Wednesday, April 29, 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)
Katie Eukel, Communications Manager at Transit for Livable Communities

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I usually walk in, turn on my computer, and start reading through my RSS feeds and checking Twitter. Much of my communications work focuses on advocacy, so I need to be up to speed on what’s happening up at the Capitol. I get a great idea by reading the daily news and checking in with reporters, advocates, and other colleagues.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Depends on the day. I’m lucky enough to work above a co-op, so I often just run downstairs and grab a delicious sandwich or some soup. I also make an effort to take colleagues out to lunch, so I’ll set up a lunch date every week or two.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I really enjoy connecting with other people who want to make Minnesota an even better place to live, work, and play. Although nonprofit professionals often form my core base of support, I like reaching out to people in completely different industries as well. As a result, I have a diverse network of people to whom I can turn for wonderfully fresh insights and perspectives.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..have a high tolerance for unpredictability. I can walk in the door expecting my day to go one way, but I have to be prepared for those plans to change very quickly.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
It’s really easy to work around the clock, but it’s equally important to find a sense of balance in your work and life. The boundaries between my work and life are blurred, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m lucky enough to have a job that I enjoy and find deeply satisfying, so I’m perfectly happy cooking dinner, taking a press call, chatting with my boyfriend, and writing in front of the TV. I’m not sure this qualifies as “great work/life balance,” but it makes my life much richer, and most importantly, works for me. Figure out what works for you, then take the steps to make it happen.

If you are willing to be featured, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The secret to a good volunteer program

What is the secret to a good volunteer program? Well, what is the difference between organizations that have 20 volunteers and organizations that have 1,000? And, how do those all-volunteer nonprofits exist?

Here it comes, the secret to a good volunteer program is....

Structure.

Yes, I know that there is no one single thing that will turn an ineffective or inefficient volunteer program into a machine over night. But over the years I have seen the one thing that rock star volunteer programs have in common and that is structure. I serve on the board of of an animal rescue. It has a decent sized budget, takes in hundreds (yes, hundreds) of animals each year. It also has hundreds of volunteers. The organization's last event raised over $25,000 and it was the second year the event had been in existence. Oh, and it is all-volunteer. There are no paid staff. In the last 3 years the organization had undergone some fundamental changes, which included incorporating more structure into all facets of the organization. By bring more structure into their volunteer program, they doubled if not tripled the number of volunteers they have and have begun several new initiatives as a result of this influx.

So, what do I mean by structure and what does it look like?

  • There is someone in charge, one person that a volunteer reports to. The person in charge does not have to be a paid staff member.
  • There are always tasks that volunteers can do. Volunteers don't wait weeks to get a task.
  • Volunteers are incorporated in every aspect of an organization - development, communications, etc.
  • Volunteers are involved in important decisions. They aren't given the crap work. They do both crap work and important jobs too.
  • There are job descriptions for key volunteers.
  • There are volunteer trainings.
  • Volunteers are thanked and there are appreciation events.

These are just a few suggestions. I think bringing structure into a volunteer program is a fundamental shift to operating more like a business - which isn't a bad thing. See my post from last summer: "Should nonprofits act more business-like?"

Friday, April 24, 2009

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

1. Super Online Fundraising, Step 6 by Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

2. Coalitions and a Director's Loyalties by Nonprofit Law Blog

3. Where's Your Org's Social Media Policy? by Getting Attention

Wednesday, April 22, 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)
Victoria King, Holly's Place Animal Rescue, President

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Go through massive amounts of rescue emails. Then, it depends on the day - whether I need to work on a newsletter, an e-newsletter, our database, or just do animal-care.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Going through more rescue emails.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
The hands-on part with the animals.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Give up having much of a life outside of rescue.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Develop alliances with other humane and rescue organizations, and friendships with individuals in the same position as you if you can. Our kind of work has a high burn-out rate, and compassion fatigue is a problem as well. One of the best ways to combat that is to have people who see the same things you do, and understand that kind of stress, to talk to on a regular basis.

If you are willing to be featured, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Eliminating a program: what not to do

An organization that I am familiar with has been dealing with pretty difficult times financially for the past five years or so. Years of operating at a deficit without cutting back on anything have finally caught up with this organization, and they recently cut a popular, but underfunded program. In difficult times, many organizations have had to make similar decisions, but in this organization's case they did several things wrong. I decided to use them as an example of what not to do when your organization decides to cut a program:

1. Plan ahead and plan wisely
A decision to end a program should be well-planned. It should have taken a lot of thought, and careful preparation- particularly when there are donors in the community that are strong supporters of the program. It also should include discussions with prominent supporters of the program. There should be a transition plan that includes an end of program summary that discusses and highlights what the program has accomplished while it was in existence.
and don't eliminate a program a week before a site visit - while that grant may not be enough to run the program for a year, it may be enough to keep it going for a few months which buys more time to find additional funding.

