A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

1. What is your name, organization and job title (you don't have to give your name/organization if you don't want to- it can be anonymous)
Jyl Shaffer, Sumner County Director for HomeSafe-Inc.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Well, my day starts before I get out of bed. I say a quick prayer then check my Blackberry for e-mails, twitter updates, and rss feeds. (I'll admit sometimes that sequence has a different order!)

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I live a mile from work so I bike back to the house and let my dogs out. I usually actually eat while I'm working.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I love outreach. I run a domestic violence shelter and community program so I try to spend as much time as possible doing community education. I also started a teen program in the schools that brings me more joy than I thought a job ever could.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..have a really solid support network. This is not the place to be if your marriage is struggling or if you have no friends to help you separate from the job.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Challenge everything. The domestic violence movement has been going strong for 30+ years. We're no longer counter-culture; we're part of the system. Is our message relevant, meaningful, and life changing? What's the point if it's not?