Monthly Archives: December 2010

10 Qualities of Outstanding Nonprofit Employees


Posted by ajlovesya

Ok, let me get this out before I even begin: I think Bill Sommerville, President and Founder of Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, is one of the smartest and most compelling leaders in this space.  His approach to giving and leadership demonstrate a commitment to creating a clearer vision for foundations when it comes to bringing about social justice.

And his book, Grassroots Philanthropy, which challenges foundations to do more and give more, is awesome.  I read it back in April after hearing him speak at the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Conference in Denver.  Recently I was revisiting some old texts that left a mark on me this year–in preparation for writing out my goals for the new year–and his seven qualities of outstanding nonprofit employees stood out to me (they are taped on my office wall for inspiration) so I just had to share.

  • Humor: Outstanding people balance their seriousness about work with an ability to laugh at almost anything–including themselves.
  • Ambition: Outstanding people burn with an unquenchable longing to make good things happen.
  • Optimism: Outstanding people view seemingly hopeless situations as issues waiting to be resolved.
  • Vision: Outstanding people recognize possibilities that remain hazy, opaque, or invisible to others.
  • Realism: Outstanding people maintain a sense of proportion, concentrating on the work at hand rather than inflated daydreams.
  • Instinct: Outstanding people learn to trust the good sense of their gut feelings and intuition.
  • Consistency: Outstanding people stick it out for the long haul–which can mean years, decades, or even the course of an entire lifetime.

Outstanding people aren’t just good for advancing an organization’s mission; they also invigorate and inspire the people around them creating communities of people who care.

I would add the following:

Openness: Outstanding people are aware that others come to a cause with various perspectives and welcome those voices.
Proactive: Outstanding people don’t hesitate to lend a hand or take action when needed.
Awareness: Outstanding people are insatiable learners about their cause, their community, and themselves.

What qualities do you think nonprofit employees should have?

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Should the buying local approach be applied to donations to nonprofits?


Posted by ajlovesya

Cross posted at Do Good in Brooklyn

Last week  I was happy to stumble across Shop Brooklyn, which highlights local businesses across the borough as part of a larger campaign to get people to buy from local businesses.  The campaign emphasizes the enormous benefits of buying local including job creation, local control, diversity, and competition.

This made me wonder–can the buy local approach apply to nonprofits as well?  What if people committed to supporting their local nonprofit?  While thinking about this I came across an older initiative by the United Way of Lake & Sumter Counties called Give Where You Live.  The emphasis in their approach is why you should you support your local united way over another, but it doesnt address why you should give locally at all.  While I believe the same question is asked when buying local (especially if other countries rely on our buying their products) the question is especially compelling when it comes to donations.  Why should you care about your neighborhood when there are other communities around the globe that may be suffering more than yours?

  1. You can do more than give money: When a nonprofit is nearby it is easier to lend your time and talent as well as making a donation.
  2. You can see progress and make change: Maybe you don’t like the direction your local nonprofit is going in…maybe you think the community needs better or different services.  Either way, because you are close you can participate in the programs the organization provides and see what’s happening for yourself.
  3. Strong communities address larger problems together: Giving locally makes it easier to develop stronger ties with your community as it encourages civic engagement.  And  when communities are working well together it is easier to address larger problems.
  4. Economic benefits apply to nonprofits as well: Nonprofits create jobs, support entrepreneurship, foster local control,  and may even partner with and support local businesses in the area.

To encourage people to buy local, the 3/50 project focuses on spending $50 at three different local businesses each month.  I’m going to apply the 3/50 campaign to nonprofits as well.  Below are the businesses and nonprofits I support–what are yours?

Nonprofits:

Businesses:

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The winners of the book giveaway are…


Posted by ajlovesya

Thanks to everyone who entered!  I used random.org to select three winners.  The winners are:

Lindsay B: Nonprofit Career Guide

Andre G: How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar

Emily S: Nonprofit Career Guide

I look forward to sending you your books!  Please fill out this contact form with your mailing address and I will send them out next week.

Thanks again to everyone who entered.  It was great seeing the kind of books people wanted to read and why.  This certainly won’t be the last giveaway from me :)  Please follow me on twitter or on facebook so we can stay in touch.


Five must read books for young people interested in nonprofits and social justice (and a gift for you)


Posted by ajlovesya

Yes I said books.  Remember those? :)

While I have learned so much from blogging, networking, and working in the nonprofit sector, the following books provide ongoing guidance, insight, and support for me as I develop my career.  This list includes books that offer hands-on tips and strategies on how to define and do well in my career as well as books that explore challenges in justice, privilege, and living with conviction.

Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time by Paul Loeb
Visit Soul of a Citizen

It is easy to get sucked into the day to day grind of working.  It’s even easier to believe that your work wont make a difference given the enormous problems we face. However,  we tend to ignore the real threats to justice that happen not in far away places or on grand scales, but in our own communities and in our minds. Now, more than ever, is the best time to be an activist yet we have to claim it and be willing talk and connect with each other on a more humane level.  How do we figure out what we stand for and, day in and day out, truly stand for it? This book is full of inspirational stories that give me the courage I need to keep moving forward and the small important steps I can take to make a difference beyond my job.

Nonprofit Career Guide:  How to Land a Job that Makes a Difference by Shelly Cryer
Visit: Nonprofit Career Guide

When you say nonprofit the images that pop into people’s heads are soup kitchens, after school programs, and puppies.  While these nonprofits provide crucial support to the communities they serve, our inability to see the entire sector beyond these organizations masks the sheer magnitude and diversity of the sector.  Employing over 13% of the nation and worth over a trillion dollars the nonprofit sector is home to many people with different interests, passions, and skills. There is truly a place for everyone-the trick is finding where you belong. This book explores the nine different types of nonprofits, skills needed to thrive, hiring trends, steps for figuring out what you want, and more.