2. Involve program staff
Make sure to involve program staff in this decision. Many times they can work with you to prevent the elimination of a program by reducing their hours, fundraising, etc. In this organization's case, the staff offered to work reduced hours to keep the program going, and that offer was accepted with a promise that the reduced salary would keep the program going at least a few more months. They had even discussed a transition plan if no new funding was found that would include an end of program summary, but before the two months were up the staff were laid off with zero notice. The staff still offered to write up an end of program summary, but that offer was declined! When ending a program, I think it is extremely important to work with that program's staff to do everything possible to keep it going, but if no funding can be found then the staff are extremely important allies in ensuring that the decision is communicated accurately and the program comes to a smooth end.

3. Communicate the decision effectively
The communication should be one of the most important aspects of the process to eliminate a program. Not only does communication need to go out to your volunteers and staff, but your funders need to be told as well - particularly ones that have given your organization general operating grants or program specific grants for that program. If those grants included the eliminated program, those funders need to know, and should be (if possible) involved in the decision. Also, don't leave the program up on your website so it appears at first glance like your organization still has the program.

4. Don't make it personal
This is about the program - not the staff. Don't make this decision be about the staff and don't burn important bridges. A few other strange things that happened with this organization, were that the laid off staff were removed from all e-mail newsletters and general public communication (even though the laid off staff are current donors) and they were not included on the email that announced the elimination of the program (and recipients of the email were told not to forward it to the laid off staff) - strange huh? While laid off staff are no longer employees, they probably have given a lot of time and money over the years, plus they probably brought your organization many new supporters. Respect them and their commitment.

Hopefully your organization never finds itself in such a position, but if you do, I hope this example helps show you what not to do.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

1. "Three Trends That Beg for Shorter Email Newsletters" by Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog

2. "Five “Don’ts” of Nonprofit Website Design" by Katya's Nonprofit Marketing Blog

3. "Donation Policy - Controversial Donations" by Nonprofit Law Blog

*Bonus - "A cure (well, a treatment) for meetings from hell" by Tips and Tools for Nonprofits

Wednesday, April 15, 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)
Megan Peterson, National Network of Abortion Funds, Director of Advocacy and Individual Donor Relations

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Turn on my computer and go through my email.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Some days I’m good and actually take a break, most days though, I eat lunch at my desk either reading email or surfing the web. Surfing the web counts as a break, right?

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
There are SO many parts of my work that I enjoy. I am passionately committed to the mission of my organization and love feeling that each day I am literally, directly helping women and furthering reproductive justice. We get calls in the office from women in crisis every single day and even though it can be frustrating to get interrupted, talking to women who are pregnant and want to have an abortion but don’t have the money and resources, helps make the fundraising and advocacy work I do all that much more meaningful. It keeps me very connected to the reason I do this work. I also really enjoy strategizing and working to make meaningful policy changes – like repealing the Hyde Amendment! – and talking to donors about our incredible work.

5. If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..believe that the right to abortion is meaningless if you can't afford it and that women deserve dignity in making decisions about their lives, their bodies, and their families. They would also have to be able to juggle many priorities are different areas of work, communicate effectively, and think very strategically. Being a problem-solver is also a big bonus!

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Let your commitment, compassion, and passion fuel you, your well-organized to-do list keep you on track, and your colleagues and allies support you in your work. Also, never stop believing that meaningful change is possible, no matter how impossible it may seem. In terms of advocacy work, I love what Bylle Avery (founder of the National Black Women’s Health Project) says, “If you’re not at the table, it means you’re probably on the menu."

If you are willing to be featured, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Twitter Question: What is that one thing you think nonprofits need, but can't afford?

I posed this question: "What is that one thing you think nonprofits need, but can't afford?" to the twitter community and received some interesting answers:

philanthropissd: @nonprofitsos my answer to what #nonprofit orgs need - MANAGEMENT TRAINING.

bettina27: @nonprofitsos Vehicles for cross-systems collaborative planning.

smeneguzzo: @nonprofitsos Nps need but don't think they can afford: integrated technology. Underestimate the cost of using hobbled together systems.

ddtdc: @nonprofitsos a Human Resources professional

mjfrombuffalo: Ditto what philanthropissd said: RT @philanthropissd: @nonprofitsos my answer to what #nonprofit orgs need - MANAGEMENT TRAINING.

urbantastic: @nonprofitsos every np needs in-house online donation capability, but most a)go 3rd party or b)completely miss out.

