you take away 3-5 of us and MAASBESA is dead -- that is the reality.

We tried to hire someone for 100 Hearts last summer and got only one reply so not like money guarantees many people will surface (let alone qualified ones).

Still, I suspect (and I'm not the only one) that MAASBESA will slowly die out if we don't do something radical this year.

Sooo, my proposal is set aside $15,000 to pay someone $25 per hour for 12 hours per week for one year to be the first ever Executive Director and create a "new MAASBESA".  Basically pay someone else to do most of what me, Soni, and some others do.

Either we take the chance on getting the right person to create a new way of doing things or we very likely die out slowly over the next year or so.  To me, its worth the risk and we got the money -- that's what it is for.

Would take some time to write a job description and all that etc... -- if we agree to go down this road then we would delay having any Annual Board Meeting until we actually hire someone -- of course, people could meet before that (especially if there are candidates to interview) but just not a formal Annual Meeting.

Maybe next week we can publicly announce that this is the plan with the objective of hiring someone by March 1 or April 1.

Mark Kosmo

617-372-0931 (phone)

617-262-2340 (fax)

markk...@gmail.com

[Mark Kosmo]

yes, but i don't want or need 15k and would rather spend more tme on other things -- i'm not going to keep doing it forever -- does not mean I'm not involved -- it just means changing the way things are done to make it sustainable -- organizations that succeed don't depend on 1-2-3 people for too long

Mark Kosmo

617-372-0931 (phone)

617-262-2340 (fax)

markk...@gmail.com

On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 9:00 AM, Gjerasi, Agron <agje...@ptc.com> wrote:

Sounds like you are trying to pay yourself $15K for something you were doing for free;-) We all know that you are the ideal candidate for this job.

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[Mark Kosmo]

Thanks Filgen -- my guess is we would never get a bunch of people together to prepare a business plan, but we'll see.  To get people together, do  survey, and write it up -- I just kind of doubt it with too many Albanians involved -- ha ha ha.  I'd rahter hire one person to create and develop that plan for us.  Also, its possible to pay one person.  Most not-for-profits have an Executive Director that gets paid and a Board that does not, and that is what I am proposing.  Then there are staff if there is money.  The teachers for the Albanian School already get paid -- if the Executive Director could raise money to pay for extra help -- web-site etc... great.  But I don't think the model is fundamentally flawed since plenty of organizations do it -- to manage several people getting paid now i think would be too hard for us to do.  It owuld be up to one person to create some sort of vision based on Board's and community;s guidance.  The person would have one year to do it and also have to be able to rasie money to ensure continuity since otherwise he/she would be out of a job since there would be no money to continue.  Anyway, we'll see what happens -- maybe nothing will.

Mark Kosmo

617-372-0931 (phone)

617-262-2340 (fax)

markk...@gmail.com

On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 9:49 AM, Filgen Prifti <filgen...@hotmail.com> wrote:

 

Mark I agree that change needs to happen within MAASBESA but I don't think this will be effective. If you are paying one person you will need to pay everyone else that will be involved. You can't have people work for free while the executive director gets paid (unless this person will do everything from website&IT, event coordinating, fundraising, school director, treasurer, public relations, and all the other things that I can't think of right now). I propose that we (MAASBESA whoever wants to be involved) prepare a "business plan" or whatever you want to call it with a five year plan or strategy. Where we are and where we want to be. We need to set goals long term and short term these can evolve depending on the direction that the organization will take. Based on the set of goals then MAASBESA can look for the qualified candidates. Depending on the outcome of the business plan these candidates can get some sort of compensation or continue to do it as volunteer like it has been for the past 8 years. After all its our obligation as members of the community to help each other and the organization. 

Faleminderit

Thank you

Filgen Prifti

Sent from my iPhone

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[Mark Kosmo]

Thanks Agron

1)  For right now I don't see anyone wanting to organize a major event at MAASBESA -- its a lot of work and unless someone really pushes it from within it will never happen -- there would have been no vitin i ri party (per shembull) without Soni Gjata leading the way and right now there is only one person (Erin Karagjozi) really trying to organize any events -- me vone maybe

2)  Getting 400-500 people to donate etc... -- I don't know -- it sounds good, but its too much work to organize for too little money.  For the 100 Hearts we know we spent a lot of time and effort and only with your family and Qirici/Vlladesi familiy leading we were able to get 30-35 people to give $10 per month -- getting much more than that I doubt it 

