Nonprofit SOS

Reminder, blog has been moved!

2010-03-26T07:33:00.002-05:00

NonprofitSOS has been moved to www.nonprofitsos.com. For the next few weeks I will try to post links to my new posts on the new blog to help get everyone transitioned over.

Posts from this week:

Top 3 Weekly Blog Posts for Nonprofit Workers

MESI 2010: Should foundations be putting more resources into policy development?

MESI 2010: Foundations and the lack of a clearly defined strategy

Does your organization have enough cash on hand? Less than 39% do.

MESI 2010: Many foundations have “wrong” mindset about evaluation

MESI 2010

Blog has been transferred

2010-03-03T17:57:00.004-06:00

This is it, I finally have made the big move over to wordpress. I transferred all of my old posts over to the new blog, and I won't be posting anymore on this blog. Make sure to check out the new blog!

Reflection & top 4 posts from 2009

2009-12-31T08:16:00.003-06:00

2009 has been a great year, having written 117 blog posts on a variety of topics. I know my resolution for 2010 will be to write more often and with better consistency! Here are the top 4 posts that were written in 2009 that have been the most popular.

1. Advertising on nonprofit websites?

2. Why can't a nonprofit get its own credit card?

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

4. Want to know how your nonprofit is doing financially?

Interestingly, they are not the most popular overall. Three posts I wrote in 2008 were more popular this year, with the SWOT post getting more hits than all four of the above combined:

1. Using SWOT Analysis for Strategic Planning

2. In-Kind Gifts 101: Definition, Acknowledgement & the Law

3. Nonprofit Blogging Tips from ProBlogger

Reader Question: Starting a new program and convincing foundations to fund?

2009-12-17T20:19:00.002-06:00

I recently did a session on Programs: Developing, Managing, and Evaluating for the Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Network and I was asked a question by a participant about starting a new program. The participant was wondering how does convince a foundation to fund a new program when you have never done it before, and therefore don't have evaluations showing it was effective?

This question surprised me because I thought most would know the answer, but I found that many at nonprofits were wondering this same thing. The answer is research. You should rarely, if ever, start a new program without research supporting your intervention. So, what if no one has ever done what you want to do - or someone has done it, but there isn't research supporting it yet? Well, then you find research supporting components of the program.

I'll take an easy example, say you want to start a program where 10th graders become tutors and mentors for at-risk 6th graders to help them improve academic achievement. Sure, there might not be research on that specific program, but you should definitely be able to find research on whether mentoring is effective, at what ages mentoring has been effective, what research has found to be successful interventions for academic achievement, research on causes for low achievement for at-risk youth, etc. Using this research you should be able to build a case to support the program you want to do.

So, what if you can't find research or research does not support what you want to do? If you can't find research to support any component of your program in any way, then it probably isn't the best choice. If you find research but it doesn't support your approach - then figure out why and think of ways you can address that.

Where do you find this research? Online, articles, journals, etc. Personally, I use Google Scholar when searching for articles, but you can also use local libraries to access journals and books. Also keep in mind if you find a good article that fits what you are looking for, look at the citations and who the author cited. It is more likely than not you will find a bunch more support or useful information that will help build your case!

Wondering how big of a sample size you need?

2009-12-08T18:07:00.002-06:00

So, you have decided to do an evaluation - or are doing some preliminary research for a proposed program. You sit down and try to figure out the details, which includes how many people should you send your survey to? If you are just doing asking a bunch of people to participate in a survey asking about why they donate, or whether they enjoyed your program, then the sample size probably isn't as important. It is important is you want to be able to generalize your findings to the general population - or to the targeted population. So, how do you determine it? Well I could tell you the complex formula and math behind determining a sample size, but it is easier just to point you to a simple sample size calculator you can download. This link will take you to a survey course website, on the bottom left of the page you will see "Sample Size Calculator" click it and download.

Once it pops up, it might be a little confusing so here are a few tips to make it easier:

The first tab "Type of Analysis" you can usually leave the defaults - unless you are doing complex sampling - which you probably aren't.
The second tab "Values and Settings" is most important. Make sure to enter your population size, etc.
The third tab "Corrections" is pretty much self-explanatory and you will probably not use it - but if you do it explains what each option means by the selection box.
Once you have entered everything in, then the box to the right should say a number - that is the number of people your sample should include.

*When you download it, there is a "quickhelp" folder that explains what each box means if you are confused about what to put there. Good luck!

Honor for NonprofitSOS

2009-11-22T09:25:00.001-06:00

This blog was selected by the Daily Reviewer as one of the top 100 nonprofit blogs!

Exploring Effective Strategies for Facilitating Evaluation Capacity Building

2009-11-21T17:16:00.002-06:00

This AEA session was of particular interest to me. I would love to see more nonprofits investing in building their capacity with evaluation, and this session discussed ten strategies to do so:

Coaching/Mentoring: building a relationship with an evaluation expert who provides individualized technical and professional support
Technical Assistance: receiving help from an internal or external evaluator
Technology: using online resources such as websites and/or e-learning programs to learn from and about evaluation
Written Materials: reading and using written documents about evaluation processes and findings
Training: attending courses, workshops, and seminars on evaluation
Involvement in an Evaluation Process: participating in the design and/or implementation of an evaluation
Internship: participating in a formal program that provides practical evaluation experience for novices
Meetings: allocating time and space to discuss evaluation activities specifically for the purpose of learning from and about evaluation
Appreciative Inquiry: using an assets-based, collaborative, narrative approach to learning about evaluation that focuses on strengths within the organization
Communities of Practice: sharing evaluation experiences, practices, information, and readings among members who have common interests and needs (sometimes called learning circles)

See posts about other sessions I attended at this year's AEA: "American Evaluation Conference Summary Post"

Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation

2009-11-18T11:44:00.002-06:00

This AEA session discussed common advocacy evaluation methods:

Stakeholder surveys or interviews - Print, telephone, or online questioning that gathers advocacy stakeholder perspectives or feedback.
Case studies - Detailed descriptions and analyses (often qualitative) of individual advocacy strategies and results.
Focus groups - Facilitated discussions with advocacy stakeholders (usually about 8-10 per group) to obtain their reactions, opinions, or ideas.
Media tracking - Counts of an issue's coverage in the print, broadcast, or electronic media.
Media content or framing analysis - Qualitative analysis of how the media write about and frame issues of interest.
Participant observation - Evaluator participation in advocacy meeting or events to gain firsthand experience and data.
Policy tracking - Monitoring of an issue or bill's progress in the policy processes.
Public polling - Interviews (usually by telephone) with a random sample of advocacy stakeholders to gather data on their knowledge, attitudes, or behaviors.

And highlighted four new methods that have been developed specifically to address advocacy evaluation's unique challenges:

Bellwether methodology - Interviews conducted with "bellwethers" or influential people in public/private sectors whose positions require that they track a broad range of policy issues. Part of sample is not connected to issue of interest and sample does not have advance knowledge of interview topic. Used to assess political will as outcome, forecast likelihood of future policy proposals/changes, assess extent that advocacy messages have "broken through", and to gauge whether an issue is on federal/state/local policy agenda and how it is positioned.
Policymaker ratings - Advocates (or other informed stakeholders) rate policymakers of interest on scales that assess policymakers' support for, and influence on, the issue. Used to assess extent to which a policymaker supports an issue and whether that support is changing over time.
Intense period debriefs - Advocates are engaged in evaluative inquiry shortly after a policy window or intense period of action occurs. Used when advocacy efforts are experiencing high intensity levels of activity and advocates have little time to pause for data collection.
System mapping - A system is visually mapped, identifying the parts and relationships in that system that are expected to change and how they will change, and then identifying ways of measuring or capturing whether those changes have occurred. Used to try to achieve systems change.

Please note that the above notes are credited to the "Unique Methods in Advocacy Evaluation" by Julia Coffman and Ehren Reed.

See posts about other sessions I attended at this year's AEA: "American Evaluation Conference Summary Post"

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-11-18T08:22:00.001-06:00

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)
Martin Wera – Nonprofit Services Manager, Charities Review Council

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Put my lunch in the fridge, check email, check my calendar, and check to see if any nonprofits have finished the Accountability Wizard (the online educational tool the Charities Review Council has for nonprofits). After that, it varies from day to day.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
During baseball season – check the updates about the Twins. Usually though I check the MinnPost Daily Glean, Politico, and any other news updates. Often I’ll check some nonprofit blogs as well.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
One of the best things about my job is the opportunity to connect and work with a variety of nonprofits. Depending on which organizations are going through a review, every day is different. Not only is the organization different (e.g. size, issue area, etc.), but also questions that they have about the review and the Accountability Standards. I also enjoy the fact that I feel like in working with nonprofits meet our standards, I’m part of the process of helping them be more effective, healthy organizations.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
…be a nonprofit geek.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
This is trite, but true – do what gives you energy. Having worked at a variety of nonprofits, this has been the clearest lesson I’ve learned. From this point, everything else falls into place.

I am looking for people to participate in this series, if you are interested, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

How do we define and measure social impact?

2009-11-17T08:53:00.002-06:00

This month's Nonprofit Millennial Blogging Alliance (NMBA) topic relates to social impact and how we define and measure it.

So, what is social impact? Well, I did what anyone that has access to internet would do, I googled it. It seems there isn't really a clear, precise definition for it. I couldn't even find a definition on Wikipedia - the closest I got was Social Impact Assessment or Social Impact Theory. So, I am going to go with a mish-mash of definitions and partial definitions I found:

Social impact = the influences or affects an organization or group can have to impact people's lives. This influence or affect increases with immediacy and strength, and can have both positive and negative social consequences.

So, to use an easy example: More and more people continue to join Twitter because they know more people who are on Twitter, their close friends are now on Twitter, and everyone seems to be joining Twitter. Hence, one would say the social impact of Twitter is quite large and continues to grow as its strength and immediacy grows.

For nonprofits, this would be used more in the sense of how a nonprofit taking advantage of social change to make a difference in people's lives.

So, how would one measure social impact?

Well, since social impact is more that just evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention it would make sense that a simple evaluation wouldn't be enough.

An interesting concept I came across was that one could put together an impact map, which will help organizations to clearly show relationships between inputs (resources) and outputs (activities, outcomes). Basically it helps an organization understand how they create change.

The impact map could be combined with a social impact assessment, which "includes the processes of analysing, monitoring and managing the intended and unintended social consequences, both positive and negative, of planned interventions (policies, programs, plans, projects) and any social change processes invoked by those interventions. Its primary purpose is to bring about a more sustainable and equitable biophysical and human environment." This would allow a nonprofit to map the relationships and measure the change that resulted from those relationships.

A more government-type perspective on social impact assessment can be found here. Some may also go as far as measuring the financial return on a social impact using a social return on investment.

