No

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Here at work we have been expecting our new offices for some time. Sometime in 2004 they decided that as soon as the offices opened, they would have our new international department. So every request they got for partnership, they sent a letter saying to contact them again in the middle of 2005, when they thought the office would be open.

Along came the middle of 2005 and there was no office. So they sent a letter saying to contact again in the middle of 2006.

As one helpful writer expressed, "This is now right exactly time."

Along about March of this year they realized that the offices were still a long way off, but that they were going to hire a new International Correspondence Specialist soon, so they would just save everything for the new hire.

So I have approximately two years of partnership requests to go through.

As you can imagine, I am having a lot of practice saying "no" as many people equate partnership with getting money. Surprisingly, our NPO, like many others, is not overflowing with milk and money.

Only the thing of it is, that I can't actually use the word "no". I must find other ways, more peaceable, more gentle. But it can't be encouraging. Because then they will just ask us to bring it up in our next board meeting because they KNOW that we are supposed to help them.

I feel like I've been wading through the murky waters of pick-up lines.

Comments

Damian said…
Sort of an unrelated story...

I had an actress friend whose elderly aunt used to attend her performances. If the aunt liked the performance, she would say all the usual stuff: "Well done!" "Great job!", etc.

But if she didn't like the show, the aunt would say, "Look at you up there in that costume!"

So maybe try saying, "Look at you and your cute partnership request! Lookin' good!"
3:52 PM
slowlane said…
I'm worried that if I start calling writers "cute" I may actually have to deal with pick up lines.
1:50 PM
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