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#TyasSocialProject #5

What happen when making a change for Pita Kuning.

After we have agreed on the findings and direction in December 2015, the options on “re-established” Pita Kuning is the next planning to do.

The next plan were, to develop a description or a reference action plan that we are going to do. What do we need to do the changes we need to do for the Pita Kuning organisation.

On each planning I always wanted to have a pattern or some sort of guidelines that I could use to relook or look back, to see where we are. The guidelines is essentially my framework to re-look and adjust according to what happens later. What will happen in the field or the learnings throughout the journey.

So I can look again, gathering all that has happened and go thru step by step all the details that should’ve happen. After all it is a plan. Execution is another thing. Planning also is a part of what you envision could be executed.

Tips. Planning and executions. 2 very different activity yet each has to stick together. Connect with each other. Answers one another. We adjust, adapt, re-arrange the plan just to fit in the main goal, the condition, the findings we received along the way. Putting pieces together, building one thing in to another, just like playing puzzles. All to make something a sense of meaning.

At that time, the objective of the plan had only 2 goals. Better management and rejuvenate of the product services.

Those are the most immediate things that we need to discuss together.

1. How to build a new engine
2. How to show the engine works
3. Launch the engine.

On the early discussions between planning and executions, we always, me and the leaders imagine the importance of community based partnerships.

A unity of strength and depend with each others strength towards the same goal, helping Indonesian children with cancer. What a wonderful world it is when we all come together and focus on the bigger picture.

Aside from that, based on the understanding we could never be here forever, a healthy rotation, giving new opportunities to new people who comes with fresh new ideas  and continue the journey with all their compassion.

One of the promise I shared was this journey that we would embark will be seen compelling and for those who are involve, be it hired worker or volunteer can inspire each other. And therefore will not be a burden to avoid the saying of “a life time helper”.

That was the plan. So what actually happened ?

 Paving the way.

Ploughing if I may say. From all my findings and conditions that was agreed with the shortcoming and weaknesses of Pita Kuning, I need to made some activities that was about opening doors or a pathway to understand.

From getting to know and establishing relationships, I have got meaningful insights. Findings of what is lacking that needed to be filled by us, Pita Kuning. Given by parents of the child with cancer as well as by other foundation friends. My approach was personal and with a kinship way of mannerism. It might seems humble and naive but for me as a human being, sometimes what we need was something simple.

And I feel, these approach was what made Pita Kuning accomplished and gain that relationship. Wether with new or old, in the end open our chances for people to get to know us, the real Pita Kuning, who we actually are. We, as in the people. People connect with people. It is important for people to relate with us. It is a necessary approach hence we are an organisation that supports humanity. No matter how ugly or you get slam on the door honestly for me it is ok. Someone needs to do it, might as well be me. I remember my father once said “it takes a bigger person to have a bigger heart Tyas”. Smile.

I feel Pita Kuning needed the kind of leadership that has the ability and humility it needs. The leader must meet the challenges by meeting with those who are in those situations with us. In difficult times like making changes or the need to change we need to build relationships, we need to learn and feel what it means to be inside an association, to a possibility fuse or combined action, build alliances.

Besides that it is like playing legos or puzzles when a part of the information existed, there are still a lot to be filled, and yet the process of changes needs to be executed and with the exact form of organisation clearly is yet to be identified. What I do have is a vision. A vision of what I would like this foundation to be. So I stick to that. Focus on that.

Just like any organisation, we, the board of management and I understood clearly that we are determine about the changes that we have to make. That is to make the best of what we feel could support this foundation in the long run. We see the potential of what this organisation can do. So the planning of this should be as ideal as how an actual business plan should be.

However. At that time. There are so many loop holes that needs to be filled in in order to develop an actual ideal business plan. We were not yet normal. But what is normal anyway nowadays.

Nevertheless, we agreed on the fact that those holes are somewhat cavity or errors and weaknesses, shortcomings and mistakes. That doesn’t matter now, however. The most important for me is that we all agreed, identified and work our way to change. So for me there is no way than not to go forward. Will just need to figure out somehow, so just…. Go.

Change Management.

Essentially the next action is change management. Reorganisation. Our internal context of the organisation. For all the reasons I have told earlier, what we need to do, what to expect.

On this case, to figure who we are might be easier but to fit with the needs currently needed in Indonesia might be different.

Change management. is a collective term for all approaches to preparing and supporting individuals, team, and organisation in making organisational change. It includes methods that redirect or redefine the use of resources, work process, budget allocations, or other modes of operation that significantly change a company or organisation.

Some people understand the importance of change management. Some feel it is unnecessary.

Well it is entirely up to the who is leading the change. Before entering Pita Kuning, I too had experience change management in my previous work place. So I knew how it felt to be the old guys and the new guy in this matter. It’s never easy. There are no easy way to do it. You just try you best but you cannot make everybody happy. And then again, it is not your job too. At this point the job is a smooth transition as possible.

Maintain the questions coming in to you. That’s a good thing. For those who do otherwise or might I say “messing up” don’t even bother. They are monkeys and they are not your circus. I said in my head.

1^st list to do is series of announcements and open discussions to cater questions and have time to explain also moderate the conversation happening in a way that you want the narration to be.

So throughout January til June I announced and take efforts in meeting with all sides of the stakeholders.

The announcements are basically, why need to change, what to do and how to do it.

No matter how this is a change. It doesn’t matter how small it is or what size of the organisation. And, for any organisation there is a need and responsibility to announce the changes we are heading and agreed together for the main purpose. That means together we all understood and ready to work together for the betterment of this foundation.