DCVito: @nonprofitsos I'd say we can't afford clout.

BBBSHR: @nonprofitsos Current technology (both hardware and software). It's essential for efficiency, but can be quite costly.

baovie: @nonprofitsos Training and staff development dollars

trina_willard: @nonprofitsos I agree completely - program evaluation. However, what's the cost of NOT doing it? Potentially significant...

My answer (@nonprofitsos) was program evaluation

What is your answer?

Organizational Conflict: New Executive Director = Unhappy Employees

Back a couple years ago I was working with an organization that had lost its long-time Executive Director. So, they conducted a search, found a new ED and everyone lived happily ever after.

Not quite so fast...when the new ED started, she seemed great. Everyone got along with her, and she seemed to truly care about the organization. That is until she told a homosexual employee that she thought homosexuality was wrong. And she started not showing up at meetings. Oh, and she started talking about employees with other employees. She also starting talking about changing the focus of some programs, and eliminating others because her personal morals/viewpoints didn't jive with those program's focuses. There were so many other issues, I honestly cannot list them all here.

Did I mention this was a tiny organization (staff of 8) and were all friends? Well, needless to say a couple short months after she started the staff were unhappy. Don't get me wrong, this was obviously not a case new boss-itis. The fundamental problem was that the organization and the Board did not have a clear process for how to deal with this. When one employee went to the Executive Director with her complaints, and later the Board, the Executive Director tried to fire her. When the Executive Director heard another employee went to the Board, she did fire her. The situation got completely out of hand.

Eventually, after the remaining employees had issued numerous complaints to the board (and another employee was fired because she also said something about the ED), the board finally let the ED go. This could have all been resolved if the Board had been more welcoming and discreet about employees coming to them with complaints (they actually told employees they had to tell the ED first about their complaints per the "policy"). This is why it is important to have policies surrounding non-retaliation, whistleblowers, and complaint processes.

Moral of the story: Have a clear policy for complaints against supervisors, and Executive Directors. Here, here, and here are a few to get you started.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

1. "Seven Warning Signs that Something May Not Be Right in Your Nonprofit" by BWB Solutions (not really a blog, I know, but a good article nonetheless)

2. "What are your volunteers worth?" by The Nonprofit Consultant Blog

3. "Do premiums work online?" by Donor Power Blog

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Reader Question: Can facebook ever replace the face to face?

Recently, a student and reader of this blog asked me a few questions about social media, fundraising, and marketing for a class project. I thought this question was a particularly good question, and wanted to share my answer.

Can facebook ever replace the face to face?

It depends. I think facebook can definitely create relationships and connections that are not already there. It also can improve relationships and make them stronger. What I think it cannot do, is replace a face to face ask. Facebook is great for small campaigns, or for having your volunteers/supporters raise money for you. I don't think it is as good for those large asks. Again, when you are targetting a new large donor, it can open the door to create a connection that may not have already been there (if that person is even on facebook). But, a large donor should not have their only ask for a large gift be via facebook.

Facebook cannot replace that in-person, one on one ask that large donors deserve and in most cases need to make large gifts. Unless you actually know someone on facebook (are actually friends with them or have some relationship in "real life"), they probably aren't as inclined to give when asked via facebook. This is because people are asked to give all the time. They are asked by door to door people, by phone calls, by mail, by email, and now by social media (facebook, twitter, etc).

In my opinion, facebook will never replace a face to face ask. I think the face to face ask will always have better results. Even as we move forward into a more technologically advanced world, especially with larger donors, a face to face will almost always be necessary.

Wednesday, April 8, 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)
Kristiana Kocis - I am a Major Gifts Officer for a very large, very old organization.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Look at my calendar to prioritize what I need to/want to get done that day. I then write them all down because I love crossing things off my list! Then it's e-mail, etc.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Lunch break? I'm not familiar with that phrase...could you please explain!

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Interacting with our donors and our clients. It's amazing to see how our organization has touched their lives. I have heard stories that have brought me to tears and stories that made me laugh - they're all different, but they're all heart warming.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Give me enough start up money for my own non-profit, NextGen Fundraising!

