Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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)
Sterling Harris, PAVSA (Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault), Community Education/Case Tracking Coordinator - which only describes maybe 1/10 of what I do!

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Check my phone and email messages. Anything to do with clients takes priority. I primarily work with women and girls age 14 and up who have been sexually assaulted. Lately, I seem to be working with more mothers whose children have been assaulted. Most have reported their assaults to law enforcement and I act as a liaison with the criminal justice system. Many need support in other areas of their lives and I do my best to be creative in finding resources and options that may be helpful to them.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Usually with my amazing coworkers, sitting around the kitchen table. We often have women from the neighborhood who will drop in around the lunch hour. We will always drum up something so they can join us for lunch, if they choose.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Working with women and girls. Many of the people who find themselves in our office have been
discounted by so many people in their own lives. When people who have experienced sexual violence come here, they are valued as survivors and human beings who deserve justice and utmost care.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to...never refrain from asking why sexual violence exists and why so many victims are treated so poorly in the system. The person would need to have an open mind, healthy coping skills, good boundaries, solid work ethic and a sense of humor

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Take care of yourself and never give up.

I am looking for new nonprofit workers to be featured. If you want to share a day in your life, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Reader Question: Personnel issues at board meeting

I work for a small non-profit for over 5 years. We have an Executive Director and three staff. In the past we have been sponsored by other 501c3's and fell under their board of directors. As of this year, we have our own 501c3 and a new Board of Directors, 6 people who have never served on an active board. Our Exec. dir. has had some experience with Boards but not enough to guide them as to what they should do.

That's the background....now here is the problem. The Exec. Dir. recently at a Board Meeting brought up personnel issues and in the notes first and last names given. (Is this a problem with confidentiality?) Also, the problems stated were untrue or misrepresented. Neither person has had a previous conversation with the director either before or after this was discussed with the board. What should be done?

First, I am not an employment lawyer, so I do not know the law surrounding confidentiality.

Now with that being said, the Executive Director can definitely (at least in my experience) bring up personnel issues and state specific names and issues at board meetings. In fact, many do when looking for guidance on issues. Particularly in small nonprofits. With that being said, those names are NOT typically published in the minutes, nor are the specific details. Typically the minutes will say something like "Staff issues discussed." or something along those lines.

I would advise the staff who feel wronged to do two things. First, I would talk to the ED about having the specific names and issues removed from the meeting minutes. Instead, I would request similar wording to what I suggested above. Second, you have the right to talk to the board or board members. Many nonprofits have a grievance policy that advises staff what to do in the case of a grievance with the ED (typically involves going to the board). Since I don't know the specifics about the issues, I'm not sure what the best course of action here is. Since you found out via the meeting notes/minutes, you definitely have the right to contact the board members and note you would like to provide additional information to what you saw in the minutes.

Have your own question? Email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Friday, August 21, 2009

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

1.The “Three R’s” of Fundraising Letters by Step by Step Fundraising

2. 5 Mistakes Nonprofit Websites Make by Blackbaud

3. ROI of Listening: 17 Things to Do with What You Hear by Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

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)
I'm Luise Barnikel, Sales and Marketing Associate at IssueLab.

2.What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I get some cold water from the fridge, open our windows and sit down to check email and my calendar for the day. Depending on how many items are still on my list from the day before, I also spend a bit of time looking at our social media groups and accounts. A fairly routine hour of my mornings is spent going through my reader to get newest blog posts and third sector news, including feeds about comments I've made or posts I've written. It's important to listen and reply to these.

3.How do you spend your lunch break?
Recently I've been trying to spend a bit of time eating or going for a walk outside. I'm happy that's an option after this seemingly eternal and frigid Chicago winter. Still, I spend many of my lunch breaks eating at my desk. When that's the case, I try to do some off-screen reading (here at IssueLab there's always a great nonprofit report floating around!), or check into news and other sites that give me a break.

