#serviceyear

Hiya, Erin here. As 2016 comes to a close, Gordon and I are gearing up for another year of service as part of our startup process. We’ve decided it’s probably important that we document this undertaking, so hopefully we’ll have some good insights to share. ------- You know that feeling you get when you decide to tackle something you’ve never done before—the apprehension, the fear, the excitement, the thrill? That’s what’s going through my head right now. Another year of service is exciting, this is a familiar experience for me. On top of a year of service, we’re still trying to figure out how to start up and run a nonprofit.

In addition to all of that, I’m also playing catch up—trying to learn everything we would teach our members during bootcamp and throughout their term of service. This is probably what has been weighing on my mind the most. I feel totally out of my element. My last term was in line with my field, and if I had setbacks, I had a well-established organization to fall back on. This time around, we really don’t have much of a safety net.

I’ve never been good at journaling. Well, I’m great at starting journals. Not so good at writing more than two entries. However, Erin and I have decided that it will be important to document this startup process. So, umm... Hi? Here’s the start of yet another journal.

---

You know that feeling you get the night before the first day of school? That mixture of excitement, terror, and anxiety (minus the confidence boost of new back-to-school clothes) that keeps you up thinking about the possibilities? That’s what I am feeling.

Actually, in terms of the service year component, I actually feel pretty good. Compared to the startup process, a term of service is actually quite familiar. The scariest part is everything else. Erin and I are committing to two thousand hours of service. In addition to this direct service, we still have an organization to build. And we have to figure out what “building an organization” means and requires. How do we build a positive company culture? What do we, as an organization, value? And the perpetual startup question, what’s next?

What am I thinking about? Mostly, I’m thinking through to-do lists, contingencies, policies, and procedures. Super exciting, I know.