I was watching an interview with Ed Whitacre the other day. Mr. Whitacre was the CEO charged with turning GM around after their bailout. He was asked if there was a methodology that he would use in turning around any organization. His reply was "People. Give people responsibility. Give them authority. Give them accountability. People are a company's best asset." You would think that the leader of an automotive giant would talk about the quality of their vehicles. Mr. Whitacre's belief is that quality people translate into quality product. I have been mulling this over as I think about Joel's Place.
Joel's Place is not a multi-national company. We are not even the largest Fairbanks non-profit that works with youth. What we are is an organization that wants the best for the young people of Interior Alaska. We want to provide them with a place of safety and security where they can have a ridiculous amount of fun and develop into men and women possessing strength of body, mind and character.
Too often I find myself obsessing over grants, programs, money and events as I work at achieving those goals. I spend a lot of time at my desk working through reports and proposals. Don't get me wrong, these are important steps towards keeping the building open and heated...but they are not what will help us achieve our goals. People are the best asset that we have. They are the best opportunity for caring for the kids who come through our doors. There are several different types of human capital that we can invest in the Joel's Place Youth.
First is our staff. Jon, Kelli, Leah, Tami, Arlys, Darius and Rhema pour themselves into making Joel's Place a tremendous experience for everyone who attends. They have all sorts of different gifts, but are all friendly and encouraging, eager to talk and ready to listen, longing to see a better life for all the kids. We have just completed a month long discussion on Vision and they are all excited to see Joel's Place grow and mature. This is an outstanding team that I have and I am going to do everything that I can to ensure that they are given every opportunity to succeed.
There are other opportunities to have people invest in Joel's Place other than being on staff. I have talked at length about financial donors before so I will only mention them briefly: gifts of money allow us to the freedom to pursue our vision. We are so grateful.
Joel's Place was built on volunteers...people who were willing to give of their time and experience to the youth of Fairbanks. We need a new generation of volunteers to come alongside us now. We need people who are interested in teaching what they know: math, writing, vehicle repair, art, music, survival, foreign languages...you name it. If you are interested in passing your knowledge on to hungry minds, let us know. If you are interested in cooking or tutoring, let us know. If you are interested in fixing stuff, let us know. If you are interested in giving rides to and from Joel's Place, let us know. If you are interested in organizing work crews to complete major projects, let us know. If you are interested in security for concerts, let us know. If you have a skill, interest or ability that I have not mentioned, let us know. I love to get creative with people who want to invest in youth.
Another place of investment is with our Board of Directors. Alaska has over 6,000 nonprofits, not even counting churches or school PTSAs. When you look at the total number of eligible adults in the state, it becomes clear why nonprofits are always searching for Board members. If you are willing to invest a few hours each month into helping supervise and guide this amazing organization, I would welcome a call. We are looking to move into the next stage of development for Joel's Place and I am looking for people who are faithful, invested in the Interior's Youth and interested in joining our mission. Plus you would get to work with me a lot...so that's a bonus. The Board tackles the big picture direction of the movement, the minutia of policy and everything in between. We laugh. We argue. We pray. We see God work all the time. It is a remarkable ride and I invite you to join us.
The quality of the Joel's Place experience for the youth is not due to our building or our ramps or our concerts or our cafe. The quality of the experience is the amount of Human Capital that is poured into these kids from every angle. Consider coming alongside. Your investment could be part of what transforms a life, a family or even our community.
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