I had lunch yesterday with our 92 year-old Executive Director Carlton Brownell. I needed to pick his brain about some of the historic houses in town. He had either played in them as a boy or had been called in to consult on them as an adult. I brought a chicken salad sandwich to share and an hour and a half later I had all the information I needed. Including some stories that might have been lost if Carlton hadn't shared them with me.
Carlton has served the Little Compton Historical Society in one capacity or another since 1937.
At a time when the average length of employment in a non-profit job is five years and in an environment where very small staffs need to divide their attention among dozens of responsibilities, institutional memory is worth its weight in gold.
It can be easy to dismiss or marginalize people who don't use e-mail, can't make it into the office much anymore or have a hard time hearing you on the phone. But these people may just hold the key to your latest challenge.
Young employees and volunteers (and compared to Carlton I am young) need to recognize and listen to the experiences and advice of the older staff and volunteers who have been with their organizations for decades. It would be silly to blindly follow anyone's advice no matter what their age, but the advice from these older folks who keep the memories of your organization deserve special consideration.
Their memories may save you hours of wasted work. They might remember who donated that unregistered object, or who made the giant anonymous gift in 1960 or where the articles of incorporation are stored. They may steer you away from a donor who said 10 years ago "don't ever contact me again" or steer you toward a donor who said "contact me again when my grandchildren are out of college." They will remember that they tried that great "new" idea about 20 years ago and they will remember first hand whether or not it worked and why. They can speak for the older members of your audience and will remind you that Facebook posts and e-mails are nice but people still like a beautiful paper invitation or a thoughtfully worded "snail mail" thank you note.
It may cost you the price of a 12 inch grinder and you may need to take an extra-long lunch but making the effort to access the institutional memory of your long-time supporters will be well worth the investment.
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I had the opportunity to volunteer with Carlton for a summer over 20 years ago. I even got to see some of the "off limits" items at the Wilbour House. : ) I'm happy to hear he is still well and sharing his memory of history of the town.
ReplyDeleteSo well said Marjory. I know it is not exactly the same but my Mom is 94 and she is always sharing stories with me that I would never know unless I sat down and listened It is so worth the time. In this case Carlton is Little Compton History. I photograhed him for the Men of Little Compton calendar years ago outside on The Society's grounds and the info I walked away with was invaluable. We should value and learn from elderly as many of the Asian countries do and put them on the pedastal the they deserve.
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