Category: Career

Inspiration from Under the French Fries

Posted by on in Career, Nonprofit Sector, Professional Development, Uncategorized3 Comments
French fries with salt
Image courtesy of phasinphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Inspiration comes when you least expect it. While having dinner with my children at McDonalds, I was challenged by the verbiage on the tray liner. You know the tray liner – that piece of paper lining the tray that usually contains a special offer for an amusement park or a promotion of the latest McFood. But this time it was a statement about McDonalds’ corporate beliefs, starting with “We believe that when you say something people should be able to believe it.” They concluded with this statement: “To be the best company we can, we have to create the best opportunities. And we’d like to believe that some of the best ones around, are right here.”

So here’s the challenge to us in the nonprofit community: do we offer our employees the best opportunities around? Do we invest in their training and development? Do we let them try new things? Do we listen to their ideas?

Many – maybe even most – of our employees took their current positions because they believe in the mission of our organizations. Sure, they need the paycheck but there are plenty of places to get those. Do we capitalize on their commitment to our organization?

Although we often blame ‘tight budgets’ for our lack of employee development, some opportunities are free. Even the opportunities that require some budget are worth it. By investing in an employee’s next step – through training and opportunities – we develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders.

Training and education
The nonprofit sector has a language all our own and some basic training will benefit employees at every level. Watch for web-based trainings, share interesting articles or invest in training from a professional association like AFP.

Opportunity
Find where their interests lie and let them work on a project, try out a skill or pitch in when things are exceptionally busy. Look for areas where your organization is lacking talent, social media for instance. Challenge an employee to become a specialist in that area by researching best practices in other organizations.

Feedback
One of the most valuable things you can provide aspiring leaders in your organization is honest feedback on their performance. Find places they can improve and be proactive in providing the opportunities needed to make those improvements. Don’t wait for annual reviews, provide ongoing feedback so your team can be constantly improving.

I have no idea what kind of workplace McDonalds truly is. But I’ve been in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years. Can the employees in the nonprofit sector agree with the statement on my McDonalds tray liner: “we have to create the best opportunities. And we’d like to believe that some of the best ones around, are right here“?

Are You Interesting?

Posted by on in Career, Professional Development4 Comments
Photo credit: William Leonard
Photo credit: William Leonard

Are you interesting? As a fundraising professionals, our job is to develop relationships on behalf of our organizations. If we are going to do that well, we have to be interesting. How do you get interesting? Get out of your office!

Many fundraisers wear ‘working all the time’ as a badge of honor. They brag about being the last one to leave the office every night and repeatedly work on weekends. I’m here to tell you to stop doing that. Leave on time. Stay out of the office on weekends.

There are reams of research that prove you have to step away and unplug occasionally to be your most productive. Now I’m adding another reason that is specific to fundraising:
if you work all the time, you won’t be interesting;
if you aren’t interesting, your prospects and donors won’t want to talk to you;
if your prospects and donors don’t want to talk to you, you won’t be a good fundraiser.

Here are 5 ways to make yourself more interesting this summer. Whether you have vacation time available or just need to leave the office on time, try these and let me know how it works.

1. Get outside – get out of your cell phone’s service area or go somewhere not safe for your technology (think water, sand, wind, rain). Go for a hike, kayak, paddle board, sit on a beach. Visit a national park or just sit on a park bench.

2. Read fiction – Remember how teachers used to describe reading when you were young? “ Visit a foreign land, travel in time, meet famous people.” That still applies! Not sure what to read? Here’s what’s on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

3. Read nonfiction – Try the latest business book or revisit a classic like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Here’s the New York Times nonfiction best sellers. 

4. Eat something new – Try a new restaurant, experience a new type of food or check out a local dive. Did you know that Food Network has an app that lets you search for featured restaurants? Have you checked to see what local restaurants have made it on the air?

5. Be a tourist in your hometown – no matter where you live, visit a few places that are tourist destinations. Visit Trip Advisor, then for “Where are you going?” type in your own city and select “Things to do in.” Have you been to all the places that come up on the list?

What does all of this have to do with fundraising? NOTHING! That’s exactly the point. If you work late every night and all you think about is fundraising, no one will want to talk to you. So go – get out there and make yourself more interesting. Your donors will be glad.

No You May Not Pick My Brain: 8 Ways to Squander an Informational Interview

Posted by on in CareerLeave a comment
ID-100180114
Image courtesy of Master Isolated Images at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Because I’ve been fundraising for more than 25 years, I’m often invited to meet with people to talk about their careers. These are often referred to as “informational interviews” but just as often someone asks to “pick my brain.” I’ve always been happy to talk to people and share what I know about the fundraising field and the nonprofit sector.

Some people come in prepared and make the most of our time together. Others, not so much. The ‘not so much’ have inspired me write this blog post. I’m sharing with you 8 ways to squander the time you have with me or with any other experienced colleague.

  1. Don’t know about my background – in the days of LinkedIn, there is no excuse for this. When you meet with me, it saves us both a lot of time if you have already looked at my background.
  2. Don’t prepare any questions – I’m really not a “stick to the agenda at all costs” kind of person (is that a thing?) but it helps if you think through some things you’d like to ask me. This has everything to do with #1. Look at my background then think of some questions I could answer that would help you.
  3. Don’t offer to treat for the coffee – remember that you invited me. Many times, I won’t take you up on your offer to treat but you should at least offer.
  4. Run late – this is the height of time wasting for me. Remember that you have invited me and I’m taking time away from my paid job to help you. I’m happy to do that or I wouldn’t have accepted your invitation. However, if you are running late, you are taking advantage of my generosity.
  5. Don’t thank me – since my expertise is fundraising, by not thanking me for my time with an e-mail or written note (either will work for me) you are demonstrating a lack of fundraising skill. This will be a challenge later on if I hear of a job that you might have pursued.
  6. Don’t keep me posted – if you don’t touch base every few weeks, I’ll probably forget that you are looking. Just like with the proper thank you, this is a way to demonstrate your skills as a fundraiser. I recently forwarded a job opening to someone who had met with me only to learn they had taken a job in a completely different field. I was deeply disappointed.
  7. Don’t take me up on offers for help – if I’ve offered to help by providing feedback on potential employers and you don’t take me up on it, I’ll assume you don’t need my help and forget about the conversation.
  8. Don’t let me know when you have landed your next adventure – I’ll be honest, the first time this happened it hurt my feelings. The scenario: I met with someone and gave them advice on applying to work for my employer. I learned they had been hired from – someone else in my organization. A simple phone call or e-mail would have been enough.

Before you conclude that I’m a complete grump, I’ll say that most of these interviews go very well. Some have even been the start of a professional friendship that lasts to this day. If you are considering a career change, reach out to trusted colleagues and ask for an informational interview. But make sure you make the most of your time and of theirs.