Category: the rest

These last few months of building this practice have been some of the most satisfying of my life. With every passing networking call, I feel a stronger sense that what I am doing is needed, and every closure hotline call fills me up with an almost-overwhelming sense of purpose.

The other day, as another hotline call was coming a close, I asked the person if they had any questions for me and they blurted out, “So, what are you doing?”

She was not the first person to ask this and certainly won’t be the last, so I figured I had better write this up in the hope that it would clear things up for people — and maybe also (a little bit!) for me.

Hotline Help

According to Wikipedia, the idea of a hotline or helpline originated in the early 1950s in the UK as a means for trained, caring volunteers to be available to people who may be in the midst of a crisis. Since that time they have spread around the world to address such pressing issues as suicidal ideation, assault, and drug overdose*.

I came to the idea of offering a “closure hotline” from my friends/collaborators at Stewarding Loss and The Decelerator who have been offering this service to organizations facing closure in the UK for over 5 years now. My hope was that I could use it as a way to: (1) determine whether what I was doing even made sense, (2) start to train myself in deep listening, (3) start to identify patterns in organizational endings, and last but not least, (4) hopefully say or offer something that might help someone else who is struggling with a closure.

Unlike a traditional helpline, I am not here to stop anything from happening. I am, in fact, only attending to discussions of people actually looking at endings. If people are trying to figure out how to save things, I tell them something akin to “come back when you think you are ready to die.”

My role, then, is to listen deeply, probe carefully, and reflect the person and their situation back to them in a way that — I hope! — gives them valuable perspective. So far the response has been deep appreciation.

“So, what are you doing?”

Finding The Others

In addition to speaking with people in the throws of closure, I am also chatting with people about endings gone by and also practices of winding down. Some of the fascinating people I have recently met include:

• Anna Shneiderman, who has been facilitating theater closures in California’s Bay Area;
• Erin Richardson, who supports organizations in the process of removing items from museum collections; and
• Naomi Hattaway,who is helping people design their departures from organizations.

I have also been fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to take over the Composting and Hospicing Community of Practice under the umbrella of the Stewarding Loss and the generous funding of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Emerging Futures Initiative. I have participated in this group in the past, and I am proud to now be at the helm of strategizing about its future!

Getting To How

Moving forward, I am focused on:

• ushering individuals and organizations through real closures,
• exploring how an organization’s learnings can be durably archived, and
• working with others to build out a vocabulary and praxis of closure that can be shared and grown across the world.

I plan to do this by writing and speaking about closure a lot more and trying to connect to funders and nonprofit incubators to begin instilling a stronger “lifecycle”/systems change focus in activism and movement spaces.

Longer term, I’d love to be part of some sort of ongoing “festival of endings” and bring together people who are looking at this across many different sectors. This is, by no means, a one-human job, but I am feeling increasingly confident about the magnitude of the contribution that I can make.

*If you are a fan of riveting radio, I highly recommend the This American Life episode “The Call”, which profiles a woman who volunteers at a drug overdose prevention hotline.

This month has been positively revelatory. I have had so many dynamic conversations with people who are/have been thinking through what it means for projects to come to an end. Here are some of my biggest takeaways this month.

AHA! #1: There Are So Many Things That (Need To) Close!

When I initially conceived of working on conscious organization closures, I was thinking more narrowly about traditional, staid non-profits that do things like provide people with food resources or teach children how to read or whatever. However, this month as I kept chatting with other practitioners, I realized there are so many other organizations that are included here — such as schools, museums, cooperative grocery stores, even jails and prisons! And each of these types of containers have a myriad of laws governing how, whether, and when they can close.

As I think about how I want to scope this work, I am already humble(d) enough to know that there will be no such thing as mastery across such a wide swathe of practices. There are lawyers and accountants and other people who can handle the intricacies of paperwork; that can’t be work that I do. However, I can be part of the team that ensures these things happen! Closure is probably not a one-person job — even for the smallest of closures.