Check out some other perspectives on social impact and how to measure it from NMBA bloggers:

What is Social Impact? by Nonprofit Periscope

Measuring Social Impact (wait…what is social impact?) by Onward and Upward

Interactive Techniques to Facilitate Evaluation Learning

2009-11-12T20:33:00.004-06:00

This was an interesting session that I attended at the American Evaluation Association's Annual Conference. It had some great tidbits. Here are a few things I wanted to share from the session:

The presenter discussed what portion of things people learn, and how they learn them. This is what she shared:
- People remember... 10% of what they read (book, handout)
- 20% of what they hear (head a lecture, podcast)
- 30% of what they see (look at displays, diagrams, exhibits)
- 50% of what they head AND see (live demonstration, video, site visit)
- 70% of what they say OR write (worksheet, discussion)
- 90% of what they do (practice, teach)

Manipulatives help learning!
- Manipulatives are objects that engage the learning in touching, feeling, and manipulation
- Stimulate brain either as part of the learning experience or provide opportunities for movement
- Examples: basket of strange feeling objects, pipe cleaners, clay, cards, paper table covers that people can doodle on

Current research establishes a link between movement and learning!
- Can use brain breaks, energizers to get people moving
- Example of energizer: when asking questions use movement "Raise your hand/clap if you use Twitter"

See posts about other sessions I attended at this year's AEA: "American Evaluation Conference Summary Post"

American Evaluation Conference Summary Post

2009-11-12T20:25:00.006-06:00

I am currently in Florida attending the American Evaluation Association (AEA) conference. To follow conference related tweets, search #eval09 on twitter.

The days are jam-packed with fantastic sessions and I likely won't get to post all of the interesting and useful tidbits until this weekend and early next week, but I am going to get them all up by the end of this week. This post will include links to all of the posts, as I post them:

Nonprofit Conference Etiquette

2009-11-08T08:39:00.002-06:00

Last week I attended the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits joint annual conference with the Minnesota Council of Foundations and had the opportunity to meet lots of new great nonprofit folk, in addition to presenting two sessions "Become Social Media Savvy" and "Evaluation 101: Focus Groups and Surveys".

While at this conference a group of were hanging out chatting about donor meetings and who should be going (a whole other post), when a woman from nonprofit came up to us and started explaining what her nonprofit did. This was great because who doesn't love to hear about what all the amazing nonprofits in their community do? Once she was done explaining, she continued on to ask us to give. When we politely declined, she went on to a group sitting next to us, gave the same speech, and asked them to give. After they declined, she left the area and I can only assume went to solicit more gifts.

Typically I never mind being asked for a donation because nonprofits need money to run. But, I think many conferences actually state in their rules not to mention it is against conference etiquette to solicit your colleagues at a nonprofit conference. I mean, didn't she realize that pretty much everyone there worked for a nonprofit organization, and if they all decided to go around and solicit we would have had over 1,500 people asking for gifts? It would have been mayhem not to mention annoying, and would likely result in people not going. So, the next time you go to a nonprofit conference, remember that this is the "safe space" that all of us can come together to learn - not your opportunity to solicit your colleagues.

p.s. I will be posting more info from sessions from the conference, in addition to stuff from next week's American Evaluation Conference. I will also be posting slides from my two sessions on my website on Monday.

Short Hiatus

2009-09-16T22:37:00.004-05:00

I will be taking a short hiatus from writing for this blog. With trying to finish up my PhD coursework, board service, volunteering, and consulting projects I am getting overwhelmed and behind. I will be back in mid-November and may post infrequently during that time. I am looking for new nonprofit workers to participate in the "A day in the life of a nonprofit worker" series, and if you are interested please shoot me an email at kristen@advancementcompany.com.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-09-09T11:58:00.001-05:00

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)
Trista Harris, Executive Director at Headwaters Foundation for Justice and chief blogger at New Voices of Philanthropy.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I check the list of most important things that I need to accomplish for the day, that I left for myself the night before and work on the task that will move our organization the furthest. It is usually something that needs some sort of strategic thinking, like our strategy to approach an institutional funder or developing key messages for a media interview.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
My favorite way to spend lunch is to meet with our individual donors. It is amazing to see what draws people to become a donor to a social justice foundation. Many of our donors are part-time or full-time activists for the causes that they care about and I always learn something new when I meet with them. I also really enjoy having lunch with other professional grantmakers in the Twin Cities. You can compare notes and strategize about how to effect the issues that your foundations are working on.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Headwaters support grassroots community organizing, so I really enjoy seeing how neighborhood residents will band together around a common cause, like getting rid of an environmental hazard in their neighborhood, and make real change through that collective action. Individuals working together can make the impossible, possible.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Believe in the power of each person and each dollar. When you meet with a group of volunteers that is starting to organize low-income residents to try to fix a systemic problem, like racial discrimination in housing, it can be really easy to underestimate the type of difference that they can make. I’ve learned through this work that those individuals can create permanent policy change that can impact thousands and thousands of people because they are drawing attention to something that is unjust.

There are grassroots activists that make $20-50 gifts to Headwaters and a lot of people might feel that a small gift doesn’t really make a big difference but what we have found is that our $20 donors can be our biggest advocates. They tell their friends why supporting community organizing is important and they start organizing donors. When you start adding all of those gifts together and you invest in cutting edge groups, amazing things happen.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Don’t forget to make sure that the pipeline of leaders continues behind you. None of us got where we are without mentors and people pulling for us, so make sure that you are that person for someone else.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-09-02T08:29:00.001-05:00

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 Christopher Whitlatch, Manager of Marketing and Communications at The Pittsburgh Foundation

2.What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I check our Twitter, Facebook and blog accounts. I answer any replies and feedbacks that I did not get to in the previous day. I check my email and flag items that need responses.

3.How do you spend your lunch break?
I take a break from my day to read the newspaper or book and grab a bite to eat most days. I try and lunch with colleagues or friends at least once a week to socialize.

4.Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I enjoy working with the people of the community. My position allows me to interact with donors, grantees, other nonprofits, and community members at large. I enjoy using tools such as social media to tell their stories.

5.Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Participate and listen. My job is 2/3 listening to the community and 1/3 talking. With a concentration on using digital media, you need to acquire the skills of a storyteller, community builder, and learn when to participate and when to listen.

6.What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Don’t ignore the new digital tools – they are wonderful tools for nonprofits. In all the floods and fires that you deal with on a daily basis, remember the people you impact and interact with them on a regular basis. That is what makes my days so interesting.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-08-26T08:23:00.002-05:00

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

Reader Question: Personnel issues at board meeting

2009-08-25T08:28:00.003-05:00

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

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-08-19T08:20:00.002-05:00

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

Guest Post: Developing a brand through an online presence

2009-08-18T08:58:00.001-05:00

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.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-08-12T08:06:00.002-05:00

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

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-08-05T07:26:00.002-05:00

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.

Guest Post: Make Your Reports Accessible - Three Easy Tips

2009-08-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

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?

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-07-29T08:55:00.001-05:00

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)
Stephen Bauer MS
Executive Director, Nonprofit Workforce Coalition
American Humanics
The Nonprofit Workforce Coalition is comprised of 70 nonprofits, academic centers, associations, foundations and consulting companies focused on recruiting the next generation of nonprofit sector leadership.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Write down all of the things floating around in my head from the commute into work...then prioritize the to-do list for the day.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I try extremely hard to take a lunch break...It is the only break I take during the day so I would prefer to have lunch with co-workers or friends and socialize a bit before heading back to work.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Connecting people in the sector to better improve their reach or accomplish their goals. We can accomplish so much more working together than we can working apart. I am a true believer in collaborative action.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
If someone wanted my job they would have to...be flexible, open to multiple view points and be a strategic thinker. It is also vital to listen and truly get to know other organizations to examine ways that they can benefit from partnerships and collaborations.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Stay focused on the core mission work of your collaborative. It is easy with multiple voices to get side-tracked and spread to thin. Set reachable goals with intermediate measurable results that show progress towards those goals and stay completely focused on that work.

Sing for your money...no really: A unique funding opportunity

2009-07-24T09:04:00.003-05:00

I recently sent an email about an interesting and unique funding opportunity called the Heart and Soul grant (made possible by the CTK Foundation Philanthropic Fund and Grammy award-winners, Los Lonely Boys).

To apply for the grant, the organization must submit a 4-8 line poem (lyrics) that represents the “heart and soul” of their mission. After the grant closes a jury panel of recognized independent music artists and producers from around the country will select a winner based on the quality and impact of the lyrics. The selected nonprofit will be awarded $10,000 and have their poem put to song by Los Lonely Boys.

If you are interested in applying, do so by August 15, 2009. Any 501(c)3 nonprofit is eligible. To learn more and apply for the grant, please visit the CTK Foundation website and click on the gold Foundation tab.

What an easy fun grant application - at least it's not the 5-10 pages you will typically have to write! If you apply for this, please feel free to submit your "lyrics" below in the comment section. Thanks!

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-07-22T07:39:00.003-05:00

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)
Stephanie Jacobs, Consulting Associate at Fieldstone Alliance

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
When I walk in the door, I say hello to my co-workers who are already hard at work. Then I turn on my computer and check my email, Twitter, Facebook, and calendar.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I like to eat lunch with my co-workers. Sometimes we are all too busy to have lunch together, but we try to eat together as often as we can. There are picnic tables right outside of our office, so in the summer we eat outside almost every day.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I enjoy learning about what makes nonprofit organizations tick. In my work, I get the chance to interact with and learn about organizations all across the country. It’s amazing how organizations can appear so different on the outside in terms of industry and culture, but they face many of the same issues and challenges. While the organizations may share struggles, the people who work at these nonprofits also have their passion and dedication for their work in common. It’s their passion that keeps me going and makes me work harder.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Know how to manage time and personalities. I’m often working on many kinds of projects (organization and life stage assessments, strategy development, collaboration) involving many different people (the consultants I’m working with, the clients, and sometimes the organization’s stakeholders). Not only do I need to assist with the tasks of the project, keeping the client’s needs and unique situation in mind, I also need to be a team player, working with the consultants and the client to ensure the project is successful. It takes good time and people management skills to get things done.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Network, network, network. There is nothing like having a group of peers to turn to in good and bad times, peers who understand what you are going through. More and more of my closest friends are from the nonprofit sector. Not only are they smart, fun people, but we also share the same values, talk openly about what’s happening in our jobs, and create connections for each other we might not have made ourselves. We are laying the foundation for solid partnerships for the future when we are the leaders in the field.

If you want to share a day in your life, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-07-15T08:04:00.001-05:00

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?

How do nonprofit organizations use Twitter? Part 2

2009-07-14T07:22:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned yesterday, in "How do nonprofit organizations use Twitter?", I recently completed a mini-case study to explore how nonprofit organizations use Twitter. Yesterday I mentioned some of things I noticed, and today I wanted post post some of the highlights from the interview, and a link to the Charities Review Council's Twitter Plan.