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career by Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris
Visit: Nonprofit Rockstar Tour

So you have the job….now what?  Unfortunately, I thought once I landed my first job a path would just fall into place.  That didn’t happen and even now I’m constantly reshuffling the deck as I figure out what I want to do.  With humor, resources, a variety of voices from young people kicking butt in the field (including yours truly!) this book tackles a variety of issues facing young people who want to thrive in the sector: from building a support network to finding professional development opportunities.

Grassroots and Nonprofit Leadership: A Guide for Organizing in Changing Times by Berit Lakey, George Lakey, Rod Napier, and Janison Robinson
Visit Training for Change (book available for free download)

I have to admit I didnt start thinking of myself as a leader until recently.  The reason is simple:  I didnt have a title.  Yet the more I work the more I realize that Noticing and acting on challenges is a sign of leadership and our narrow definition excludes enormous amounts of potential.  This book explores the various challenges to leadership–from technical issues like space and meetings to more complex issues like defining leadership and including different voices.  This book helped me see different kinds of leadership and the internal problems that arise when we have to go beyond passion to action and inclusion.  Definitely great for folks who want to start or run a nonprofit!

The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism by Claire Guadiani
Visit The Greater Good

Philanthropy isnt just nice, nor is just something to do when you want your name on a building (in fact the author argues that these attitudes limit the power of philanthropy).  Instead, philanthropy supports our nation in very necessary and tangible ways, and has done so for decades. The challenges that face philanthropy–dwindling funds, debt, lack of community involvement–go beyond shrinking a nonprofit’s budget and actually threaten the livelihoods of our communities.  This book challenged my understanding of philanthropy and strengthened my commitment to the sector.

And my gift to you.

I’m building my social justice/nonprofit career library and I hope you are too!  To help, I would love to send you any book off this list.

Just add a comment below sharing what book you want and why by Friday December 17th 5pm EST.  Three winners will be announced Saturday December 18th at 10am EST and selected randomly using random.org.

This list is by no means exhaustive–while writing it I thought of other books I have found incredibly useful.  Yet I think these books provide a useful foundation.  So please feel free to share books not on this list!


7 leadership challenges facing young people and nonprofits


Posted by ajlovesya

Last Wednesday I spoke on a panel at Demos about the role of young people, technology, and nonprofits in democracy. The other panelists were Jared Duval, a fellow at Demos and author of Next Generation Democracy, and Ben Berkowitz, CEO and co-founder of SeeClickFix, an organization that allows people to report problems in their neighborhood to government, businesses, and other community members online.

What was exciting to me about being on this panel was that there has been a push for nonprofits to take stronger and larger roles in addressing the needs of the people they serve. In fact, an American Express survey found that 70% of Americans trust nonprofits to solve social issues-more than they trust government or business.

However, are nonprofits ready to answer that call? In preparation for the event I thought about challenges facing nonprofits as young people enter the field and as they are called on to move America forward.

How will nonprofits engage change makers outside of the sector?

1. Beyond the 501c3 model: Young people are simply opting out of the sector. There is a growing movement around “Doing Well and Doing Good:” whether it be hybrid models or businesses with triple bottom lines, young people is challenging the idea that working within a nonprofit is the only way to address a social issue. Models of this approach are TOMS Shoes or SeeClickFix which is a self sustaining for-profit. New classifications-such as being a B-corporation-are emerging as well, signaling the growing role of business in social change.

2. Free agents: The phrase was coined by Allison Fine and Beth Kanter in their book “The Networked Nonprofit” and describes people who harness social media to mobilize their networks to take action-whether it be signing a petition, making a donation, or attending a protest. What’s key about free agents is that they do all of this outside of the confines of an organization, indicating a shift away from being part of nonprofits.

For those who do opt to join the sector, what structural changes are they bringing?

1. Shared leadership: The executive director position can be intimidating and unappealing to many young people entering the sector. As a result, there has been a move towards shared leadership, which can mean having two or three executive directors instead of one. For example, at the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy conference the Chinook Fund shared the benefits and challenges in shifting from one executive director to three co-directors. Can shared leadership reduce burnout and increase commitment?

2. Inclusive leadership: Beyond the executive director position, inclusion needs to happen at every level. Excluding young people from important conversations is problematic and decreases the level of investment and commitment you could potentially get from younger employees. The worst feeling in the workplace is the feeling of being treated unfairly and nonprofits are not immune from accusations of being unjust to their employees.

Throughout the conversation some challenges were raised by the audience and panelists that I think millennials need to consider:

Are we fair to members of our own generation? Ironically, when it comes to millennials, our diversity is both celebrated and ignored. While I certainly identify with my generation, conversations about leadership must focus on race, gender, and class and we need to challenge our image of a millennial . The last time I checked, in NYC only 28% of black males graduated from high school. Are they not part of our generation?

Are we really challenging power? Ben noted that while Mayor Fenty of DC pioneered using technology to connect with his constituents, he completely ignored the answers he was getting. Voters ultimately voiced their dissatisfaction at the polls this year but this raises an interesting challenge: while the mediums may have changed to voice opinions, who selects which opinions to listen to, if they get selected at all? How do we prevent abuse of technology?

Are we ready to work with the other three generations? It’s too easy to focus on millennials as they stand to be leaders of organizations. However there are still other people in these organizations who should be included as well. Additionally, we will not be the youngest generation for long. How do we ensure our conversations address collaboration and not generation takeover?

What do you think?  Are nonprofits and young people addressing these challenges?  Are there other challenges to consider?

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