When we are lucky, the idea or realization that the project needs to close comes from internal discernment, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the organization will be pushed to close either because of controversy or simply because the community needs to make way for something that will better serve it in the moment.

In one conversation this month, I was reminded of water and how it is sometimes ice and other times steam and other times liquid. It is still made up of the same things, but it shows up differently. Something that was something is hard to make nothing. It can dissipate, but traces remain for a long time….

In another chat, I was made aware that the Rubin Museum in New York City, announced that it would shutter its doors and become a “global museum”. The executive director’s statement expressed the organization’s desire to “effectively use our collection, knowledge, creativity, networks, and financial resources in order to best serve you, the public, for the long term and with the greatest impact.” The world didn’t need them to be a fixed location anymore; so they won’t be!

AHA! #3: Cracks Of Doubt Are An Inside Job

In his book, Endineering, my pal Joe Macleod shares the idea of the “crack of doubt” from the book Becoming An Ex by former nun Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh. The crack of doubt emerges when a person experiences a dramatic organizational shift and begins to feel the stirrings of burnout. The burnout leads to cuing behavior. If others around the person pick up on the cues, they will often affirm the initial doubts and widen the crack. If the issues that lead to the initial doubts are not addressed, additional events will only further stress the crack until it becomes a gaping hole.

While a crack can spell the beginning of the end for a person working in an organization, it can take many individuals with many personal “widening cracks of doubt” putting pressure on the organization — by either staying or leaving — before the organization’s leadership begins to see that the organization might no longer be viable. The amount of time this takes could be days, months, or even years. And with some organizations’ incredible ability to continue raising funds regardless of internal turmoil, some organizations can keep the lights brightly on despite their otherwise sort of walking dead state in relation to their staff and the communities they are meant to serve.

To those organizations and the people that work in or with them, I quote the great Bone Thugs N Harmony by saying, “See you at the crossroads.” The practice I am building here is not about telling anyone their organization is terminally ill. I am not an organizational Grim Reaper. I only want to work with people who want to work with me. For the others, I am here if and when they are interested and ready.

Closure consultancy is a very new field; so new, in fact, that we haven’t even agreed on a name for the practice. Some people call themselves organizational development consultants while others are transformational doulas. Whatever the name, the focus is still clear: we want to help you in the sometimes-messy process of closing up shop. Here are some specific areas we can help you think through:

• Communications Support – when you make the decision to close down, you will undoubtedly have a lot of internal and external people to communicate the situation to. Your consultant could help you think about how and when to message the upcoming changes.
• Project Management – there is always a non-trivial amount of paperwork associated with closing down a project or organization — be it closing down bank accounts or dealing with the post office or tax authorities. A good closure consultant can make sure you are thinking through every entity you deal with and how you will close up accounts with them.
• Digital Archiving – What do you want to do with your websites, your digital documentation, and all the email addresses? Will you carry on paying to keep a memorial site up or do you want to work with another organization for ongoing stewardship?
• Physical logistics – Will you need to move out of your office? Get rid of physical assets like desks and chairs? Your closure consultant may be able to help you think through selling or donating anything you will no longer need.
• Emotional Support – Most importantly a closure consultant is someone who has been through closure before and knows how many different emotions it can bring up. They will be there to support you and be a reliable sounding board as you navigate this difficult time.

When Is The Right Time To Bring In Help?

One of the things we in the “closure” space are trying to advocate for is an ongoing awareness of endings. The best thing you can do at any stage of your organization’s development (and most preferably at the beginning!) is familiarize yourself with the Sensing An Ending toolkit. There is very sound guidance there about how to design an organization that is receptive and equipped to have a healthy and conscious ending — even if that ending may be decades or centuries away!

• Early – Even if you are in good financial and organizational strength with no ending in sight, bringing in a closure consultant (like me!) to speak with your organization about the realities of endings and how to be ready for closures is a great way to instill a sense of preparedness and consciousness in your team.
  However, if you are starting to get an early sense that things may be winding down, that is also an excellent time to start engaging with someone who can work alongside you to start designing a compassionate and careful closure.
  