For this mini-case study, I interviewed Kelly Rowan, one of the staff members in charge of her organizations Twitter account @SmartGivers at the Charities Review Council.

How does your organization use Twitter, what specifically do you tweet about?
Well we tweet about the organizations that have participated in our review process, so we tweet about the results of those reviews, and then also about other events or services that we’re offering and we try to provide links to good resources both our resources that we provide but also resources provided by others that we think will be valuable to the people who are following us and then we just try to engage in conversations that happen to do with informed giving and nonprofit accountability and transparency and helping really to improve and increase philanthropy.

How did you come to the decision about what specifically you wanted to tweet about?
Well we viewed Twitter as another communication tool for us, so we of course have our marketing and communication plan that we have each year that we implement and then the goals that are inherent in that plan are design to help us pursue our mission and then the goals for the Twitter plan are designed to help us meet those marking and communication goals.

How has using Twitter impacted your organization?
Well the very first day that we launched our account, let’s see what was the topic. Helen had tweeted about an article or something and the very next morning we had a call from a reporter at the Wall Street Journal who had seen that tweet and she just never would have, I mean of course there are ways she could have become aware of us, but Twitter was a really direct way for that connection to be made. So, that’s kind of an example, but I think overall we are using it to try to break down barriers in communication and accessing the services that we provide and really helping to mobilize informed donors and accountable nonprofits for the greater good.

Finally, Kelly made a great point near the end of our conversation that I wanted to share "I think a common challenge that we all face is we are trying to figure out how to measure how effective Twitter is in meeting the goals I mentioned earlier. There are some really great conversations happening around that, oftentimes via Twitter."

How do nonprofit organizations use Twitter?

2009-07-13T09:23:00.004-05:00

This is the question I sought to explore in a mini-case study I completed for a seminar I was taking on case studies. For the project, I observed six nonprofit organizations use of Twitter:

- @SmartNonprofits
- @SmartGivers
- @MealsonWheels
- @StJude
- @2Harvest
- @ProjectSomos

Additionally, I completed document review and interviewed a nonprofit organization about their use of Twitter. Because of the tiny scale of this mini-study, the results weren’t conclusive (and not all that rigorous), but I was able to gain an interesting look into how some nonprofit organizations have been using Twitter. A few things I noticed:

- Mission and Twitter use don't always align
Some nonprofit organizations do not include much about their programming in their tweets. They will tweet requests for volunteers, requests for donations, links to studies or articles, but rarely will you see a tweet that gives you insight into what exactly that organization is doing. Project Somos did a good job of tweeting about what exactly the organization was doing, as did Smart Givers. Twitter can be an excellent way to promote programming, and while all an organization's tweets should not be about the programming, a good amount of them should be.

- Frequency can be lacking
If you or your organization decides to join Twitter, then you need to participate and participate regularly. I'm not saying you need to tweet every hour, but I think at a minimum every day is the ideal. If your organization tweets once a month you aren't getting what you could be out of Twitter and you are not going to really build a following.

- Some blur personal and professional boundaries
There is a lot of variation among how nonprofits use their Twitter accounts. Some believe that the organization's Twitter account should never include personal tweets, while others are quite the opposite. While I see nothing wrong with conversations on Twitter (which are obviously between people and not organizations), those in charge of their nonprofit's Twitter account may want to hold back on the "Watching Transformers" or "Picking up the kids from day care" tweets.

- Some just aren't quite sure how to use Twitter
This can easily be seen by taking a look at the timelines of many of the nonprofits that use Twitter. At this time, no one has really figured out a way to measure the effectiveness of using Twitter for nonprofit purposes, and there is no "right way" at this time. It is clear that like people, organizations are confused about what the purpose of Twitter is supposed to be.

Check back tomorrow (Tuesday) for links to one of the documents I reviewed, the Charities Review Council’s Twitter plan, along with highlights from the nonprofit interview - How do nonprofit organizations use Twitter? Part 2.

Effective use of television in nonprofit marketing and fundraising

2009-07-12T20:19:00.005-05:00

Should your meager advertising and marketing budget be spent on television? In nine out of ten cases I would say no. This past weekend I saw one of those rare times I would say yes. While watching a classic (Terminator 2) a commercial came on for the ASPCA. I’m sure many of you have seen the commercial, it has the sad music – “In the arms of an angel" by Sarah McLachan with pictures of dogs and cats with shocking statistics (every 10 seconds a dog or cat is abused or beaten – an issue that deserves its own post). It was a touching commercial - I remembered the statistics from watching it once.

The ASPCA did an amazing job bringing together all of the elements of a successful television commercial. They had an emotional pull, a soft appeal, saddening statistics, and a famous person to bring legitimacy and importance to the cause (I’m not saying you need famous people for television commercials). I just think they did it extremely well. After watching it, it made me want to donate.

I wanted to include the video from the commercial I saw, but I couldn't find it. But, here is another one of their commercials that is very similar.

For further reading about using television in your nonprofit work:

- How deadly are stupid nonprofit ads?
- One of the most effective nonprofit TV PSAs I've ever seen
- Nonprofit group to take out TV ads backing Sanford on stimulus
- TV ads are great, right?
- 5 Steps to a Potent Ad -- rid Gets Attention for Reducing Hospital Infection

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-07-08T10:11:00.002-05:00

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)
Elizabeth Clawson, Communications & Development Associate at the National Council of Nonprofits

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I check my email so I can respond right away to urgent messages, usually from my colleagues or journalists.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I confess—I usually eat lunch (which I bring from home) at my desk. I know that’s a work-life balance no-no. But I do read the Express (DC’s daily newsmag), which ends with the fun stuff—human interest stories, the Blog Log, comics, crossword, etc. So it’s relaxing.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I love working with the media. I wrote and edited for my high school paper for a couple years and loved the writing aspect of it…but I was too introverted to enjoy constantly seeking out interviews. I’m still in awe of the whole profession. If I can get one journalist one good source or statistic, I feel like it’s been a good day. Same for my colleagues—they sustain me.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
…be resourceful. We’re a small office, so when we need something we don’t have, we sometimes have to freestyle it. “It” might be shipping labels, or a licensing and permissions policy, or an intern orientation binder. Then again, we didn’t even have intact communications or development departments when my job was created, so I’ve been building it from the ground up over the past year. That’s been both exhilarating and exhausting. It kind of reminds me of constructing massive Lego towers when I was a kid: you’re never really done, because there are always other things to add to it.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Don’t overthink things. There’s so much professional development talk going around these days, especially for young nonprofit workers: Start a blog. Manage up. Find a mentor. Eat lunch away from your desk. I’m sure it’s all good stuff, but it can become paralyzing. Sometimes you just have to do your work. Update the website without wondering if you should ask for a raise for taking on IT duties. Ask your boss a question without trying to advance your career. Eat lunch alone without feeling guilty for networking. If your professional development starts cannibalizing your job, I think that’s neither professional nor development.

If you want to share a day in your life, please email me - kristen@advancementcompany.com

A few great tips for worst-case scenarios

2009-07-06T07:39:00.002-05:00

In the recent issue of the Chronicle of Philanthropy they had an interesting article and some great tips for worst-case scenarios. I thought I would summarize and share them here:

-Set priorities: Take a hard look at your programming. In these difficult times, make sure you are focusing on programs that specifically align with your organization’s mission. For programs that don't or are not essential, scale back for now. You can always ramp up later when you have more funding.

-Forecast financial future: To aid in decision-making, make sure to create multiple scenarios for your budget (best, moderate and worst-case). Check out "Want to know how your nonprofit is doing financially?"for quick, easy ways to figure out how your nonprofit is doing financially.

-Identify “trip wires”: This will help you get the most bang for your buck and enable you several options to work through tight times. To do this, identify what certain reductions will get you. For example, if you have a 10% budget cut what happens? Will you have to cut a program or lay off a staff member? What about 20% or even 30%? Does that mean you have to lay off a leadership position? Knowing what these cuts will get you will help you plan for the worst-case scenario.

-Put specific people in charge of carrying out the plan: Please don't do what many, many people do when they create a plan - read it once, and then promptly put it in a drawer where it gathers dust for a few years before you throw it away and do it all over again. Make sure that your plan for weathering the tough times is actually carried out. Assign specific people to carry out the plan.

-Don’t expect miracles: Small changes won't save your organization overnight. It takes time, patience, and hard work to get through the tough times.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-07-01T10:37:00.002-05:00

1. What is your name, organization and job title?
Mich Sineath
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)
Public Relations and Marketing
AEJMC is a nonprofit association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. The AEJMC mission is to advance education in journalism, cultivate professional practice and promote the free flow of communication.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Well, that depends on what you mean by "office." I don't know many people without some sort of technology gadget strapped to their side or ear, be it an iPhone, BlackBerry, or Pre-Palm; not to mention my home computer, which manages to send and receive work e-mail and messages with surprising ease ;-) That said, all of these devices enable today's workforce to work from anywhere and at anytime, which gives me some trouble answering this question as posed. Instead, I'll walk you through a typical morning routine:
First, after thanking God for enabling coffee makers with automatic timers, I quickly grab a cup of fuel, sit down in front of my computer and begin sifting through my e-mail to see what I may have missed during my slumber. This easily transitions to two different Twitter accounts (personal and business) so that I can check for any "mentions" or "direct messages" that may be business-related. Since I'm typically up at such an early hour, I usually just make note of messages I should reply to when I arrive at the "actual office" so that the time stamp remains at an appropriate hour.
After refueling my cup, I'm off to the feeds, checking first for any news or mentions of my organization on the Internet. I make note of any posts that require later attention, then head over to the news feeds that relate to my organization's mission or goals. I comb through many folders and sub-folders for the latest news and information and pull the most relevant aside.
I head over to hootsuite.com and pre-schedule my news tweets to be disseminated throughout the morning. Then I'll narrow those down to the top two or three news stories of the day, and share them in other social networks, like Facebook and our company blog. While I'm there, I'll check for any new discussions that may have popped up, or comments that need moderating.
Then it's off to the gym, breakfast and finally to the "actual office."

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I typically spend my lunch break eating at my desk. On the rare occasion that I do venture outside of the office, I can usually be found at a Barnes & Noble, having a cup of coffee and reading an actual print product of some kind. A break away from the computer monitor can be good for the soul.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
For me, I come from an academic background in public relations, convergence and new media, so all of the work I'm engaged in is right up my alley. But the most rewarding aspect of my job would have to be working with our volunteers. AEJMC is lucky to have the most dedicated volunteers to help shepherd the association through new ideas and projects and even tough economic times. From strategic planning to national conventions, our volunteers devote so much of their time and lives to the association because they believe wholeheartedly in the mission and vision of AEJMC. What could possibly be better than that?

