Just Show Up

I was sitting at a public hearing last night on the budget for the school district where I live. Very few people come to these budget hearings, but the few who do often get what they ask for.

I served on a school board for seven years, and people would always ask me "how do I get the school system to do what I want." I used to tell them "just show up and ask."

How is this relevant to ACC? It is the budget time of year. Like many non-profits, most of what we do depends on an annual budget. The ACC fiscal year starts October 1, so we start working hot and heavy on the budget in early Spring. Most of the budget ideas will need to be in the proposed mix by May 1.

What does this mean for you? If you want ACC to do something, such as provide a resource or a new service (or stop doing something), it needs to get in (or out) of the budget now. Not everything that is proposed will be in the budget, but if it is not on the list now, it probably will not be added later.

The good news is that you do not actually have to show up for a meeting. You can show up virtually via email, a phone call or one of the many ACC listservs.

Let me know what you think.