What I’ve been doing
- Social media scheduling. We’ve had a little flurry of catching up on event write ups and advertising.
- Failing to organise refreshments at a workshop Tim is running in Brussels next week. I get frustrated by things like that.
- Doing the insurance renewal.
- Prepping for our first team monthly meetup on Monday in London.
- Tidying our budget / finance spreadsheets including adding the next two financial years and correcting some errors (and re-forecasting a project and balancing staff time allocations).
What I need to take care of
- Hoping to receive the draft end of year accounts this week - those will need finalising, adding to our draft annual report and some pending funding bids.
- Prep for a panel I’m speaking on in June 2024 (it’s a libraries hosted event which is why I’m going rather than another team member).
- Writing up our flipping fundraising plan that I’ve been procrastinating on since we had the discussions two weeks ago. In fact, I may force myself to do that now.
What I’ve been inspired or challenged or moved by
CW: Profanity.
I like to be challenged around inclusivity and taking action. I particularly welcome being pushed to be intentional and meaningfully engaged. This post on Mastodon the other day did just that - I’ve been the recruiter that asks “a diversity question” thinking that’s a good thing to do but utterly failing to realise (until now) what that’s like if you’re not asking it of someone who isn’t in the minority).
I do note that there is an element of mindset here. As a gay woman that has done a bit to promote equality I have previously considered a “diversity question” to be an area I can stand out from others. But now I have to wonder if I’d ask it, or how I’d ask it. And (not that I have an plans to be interviewed any time soon) how I’d answer it.
What I’ve been reading
I’ve been sucked in (still reading slower / less frequently than I used to) by Robert Harris’ ‘Act of Oblivion’. He is a storyteller that never fails to grab me and I love the way he takes historical fact and weaves fiction through it. His ‘Conclave’ is a real favourite of mine.