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
If someone wanted my job, they would have to be hardworking, patient, and above all, resourceful. Working for a nonprofit can be tough. There are usually less employees, less money and less time to get it all done. And it's more than likely going to be your job to figure out how. If you can handle the associated stress, still have time to pitch in where needed, and be willing to sacrifice the cushy corner office with a view, then you're golden.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Remember you passion and stick with it. Be willing to sift through ideas for gems. And always listen to your customers and your gut.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-06-24T08:43:00.001-05:00

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)
MacArthur Antigua. Public Allies. Director of National Recruitment and Expansion. Public Allies advances diverse new leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits and civic participation. Our main engine for this is through our AmeriCorps Apprenticeship Program In Fall ’09, we’ll have over 600 young adults doing 10 month nonprofit direct service apprenticeships in 18 different cities across the country. We’re about to complete our 15th program year, and after this current year, we’ll have over 2,800 alumni.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Finalize my to-do list for the day. Followed quickly by checking the Public Allies Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr accounts, and then following up on e-mails.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I review the interesting articles that were tagged on the PA Twitter feed, check my personal facebook account, try to go for a quick walk outside if possible. If it’s not so nice outside, I’ll try to write informal correspondence to friends/colleagues so I don’t totally depend on the digital world.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I really love working with our local site staff on innovating our recruitment practices. We have staff in over 18 cities, and it’s so much fun creating a space for them to think differently and imagine new strategies. I also enjoy the actual practice of recruitment itself – I’ve set up virtual “Info sessions” (over webinar/conference call) so I can personally present the Public Allies program to potential participants across the country, and that keeps me grounded. It’s easy to be stuck at 50,000 feet when working at a national office, so I really value the opportunities to be one-on-one/small group with local site staff, or potential participants. 12 years ago I was a participant in this program, 6 years ago, I directed our Chicago Apprenticeship Program. It’s tremendously satisfying to be in this position to work on a mission I really believe in, and be responsible for helping connect new people to this mission.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Have to be able to blend the new-school (understanding the generational shift in the NPO workplace, as well as the technology that allows us to manage a national virtual team of 18 different cities and staff), and yet master the “old-school” style of community organizing (ability to listen deeply, the one-on-one relationship, and setting/celebrating victories).

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
In terms of the content (which is “recruitment” of young adults): Follow the generational trends in terms of work, leisure and finance. Invent methods to share those insights (slideshare, live workshops, etc). In terms of the mode (working nationally, albeit virtually): keep building relationships across the country, be nimble with the new technology/social media. Before this gig, I had founded my own nonprofit consultancy (Massive Creativity), and I learned that it’s all about doing the work – I had to keep “gigging” to make money, keep my skills sharp, and support relationships. Like Encyclopedia Brown said, “No Case Too Small.” If you can’t get paid, then keep doing pro-bono stuff so that others can witness your work. Now that I’m back in “institutional” life, and that I don’t have to create my own projects/work, I’ve still found that notion of “constant gigging” still helps. Little side projects could become innovations that inform your work, or it could be useful contributions to colleagues to support the work-at large, and just build good karma and goodwill.

Evaluation: insider or outsiders job?

2009-06-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

Who should evaluate your program? That question has probably been asked in your organization at one point or another. Most nonprofit organizations hire an evaluator that comes in for a few months or a year, evaluates the program, gives them a report and then leaves. Then a year, or years later, the process repeats itself. Each time with the organization dishing out anywhere from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Being an evaluation consultant, I am more than happy to help nonprofit organizations with their evaluations, but it makes me very sad when I see nonprofits that aren't doing evaluation simply because they can't afford it. This is one of the reasons why I think that building the capacity of nonprofit organizations to do their own evaluations is so important.

Nonprofits don't need to do fancy random assignment experimental evaluations for them to be good or useful. It can be a simple survey at the end of a program that helps with program improvement.

I do think bringing in an outsider's perspective can be valuable for evaluations, particularly when having an objective person is important. But, when that isn't the case, there really is no reason why an evaluation can't be done internally. It can save money, promote use, and increase involvement of internal staff (which increases likelihood of use).

I'd like to ask you (nonprofit workers/organizations) to share in the comment section whether you do evaluations, whether they are done internally or externally, and why?

Thank you in advance!

What is a lift letter?

2009-06-18T07:58:00.002-05:00

In a recent nonprofit finance meeting, the question was asked “What is a lift letter?” It made me realize that this terminology might not be as common as I thought, and that it might be worthwhile to discuss and define it on this blog.

What is a lift letter?

A “lift letter,” a direct mail term, is a letter designed to “lift” the response rate of your mailing (which many argue it does effectively). For nonprofits, it typically is a personal letter from a donor, volunteer, program participant, or supporter (who writes it themselves normally – with your editing) that builds a case for the nonprofit and adds credibility. It is used in combination with the normal ask letter.

For example, you write your normal year-end appeal. At the bottom of your normal appeal, you have a p.s. that says something along the lines of “P.S. Please make sure to read Sally’s letter enclosed. Sally has fostered eleven dogs with us over the past decade and recently adopted Westin, a lab mix that was a rescued from a puppymilll.” Then enclosed with the year-end appeal is a smaller (perhaps half sheet) letter printed on a bright colored piece of paper from Sally that explains why X animal rescue is important to her, why she gave, etc. This small additional letter is designed to lift the response rate to the year-end appeal.

Read more about lift letters here.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-06-17T07:12:00.001-05:00

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)
Phil Wright, Blackpool Council Lancashire the CLC, Secondary teacher and consultant teacher.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
This ones tricky to say the least as no one day i really like the next, depending on the weather and if I'm feeling the twangs of environmentalism I may cycle the 2.3 miles to the office. However if its windy, rainy, cold, freezing, a slight nip in the air or a little to dark OR anything other than great sun shine then I'll drive. Once there I normally check the dairy, realise that really i should have planned better as I'm no doubt already running late as I've been on twitter or ebay or some other sight that I've taken just a little bit more interest in than i should have. I normally get the items i need for the days teaching preped, thanks the good Lord that I no longer work in a comprehensive school and more and that unless the earth blows up I will get out of the building unscathed today! Once sorted its time to turn to that great institution associated world wide with the Brit's a cup of tea! I trying to cut back on the coffee, I'm pretty sure like all teachers - or at least the vast majority that I'm a coffee addict! While I don't need it get in my way of it in a morning and normally I'll take a swipe at ripping your head clean off your shoulders, normally with my eyes still half closed, so not that bad really lol!

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
As the media and various other organizations keep lambasting us with what it is to be healthy, sexy or even desirable I spend lunch chaowing down a most delicious and filling ......... salad ! Secretly dreaming of the cheese burger or toastie that I really want but aware of the amount of calories that it continues and that if I'm not careful I will become the size of a house ... ok that could be sometime off however after eating my salad in 10mins i decide that really a kitkat would be a great idea! this normally totally undermines the salad effort.
Lunch is normally spend in the company of the people at work who can tolerate my, shall I say individual sense of humour! these are the folks that are less likely to be offended by quips and jibs, in this day and age you have ot be careful who you crack a joke to, for fear that you'll end up in front of an industrial tribuneral! I'm lucky there are a couple of folks in the building who share the same type of twisted humor as me, it 's nothing that bad just the one dig. However thats lunch, generally conducted in half and hour and with a laugh attached!

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
It a total cliché that teachers do it for the kids and talking to anyone I know they will happily tell you that I'd much rather have child lightly roasted for 3 hours at 260 degrees C than really go near one. However this isn't entirely true - ok not true at all. I work with some of this countries most deprived children, some on a level with kids in London! They can be little gits! Its true parents would liek to hear that but hey hoo! However if you put together a really good lesson that really captures their imagination and gives them opportunities that they know that they will rarely get, they work extremely hard and deliver products that are far beyond what you would expect form them and rarely ever leave with out saying 'thanks'.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
find me a winning lottery ticket, with a value of around 50 - 90 million pound (possibly euro depending on the values lol).

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
I used to train student teachers and often I get the student the 1st day, and the opening lines would be exchanged followed by .. so what advice would you give me about teaching or teaching here. Well thats a mine field in its self! You could start with the - well check your fly! If its down your going to be reminded of it for the next 100 years! However practical that advise not really what their after. Advice is the learning taken form your experiences, I've done loads of stupid things! So surly the advice should be do the opposite of me and you'll be a head teacher at the age of 25!
What I told them was this' kids don't like BS, don't do it as they see though it, do get them to do anything you wouldn't and don't do anything in front of them that they are not allowed to. I always thought that this last one was really important, I've always got memories from school that in winter months you come in freezing and on the teachers desk was a steaming hot cuppa! They'd sip it all lesson while your teeth chattered and god forbid that you were allowed a drink. The same could be said about summer but with a cool drink. I always infuriated me teachers chewing gum in class or using a mobile phone while in a class ... you'd rollok the hell out of a kid for doing it, yet cos your a teacher its fine ... good example.
I normally left the advice there, I always believed that they would develop into a good teacher on their own making their own advice as they went along!

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

Fundraising House Parties: Why won’t anyone host one?

2009-06-16T06:40:00.013-05:00

Does your nonprofit want to have house parties, but can’t find anyone to host? Maybe you should take a look at how you are structuring them – if a structure even exists. Many nonprofits include house parties in their goals for the year, but fail to find individuals to host. Is it because no one wants to open their home? I don’t think so.

I think much of it has to deal with how to you sell someone on it. While there will always be people that won’t want a bunch of people in their home, there are a lot of people that wouldn’t mind if it was simple and easy. Unfortunately, many nonprofits don’t make it an easy decision for prospective hosts.

The two biggest barriers to getting people to host a house party are the guest list and the refreshments.

Guest List
Is the house party just for the host's friends or is it a comprehensive targeted event? This is a key distinction. While most hosts won't mind sending out some invitations to their neighbors, friends, or family, it shouldn't be expected that they are the only guests (unless that is what the host wants). Hosts will be stressed by the idea that they are solely responsible for getting people there, plus your nonprofit will be missing out. This is the time to take a look at who lives nearby (say a 20 mile radius) and invite them too - especially those that get your newsletter but maybe don't donate, or those who donated 5 years ago but haven't donated since.

Refreshments
This is a tough one. Some believe that hosts should pay for everything as part of their "gift" of having the event. I don't agree. I think hosts can be asked to help in a variety of ways, from making cookies to asking the local restaurant for donated food, but I don't think a requirement for them hosting a house party should be that they are required to provide food and drinks. The nonprofit should be prepared to handle this. There are many ways to keep this low budget, for example, have it be a mid-afternoon house party and have cookies (or get them donated) and refreshments (donated or ask host, otherwise nonprofit pay for).

To maximize the number of hosts your nonprofit gets for house parties; I tend to think that the nonprofit should be prepared to do everything involved with hosting a house party. The only hard and fast expectation from the host should be that they are there helping the event and that they provide the use of their home. In most cases, in my experience, the host will at least help cover food.