• During – If you’ve already started closing down and realize you are in over your head or just need an extra pair of hands, don’t fear! You can still pick up the phone and reach out for help. Accepting overwhelm is a good first step to being receptive to the kind of help a conscious closure consultant can provide.
  
• After – Even if the closure is complete, it still can be beneficial to sit down with a consultant to make sure there is nothing you forgot and also just to support you as you write your story of what happened and where you want to go next.

Other Professionals You May Need

While bringing in a closure consultant can be a big help in managing all the moving pieces of a closure, they are no substitute for some of the other roles that may be critical to a successful ending. These professionals include:

• HR administrator
• Lawyer
• Tax accountant/bookkeeper
• Moving company
• Webmaster

While no amount of spending on conscious closure can undo mistakes made at the start or throughout the life of an organization, a consultant helping you navigate the choppy waters of organization can help you avoid doing additional harm and walk away feeling proud of all that you accomplished during the life of your organization.

If you are interested in how The Wind Down can help, contact us!

(this article is inspired by Why You Should Consider a Death Doula, a LifeHacker article by Anna Lee Beyer)

Morning Closure Affirmation 

by Iyanla Vanzant from One Day My Soul Just Opened Up

Today, I surrender, I release, I detach from every person, every circumstance, every condition, and every situation that no longer serves a divine purpose in my life.
Today, I realize that all things have a season, and that all seasons must come to an end.
Today, I realize that all things fulfill a divine purpose to support my growth and evolution as a unique and noble expression of life.
Today, I realize that there is no end. There is only now, and this now begins a divinely new season and purpose in my life.
Today, I choose a new beginning over the pain-filled memories of the past.
Today, I choose a new season, filled with purposeful thoughts and activities.
Today, I choose to close the door to yesterday and open my mind, my heart, and my spirit to the blessings of this moment.
In this moment, I am filled with light. I am filled with joy! I am filled with love that brings divine understanding!
For this I am so grateful!
And so it is!

Let Me Remember

People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime
CLOSURE begins by telling the truth about what I feel.
I am entitled to honor what I feel.
When one door closes, another door opens.
Whatever you repress will become stress.

“A good consumer off-boarding experience should be…connected consciously to the rest of the experience through emotional triggers that are the measurable and actionable by the user. It should identify and bond the consumer and provider together in mutual responsibility.” It’s aim should be to neutralise the negative consequences of consumption. It should be concluded in a timely manner and avoid.”

– Joe Macleod, Endineering: Designing Consumption Lifecycles That End As Well As They Begin

Though Joe Macleod’s book Endineering is focused on designing consumer offboarding experiences, it offers ample information and much sage advice that is universally applicable to those of us thinking about designing ends of services, projects, and organizations.

While the importance of bringing thought and intention to closing down mission-different work is immediately obvious to some, others might struggle to grasp why time, money, and human effort should be given over to any enterprise that is no longer growing. In the hope that more people — especially those in the position to fund and implement — understand the importance of conscious closures, I compiled this short (and non-sequential!) list of critical things that can be lost in bad endings.

Knowledge Loss

Whether an organization is in operation for a hundred years or even just one, the collective efforts of all the people whose time and energy went into making the work happen also represent a wealth of knowledge that can likely be of great use to the public at-large and more specifically to the sorts of people that might want to carry forward the mission of the organization in the future. In the haste to close down, organizations often don’t take the time to properly store and or share that data in an easily accessible place or pass along critical information to partner (or even former competitor!) organizations who might urgently need it.

Without a focus on the gathering and long-term stewardship of such information, the blog posts, reports, and white papers you lovingly published eventually fade away from hard drives, while passwords and logins to shared clouds are lost. If you don’t discuss who will carry on renewing the domain and maintaining the hosting, credit cards get cancelled and websites expire. The breadcrumbs that would lead the next generation in the right direction are blown away in the wind.

