Your questions and concerns are important to us so we want to share not only the best modes of contact but also some insights into our reality as a small program without paid staff support.
We also hope you consider for your own life how to set healthy boundaries that allow you time to disconnect from one of today's biggest stressors... your cell phone &/or other electronics that may lead you to believe you "must" respond immediately to contacts from others.
The boundaries we set around business communication intentionally model a rather unique set of values grounded in our choice to maintain a balanced, albeit slower-paced, style of business communication in today's fast-paced world.
Bottom line: We generally respond to non-crisis communication only Tuesday thru Friday morning. We don't generally respond Sat-Mon unless it's a crisis OR contact form current clients/volunteers regarding Fri-Sat sessions.
Email is the best mode of contact: [email protected] as we are generally with clients outdoors from early morning thru mid-evening. Please put this tag in the subject line: NEW REFERRAL INTEREST
Nikki's cell is the next best mode of initial contact: 608-347-2392
Keep in mind that she is often facilitating sessions so it's important to leave a detailed voicemail.
Please include your name, phone #, and reason for call as well as best & worst times for a return call.
To reiterate, however, email is the most reliable mode of contact and we have found that scheduling time for phone calls is most efficient and effective.
Insight #1:
We work collaboratively on support teams for many of our clients so often receive 100+ emails each day. Emails sent without the tag suggested above might get lost in this flurry of emails.
How to get your needs met in light of this insight...
If we do not respond within a couple of days please simply re-send your original email, adding this tag "2nd ATTEMPT" to the subject line. We apologize in advance for the fact we simply cannot meet today's instant-response level of communication that many people have come to expect.
Insight #2:
We believe one of the primary stressors in today's culture is that many humans have forgotten how to allow authentic time to connect with their inner selves and those who we would truly miss if they were no longer in our lives.
Authentic time = un-wired.
We make a mindful choice to keep Sundays sacred for family/couple-focused connection time.
We also strive to take Mondays off, essentially creating our own "weekend" since our busiest day for programming is Saturday.
These insights highlight the fact that there is often zero time for us to respond to non-crisis-related emails or calls from mid-day Friday thru Tuesday morning.
Non-crisis emails/voicemails received during this span of time likely will not be answered until Tuesday.
How to get your needs met in light of this insight...
For email... the same as the solution for Insight #1.
For voicemails: if Nikki has not returned your call within 48 hours please call again and share that you had left a voicemail previously; ponder whether you might best connect via phone if you schedule your call in advance.
Also, please keep in mind what I say in Insight #3
Insight #3:
We live in a rural area where poor cell reception can interfere with the clarity of voicemail messages so this request comes from the sadness we feel when we can't return a call because the message was fuzzy.
How to get your needs met in light of this insight...
Your message is important to us so please speak your name and phone number slowly and carefully so we have the information we need to call you back. If Nikki has not returned your call within 48 hours please call again and share that you had left a voicemail previously.
Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others.
Brene Brown(The Power of Vulnerability)
In Crisis Now?
Many of our clients have found these resources helpful when in crisis...
CrisisTextline