Regardless, it should pay off. All you need to do is get one donation to cover the meager cost of refreshments and cookies (if they weren’t donated or covered by the host), but you may reap later donations by attendees and the one person that did donate may become a lifelong donor. It’s better to eat the meager cost of throwing a house party (or to build relationships with businesses to get donated food/beverages), than to just keep not having house parties because no one is signing up.

Finally, make sure to make everything clear and easy. Whether you agree with me about who should be responsible for what, spell it all out in a house party information sheet. It's important to make sure the host feels that they aren't on their own with it.

One more thing - House parties don't have to be about fundraising for prospective hosts that don't like fundraising - they can be information sessions (friendraising).

The first 10 people I followed on Twitter

2009-06-15T07:59:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I realized that I am almost at my 1,000th tweet. I figured that my 1,000th tweet should be something related to Twitter, so when researching potential blog topics I came upon an interesting and fun post by SocialButterfly "A Look Back: My First Twitter 10." After reading it, I immediately went back and took a look at the first 10 people that I followed. There weren't really any big surprises, but I thought I would share them with you in no particular order:

1. @thetattooedmama
Jess is the graphic designer that owners the Delicious Design Studio, and the person that did the original design of this blog. It makes sense she was one of the first I followed since she designed the blog that is NonprofitSOS.

2. @problogger
This is a no brainer. Darren is a genius when it comes to blogging and always has unique, thoughtful and well-written posts to help bloggers at ProBlogger. Which is why he was one of the first that I followed.

3. @staceyburns
I worked with Stacey at a nonprofit a few years back. She doesn't tweet much now, but is an amazing person. I have never worked with someone that is so committed to her work. When I first joined Twitter, I'm sure I searched for those that I knew on Twitter, which is likely how I found Stacy and started following her.

4. @SmartNonprofits
This is the Minnesota Council of Nonprofit's Twitter account. In Minnesota, we are very fortunate to have such an awesome state council for nonprofits. For those in the nonprofit sector, they are an obvious pick for someone worthwhile to follow.

5. @Deborah Howard
Deborah is the President and founder of the Companion Animal Protection Society (CAPS). I'm sure she is one of the first I followed because of her work. I am on the board of an animal rescue, Pet Haven, and animal welfare is a cause I care about deeply.

6. @davemn
Dave Lee was one of the people who inspired me to really get active on Twitter. I remember sitting in the lower level of the capital building while Dave was tweeting about our day on his iphone (he was a presidential elector and I was an alternate). He kept an interesting blog with his take on the electoral college, Citizen Elector.

7. @daniamiwa
I first met Dania when she was working at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits at their annual conference. Dania is a fun, intelligent nonprofit professional that has interesting tweets and this year, just landed a job to help build the capacity for development at the Great Plains Institute. She is a great person to follow.

8. @Philanthropy
This is the Chronicle of Philanthropy's twitter account. It's no surprise this was one of the my first follows, they constantly provide links and info for those in the nonprofit sector.

9. @alexeaton01
I met Alex Eaton through my community involvement, he lives in my Senate District (62). He is young and impressive - click on his name to see his investment group. It's just too bad he doesn't tweet more!

10. @kellykay30
I first met Kelly last fall, when I was first getting on Twitter. I serve on the finance committee at the Charities Review Council where she works in Development. She impressed me from the start, at small nonprofits with only one development staff, you often find that there isn't a lot of structure or planning - mainly because they just don't have time. This was not the case for Kelly at the Charities Review Council, their thoughtfulness, planning and structure was very impressive and really a model for other nonprofits to follow. They have an active finance committee, and a well-thought out development plan. She is a great nonprofit person to follow.

How did I find these? I looked at the list of those I am following and clicked "next" until I got to the last page of those that I am following. It seems that Twitter lists both those that you follow and your followers in the order that they follow you, or you follow them. So, by going through those that I am following all the way to the beginning of the list revealed the first ten people that I followed.

Follow NonprofitSOS on twitter.

Webinars?

2009-06-12T16:35:00.002-05:00

I'm thinking about having a monthly webinar for nonprofit workers. To aid in my decision, I have created an easy, quick seven question survey. Please take a moment to complete it by clicking here. Thank you in advance for your help!

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-06-10T17:25:00.002-05:00

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)
Program Coordinator for a Reproductive Health Advocacy Organization.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Triage my messages: voicemail, email, and snail mail.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Catching up on industry news (reading blogs, newspapers, journals), chatting with coworkers, or meeting with program constituents and colleagues at other non-profit organizations.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I honestly love my job because I know that I'm contributing systemic solutions to systemic problems. I'm happiest when I'm working directly on solving those problems, whether it's identifying new program partners, matching a medical student with a mentor, or bringing people together to learn a new skill that will improve women's access to reproductive health care.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
be creative, flexible, and committed to doing whatever it takes to increase access to abortion care. Because long-term social change takes time, they would really have to be prepared for many rejections along the way.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Network. Learn who the people are that might benefit from your services, and reach out to them multiple times. Be persistent. And stay on top of developments in the field by reading blogs, subscribing to listservs, and attending industry conferences when possible. You never know who you might meet that could help you with your goal.

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

Some thoughts about grant writing

2009-06-04T03:51:00.002-05:00

When I wrote my very first grant, I had no idea what I was doing. I leaped at the opportunity to write a grant so I could have that experience under my belt. At I can honestly say that I probably didn't do all that great of a job...I got the money...but I saw several typos and upon reflection, realized I had made numerous mistakes. I thought I would share some of my lessons learned, so maybe you won't repeat my mistakes :)

Proofread, proofread again, and when you think it is perfect, proofread one more time.

I can't tell you how often I see grants with typos, errors, etc. My first grant had some, and it's likely yours do too. It's very difficult to get every single typo in a 10-20 page grant, but you should try, and proofreading is the best way to help avoid all those typos.

Don't wait to the last possible minute to write the grant.

I have done this, as have most people. Waiting until the last minute guarantees you will be stressed as you rush to get your grant done in time. You won't be able to proofread it as well or as much, people will be less willing to help you, and it overall won't be as good as it could be. Plus, it doesn't look that great to the funder when you call them the day the grant is due with a question about the application requirements.

Use other staff.

I often find that the grant writer (or whichever development staff person that gets stuck with/volunteers for grant writing) is a lone pillar. They write the grants on their own with minimal outside help. Often times they are using templates from past grants. Please try not to do this. While it is completely ok and often good to use templates/past grants when writing a new grant, don't just copy and paste. Make sure to talk to other program staff. Sit in on your organization's programming. Attend the class or day program. Experience it first-hand. This will make you a better writer. Plus, having an ongoing relationship with the program staff ensures that you have the most updated information on that program. Programs, especially new ones, tend to slightly alter themselves as they grow and develop continuously getting better. Last year's grant may not have the most updated and relevant information.

Finally, use updated research!

Some organizations don't use research period. You read their grant and they make their case, but don't really back it up. Others do back it up, but don't have the most relevant or recent research. This is important - particularly incorporating evaluation information. Funders want to know why your approach works, why it is best, and why it is needed. Including statistics like "One in three teens currently get no education about birth control at all, and of those who do, many do not get it when they need it most—before they start to have sex." when writing an application for comprehensive sexual education, or "Children whose parents read to them tend to become better readers and perform better in school" for a family reading program, they can help build your case and demonstrate the need for support. But don't only use this sort of research, use internal research and evaluations. Include evaluation information from your program, for example 90% of program attendees increased competencies after attending X program as evidence by pre- and post-test results (for this, you would need to be evaluating your programs).

If you have your own lessons learned or tips, please leave them below for others to learn from!

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-06-04T03:29:00.002-05:00

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)
Kim Weigel, community relations coordinator for Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF)

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
I start my mornings by signing-on to check Twitter and non-profit blogs, mostly to monitor the latest fundraising trends, review giving stats, etc. I also dedicate an hour or so catching up on current events from the county and state. My agency is a 21-person non-profit serving Butler County, Ohio (SW region of the state), so I read through some of the smaller town newspapers and Cincinnati Enquirer.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
A typical lunch break is spent at my desk researching potential grant opportunities, online fundraising trends or reading newsletters from associations and committees I serve. Occasionally I’ll take a break from work to complete a crossword or two!

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
One of the most fun aspects of my job is meeting the clients. It’s nice to hear the stories of how our program participants overcame their economic roadblocks and how the agency as a whole gave them the hope and resources to achieve some of their life-long dreams. My absolute favorite part of the job is the event planning and publicity. Who doesn’t like to plan a silent auction, dinners or luncheons? Also, Writing has been one of my strengths for as long as I can remember. I can honestly say I LOVE writing press releases and feature stories highlighting our clients’ successes.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
…Master multitasking, be very flexible and smile like it’s senior prom.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
At 24 years old, I’m the youngest at my agency and the sole public relations guru and grantwriter. Given numerous responsibilities each day, it’s best to remember to pace yourself and know your deadlines. Try to anticipate what data, photos or quotes you can use for each press release, grant request or presentation. This will come in handy when short deadlines or spontaneous assignments are thrown your way and will definitely help speed things along. Additionally, if you’re new to the nonprofit realm or just wanting to expand your networks, look into associations that will help you broaden your network. The Associate for Fundraising Professionals is a fantastic national club with local chapters in many major cities. Additionally- many cities, counties and even townships have fundraising development committees, collaborations for all sorts of causes and young professionals groups. These are great outlets to meet potential partners, gather ideas and find up-to-date local industry news. Also, never discredit becoming a member of and attending local chamber of commerce events. Again, it’s a great way to meet the head-honchos of your area and develop relationships with local businesses, other agencies and community members.

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

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-05-27T09:31:00.004-05:00

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 D'ana Downing, and I work at Marian House, a transitional and permanent housing program in Baltimore City, MD. I currently work in a two-woman development team as the Advancement Assistant.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Turn on my computer to Pandora; check my email and eat breakfast.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
It really depends on the day, but 9 times out of 10, I'm having lunch with my co-workers. We all eat lunch together which is great for building staff morale and camaraderie. The majority of our staff are made up of sisters in religious communities; "nuns" (which is not politically correct). The sisters are amazing people and we have a really great time together at lunch - our conversations are hilarious!

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
Hmmm, I really love that I work for an organization where I can SEE the direct impact of my job. I have the opportunity to interact with the residents, and our women are phenomenal with amazing personal testimonies and always have great attitudes on their progress in the program. I love to hear how thankful they are when they enter the program, their successes, and their appreciation to the dedicated and committed staff.
I also REALLY enjoy prospect research, or research of any kind - concepts for special events, trends in fundraising and annual campaigns, governance, advocacy. I'm an admitted research junkie - they call me "Fast Fingers"; I can find anything, anyone, anywhere.