Relationship Breakdown – Internal

As mentioned above, an organization or project is its people. When endings are mishandled or carried out without critical communication, transparency, and consideration, the bonds that held you together can quickly break down. If people feel their livelihoods or identities are threatened by the end of the organization and they don’t feel as though they have a say in the how or when of that end, they can quickly get burned out and checked out.

According to the Areas of Worklife Model, one of the key contributors to burnout is the feeling of unfairness coupled with feeling as though you have no voice. While the group may be winding down, the same people that kept it open are often critical to making a successful landing. When they aren’t on board, the ride can be bumpy and many people may be looking to make a quicker than desirable exit.

“When you do not have the opportunity to express what you are feeling at the close of a relationship, the relationship is incomplete…without closure in any relationship, the people involved feel incomplete…[it] evokes a tremendous amount of emotion that must be released. The release results in closure. When you do not release, you wonder, you hurt, the whys go unanswered and eventually create anger and fear. More important…when there is no closure, you miss the lessons and the blessings.”

– Iyanla Vanzant, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up

Relationship Breakdown – External

In addition to the breakdown of critical relationships within the initiative, poorly-considered endings can also alienate partners and funders.

As projects grow, the network of organizations they are a part of can also continue to grow and deepen. When the difficult decision to close down occurs, it is important to identify and communicate with all the people that make your work happen. In many cases, the community in which you operate may be quite small and if people feel as though they were “the last to know”, they may feel snubbed or insulted.

Failure to loop in external stakeholders can also result in lost opportunities to archive knowledge, shift initiatives to other more thriving organizations, or even just share your story with other people in the space. In addition, alienating external partners and funders can result in the loss of critical contacts who could support you in the development and funding of future endeavors.

Reputational Damage

While the name you built up during the time you were in operation may not live on, a bad ending can severely tarnish the legacy of your efforts and everyone affiliated with them. This is particularly critical if you are shutting down a project but the umbrella organization will continue on. Treating employees, members, or service recipients callously can make a bad ending worse as you struggle to juggle the operational aspects while fighting a battle in your community or even in the media.

Service Vacuum

If your work involved providing critical support to vulnerable populations, a bad ending can mean that people go without access to crucial resources. In 2012, UK NGO EveryChild made the decision to shut down operations and transfer funds to a new international alliance that they felt could more successfully achieve EveryChild’s mission. EveryChild described itself as “an international development charity working to stop children growing up vulnerable and alone. Working with local partners we keep children safe when they are alone and at risk. We protect children in danger of ending up on their own by keeping families together. And we get children back into a safe and caring family, wherever we can.” As part of the process of winding down the charity, the programme management team came together to define principles that would help them make hard decisions about how and when to shutter operations to ensure that they did as little harm as possible.

In the report Working at the Sharp End of Programme Closure: EveryChild’s Responsible Exit Principles, Lucy Morris, formerly of EveryChild and now of INTRAC (the International NGO Training and Research Centre) outlines the three guiding “responsible exit principles”:

1. As far as possible, ensure the work we have done is sustainable – this could be continuation of services or lasting changes in children’s lives.
2. Ensure that exit does not have a detrimental effect on the children and communities where we work.
3. As far as possible, ensure that expertise and momentum for
   change in the country is not lost.

As she goes on to note, “Having exit principles helped our partners to understand the rationale behind decision making and provided reassurances that EveryChild would not suddenly withdraw.”

Loss of Traceability

Finally, if your organization employed people or involved anyone as a volunteer or intern, those people may want to list your organization on their resume and CV. However, if there is no trace of your organization in the digital space, it can lead to an awkward situation where the veracity of the position can be called into question. Websites that lead to 404 error messages and dormant LinkedIn pages can look dubious.

Additionally, if someone is simply interested in gathering information about the organization — perhaps for a research project or a new initiative — and no one can be found, a critical opportunity may be missed to breathe new life into your old works.

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This is by no means an exhaustive list of things that can go bad at the ending of a project, but it should give you a good idea of what you might want to think about and plan for. If you are interested in exploring what a good ending could look like for your effort, definitely reach out!