Monthly Archives: February 2009

Gen Y and the Stimulus Plan


Posted by ajlovesya

As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (economic stimulus) goes around the Senate, I was curious about how the proposed plan would impact millenials. I reflected on some of the major issues and interests of our generation and how the stimulus plan proposes to address them. This list is by no means exhaustive but I thought it would be good to highlight aspects of the bill the Gen Y stands to benefit from either directly or by the increase in potential opportunities.

Job Training: While the focus of this stimulus plan is on creating jobs, the concern is the kind of education or training that will be required to obtain these jobs may make employment out of reach for younger people. Additionally, younger employees are hit hardest by the recession.

· $4 billion for job training including :

o $1.2 billion to create up to one million summer jobs for youth

o $50 million to expand Youth Build (provides jobs for low-income youths in constructing low-income housing)

o Training for Green jobs and other jobs to be generated by the Act.

Small businesses: Millenials are increasingly interested in starting businesses that generate profits and make the world a better place. Social entrepreneurship is growing right along with the traditional entrepreneurship.

· $430 million for new direct lending and loan guarantee authorities to make loans more attractive to lenders and free up capital.

Higher Education: 64% of women and 60% of men go to college after graduating high school and 85% attend full-time making Generation Y the most educated generation in our nation’s history.

· Pell Grants: $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $500, from $4,850 to $5,350.

· College Work-Study: $490 million to support undergraduate and graduate students who work.

· Student Loan Limit Increase: Increases limits on unsubsidized Stafford loans by $2,000.

· Student Aid Administration: $50 million to help the Department of Education administer surging student aid programs while navigating the changing student loan environment.

The Armed Forces: According to USA TODAY, the percentage of people ages 16 to 21 interested in joining the military has increased from 9% to 11% in the first half of last year. Additionally, 60 percent of Marines, 42 percent of Army and Navy and about 35 percent of the Air Force are younger than 25.

  • Over $7 billion in proposed facility renovations to defense and veteran facilities to increase to services to those currently in the armed forces and better care when they return.

Community Service: According to the National Conference on Citizenship, 56% of Millennials reported volunteering in the past year and more than 50% would be more involved if there were more opportunities.

  • $200 million to Americorps to expand by 16,000 members.
  • $1 billion to local organizations to increase their community service efforts.

Low income assistance: 17% of impoverished people in this country are under the age of 18 and as previously mentioned, millenials are hit hardest by unemployment and thus financial instability.

· $13 billion for grants to help disadvantaged kids in nearly every school district and more than half of all public schools reach high academic standards.

· $66 million for formula grants to states to provide services to homeless children including meals and transportation when high unemployment and home foreclosures have created an influx of homeless kids.

· $726 million to increase the number of states that provide free dinners to children and to encourage participation by new institutions by increasing snack reimbursement rates.

Read the executive summary here

Read the full document here


Guest Post: Understanding and Negotiating Your Non-Profit Salary


Posted by ajlovesya

Last week I wrote a post discussing how non-profit employees should approach their salaries and financial well being.  Ben Sheldon left a fantastic comment about some of the problems he saw in non-profit salaries—mainly that they were difficult to discern.  So I asked Ben to follow up on his comment by offering some tips on understanding and negotiating your non-profit salary.

There’s nothing shocking in saying that if you pursue a nonprofit career, you won’t be rich. In my research, you’re bound (on average) to make about 25-30% less in the nonprofit sector than an equivalent job in for-profits. Which is pretty tragic since a nonprofit is just another corporation with a funny tax loophole. While a nonprofit job isn’t the only way to do good, choosing to work in a non-profit unfortunately means taking lower pay.

With that said, working in a nonprofit can be a labor of love, convenience, necessity, common sense, or any combination. However, to ignore the issue of compensation is unproductive as we all want to take care of ourselves and know we are being treated fairly. So I’ll concentrate on some common sense tips for helping yourself figure out if your nonprofit salary is up to snuff.

If you already have a nonprofit job and think you should be earning more money, the first place to look is at your organizational budget or—if you can’t get your hands on that—the taxes. Compared to private companies, nonprofits must disclose incredible amounts of information about themselves in public documents. Both Foundation Center and Guidestar offer free Form 990 lookup services (though Guidestar requires you to register). There’s a lot to learn from it: you can dive right in, or here’s a longish guide.

You first want to know if it’s even realistic to ask for more money. From the 990 (Part V-5) you’ll learn who is making more than $50,000 a year, or, just as likely, that no one is. This will give you a good idea of the salary ceiling—nothing is more embarrassing than asking for more money than the Executive Director makes. Not paying you more isn’t selfish contempt or disdain (most of the time). Many nonprofit executives are themselves mortified, horrified and ashamed that their staff are so poorly compensated—there may be just no other options.