5. If someone wanted my job, they would have to...be ready for anything!
Anyone who is a development professional knows that a "regular" work day is never fluid. There are a number of (insert here) interruptions, and needs that need to be addressed daily and you have to have the time management skills, technological savvy, and patience to deal with those things as they come.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Simply stated, "Keep it moving, and don't sweat the small stuff!" Everyday is a platform for learning. It is up to you to take each daily work experience, and learn from it; growing as a professional and as a person. Never get too wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks that you forget the mission, forget the purpose of your work, and the transformative change that you are able to be a part of as a staff member of your organization. Always remember that you are a part of something bigger and better, and your work helps contribute to greater meaning.

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

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-05-20T07:13:00.003-05:00

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)
Nicole Garst, Program Coordinator, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Fire up email, check Twitter, and make a short list of my main priorities for the day.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Most often at my desk, catching up on reading, the blogosphere, and social media. I try to go out to lunch once a week with someone interesting – though I can’t always make it work – building relationships helps me keep learning and exposes me to wide variety of ideas.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I love co-facilitating the Nonprofit Leadership Institute and helping to explore how nonprofits are using social media. Teaching and researching are emerging as themes in my career, and I love thinking about where folks are, what skills they might need or want, and how to meet them where they’re at with relevant and accessible information. I’m excited by instructional design and information architecture, usability and user experience, and really like to facilitate changes in individuals through ideas, supportive learning spaces, and contexts where growth is encouraged. I am actually on my way to graduate school for Library and Information Science this fall, where I’m excited to explore all these interests and geek out with my fellow Information nerds.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
be organized and comfortable juggling many different projects at once. She or he would also have to love the nonprofit sector and be interested in networking across a wide variety of organizations.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Be proactive in growing your networks, both online and off. Read widely, not just in nonprofit and management topics. Experiment with emerging technology by using it in your personal life. Hobbies are the best way to keep up work life balance. Use an RSS reader!

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

Down to the wire.

2009-05-18T04:20:00.003-05:00

I have been lagging behind on posting lately and I am truly sorry for that. I actually have a few good posts lined up, I just haven't had time to write them out.

The reason I am behind is two-fold really, I have a large evaluation contract that I am working on right now for a Minneapolis nonprofit and I am getting married this Friday, 5/22. Oh, and we leave on Saturday for a 3 week honeymoon in Africa. So, life has been a little hectic lately.

I have a couple housekeeping things - as of Friday, my new name will be Kristen Cici (no longer Kristen Denzer) - old fashioned I know, but I don't want the hyphenated name - imagine if our kids married someone else with a hyphenated last name, their last name would be Denzer-Cici-etc-etc...four names long (yikes!). Also, while I am gone I will still be posting as much as I can (and when I have access to internet), but it may be in spurts, like several posts in one day and the no posts for a few days, but I do have a bunch of posts lined up for while I am gone, so make sure to check back soon!

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-05-13T08:25:00.001-05:00

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)
Alexia Harris, Project Learn of Summit County, Community Relations Manager

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
This is a ritual: I log into Twitter (both my personal and Project Learn accounts) and soak up the knowledge being shared from the people I follow. Next, I catch up on my blog subscriptions via Google Reader and check my emails.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
I usually spend my break chatting with co-workers on agency news and other local and national happenings. It's my time to breathe before I dive back into my work.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I enjoy working with our clients, who are adults in need of improving their basic literacy skills, English, or hoping to earn their GED diploma. To see someone accomplish something they thought was impossible is rewarding. We currently have a 90-year-old GED student, our eldest in Project Learn history. Callie Mae is an inspiration to her classmates and Project Learn staff. She told us earning her GED is the last thing she wants to do before she "leaves out of here." Her determination and will power is something that encourages me to do all I can to help other adults in need of education.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Be an expert at multitasking. I wear many hats. I'm responsible for the agency's public relations efforts, event planning, fundraising, media relations and community outreach. I also teach an ESOL Conversations class. There are rarely times when I'm only working on one task.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Don't get discouraged. I'm pretty young (23 years old) and hold a big title. But even though I'm a lot younger than my colleagues, they still expect high-quality work. So, that's what I give them. I carry myself professionally and speak up for myself and my ideas, which has earned me respect. Now I have older colleagues asking me for advice and help with projects. It's a great feeling.
Also, never stop learning. I spend my free time trying to understand new trends in public relations, social media and anything else that can help me be an irreplaceable employee. I also try to stay knowledgeable on ways to help Project Learn keep its head above water in the recession and any other prudent news related to nonprofit organizations and philanthropy.

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

Social Media Behavior Guidelines for Nonprofit Staff?

2009-05-07T22:14:00.004-05:00

I was recently asked by @NCIBrooke whether I have a sample social media/online behavior guidelines or example policy. While I do not have a sample policy, here are a couple tips for nonprofits that want to create a policy for employee social media use:

Have separate staff and organizational accounts. Your staff should not be tweeting things like "getting coffee" or "watching Boondock Saints" under the "Girl Scouts" twitter name. The best way to do this is to tell your staff that the organizational account on facebook, twitter, etc is for organization-related information only.
Do not have a policy that says your staff can't use social media. I have had some orgs ask me recently whether they should tell their staff they can't have twitter accounts. Not only does this restrict their free speech, but they may just make one anyways and tweet about negative things about you.
Do have a discussion about what is and is not appropriate for your staff write about via social media. For example, do you really want your Development Director tweeting that she just met with Jane Doe big donor who might give $50,000? This doesn't have to be a set policy - it is pretty much common sense. If someone wonders whether to write about, don't. Remember, often perception is more important than reality.

For further information, tips, advice and sample policies from around the web, click here, here, here, here, here, and here.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-05-06T13:24:00.002-05:00

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)
Holly Wagg, ArtsSmarts Manager, Funds Development/Marketing

ArtsSmarts uses the arts to engage kids in learning. The ArtsSmarts model brings artists and teachers together to develop an arts-infused unit that meets provincial curriculum standards. Grounded in the local community and environment, ArtsSmarts does things like using dance to teach science, drumming to teach math, song production to teach language arts or film making to explore culture in the classroom.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
After I put my lunch in the fridge, I fire up my computer and spend the first 30 minutes skimming my RSS feed, reading relevant blogs, responding to emails and getting ready to tackle the day ahead.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
At my desk!

However, one of my employment must-haves is a flexible schedule and I’m trying very hard to maintain a work-life balance. As such, the deal I make with myself is that I rarely take a lunch break or daily breaks. This means I regularly plan to put in 5 additional hours a week, without extending the amount of time I spend in the office, by the way I structure my day. I have two kids and they always need to be shuttled from one appointment to the next. The extra time I put in I can use as lieu so that I’m available to meet my kids’ needs.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I work in a very small not-for-profit (3 person total in our office) and I love that I get to be engaged in every part of the organization’s activities and making sure that what we do with our programs, finances and operations is linked to where we want to go with our fundraising. Plus, we’re an organization in a start-up phase as we’re in the midst of transitioning from being the program of a funder to an autonomous, charitable organization in our own right. I really like working with not-for-profits in the early stages of development where you get to make a lot of decisions that will shape the future and core of what an organization becomes.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
Always be ready to adapt and cultivate the skills necessary to get the job done in the most cost-effective way possible. You’d also have to work hard, work fast and be good at helping people see why they should invest in this particular method of arts education.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
Prior to ArtsSmarts, I worked in the not-for-profit sector for 8 years primarily in a communications/marketing capacity. I decided last year that I needed to do something different, and after a long exploration of what mattered to me and what I needed to get out/give back through my work, I decided to enter my second career in funds development. Fundraising involves a lot more than simply finding and asking for money and I wish I hadn’t written it off early in my career to only later discover that it’s a really good fit.

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

Should your organization require board members to give at least $x annually?

2009-05-05T16:43:00.003-05:00

No. I don't agree that nonprofits should require their board members to give at least $x each year.

Let me clarify though, I do completely agree with The Nonprofit Consultant Blog's recent post, "How Much Should Board Members Give?" that discusses whether nonprofits should require that their board members give. If you are on the board of a nonprofit organization, you should not only be giving an annual gift, but that nonprofit should be one of the top three nonprofits you give to. Plus, you should be helping to friend-raise and fundraise as part of being on the board and having a fiduciary responsibility.

But, I do not agree with organizations that say that you as a board member are required to give $1,000 (or whatever amount organizations say). That is for two main reasons:

1. If you require individuals to give $1,000, those that can't afford just won't give and those that can afford it may just give that (when they might have gave $2,000 or $10,000), so either way you are missing out.

2. You are actively reducing the amount of diversity you will have on your board. There are many people (students, low-income, young, etc) that would never be able to afford that, so you are erasing any opportunity to hear their opinions and have them on your board. This is why I am a fan of the you must give and we must be one of your top three nonprofits you give to language.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-04-29T08:01:00.002-05:00

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

The secret to a good volunteer program

2009-04-28T17:32:00.002-05:00

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?"

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-04-22T12:50:00.001-05:00

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

Eliminating a program: what not to do

2009-04-21T18:43:00.004-05:00

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.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-04-15T07:55:00.002-05:00

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

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

2009-04-14T22:41:00.003-05:00

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

2009-04-14T07:42:00.004-05:00

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.

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

2009-04-09T07:38:00.002-05:00

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.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-04-08T07:48:00.001-05:00

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

Why I like Alltop

2009-04-05T22:37:00.002-05:00

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

2009-04-05T21:38:00.005-05:00

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.

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-04-01T08:20:00.003-05:00

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

Organizational Conflict: Blurring the lines between Board Chair & Executive Director

2009-03-30T18:51:00.004-05:00

I once worked with a nonprofit organization that had some conflict between the Board Chair and Executive Director (ED). The main issue dealt with who should be doing what (defining roles), and founders syndrome. Never heard of founder's syndrome? Click here and here.

The problem was that the organization had been an all-volunteer organization with a very active board for decades. The organization had grown, and had hired an Executive Director. Unfortunately, the organization didn't really plan well for defining roles and transitioning from all-volunteer to having paid staff. The result was tension and conflict between the Board Chair and Executive Director about who has the authority to be doing what. Some of the specific questions that came up were:

Who should be the media spokesperson?

In most cases, it should always be the Executive Director. Now, that doesn't mean the Board Chair can't be trained on how to respond to things, but if there is one person invited to interview about the organization, that person should be the Executive Director. I view the Executive Director's role as being the face of the organization.

Who should be in charge of the finances/who should have the final decision making power?

When you have just one paid staff member, deciding who should be in charge of finances isn't as cut and dry as with large organizations. Still, the Executive Director should have the final say. For example, with the nonprofit I was working with, there was an independent contractor that was well-liked by the board. The contractor was let go by the ED, and the contractor held the organization's property hostage demanding a severance check - crazy huh? Well, the ED said not only would they not give the contractor a severance check, but they wouldn't give them their final check until the property was returned (makes sense right?). Well, the Board Chair overrode the ED's decision and gave the contractor their check - before they had returned the property - without telling the ED. This is a great example of what Board Chairs should not do. The Board does have the ultimate fiscal responsibility - but the staff is responsible for the day to day finances and related decisions.

