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An email I got from YEA


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I got this email a few weeks ago, and I've been sitting on it, as I was rather troubled trying to figure out what I want to do with it. I sent an email to Marie O'Rourke and George Hopkins asking about it, but I received no response. I will reserve my comments on this at the moment, but since a somewhat different version of the same announcement appeared on the yea.org website at approximately the same time, I thought it important that people see this version as well.

Comments?

Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 21:40:15 -0500 (CDT)

From: "Marie O'Rourke, YEA! CFO" <marie@yea.org>

Reply-To: "Marie O'Rourke, YEA! CFO" <marie@yea.org>

To: #######@###.###

Subject: Hasty departure leaves YEA! looking for bookkeeper

YEA! Searches for Bookkeeper in the WAKE of Staff Member's

Immediate Departure to London

Youth Education in the Arts has just recently lost their bookkeeper

due to her decision to return to London immediately, without notice.

To say the team was displeased is a bit of an understatement.

According to Marie O'Rourke, the CFO for Youth Education in the

Arts, Ellen was good and getting better. We had provided a good bit of

training, she understood the activity, and she was a good team member.

BUT, there is no accounting for the logic and action of a 25 year old.

As George Hopkins will say, "it is a part of doing business as a

non-profit. You hire young and hope for the best. But boyfriends,

family, school, and opportunity are all out there in the world and it

is possible that we will lose some of the people we

love.'"

YEA! is looking for a bookkeeper/accountant with superior operational

and technical experience to assist in the fiscal management of the

entire organization. And we need you soon! In fact our start date is

July 8th!

Are you up to the challenge?

The Ideal Candidate will have:

* Solid analytical and organizational skills

* Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Quickbooks

* An eye to the future, the ability to learn new accounting

systems

* An attention to detail and the ability to work well under

pressure

* A desire to work in an environment that provides amazing

opportunities to young people

* A bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance or equivalent

related work experience

Job Responsibilities Include:

* Billing member bands and students for fees

* Analyzing and posting payments and credits from bands, band

parent associations

* Event settlements for special events and bad events

* Processing related payroll and accounts payable functions

* Completing and ensuring accuracy of daily paperwork

* Seasonal onsite participation in band contests and corps shows

* Support current finance department staff with various functions,

including but not limited to:

* Vendor payables

* Payroll

* Cash Receipts

* Budget Management

Work schedules at YEA! do vary but, being critical to the band

operations, this position will require working Saturday and Saturday

evenings from mid September through mid November as we are many times

on the road at various events.

YEA! offers a comparable salary and benefits package, including

medical insurance, a contributory retirement plan, organizational paid

vacations as well as standard vacation and related leave and the

opportunity to work in a environment that makes a difference to

literally thousands of kids.

This can be more than a job! Working for YEA! can be a way of life; a

way to contribute; a way to make a difference.

Normal hours at YEA! are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and this

position does require attendance at our Allentown office. The position

is open immediately but we do have the ability to work with the right

candidates. Again, July 8th is the goal!

Please send your resume and letter of interest to Marie O'

Rourke, VP of Finance, at marie@yea.org

And one more thing from George Hopkins ...

We have had some bad luck with this position! We have had a few

different people here and from the high potential to the phenomenal

start but no one seems to stick! We believe the room is haunted so, we

are going to have a vigil one evening to rid the bookkeepers office of

evil spirits!

SO, love the activity; have a fiscal background? This is for

you!

Oh, and if you are wondering, pay here in the past has been $30K to

$40K. It's perfect for the 24 year old who wants to work hard

and move up! And hey, you can get free tickets, a drum corps ticket or

two, and you get to hang out with drummers all day!

Send Marie your resume today!!

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I don't see how the circumstances of someone leaving a position are relevant in a job posting...

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Looks like Cadets need a bookkeeper. Sometimes young people don't follow the proper protocol when leaving a job. ( i.e. no two week notice if required, quit while on vacation, just decides not to show up, etc...) As a person who hires and fires, you really have to get all the details. I choose not to comment on former employees.

It's not really dirty laundry, No bashing happened.

I would have left out this segment.

Youth Education in the Arts has just recently lost their bookkeeper

due to her decision to return to London immediately, without notice.

To say the team was displeased is a bit of an understatement.

According to Marie O'Rourke, the CFO for Youth Education in the

Arts, Ellen was good and getting better. We had provided a good bit of

training, she understood the activity, and she was a good team member.

BUT, there is no accounting for the logic and action of a 25 year old.

As George Hopkins will say, "it is a part of doing business as a

non-profit. You hire young and hope for the best. But boyfriends,

family, school, and opportunity are all out there in the world and it

is possible that we will lose some of the people we

love.'"

Edited by boxingfred
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Seems like YEA needs a bookkeeper and a publicist.

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Yea, it doesn't seem right that they made a comment on the former employee. As far as I know, all other companies/work places do NOT comment on a former employee in a position when they, the employer, is rehiring in that position.

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Announce the vacant position.

Announce the responsibilities of the vacant position, in clear and professional terms.

Announce the qualifications of a successful applicant, in clear and professional terms.

Announce the personal qualities of a successful applicant, in clear and professional terms.

Describe the organization, in clear and professional terms.

Don't air dirty laundry about the person who used to hold the position.

Don't air dirty laundry about the organization's problems with the position or the people who have held it.

Don't try to be cute. It's not a creative writing exercise. It's a job announcement. If you take it seriously, so will the applicant.

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Don't air dirty laundry about the person who used to hold the position.

Don't air dirty laundry about the organization's problems with the position or the people who have held it.

Don't try to be cute. It's not a creative writing exercise. It's a job announcement. If you take it seriously, so will the applicant.

That's about the size of it.

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An email like that should have been vetted by a communications person before going out. Airing the dirty laundry shouldn't have happened. I also wonder, though, why this post is on DCP? It doesn't really do any service to anyone. If YEA wants to announce their need for a bookkeeper on DCP, they'll do that in their own time. Every small non-profit has its pitfalls, and message coordination is probably pretty high on that list unless a seasons message/communications person is in place.

Let's not give YEA a ton of grief over this. They didn't post the thing on DCP that way. I'll bet a few folks who received the email have commented on the issue privately to YEA's administration.

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