If you think you can make a case for a raise, you need to sell yourself as a revenue center within the organization. How do you create cash, in-kinds or efficiencies for the organization? The singular motto of the nonprofit is “We’re all in this together”, so you need to show where you stand in “together”. In larger organizations this can be more difficult—responsibilities are more insular and silted—but that’s still the approach you need to take.

  • Know the mission. My boss tells the story once of laying down a $20 bill at a staff meeting and drawing names out of a hat; the first person to correctly recite their organization’s mission got the $20. It took her 3 staff meetings to pay out.
  • Demonstrate strategic action. How have you actively advanced a part of the Strategic Plan of the organization? (And thus made the Executive Director look better.)
  • Don’t forget benefits. Your take-home pay isn’t always the whole picture—there is substantial value (and diversity) in health insurance and retirement benefits. Do they provide lower co-pays or (hallelujah!) matching 401(k)s? You don’t realize the value until you need it. Maybe they could even contribute money towards personal development.
  • Stay mobile. Worse comes to worst, the best time to look for a job is when you already have one. Sometimes the surest dose of reality is learning that you actually have it pretty good—and if you don’t that should be an even more concrete kick in the pants to find something new.

Ben Sheldon is Assistant Director of the CTC VISTA Project, a national organization that strengthens our public media infrastructure by building the leadership, resources, outreach and services of nonprofit organizations and associations.  He manages their AmeriCorps*VISTA program which recruits, places and supports VISTA members serving with media organizations.  Ben is a millenial and blogs on nonprofits, communications, and anything else that crosses his mind at http://island94.org


First Steps in Doing Good for High School and College Students


Posted by ajlovesya

A major characteristic of the younger generation is their desire to change the world. However, with busy schedules, lack of awareness of opportunities, and growing competition in the public sector, it is hard for many young people to understand what steps they should take to making a career in social justice.

The tips below will allow you to tap into your passion for social change while developing important skills and networks for a career in the non-profit sector. The emphasis is on exploration of your interest and talents and connection to organizations and your peers.

Start something good

Make an effort to start or lead a service based project in your school. Lead a toy drive for a local charity or start a tutoring program by gathering a bunch of your friends after school. Go the extra mile and design a project that allows you to raise money while getting the school and local community involved by organizing a walkathon. Also, pay attention to local events and see how you can help. Is there an election coming up? Create and distribute flyers and pamphlets or start a voting drive.

Make your class work relevant

Connect your academic work to your passion for social justice. Take classes that include service-learning or support your research by doing your own community service. Examine how what you are learning in class can benefit people less fortunate than you or how different perspectives from different communities can enhance or challenge what you are learning. The goal is to not only give back but also to constantly grow more connected and aware of the world around you.

Volunteer

Giving your time to an organization is the best way to demonstrate commitment and passion. To get the most out of your volunteering, make it a key part of your schedule (like going to class or playing a sport) and reflect on what you are learning and what is challenging on a regular basis. Ask the organization how you can be of best use to them and make attempts to build a relationship with the organization and the population you are serving.

Invite organizations to the school

Not just in terms of partnering for community service projects, but also as speakers, facilitators, and panelists. Is there a pressing issue at your school (like bullying)? Invite a nonprofit focusing on that issue to help lead a workshop. Want to learn more about climate change and protecting the environment? Get people from organizations focusing on the environment to lead a panel discussion. Inviting organizations to share their expertise allows them to share their cause and pushes people to think about an issue as well as act.


NYC Twestival: Social Media for Social Change Event


Posted by ajlovesya

twittercharity_NYDAILYNEWSOn February 12th across the world in 160 cities, people who use twitter will gather to raise money and awareness for charity:water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

A twestival is taking place in NYC from 7:30pm-10:30pm in M:2, a bar on the Upper West Side. The theme of this twestival is “20/20/20 vision”: give $20, raise $20, and tell 20 friends.

Early bird tickets are $20, with the cost set to go up to $40 then $60. 100% of proceeds go to charity:water. There will be an open bar, live music, and a chance to hear from charity:water.

For details and to purchase tickets please visit Amiando or visit the NYC Twestival page.

For articles about the event check the New York Daily News or Mashable.

To find a twestival in your city visit Twestival.

I have bought my ticket and am looking forward to a fun filled evening of networking, learning, and…dancing! If any of you decide to go (either in NYC or another city) please let me know!