Stakeholders Pita Kuning was consist of so many counterparts, first and foremost our child with cancer and their family, the donator, volunteers, experts on childhood cancer, like doctors, nurses, hospitals, psychologist other foundation and communities that carries the same missions including other parties involves and joint cooperation with Pita Kuning, such as children’s driven community, education and so on.

How easy it was ?

From January to April.

• As much as possible recruitment internal team identifying their skill and willingness to move together to the direction that we want to go. Agreed to be volunteering skills like IT, HRD, then also in the lookout for candidates of hired workers that has not only the experience but also the heart to do social related work.
• Finding partners that could support the new formulation of service. Let it be from a skill set professionals such as doctors, psychologist, leaders in volunteering area who has established their own independent social initiatives organisation, meet ups with children and education communities. Gathering knowledge and information.
• Identifying Pita Kuning owned narratives and initial content for transitions. And also announcing on ready medium like our website and social media.
• Take the effort to meet and engage with each stakeholders.
• Transitions on legal and also finance.

April May

As things beocmes more clearer, one of the founders, Pandji Pragiwaksono and I met with the Foundation’s trustee Pakde Indro Warkop who was acting as the controller for Pita Kuning. The meeting and discussions went nonstop for full 2 hours and ended with an Amen by him of all the planning and of course take note of his well wishes.

We begin hiring in May 2016. And started many activities that was very different from before. And that is when #sayaPitaKuning started. #sayaPitaKuning means I am Pita Kuning.

#sayaPitaKuning is one subtle way, to fix and grow all together a sense of ownership towards this organisation. As this is a 8 year old organisation, there are many supporters that never left all of our existing channels in social media. However it was long never any updates. To me this was very interesting. There was a chance that people wanted to still be a part of Pita Kuning.

#sayaPita Kuning started from sharing those who are inside this organisation to those who are new. The intention was to refresh the memories of the supporters that was online of the purpose and what we have done, as we also continue later becomes a bridge to the new things we would like later to share.

To awaken the old Pita Kuning that was never had a voice. As the voice was supported when there was events or activations by the voice of influencers.

To manage an organisation that as build upon caring for humankind has a very impactful togetherness sense. As the fact is that there are still people following and not wanting to un-follow each channels on social media proves the needs to know more and wanting to care hence a sense of fondness towards this organisation consider them wanting to be a part of Pita Kuning.

On the understanding of how a community grow we can all agree that the intention they join in the first place was because of a similarity, a same likeness that made the same evenness. That similarity is what started them to attract  and join a community. Either way of because of the same likeness, habits, or circumstances. As usually, the most vigorous bond of them all is when they have a same circumstances like cancer.

Pita Kuning main purpose was to help children with cancer from underprivileged families. Those to have a commonality experience in cancer, a parent of cancer patient, have a passion in volunteering and children who are sick. These circumstances makes a Pita Kuning community have a strong bond. As the cause is also strong. Because it is for humanity. A direct reason without any limitation or any other reason other than helping a child with a sickness.

There were never any big campaign at that time. But we started from sharing about the new things at Pita Kuning.

Volunteering recruitment for instance and also searching for hired worker for operational staff members. There were also some introducing activities of the old and the new members at Pita Kuning. And those activities was executed together starting from 2016 onwards. Every pictures of meetings, any internal or external activities we would highlight #sayaPitaKuning.

What I need to highlight is that Pita Kuning that has been here for years and years but apparently was lacking or minimum activities in introducing themselves. It was only when chance of an event or external activities like fundraising with support from outside the organisation.

For me, we need not to wait or ask to start a conversation, we do not need to fear if ever that door will not open, we do not need to hesitate for whatever the pass might have happened, as we start by saying, “hello, I am Pita Kuning, I want to be a part of the childhood cancer countermeasures support group.” Am I right ?

“Revive” Pita Kuning is the main goal on change management stage.

Other ways in are doing activities right where there are crowd full of noise. Or when there are communities activities like events and such.

We then started to activated all social media channels we owned. Highlighting who we are, what have we done, where are we heading through stories planed by Pita Kuning editorial content. For us, what matter to be known and being highlighted since in pass those social media are active only during big activities or campaign.

Yes we had a huge following but that was because of the support of our leaders and supporter of our influencer friends during a fundraising campaign.

Whereas other than fundraising, I am sure that Pita Kuning friends on social media wants to know more. Or else they would not hold on to us, stick with us, on all our channels of social media.

On offline, we also chose places, venues, that has “a crowd” or “a buzz” worthy quality or a community based value that we can tap into. Hoping that doing the activities on those specific places could add youth supporters, refresh in new taste of social liking, grow a new sense of curiosity and be quite favourable of what we are preparing for the future of Pita Kuning.

As example, we do our activities at Loop Telkomsel, Makaham, Jakarta Selatan. A place for youth community open for all and free. Its a place where youth can hangout and utilised their community activities.

On this occasion, we use this place for our recruitment process. Hired and volunteer shortlisted are bing interviewed here.

Pita Kuning was build by young volunteers passionate to help others. That understanding will never change. And we would like to affiliate ourselves with any youth activities, togetherness, applied in all our efforts.

#SayaPitaKuning Lets always do good together.

Next, The Formulation.

Tyas is now Partner Consultant and Trainer on Digital and Social Media at Bangwin Consulting, Freelancer, Writer/Blogger, Podcaster. For project enquiries, tyas@bangwinconsulting.com