Our End of Year Fundraiser: Our Community Is Out of This World has been launched into orbit for the past month and we have raised a good chunk of money so far – thank you to everyone who has given! We still have a long way to reach our goal, so if you have yet to give, please do so today!
Many nonprofits are struggling to raise funds this year and sadly, #MEAction is not immune from this issue. If you have the resources to give at this moment, we would greatly appreciate it! Our work is very important and we know lives have been changed because of our work, but the work cannot go on without the necessary financial support.
When #MEAction launched our End of Year Fundraiser – Our Community is Out of This World, we promised that we would take a tour of the many galaxies making up the important work we do on a daily basis. Let’s start with exploring what a day in the life looks like for Shalida Dobbins, our Activist & Volunteer Coordinator!
1. What does a typical day look like in your role?
In the morning after feeding my chinchillas and rabbit I start checking emails and seeing if we have received new volunteer applications. I look over the applications and reach out to schedule a one on one onboarding interview. I also check for emails from our state chapters that may need my assistance. This can range from scheduling emails or helping with meetings. Depending on the day I’m either facilitating our Advocacy Working Group or our Narrative Working Group. Everyday is quite different but this is how a normal day goes. I’m also around if anyone on staff needs my help with anything.
2. What is your favorite part of your job?
I love interviewing the new volunteers. It’s so fun to meet new people and learn new stories. That’s definitely my favorite part of my job. My other favorite part of the job is working with the volunteers during the working groups and coming up with ways to educate the public about ME. Right now the Narrative Working Group is working on a prompt that I gave them “what I lost” the idea behind this is to show what things ME takes from individuals, some examples are dancing or cooking. It’s important to show the world what things are taken away from people with ME. The Advocacy Working Group is working on a way to educate the public on our most critical needs. We have a creative and knowledgeable community so I’m excited to see how these projects will take off.
3. What are you looking forward to next year in your role?
I’m hoping I can bring more diversity to #MEAction to better represent our community. It’s important we make sure marginalized communities are represented in the ME community.
To get involved in #MEAction’s volunteer work, you can start with filling out our Volunteer Survey! We would love for you to join us for our weekly meetings (you are able to join when you can, the weekly meetings are not mandatory) to learn more about our projects! #MEAction is able to accomplish so much, because we have amazing volunteers who make up a community that is Out of This World!
Again, #MEAction is beyond grateful for the support this community has shown us year after year! You truly are at the center of everything we do. You are the SUN, we orbit around! You provide the light that leads the way!
If you are able to give to support this community and the work our volunteers do, please donate today.