3)  In the end. MAASBESA really does not depend for money from memberships its insignificant financially and it takes too much time to raise money that way and its not worth the time or aggravation for me or anyone else  -- my guess for the churches, too -- memberships are not all that important financially as a percentage of all of the revenues that come in -- in general, donations hewre and there are much more significant

4)  The only way we would ever be able to get hundreds of Albanians to donate for something like you mention either one time or on a monthly basis would be if there was a major activity -- like raising money for a community center -- otherwise it is just not worth the time i am afraid sicne people are not going to do it for MAASBESA etc... without a specific goal in mind it seems to me

Mark Kosmo

617-372-0931 (phone)

617-262-2340 (fax)

markk...@gmail.com

On Mon, Feb 3, 2014 at 11:29 AM, Gjerasi, Agron <agje...@ptc.com> wrote:

Mark,

 

Kjo puna e MASSBESA dhe komunitetit tone shpesh me duket si  3-5 kuaj race te fuqishem qe mundohen te terheqin nje karoce mbushur me njerez indiferente dhe skeptike te cilet ja kane hequr rrotat  karroces dhe I kane shitur per skrap!  Pa I bien kuajve me kamxhik, “yja balo, yja marko!!!” dhe kerkojne te ecin perpara dhe t’ja shohin hajrin ketyre kuajve qe I ushqejne me therrime!

Per mendimin tim eshte e pamundur te mbash ne kembe nje organizate kur komuniteti qe ajo perfaqson nuk jep as nje MINIMUM financiar te domosdoshem, $100/vit te themi, me sy mbyllur, pa pritshmeri gjigande dhe teresisht jo realiste, pa dyshuar se po bejne njeri te pasur me ate “therrime” kontribut vjetor ($8 ne muaj ne I harxhojme ne shtepite tona per kruajtese dhembesh). Nuk e di si mund ta “prekesh ne seder” kete komunitetin tone e ta besh te kuptoje se “nga hici – hici del!”.

Nuk e di cilat jane pritshmerite e komunitetit qe ka “lidhur pulen mos I haje therrimet”.  Thjeshte te kesh nje organizate dinjitoze si MASSBESA qe te te perfaqesoje si komunitet, qe organizon disa aktivitete ne vit (piknike per mbledhje fondesh per te ndihmuar njerez ne nevoje, shkolla shqipe, ngritjen e flamurit, festimin e vitit te ri)  duhet pare si  nder dhe krenari nga te gjithe ne.

Eshte kollaj te japesh mend dhe reflektimi duhet filluar nga vetja. Nese ato dy therrime kontribut financiar I kam dhene vazhdimisht per organizaten tone,   kam mohuar pothuajse teresisht cfaredo angazhimi tjeter pasi gjithnje kam qene I mendimit qe kohen ne dispozicion te  familjes dhe femijeve  te mos e ndaj me askend. “Hajde se e ben Marku pasi I ka tere ingredientet e nevojshem: I zgjuar, me mendje te hapur, CEO I vetes se tij dhe 2 qenve, me tere kohen ne dispozicion. Edhe ato te rinjte mendjemprehte dhe te dedikuar qe I vijne pas, shume prej tyre nuk kane akoma familje dhe e kane kohen dhe mundesite…”. Por vjen nje dite dhe Marku me te drejte rebelohet se I ka ardhur ne maje te hundes me keta shqiptaret qe me 2 aspra kerkojne vere te mire!  Shume “me jep” dhe fare pak “te jap”.  Mbaj mend ne njeren nga mbledhjet e organizates 2-3 vjet me pare kur nje I pranishem therriste e bertiste perse nuk e shihte emrin e tij me germa te medha ne komunikimet publike si contributor I $50 per organizaten!  Me nje mendesi te tille nuk shkohet asgjekundi!  

Do isha I mendimit qe MAASBESA te organizonte nje event  ku te ftohej tere komuniteti dhe sejcili te jepte mendimin se cfare mendon per organizaten dhe cfare do donte te shihte prej saj per te kontribuar. Kjo liste besoj ka rreth 400-500 anetare dhe sikur sejcili te jepte “pa kushte” $8/muaj (nje kafe me biskote) per organizaten tone do ishte nje fillim I mire.

Anyway, nuk ka me shurdh se ai qe nuk do te degjoje!

 

Tung,

 

Agroni

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