4.Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I enjoy it when people find IssueLab's work and tools helpful. It's not only my job at IssueLab, but also IssueLab's mission to nonprofits to help folks communicate. When that gets done effectively and we can see the results through more traffic on our forum, more research contributors or more organizations partnering on our services, it's very rewarding.

5.Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
...be persistent! It's difficult to build a solid brand and get attention on a small budget. On top of taking every good opportunity to get your word out there, it's important to follow-up and build meaningful connections – and that takes time.

6.What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
You're important. Don't get discouraged and be patient. Especially now, many nonprofits are dealing with (even) smaller budgets. Everything is a process, and it might take a while to see results of your marketing efforts. It's important to measure returns and evaluate your work, but giving it your all is the best you can do.

I am looking for new nonprofit workers to be featured. If you want to share a day in your life, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Guest Post: Developing a brand through an online presence

By Alexia Harris at Project Learn of Summit County (@alexiaharris)

It is imperative that nonprofits understand the significance of developing a brand. Whether your mission is to support cancer research or provide services to adults in need of literacy skills that mission needs to be communicated not only in person, but also online.

In June 2009, it was announced that the YMCA of the USA's brand is worth almost $6.4 billion, making it the nation's most valuable nonprofit brand, according to research conducted by Cone and Intangible Business. The study also revealed that The American Cancer Society stood out with the strongest brand image, which can be credited to its standing as the single most relevant nonprofit organization among consumers. This study showed the correlation between an organization’s mission, brand and value. It also proved the importance of nurturing the public’s awareness and opinion of the organization.

As the community relations manager for Project Learn of Summit County, one of my responsibilities is managing the agency’s online presence with strategies that support business, marketing and communication objectives (among other things).

My goal is to make sure that Project Learn is properly represented on the Internet.

To reach my goal, I had to do three things:

1. Revamp Project Learn’s web site to make it helpful, user-friendly and visually appealing.

2. Implement search engine optimization tactics to improving our web site’s availability to search engines and social media networks.

3. Monitor and participate in social media to gain insight to topics that are related to literacy and adult education.

This is not a “do it and leave it alone” type of job. You must update, monitor and participate in all types of communication activities on a regular basis. Communicating your mission and maintaining your brand must be done with care, as well as convey the same message. Nowadays, when a person wants more information about an organization, the first thing they do is conduct an online search, which is why an organization’s online brand is so critical.

However, it is important to remember that when implementing your strategies and tactics, that your mission be integrated seamlessly so that it is able to become synonymous with the brand. By taking the correct steps to establish your brand and communicate your mission, you will create a very useful means to generate needed funds and prove your worth to supporters and volunteers.

*Do you want to see how Project Learn does it? Browse our Facebook page, Twitter profile and blog for suggestions on communicating your brand and mission online.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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)
Krista Francis, Director of Human Resources at Jubilee Association of Maryland (@jubileehr). We provide residential and related services to adults with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. Our office is in Kensington, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC. I love my job and I’ve been there 9 years. When my boss is away, I am Acting Executive Director, so my life is busy.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I wish I could give a more inspiring answer, but I delete all the spam the junk folder missed! While my computer is waking up, I go make coffee if it’s not already perking. I check in with my early arriving co-workers, Shannon and Aarti. J A few minutes of peace and relationship-building before the phone starts ringing! We empty the dishwasher together and catch up on our lives.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I often get soup from the Kensington Market down the street. I might eat in the kitchen with co-workers or meet my hubby for a picnic in the beautiful park down the street. Probably two days are working lunches of one kind or another. If I eat at my desk, I check twitter or work on a blog post.

And once a month, I make it a point to get together with my HR friends from other agencies. Feels so good to get out and connect with them!

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Recruiting and onboarding, absolutely. I love connecting the best candidates to our positions and helping them transition into their new jobs.

I also love the positive influence I have on our culture, our policies, our practices, our staff. I love working at an amazing, reputable firm and hiring amazing talent that will continue the legacy.

