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Tag: nonprofit

For-Profit Superman to the Rescue?

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This morning was like most Tuesday mornings: arrive to the office, read up on local and nonprofit news, and meet with the rest of the development department. After the meeting, I got my black tea and oatmeal and set up at my desk to listen to a webinar that our CEO had forwarded to me. She likes to see if we can get connected with the latest and greatest social media outlets, so when she hears about something new, she usually asks me to look into it. I’m happy to oblige – the more I learn, the better off everyone is.

The product was a social media platform where people could create a profile, join projects, raise money for causes, etc. The platform itself is not what I have issues with – I am sure some nonprofits are gaining supporters and raising funds for very important projects. The issue I have is who started this platform: two brothers with a retail background.

Why do people in the for-profit world think they can fix all the problems in the nonprofit world?

I’m not talking problems as in environmental destruction, homelessness, or lack of adequate education. I’m talking organizational problems. Marketing problems. Fundraising problems. Basically, what I do.

This particular group focused on making the experience of donating fun. Their website is littered with jokes, incentives, and peer pressure to get other people to participate. They even have the option that someone can donate anonymously to a project but they will leak their information… apparently inspired by a joke on Curb Your Enthusiasm that people like to donate anonymously to look selfless but really want everyone to know how great they are.

Huh????

I don’t know any nonprofit that would institute a policy like this, or believe it’s acceptable and encourage that people can do such a thing. I know, I know, this is supposed to all be a joke and all be in good fun. But I would invite any of them to spend one hour with a homeless mother using the charity’s services to clothe her children. I don’t think she’ll be laughing.

I don’t want to get stuck on the details. I know that these people have the best of intentions. They believe they are taking their experience and applying it to the greater good. The hard truth is that they have no idea what nonprofits go through on a day to day basis. Until you’ve been a nonprofit staffer, you don’t understand the concept of inadequate manpower. Dedicating time to social media is important, but every second that is dedicated to a site like that is being taken away from cultivating major donors, writing grants, and working on annual galas. Nonprofit staffers have to pick and choose what they spend their time on, and simply because something is good does not make it worth it.

I am very appreciative for all that these groups and individuals are working for. Like I said, they have the best of intentions. I just wish they would get more input from nonprofit staffers in their product development – or any at all.

-N.C.

Time to Celebrate!

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What a wonderful Sunday morning surprise. Not only had my good friend Jerry subscribed by email to my blog, I was mentioned in Rosetta Thurman’s wonderful blog, Blogging for Branding, here! Rosetta is the reason I started this blog. I first came across Rosetta in the online world through her blog, aptly named Rosetta Thurman. The blog’s theme is what attracted me: Empowering a New Generation of Leaders. If you know me, you know what a leadership nerd I am. 🙂 When I saw her on the docket for speakers for the San Diego Young Nonprofit Professionals (YNPN) group in November, I knew I had to go! In the presentation, she referred to the book she just published with Trista Harris, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, so I ordered it. I read the book cover to cover and loved everything it had to offer – practical tips to further your nonprofit career and make yourself well-rounded and marketable. Who doesn’t want to learn about that? It will definitely be a book I will continue to read to remind myself of good practices. The book had a pretty good emphasis on writing a blog, which I first was unsure about, but thought about it… I have plenty of opinions and nuggets of advice to offer… if it will help brand my name for potential employers and connections, why not? After I saw Rosetta’s challenge on Blogging for Branding of 5 Blog Topics to Build Your Personal Brand, I knew that the time had come… I needed to start writing. Which brings us to today!

I still have lots of work to do to get the word out about my blog, and use many of the techniques that Rosetta suggests, but I feel like I’m off to a good start. I have officially been blogged about by my nonprofit idol. And that’s a reason to celebrate!

-N.C.

Five Things I Wish I Knew About Being a Development Coordinator Five Years Ago

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If you’re wondering what being a Development Coordinator is all about, here are five aspects of the job that jumped out at me as lessons I’ve learned in five years of working in the field. None of them would have deterred me from being where I am today, but I wish I knew about them before!

1. There’s always work to be done.

There will always be more money to raise, more donors to call, more data to clean up. The work of a Development staffer (and most nonprofit staffers, for that matter) is never done. You need to start your days at work knowing you’ll do the best you can to tackle some of the high priority projects, and be satisfied with what got done at the end of the day. Don’t get bogged down in the big picture of having a huge fundraising goal – break your tasks into manageable chunks and you will go far!

2. You’ll always be part of the supporting cast.

If you love the spotlight, become Program Manager. Development staffers, especially support staff to the Director of Development, are almost always in the background. We’re the ones setting up the registration table, answering questions about auction items, or processing payments – not the ones discussing our passion for the cause or smiling in photos with a big check. When people want to learn about the activities of the organization, they want to hear it from those working directly with the clients, not from administrators (which Development staffers are considered).

3. You will always be known as someone’s assistant.

It might be the Director of Development or it might be the CEO, but as support staff for a Development department, outsiders won’t understand what you do. A Program Assistant will have specific duties that outsiders understand, like managing volunteers, but a Development Coordinator, even if she manages the website, e-newsletter, and does all data entry, she will still be asked about the guest list for the gala. Be secure in the fact that outsiders might not understand that there is plenty of work to be done for more than one person – I’m sure your boss is aware!

4. You’ll be asked to answer phones, fix computers, and deliver checks to be signed.

For some reason the Development department becomes the do-everything-no-one-else-wants-to-do department. At the heart of a Development Coordinator’s role is to improve capacity for an organization… on the surface, that might look like simply to raise money, but it’s really so much more. It means that you’re suddenly the organization’s IT department and you’re asked to hold an Outlook training for the staff because you manage the website, so you must know about computers! Note: Many nonprofit staffers feel they do much more than their job description, so this should be no surprise for anyone!

5. Someone worked very hard on that piece of mail you’re glancing at.

After working a short time in Development you’ll realize that what is commonly referred to as “junk mail” was actually drafted multiple times, reviewed by several people, mail merged, printed, stuffed, sealed, and hand delivered to the bulk mail center at the post office. Being a Development Coordinator has opened my eyes to how much effort is put into a lot of things, including direct mail. It definitely helps me appreciate the little things! Just remember that not everyone has your same experience, so not everyone will treat your mail, or anything else, the same way.

It’s not that being a Development Coordinator is all hard work and no fun. Being support in a Development team is great – you get to get your hands dirty in various projects and talk to donors, the biggest advocates of your cause. Just remember the above five things as you work away and remember that you’re contributing to your organization’s mission, every day. We all should be so lucky.

-N.C.