Who puts together the agenda for board meetings?

Technically, it is the Board Chair's job to put together an agenda. Although, most organizations rely on their staff to do the agenda. This was totally depends on the organization, and the board.

If the Executive Director is salaried, should they have to keep track of their time and tasks in a timesheet (actually write 4-5pm: called donors) for every hour of every week?

No! Please, please don't make your staff do this. This organization did, and it created a lot of resentment between the Board Chair and the Executive Director. Please trust your staff to get their work done. In my opinion, I think all organizations should move closer towards a R.O.W.E. sort of work place.

These are just a few of the many issues that came up with this organization's transition. If you have your own questions, please post them in comments and I will do my best to answer them. Or if you organization does these things differently, please share!

A day in the life of a nonprofit worker

2009-03-25T10:48:00.003-05:00

There are so many amazing and interesting people that are working in the nonprofit sector, so I have decided to add a new feature to this blog "A day in the life of a nonprofit worker." This weekly post will feature a new nonprofit worker each week that will answer the same six questions. When interviewing participants for this new feature, I was often asked how I would answer these six questions, so to start this feature off, here are my answers:

1. What is your name, organization and job title (can be anonymous)
Kristen Denzer, Owner and Principal at The Advancement Company and blogger at NonprofitSOS.

2. What is the first thing you do when you get in the office?
Office...what office? :) I work from home and usually start my day by checking out Twitter to see what's going on and catch up on the latest news, and responding to emails.

3. How do you spend your lunch break?
Hmm.... I enjoy reading blogs, Working Girl and Intersected are two non-work related, fun ones. I sometimes will catch a show on Hulu, or work on stuff for another company I co-own - Deckci Decor.

4. Which part of your work do you enjoy most?
I really enjoy helping nonprofits in anyway I can. It is really satisfying when I secure a large grant that ensures a program's continuation, or do an evaluation that reveals something surprising or new for program staff. I also enjoy meeting all of the amazing people that work in the nonprofit sector.

5. Please finish this sentence: If someone wanted my job, they would have to…..
have a lot of time. They would need strong networks, and be willing to do anything and learn anything to get the job done. Obviously experience and education in evaluation, nonprofits, etc helps too.

6. What advice or tips do you have for other nonprofit professionals in your position?
For other bloggers - make sure to cite/link back to your sources. It is very frustrating not to be able to see the original material where a post came from. Also, get on Twitter. It is an amazing resource and tool for networking.
For other nonprofit consultants - be online. Take advantage of social networking. Check out the hundreds of awesome posts with tips for consultants and contractors. Also, always deliver more than you promise in less time that you say.

If you would like to be featured, please email your answers to these questions to - kristen@advancementcompany.com

Social media isn't as prevalent as we all think it is

2009-03-23T06:13:00.005-05:00

The 2009 Massachusetts Non-profit Social Media Report was recently released by Talance, a web design and development company that focuses on helping organizations understand technology better. While the report focuses on Massachusetts, I would bet that it's findings could be generalizable to many if not most states. Here are some highlights:

The most popular form (26%) of social media that organizations used was social networking (facebook, linked in, etc), while the least popular was microblogs (3%)
80% were unfamiliar with microblogs (like Twitter)
Not everyone thinks social media is important for donor engagement, 48% said it wasn't important
No one (79%) has an internet marketing plan

Monique Cuvelier, CEO of Talance took a few minutes to answer a few questions I had about the report and social media.

1. A very small percentage (0 - 5%) received individual gifts through online solicitation, why do you think that is and how can nonprofits change that?

This question about online solicitation was designed to uncover if respondents had any kind of formal programs designed around social media, and we chose fund development because it’s comparatively easy and accessible to set up an online campaign. The fact so few are accepting online donations is a very clear indication that non-profits aren’t quite sure what to do with social media. They’re not thinking in terms of application: creating a Facebook Cause to raise funds, sending out Twitter alerts for blood drives. There are many programs and services out there that make accepting online donations easy and affordable – it really doesn’t have to be any more sophisticated than making a big red button that says “DONATE” and linking it to a PayPal account. Of course there are more sophisticated tools out there, but this would be a solid first step.

2. If a nonprofit only has time to do one thing online, to only use one form of social media, which would you recommend and why?

You have to be where people are looking. If you sell mattresses, you want to be listed in the local yellow pages. If you have a young constituency, then you probably want to be on Facebook. It’s very hard to think of a one-size-fits-all solution, but if a non-profit is willing to make the time investment, a blog is the way to go. Good bang for the buck. It’s a way to deliver messages, open up communication and increase online presence.

3. What was the most interesting thing your report found? What was the most shocking?

The most interesting thing we found was the dichotomy between how valuable people believe social media is and how little they use for real programs. For instance, 80% consider social media either very important or somewhat important for peer-to-peer networking. By contrast 31% find social media unimportant to their business and marketing strategy. Without a doubt the most shocking thing was how 79% of the respondents said they had no Internet marketing plan at all. They’ve got to start thinking about using the Internet as a way to communicate with the public.

Please share what form(s) of social media your organization uses, and why you think it is important.

Free speech...as long as your funders approve what you are saying

2009-03-20T03:05:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had a grant rescinded? How about, have you ever had a grant or donation rescinded because of something your organization took a position on?

Well, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP) knows what its like. The California Wellness Foundation disagreed with the NCRP's recent report that said foundations should have half of their gifts go to "poor and other disadvantaged people", so the foundation cancelled their membership and sent a letter asking for their $10,000 grant back.

This brings up two totally unrelated, but important issues: should nonprofits be "punished" for taking positions on issues and should 50% of foundation money go towards poor and disadvantaged people?

My thoughts are that foundations (or donors for that matter) shouldn't be able to take back a gift unless it was misused - which wasn't the case here. If a donor or foundation gives a general gift, then that money is used however the nonprofit deems appropriate. Unless the nonprofit significant changes its mission immediately after the donation takes place, I don't think gifts should be able to be rescinded.

As for the 50% of grants going towards poor and disadvantaged people, I think that since there are many important causes no foundation should be expected to give a percentage of their gifts towards a cause that others deem to be the most important. Is helping the poor and disadvantaged an important cause? Yes. But so is the environment and cancer research and education (you get my point). Which cause is the most important is subjective - it depends on who you ask. Foundations should be able to give their money to whatever cause they want to. It's their money.

Read the full article "Foundation Rescinds Grant to Watchdog Group" in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Are you on Twitter?

2009-03-19T15:57:00.004-05:00

Someone just emailed me today and said "Can you believe back in November no one knew what Twitter was? Now even congress is tweeting."

That got me thinking. Even though in the past few months Twitter has grown, there are a lot of people out there that still don't know what Twitter is. I recently telling a friend of mine how great Twitter is, and she was like "What is Twitter?" She had no idea. So, I told her to go home and ask her husband (I assumed that since he was a Director of IT he must know about Twitter), alas, she came to me the next day and said he didn't know what it was either. That shocked me.

I think many people have recognized the value that social media brings into our personal and professional lives. So, if you know someone out there that isn't on Twitter, tell them to join! And please, be patient when they tell you they didn't get it. I was one of those people who didn't get it either just 5 short months ago.

Here are some of my favorite Twitter resources (feel free to post more in comments):

For beginners, there is the "Twitter: A Translation Guide" by The Fundraising Coach.

For beginners and experienced alike, see "14 Advanced Twitter Tips" at Ocean Grand.

Some great advice on how to use Twitter by Rosetta Thurman in her posts: "Remixing Twitter for Young Nonprofit Professionals", "Stop Trying to Be Two Different People", and "Top 10 Young Nonprofit Professionals on Twitter."

Check your Twitter growth here.

For Twitter facts, widgets, and news click here, here, and here.

And my personal favorite, Darren Rowse's (@ProBlogger) TwiTip Blog.

Don't forget to follow me @nonprofitsos on Twitter!

Charitable Lead Trust 101

2009-03-17T12:39:00.003-05:00

What is a charitable lead trust?
A charitable lead trust is designed to reduce its beneficiaries taxable income. Some view it as opposite of a charitable remainder trust. With charitable lead trusts, the donor transfers their property to the trust, which pays a percentage of the its value to the nonprofit for a pre-determined number of years and then the remaining assets (plus any growth) are passed on to the beneficiaries.

Why are these trusts appealing to donors?
These trusts are a win-win for both donors and nonprofits. Nonprofits receive a planned gift, and donors receive tax benefits. There is not a income tax deduction when a charitable lead trust is created, plus when the beneficiaries receive the remaining assets, their gift tax/estate tax is significantly reduced and they receive the growth estate tax/gift tax free.

Need more information?

To help you understand how it works, click here for an example.

To learn more about the nuts and bolts, and history of the charitable lead trust click here and here.

This article will help you in "Choosing the Best Charitable Lead Trust to Meet a Client's Needs."

Want to know how your nonprofit is doing financially?

2009-03-09T15:34:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered whether your nonprofit is financially healthy? Here are a few quick, easy ways to gain some insight into the financial situation:

Defensive Interval

The Defensive Interval is a ratio that will show you how long your organization could survive with its cash on hand. Organizations should have at least 90 days worth. To calculate the defensive interval:

(Cash + Marketable Securities)/(Operating Expenses/365 days)

Debt Ratio

This ratio will tell you if your organization is relying too much on funding from others (loans, etc). This should be .05 or less, which means you have sufficient cushion.

Total Liabilities/Total Unrestricted Assets

Program Expense Ratio

The program expense ratio is one that most people are familiar with, it is used to answer the question "what percentage of our donation goes towards programming?" The Charities Review Council recommends this number be higher than 70%, but the "gold" standard is considered to be above 90%. To calculate this ratio:

Program Expenses/Total Expenses

Working Capital Ratio

This indicates the organization's ability to pay its bills in a timely matter. This should be somewhere between 1 and 2. If it is under 1 then the organization may not be able to meet its financial obligations, if it is over 2, then the organization may need to invest more of its money. To calculate the working capital ratio:

Current Assets/Current Liabilities

To find the numbers for these calculations, you can look at an organization's annual report or audited financials. If you want to have some more fun with ratios, check out the Nonprofit Assistance Fund's ratio chart and info sheet.

8 tasks for board members who hate fundraising

2009-03-06T08:09:00.004-06:00

Do you have board members that hate fundraising? Board members that refuse to ask anyone for money or tap into their networks? Well, here are 8 things they can do to help with fundraising:

Sign thank you letters
Include your organization in their estate plan
Help with prospect research (review annual reports, look up addresses, etc)
Make thank you calls to donors
Research foundation/corporate funders
Write an article for the annual report or newsletter
Help with your events (set-up, take-down, staffing a table, etc)
Volunteer to speak at programs/events about why they are involved with your organization

And if they just don't want to verbally ask anyone, then they could:

Provide you with their address book
Write ask letters for in-kind donations for events
Write personal notes for appeal letters
Send an e-mail ask to their friends

To see some examples of board commitment forms and board job descriptions:

Samples Week- Board of Directors

MESI Wrap-up: Utilization-Focused Evaluation

2009-03-03T16:06:00.002-06:00

The session "Utilization-Focused Evaluation: New Directions" was led by Michael Patton, author of Utilization-Focused Evaluation.