Finally, I love the variety and diversity in my duties and knowing that every day I make a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Learn how to keep secrets. Be discreet. Multi-task. Give people bad news. Think both strategically and long-term. Be detail-oriented and have good follow-through. Broker deals. See both sides. See the forest and the trees. Connect with the mission and vision of the company until it becomes your own.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Stay on top of the trends in both human resources and your specific industry. Don’t get complacent.

Strive to be the best. Quality attract quality, which attracts more quality.

Connect with others. Human resources is a hard profession and it is easy to feel isolated and alone. Your co-workers don’t understand what you do and they have no concept of the demands on your time and psyche! Talking to, tweeting, e-mailing and meeting other HR people makes all the difference. Reach out and get to know each other. Share information, generously share your resources and best practices.

Continue to learn and grow. Money is always tight in nonprofits, but be creative so that you can attend conferences and seminars. Get outside your agency. Mentor young folks. Pass on your expertise. Experiment with social media. Do something new.


I am looking for new nonprofit workers to be featured. If you want to share a day in your life, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

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)
My name is Jennifer Edel and I’m the Coordinator of Training and Community Partnerships for the Community Justice Project. We are a non-profit program that recruits and trains volunteers from the community to mentor offenders at the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
The first thing I do when I get in the office is read my emails, listen to my voicemails, and respond to them.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I usually spend my lunch break in the break room eating food I prepared at home. Occasionally I go out for lunch with a co-worker.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
What I enjoy most is working with the mentors. I enjoy learning about them, their life experiences, and why they are interested in mentoring offenders. We have mentors from all ages, backgrounds, and experiences.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…
Be organized and willing to work with people. Besides working with the mentors I prepare materials for trainings, contact mentors about different events, put together the mentor newsletter, and attend community meetings.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Learn by doing. Also be open to trying new things and taking on new roles. Networking is also important. It is good to attend community and other meetings where you have the chance to meet new people and learn about different resources.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Guest Post: Make Your Reports Accessible - Three Easy Tips

by Luise Barnikel at IssueLab

The shifting landscape and expectations of information seekers leaves your nonprofit with the difficult task of catching up and rethinking dissemination.

Your research provides valuable insight into critical social issues. To generate the biggest impact from the knowledge shared, your research report should be engaging to the various audiences it will touch, and adapt to today's expectations for knowledge sharing.

So here are three easy tips to keep in mind when you are planning and designing your next research report.

1. Make your research usable, and re-usable. We understand the time and effort that goes into creating a thorough research report. Still, choosing a restrictive copyright can discourage readers from sharing or using your information - even for a good cause. There are copyright options that allow your audience to use the information in a wide variety of ways and even build upon it to create original research. An easy way to apply non-restrictive but legitimate copyrights to a document is using Creative Commons. IssueLab encourages its contributing organizations to use Creative Commons, because it "increases sharing and improves collaboration."

2. Leave Them Asking for More. The research abstract can be a great way to generate further interest in the entire body of work, but really it should tell a journalist on deadline everything they need to know. Abstracts that leave out vital information - or are too long to read quickly - can actually deter readers from downloading the report to learn more. There's a fine line between cliffhanger and information overload, but those who are truly interested in reading your report will ultimately do it when they have the time. So, distill valuable information, make the abstract comprehensive and quotable, but don't just copy and paste the executive summary.

3. Get the facts out there. Once your report is released, go through it and extract short phrases, quotes, and statistics that can easily be shared online. Micro-blogging (sending brief text updates) has become an increasingly important skill and tool for organizations that wish to keep constituents informed. You can also create graphic summaries or pull charts that can be posted on Facebook or displayed alongside the abstract. Lastly, always make sure you include a direct link to your report listing page or .pdf - nothing worse than not finding the source of good information!

What are your thoughts on other easy ways to make research more usable?