David Bauerly
Men,
This is my first blog communication with the entire MKP-USA region since I became chair. I have waited too long trying to make it perfect. That was a mistake. I will work on communicating more frequently. So, here goes.
The MKP-USA council, and executive team have been working hard. The recent restructure of MKP has created MKP-USA as one of eight regions under the parent organization of MKPI (ManKind Project International) . The restructure has been an enormous undertaking and is creating the change we have been waiting for. I still wonder if men in our organization understand the significance and, the full extent of this complex reorganization. I believe we, here in the US, have been US centric, which seems quite normal. l I think it is hard to actually see ourselves here in the US as JUST ourselves. We are still part of the greater global MKP community but for the first time since our very early years we are our own region. That being said, this has given us the opportunity to really find out who we are, where we are going, and make conscious choices about what we want to be for the next 25 years. .
I am finding this work as chair extraordinarily rewarding and challenging. Some days it is just so complex & overwhelming. The full council has met every other Monday, and on the Monday’s in-between, the executive team has been meeting. That energy of enthusiasm, commitment and excitement has served as a reminder of just how important this is and how fortunate I am to be in this place of service. We have great hope of forming MKP-USA into a more responsive and sustainable organization; so we can serve a larger group of men with something vitally important to the psyche of the male souls of the men in the US who are in need of reclaiming all of who they/we are.
We are also working on a membership program as a mechanism to provide a reliable revenue stream for us to budget effectively for our future. Currently it seems we continually hold things together with baling wire and twine, and a few borrowed shoe laces. If we do not have a successful membership program we will be in serious trouble and I have great doubt as to whether we have a viable future. During the Face to Face executive team meeting in Maryland a few weeks ago, we came upon the idea of a charter life-time membership option. Though not formally announced It has been received very well. The elders it seems may lead the charge on this one. They are a substantial number of our tribe, and have time and resources available, and I am finding they are committed to making certain this work is here for the foreseeable future. It is heartwarming to hear what Gene McMahon tells us about what the Elders are doing. It is the elders who came up with the idea of a lifetime membership program. Within the first two days of us taking on this idea almost $15k in lifetime memberships was committed and paid in full!
I am learning an incredible amount about the inner workings of this organization. The effort required to run MKP-USA on a daily basis is staggering. It seems obvious to me that I and most men would not know the workings of the day-to-day operation of MKP-USA. I want to share with you how proud I am of our staff for the work they do that very few men have an opportunity to witness. We have four men who work hard and give their all with the limited resources that have been avaibable. To that end, we need to shift into a better and more functional (in a good way) organization. In one aspect the staff may give too much! Not a single one of them took even half of their vacation last year. Mostly because if they did, when they got back they would be overwhelmed by the workload backed up. One of our goals on the council is to have the right people in the right jobs, to pay them what they are worth, foster healthy working conditions, and to take us to a new level of professionalism.
Life is good. Thankfully, my wife Patti has not given up on me/us either, even though I am putting in more hours than I had ever imagined. She and I both believe that this is worth it.
Keep letting me know what works and what doesn’t work. My email is davidbauerly@MKP.ORG
Blessings,
David Bauerly
Chair, MKP-USA