The best aspect of my new job (receptionist at DCFS) is that, as long as I answer the phones and pay attention to who needs in/out of the building, I can do pretty much whatever desk activity I want. Today I decided to do some brainstorming re: my hypothetical women’s center. I listed all the discussion groups, support groups, and services that I would like to offer. 45 total! Whoa, Nelly! The reason the list is so long is that I strongly desire the center to address women’s lives in a comprehensive manner. Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, women have needs, and I want this center to have the potential to be helpful in any aspect a woman feels is lacking in her life. I realize that I am going to have to be very careful not to turn this into a “jack of all trades but master of none” phenomenon; to help with that, I started prioritizing that list of 45. I figure we’ll start with a few services and then build on that as we gain renown (and funding!).
I also brainstormed re: what staff will be required to provide those services. The next step will be to look up average salaries for those positions that would be paid (as opposed to using volunteers or interns), to start to get ballpark budget figures.
One key decision I have made is, instead of requiring that positions be filled by persons with X,Y, or Z levels of education and/or work experience, there will be ‘entrance exams’ – if people have gained knowledge and expertise through their life experiences and independent study, for my purposes, they’re just as qualified for these positions. Now, there are certain exceptions to this rule, obviously… but I think on the whole it’s a useful guideline.
OK, I should get going, dinner’s ready.