The goal of utilization-focused evaluation is to enhance the utility and actual use of evaluations. So, you should identify the primary intended users and make sure the evaluation will be useful to them. Patton believes that no evaluation should go forward unless and until there are primary intended users who will use the information that can be produced. The primary intended users also need to be involved in the process, and the evaluator's job is to help intended users clarify their purpose and objectives.

When using utilization-focused evaluation, you need to make sure you match the evaluation design to the evaluation's purpose, resources, and timeline to optimize use.

MESI Wrap-up: Using Stories in Evaluation

2009-03-03T15:58:00.002-06:00

The session "Using Stories in Evaluation" was led by Richard Krueger.

What is an evaluation story? It is a brief narrative account of an experience told for a purpose described by the storyteller.

There are many different ways you can use stories in evaluation, Richard pointed out that you can use them in a non-systematic manner (to provide entertainment, illustrate a point, etc) or in a systematic manner (use social science protocol- sampling, collection, generalizability, verification, etc).

To help you use stories in evaluation, Richard provided an example of an evaluation strategy:

Select the theme
Identify potential storytellers
Plan the inquiry
Systematically collect stories
Convert stories into an evaluation format (coding, etc)
Analyze and identify themes
Report results

MESI Wrap-up: Deliberative Democratic Evaluation

2009-03-03T14:20:00.002-06:00

The session "Deliberative Democratic Evaluation" was led by Sandra Mathison.

Sandra began by explaining what deliberative democratic evaluation is: "it draws particular attention to the inclusion of stakeholders and the importance of deliberation. The purpose is to insure the interests and needs of those who are often disenfranchised are included and that the evaluation process is public, transparent, and contributes to building democratic communities."

This type of evaluation is characterized by three principles:

Inclusion
Dialogue
Deliberation

Sandra's session focused on stakeholder inclusion and deliberation. Stakeholders are those that are involved in program operations, those served by or affected by the program, and the users of the evaluation. Stakeholders can have a variety of roles in this sort of evaluation, they can: communicate results, provide data, develop recommendations, identify the evaluation questions, etc. Once an evaluation is complete, and stakeholders have been involved throughout, it is important that they have the opportunity of deliberation. One of the ways to do this is via a deliberation forum that is moderated. It is important to note though, that deliberation can occur at any time throughout the process (identifying information needs, next step recommendations, etc).

Some of the suggested strategies for including and deliberating with stakeholders are:

Forums and open meetings
Focus Groups
Image based
Juries or panels
Electronic consultation
Electronic voting
Personal interviews

MESI Wrap-up: Interactive Evaluation

2009-03-03T14:03:00.003-06:00

The session "Interactive Evaluation" was led by Jean King.

The session highlighted some useful techniques for interactive evaluation, and began by highlighting Jean's participatory principles:

You should build people's capacity to think evaluatively
Participation in evaluation should be a learning experience
It is essential to involve people actively in evaluations (helps ensure use)

The technique that I would like to highlight, that exemplifies these principles, is using a data dialogue in evaluation. A data dialogue is a process you can use when you cannot afford to do a focus group. A data dialogue involves the program participants/stakeholders and turns them into the evaluators. You bring together a bunch of participants/stakeholders (the people you are interested in getting feedback from or interviewing), you then put participants/stakeholders into groups of 3- one is the interviewer, one is the recorder, and one is the interviewee/respondent. They then rotate around their group of 3, so that each is interviewed. This gives you useful information for your evaluation, without having a professional evaluator interview them all.

MESI Wrap-up: Developmental Evaluation

2009-03-03T14:01:00.000-06:00

The session "Developmental Evaluation" was led by Michael Quinn Patton.

Developmental evaluation is evaluation processes, including asking evaluative questions and applying evaluation logic, to support program, product, staff and/or organizational development. It is used to provide feedback, generate learnings, support direction or affirm changes in direction in real time. It is also used to develop new measures and in monitoring mechanisms as goals emerge and evolve. The evaluator collaborates with those engaged in the change effort to design an evaluation process that matches philosophically and organizationally, and the evaluation will be designed to capture system dynamics, interdependencies, and emergent connections.

MESI Wrap-up: Making the Most of Multi-site Evaluations

2009-03-03T13:59:00.000-06:00

The session "Making the Most of Multi-site Evaluations" was led by Jean King and Frances Lorenz.

When conducting multi-site evaluations, there are some key characteristics that will help ensure a successful evaluation. Some of the characteristics are:

The evaluator(s)/project leader(s) should be open and receptive to unexpected results
Before the evaluation begins, there should be discussion for how the program plans to use the evaluation results (plan for use)
There needs to be clearly defined roles between the project and program leaders/evaluators, and open communication is crucial
Stakeholders should be involved in the process, and should be kept in mind when reporting on evaluation results

Finally, and most importantly, you should remember that involvement promotes use. Using participatory evaluation can be beneficial when there are multiple sites.

MESI Session Wrap-up

2009-03-03T13:29:00.009-06:00

I'm sorry about the delay in posting the wrap-up from this year's 2009 MESI. This year, there were some amazing sessions and speakers at the Minnesota Evaluation Studies Institute. Today, I will be posting 6 short posts with tips/highlights from some of the sessions. The sessions I will be posting on are:

Also, I attended the pre-conference session on focus groups. Here are the posts from that session:

The top 9 focus group tips

2009-02-24T14:23:00.006-06:00

Have you ever wondered how evaluation specialists are so good at their job? Well, Richard Krueger (focus group expert) shared some great tips that make his focus groups so successful. It was hard to narrow down the dozens of tips and nuggets of information I learned at the MESI pre-conference Focus Group session, but here are the top 9 I wanted to share:

1. Recruitment is most time consuming and most important. If you get the wrong people to attend, the feedback and results will not be accurate. Make sure to identify a specific group or community- focus groups are not supposed to be randomized.

2. Get people to show up. If people don't show up, you can't have a focus group. One of the best ways to get people to show up is to have someone special or important call or visit them in-person to ask them to participate. Normally this is delegated to an assistant or secretary, don't do this. The best way to get people to participate is to have the Executive Director or Program Director call and ask them to participate. Also, don't forget a phone call reminder the day before the group. Also, have meaningful incentives.

3. The environment can make or break your focus group. Whether people feel comfortable and at ease will determine whether they feel they can talk openly. Make sure to seat them in a circle, and if possible, provide food. Allow them some time (a few minutes) in the beginning to make small talk among each other.

4. Don't invite questions in the introduction. You could end up getting asked something awkward that ruins the "mood", for example someone may ask what other focus group participants have said. The honest answer is you don't want to tell them, but you can't really say that. The best way to avoid this is to avoid asking if anyone has questions in the introduction. You can see if people have questions when you welcome them, individually and one-on-one.

5. The first question is key. It needs to put people at ease and make them feel comfortable with each other. Start the group with a friendly, easy question like "If you won a two-week all-expenses paid vacation, what would you do?" or "What is your favorite food, and where do you go to get it?"

6. Questions need to be asked in the right order. You should start with the broad, more general questions and gradually get more specific, ending with the most important questions. This is important because the first questions help trigger their memory of the subject of your group, and will help them in their answers later on.

7. Make sure to summarize key points at end. Take the 4 or 5 key points and repeat them back to the group. Ask them if you got it right. This will help you ensure you get it right in your analysis.

8. How something is analyzed can change its meaning. So, make sure to analyze carefully. The person that transcribes should have attended the focus group, that way they know whether someone was being sarcastic or ironic. Also, body language can say a lot. When transcribing use the participants first name (not last name-confidentiality), that way you know if the same person is telling your program is bad, or is everyone is saying it.

9. Report back to community. Say you ask a community to participate in your study, and they agree. They tell you their thoughts and suggestions for your program. Then, you never talk to them again. They are going to think you didn't value their input and that you are not doing anything about what they said. Even if you aren't doing anything, at least let them know you are looking into it or researching it more. If you are, let them know what you are doing. Also, a thank you to participants from the Executive Director can go a long way.

10 ways to use focus groups for evaluation

2009-02-23T11:19:00.007-06:00

Are you wondering how you can use focus groups for your evaluations? Well, at yesterday's pre-conference session - Focus Group Methods, Richard Krueger handed out a great info sheet that included 10 ways you can use focus groups for evaluation.

1. Assessing needs and assets
You can use focus groups to learn about the needs/assets for a program, policy or organization, by gaining perspectives of a variety of stake holders, participants, etc.

2. Program planning and program design
Focus groups can help you determine why a program is successful or is failing, and they can give insight of barriers or motivational factors.

3. Designing evaluation, monitoring and inspection systems in complex environments
Focus groups can be used to determine what type of evaluation you should do, or what specific thing to evaluate.

4. Pilot testing intervention strategies, policies, delivery methods and more
Focus groups can help to determine which specific approach or strategy works best for implementation.

5. Formative or process evaluation
You can use focus groups to explore how exactly a program is functioning and to gain ongoing feedback from participants.

6. Using focus groups to evaluate organizational issues
Use them to figure out how to improve morale, increase productivity, and more.

7. Summative evaluation
Focus groups can be used when a program is complete, and you want to determine how objectives were met and indicators for success/failure.

8. Impact or outcome evaluation
Focus groups can be used when a program has been finished for some time and you want to explore long-term impacts/outcomes.

9. Using focus groups with another evaluation strategy
They can be used to narrow and refine survey questions, or edit/change your methodology.

10. Using focus groups in a participatory study
They can be used to empower an organization to do their own focus groups, to teach others how to do them, to build their capacity.

*Bonus- you can also use focus groups when searching for best practices. If your organization wants to add a new program, you can invite all those organizations that have a similar program and are doing it well to help determine best practices for a successful program.

What is a focus group?

2009-02-23T09:15:00.005-06:00

The first part of today's MESI Pre-Session on Focus Groups by Richard Krueger answered the question, what is a focus group?

According to Richard Krueger (the expert on focus groups), there are four critical characteristics that make a focus group:

1. Participants
You will need 5 - 10 (ideally 5 - 8) participants, that have been carefully recruited so that they are similar types of people (have something in common).

2. Environment
The environment needs to be comfortable, and participants are seated in a circle. The session should be recorded to ensure that everything is captured.

3. Moderator
It is important for the moderator to be skillful in group discussions, and establishes a permissive environment. The moderator should use pre-determined questions.

4. Analysis and Reporting
This includes completing systematic analysis, using verifiable procedures, and reporting appropriately.

Later today I will post tips and highlights from today's session.