Sometime last October, there was a post to the iSchool chat list asking for volunteers to raise $600 for a private non-profit school called First Place. The fundraising was supposed to be completed last fall, so I said sure, I'd help.
It turned out that I was getting myself involved in much more than a short fundraising event. Our little group has become the iSchool Friends of First Place, destined to have an existence beyond our fundraising raffle, though we're really not sure yet about what that existence will be. I also have become more involved than I expected to be. I missed a meeting in early December and got volunteered for the position of Event Coordinator along with Pete. He has done most of the work for that, which was good for me because I was out of town for much of December. Then I went to another meeting last Saturday, and I got voted General Secretary, because everyone else who was there already had significant responsibilities (only six people were present: two co-chairs, one minutes secretary, one events coordinator, one professor, and me).
So although I think of myself as more of a follower, I find myself, somewhat against my inclinations, in a position of leadership in this organization. (The reason? I can't say no, I guess.) Although a General Secretary is not a formal leader, it means that I keep track of what's going on and who's doing what, and I go to meetings and, when there, voice my opinions. This is a big step up from my position of librarian of the MHC Glee Club last spring; then I had not unimportant responsibilities (which involved my having a key to the music storage closet!) and regularly went to officers' meetings, but I wasn't a mover and shaker. Now I feel that by the mere fact of my attendance at meetings, which is more an effect of my conscience than of my commitment, I have become a person whose opinion and function are significant to this organization, which itself is small but significant.
I suppose I should take it as a good sign that every time I run for an elected office (i.e. twice), I win by a landslide victory.
Running unopposed probably has something to do with that...
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