viva verde

i just got wind of the “temporary closing” of the Santa Ana Farmers’ Market a few weeks ago, and although i am a little heartbroken about it, i am not surprised.

i am not just saying that as a spectator or person who has visited the struggling market on a monthly basis, but as someone who actually laid the foundation for that market and got it started in the first place. of course you wouldn’t know this unless you did a little research or actually talked to the many people who were an integral part of starting a service like this in the first place.

a little back story: i left the Grain Project, a non-profit i founded with 2 women in 2005 when i found out about a serious conflict-of-interest within the organization that needed to result in rules or codes of conduct so that the organization as a whole could remain intact long after any of the founders were there. to me, rules happen in society when inappropriate things happen, as to ensure it not happening again. i took a stand, and demanded rules (with the counsel of 2 employee attorneys and other board members) to which i was subjected to ridicule and a “witch hunt” for my resignation.

one evening, after several panic attacks and public bashings of character, i was approached by our board of directors with a proposition: either personally resign, or the board was going to terminate the employment of the person in question. i thought long on and hard on this one. even though i had already signed the lease on what was to be The Road Less Traveled, i was not planning to actually build the store for 1 more year. and honestly, The Grain Project still needed more development in order to be a highly effective non-profit…we still needed to work on the “business” aspect of it.

well, i think you know what happened. and what suffered was a business.

non-profs are tricky: you are there to do good, but need to turn the lights on, need to pay the bills. this is a very difficult thing to grasp in this sector because you dont want to be a money-hungry b-/monster. but again, you need to keep the lights on. the rise of “social entrepreneurship” i think is paving the way for non-profs in a business model and will help future thinkers of doing good, really DO good while creating funds for…DOING GOOD. does that make sense?? let me show you in a basic equation:

good service + good business model= successful organization

problem is: people in non-profs (from my experience, not certifiable and there are efficient ones/many out there) want to just do the humanitarian aspect without thinking of protocol, funding, keeping the lights on. and more essential, let those who know more about sustaining revenue/social entrepreneurship do their work. in other words, DO THEIR JOB. The Grain Project is a great example of NOT embracing this. i have the feeling this has to do with above side story.

late at night i think of Santa Ana…i am sad for the closure yet hopeful that a group of people can make change. can they do it the right way now? even though i am not even welcomed at an event, given glares/rumors..i hope that there will be real leadership and business sense so that The Grain Project can create successful programs.

i hope for the best!