I'm getting old

Like hardening of the arteries, hardening of opinions seems to be a sign of old age.  And I'm really suffering when it comes to the Friends of the Library.  Let me give some context.

The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library is an auxiliary group associated with the library whose main activity is selling used books and whose main donee is the Library.  Each of the 28 branches of the Sacramento Public Library also has a Friends group associated with that branch with the same activity and donee restriction.  Also each branch is a part of the "system" Friends.  We have only one Federal ID number and file only one tax return.  We are a 501c3 charity which we pass along to the branch friends because we are all one.

Now along comes the Library Foundation with a main activity of raising money for the library.  They are paid.  Their board are movers and shakers.  They are centralized.  They want all donations to flow through them.  They want the Friends to be as organized as they are.  They are NOT part of the Friends and the Friends are NOT part of them.

So there is a "working partners" group to iron out some of the kinks in the relationship and to bring the Friends into a configuration that better reflects how the Foundation sees it.  Although there are some regulations that need to be followed, most of the reasoning behind proposed changes are related to "best practices" a phrase difficult to attack without looking like you'd rather have "worst practices".

I have not been a part of the "working partners" probably because my attitude was so obvious from the start.  And almost every proposal I hear from the group makes me glad I will soon be hanging up my Treasurer's hat.  Maybe worst practices is really what I wanted all along.