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Right now, I would remind people to not be a lemming and preach the doom and gloom of the economy. If you keep talking about how everyone else is running off the cliff, you will too. This is a time when you need to keep engaging your donors more than ever, but this is also a great time to try any fundraising ideas that may be sitting on the back burner. We have such an enormous opportunity to position our organizations to be powerhouses when the economy turns around - make sure you're one of those organizations!

If you are willing to be featured, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Why I like Alltop

For those that haven't heard of Alltop, it is "an “online magazine rack” of popular topics", they update the posts/stories every hour. While the website has every topic you can imagine, I spend most my time in the nonprofit section.

I thought I would take a minute to explain why I think Alltop is so useful, and why you should take a look. Before I knew what alltop was, I spent a lot of time googling nonprofit blogs and looking at other blogs blogrolls, basically searching for new posts and blogs. Then, I found Alltop. Alltop has a lot of nonprofit blogs, and shows those blogs most recent 3 posts. So, instead of having to go and open up dozens of blogs to see if they have a new post (or add them to my feed), all I have to do is check out Alltop. It is a great resource for nonprofit news.

Oh, and they added NonprofitSOS somewhat recently :)

3 reasons why you should have a twenty something on your board

1. We know more than you think.

We had our own computer in sixth grade, have been on Facebook for years, and know what Twitter is. So, when your organization is trying to figure out how to take advantage of new technology, we are a huge resource. Plus, we are fresh out of college and there are some great tidbits that we get from class. One of my most popular posts this year, came from a Nonprofit Finance course - Want to know how your nonprofit is doing financially?

2. We have more time than most (and so do our friends).

Usually we don't have kids, mortgages, 80 hour per week jobs, etc. This means we have more time to help you with fundraising, volunteering and more. We don't have to get home for dinner, and we are willing to help on nights and weekends. Even better, is the fact that we communicate with our friends a lot. We can send out a tweet or a message to everyone in our network when you need volunteers or advice.

3. We can be more committed.

We aren't typically on a dozen boards and we aren't professional board members. When we join a board, it is because we really care about that specific organization and its mission, and are willing to go above and beyond to ensure its success.

*I do want to note that these three reasons can apply to anyone (regardless of age), and this post in no way is saying those that are not in their twenties aren't committed, won't give their time, etc. It's purpose is to encourage boards to engage younger generations because they can be an extremely valuable resource.

So, how do you find us?

Well, try one of the many useful social media and networking tools. Send out tweets on Twitter or recruit us via Facebook. Or you can see if you have an organization in your city that recruits young board members. In Minneapolis, there is The LEAD Project. The LEAD Project enlists young people that are interested in serving on a committee or board. Nonprofits contact the Project and the Project matches that nonprofit with young professionals that fit that nonprofits needs.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

1. How Much Email is Too Much? by Network For Good's Fundraising 123

2. Social Good Podcast: Manging Volunteers Online by A. Fine Blog

3. Nonprofit Board Members as Lenders by Nonprofit Board Crisis

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

1. What is your name, organization and job title (can be anonymous)
Nicole Weiler, St. Stephen's Human Services, Free Store Director

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Typically I am the first person in the building at 6:30am. I find the quiet and absence of other colleagues promotes a very productive atmosphere for me to organize and prioritize my day. Aside from the obvious "turn on the lights," the first thing I typically do in the office is check my email and clear the inbox to 0, if possible.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I am lucky enough to have been granted a flexible schedule. I spend the first 6 hours of the day "in the office" before leaving to complete unfinished work from home. My lunch break is spent eating homemade food at my dining room table, fending off a begging dog.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
My work is richly rewarding. The most incredibly part is hearing stories of the people whose lives I have touched by simply doing what I do. I run a Free Store that provides clothing, shoes and household items to the low income population at no-cost. It is quite literally as it sounds, a Free Store. You'd be amazed at the number of Thank You cards that flood my employee mailbox. They literally bring me to tears thinking about how my generous donors have afforded me the ability to provide my gracious clients with the everyday items they need, and I am the one being thanked.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
have very thick skin.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Know who you are. There is nothing more powerful than a young nonprofit professional who is completely aware of their strengths as well as their weaknesses and constantly making strides to improve both. Live authentically, make friends with people who can teach you something (anything, literally. We all have something offer others.) Join a local networking group such as YNPN where you can meet other people in the nonprofit sector who currently are or who have worked their way up the "ladder." Be confident, be calm.

If you are willing to be featured, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com