Daniel Mayer wrote:
We have been talking about this for at least a couple
years; the last time we did so publicly was
just mentioned and linked to by Erik. The reason why this is necessary is due to the fact
that we
long ago reached the limit on what volunteers alone can accomplish. We have therefore
been missing
out on many different potential opportunities (for getting grants, very large donations
and to
reach our ultimate goals) simply because we have not had proper staffing. And a staff
needs a
person to manage them and the daily aspects of running the organization. Simply put, we
are
transitioning from the amateur football club model to a professional organization. Staff
are an
investment.
This isn't without risks; many initially grass-roots organizations have
lost the essence of what initially made them work in the transition to
large, professional organization (this is especially true, for example,
of many environmentalist organizations). It's not impossible to do
right, but IMO needs to be done slowly and cautiously. There are plenty
of things that a grassroots organization can get people to do for free
that an organization with a large, paid staff cannot.
-Mark