When the reality is too big to be understood at a glance, like the finances and day-to-day workings of a large non-profit organization, we go back to a very basic question, “What’s in it for me?”
In metaphorical terms – Imagine a weekend with 10,000 staff men and 125 Leaders and Co-Leaders. Each of these men is going about his role, unaware of what may be happening behind the scenes. But when needed, any one of these 10,125 men may call on the leader team – to get support, to clear a charge, to provide new insights, new technologies and new vision for the entire process, to draw boundaries and enforce them, to ensure the safety of the staff and the initiates.
It is the responsibility of this leader team to know everyone’s name, to know what they are up to, to mentor them on their path to leadership, to know their capabilities and proficiencies. They have to know where we are on the outline and make sure everyone else knows. They coordinate and facilitate communication, run staff meetings and handle all the money. They make sure that the weekend will be available for the next group of 1,000 initiates that are coming up the hill. That is the role that MKP USA plays in this organization. We still rely primarily on volunteer labor, but we pay small stipends to some and salaries to others to make sure that what needs to happen is happening.
Here are some real world things that MKP has done recently:
- Launched a new ManKind Project Journal website
- Completely upgraded the ManKindProject.org website
- Provided detailed monthly Enrollment Reports covering all centers
- Created and launched an aggressive approach to search engine optimization
- Responded rapidly and effectively to damaging articles in the press
- Created a WordPress installation for constituency and center websites & blogs
- Created an MKP presence on YouTube, FaceBook, LinkedIn and Meetup
- Created a Vistaprint account enabling centers to order customizable print marketing materials
- Crafted a new Strategic Plan
- Developed a process for restructuring MKP USA in accord with the Stanford recommendations
- Supported the funding of a Diversity Scholarship Fund providing financial assistance to African American, Latino, and Native American men from the US who desire to participate in the NWTA
- Provided full-time specialized financial services including credit card processing and guidance with bookkeeping through the Chief Financial Officer
- Provided and maintained an IRS 501c(3) group exemption for U.S. Centers
- Filed taxes for MKP USA and most U.S. Centers
- Provided $70,000 in General and Professional Liability and Directors & Officers insurance, saving centers thousands of dollars over separate policies
- Enforced trademark and copyright protection for our work worldwide
- Updated the Primary Integration Manual – available to all Centers and I-Groups
- Supported the creation of additional trainings: Integration Group Leadership Training (available on CD) and Introduction to Personal Leadership
- Provided access for initiated men to highly effective training in NWTA leadership, carpet work, and multicultural awareness
- Supported extensive revisions of our Leader Trainings
- Continued the development of the Center Administration Application (CAA) – a custom-built web-based community and training management tool available to all Centers
- Managed a synchronized international database of over 30,000 New Warriors
- Maintained almost 800 email list serves and 30 Center websites
- Served as an information clearinghouse, supporting networking between centers and individuals by redesigning the New Warrior Circle, a repository for MKP documentation, protocols, and other information
- Drafted a Peer Review Procedure for Centers and supported centers in addressing ethical violations and resolving disputes
- Evaluated and certified our NWTA Leaders and Co-Leaders through consistent, stringent international processes
- Trained Ritual Elders, Leader Trainers and LKS Lead Men to international standards for consistent excellence
This is what you support with your gift to MKP USA – the structural foundation to continue the work we have begun and to make it available to more men in more places. I thank you, and so will they.
Carl Griesser
Wonderlion
Executive Director
The ManKind Project
