Feeling let down

It is heartbreaking when you develop a newsletter for a charity and then there are staff changes and the new leader doesn't see any value in continuing it, despite the staff asking for it to be produced.

If your charity wants it to continue then I am sure it will, but it will be in a different format, perhaps coming out at different intervals. It will take the new editor time to get up to speed, and she may come to you for advice, or she may not. Either way you can heave a sigh of relief that the deadline worry is no longer yours and find something exciting to do instead?

Jeanie99 , I made it clear that she would have to sort out what software she wanted to use, as mine is my own and not something I could legally share. This is for a voluntary organisation, I should have said.
Yes, I gave lots of help to dot the i s and cross the t s, so to speak. As the days have passed I can shake it off. I have very little to do with the organisation now, and am very happy to have given up the voluntary job, even though I enjoyed doing it. It also frees up a good chunk of time, so that is a real bonus.

If you have stepped down you are no longer in the job as it were so have no responsibility to do anymore work for the newspaper.
If she cannot use the software which you previously explained to her then it's her responsibility to find software she can use surely.
Normally when taking over from someone you would be shown by the person leaving the in and outs of the job, is that what happened?

Yes, I think you ABU Cabbie21. You stepped down..end of! Now it is up to your successor to work things her way. She may find it is too much and fail but I don't think you should feel let down in any way? Give her a chance at least?

Yes, it has happened to me, more than once. You start from scratch, learn on the job, and produce something you are proud of, you iron out the problems and make improvements. Then the whole thing is chucked in the bin without even a thankyou for handing it on in good shape and a mention of how your successor hopes their version will compare well with yours.

There is another side to it, of course. Taking over something that someone else has done well is like stepping from understudy to prima ballerina, with no rehearsals and wearing a costume that doesn't fit. The army has a solution - when you get a promotion, you are posted to a different unit, so you can't see what a hash your successor is making of things, and you don't have your predecessor breathing down your neck as you try to hit the ground running.

Help was on offer ( though I am no expert).
I have definitely let it go, and am certainly not nagging, in fact I have said nothing at all.
Actually it reminds me of when I retired from work. I knew my successor would do things differently, it is inevitable, but still galling when you hear that things you put in place which worked really well get cast aside.

I don't think you should feel let down. You did the work for a long time and have now passed it on.

It isn't your responsibility any more and the new person will find her own way of doing things in her own time. If she needs your help I am sure she will ask for it, so I wouldn't interfere in any way.

Yes, several times. People take newsletters for granted and don't realise the dedication and work involved in their production.

It's not your baby now, so to speak, so you'll have to let it go. If you felt like it, you could contact her and casually ask if she needs help with software. I have experienced exactly your situation and changing amongst software packages can be a right pain. She might be glad of your help.

I took over our U3A newsletter at short notice about 3 years ago (he had serious family problems) . It is now a Magazine (2 monthly is not news) and I keep getting praise for it. I also run the website, and that was from scratch as the html version was too clumsy for quick updates.
My predecessor was glad to be shot of the whole thing at the time.
I must say though, I will probably find I feel like you if or when I have to give up. But I would expect to help a newcomer for the first edition at least. It was hard enough for me being dropped in cold.

Yes when I was secretary of the local village hall committee.
It was your decision to step away and if the software that you used wasn't in common use, she is entitled to use whichever software she wants to!
The onus is now on your replacement to produce the newsletter - if she also wants to produce it in a different time frame, it is her right and I think your nagging will not be helping!
Please just let her get on with it or you may well find it is dropped back in your lap - but that may be what you are hoping for ?