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In a recent article on the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Brendan Tapley—a communications and marketing consultant—argues that the sector is suffering from lack of pride and how this makes it difficult for us to celebrate our work and advocate for support for our institutions. While he focuses on organizations, he makes a compelling argument that our collective inability to state our impact affects how many of us view our own work and talent,

“The nonprofit world is by and large a history of dedication to thankless causes, but in embracing that spirit of martyrdom too fully, employees can adopt inferiority complexes.

Many nonprofit workers come to believe they are not as talented as people who have chosen to be elsewhere, somewhere the culture may outwardly value more—somewhere in the for-profit world.

What’s more insidious is how this attitude gives rise to a belief that anyone looking to join their organization is likely to be less capable, too.

In the aggregate, that kind of collective martyrdom—however false—can lead to a very real ineffectuality. Because if a calling to service means subservience, why would talent ever be tempted to join or encouraged to stay once it arrived? In reasserting pride alongside service, nonprofits ensure they will attract the best and brightest.”

And let me add something: rarely does this belief stay within the sector. People begin to view nonprofits as places to go if you want to do easy work or if you don’t want to be challenged. People begin to look down not only on the sector at large but also on the people who work there.

How do we get pass this? The first step is learning the difference between pride and hubris as the two relate to our work (there is a reason, for example, why when many groups fight for equality they begin by cultivating a sense of communal pride). We cannot demand respect from others if we don’t respect ourselves.

The second is actively witnessing and celebrating the change you create. I’ve written before about how one of the best ways to reinvigorate yourself and recommit yourself to your work is to get on the ground floor as much as possible and see the impact of your work. However, this can do more than just reenergize you; it should also help you see how your hard work, brilliance, and excellence are truly making a difference. Thinking any less isn’t just a disservice to you but also to the people you serve; given the urgency of many of our social issues, people deserve nothing but high-quality support to help them move forward.

What do you think? Is the sector suffering from collective martyrdom? Should we take more pride in our work?  

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What does it take to move forward in our careers? While the definition of success varies for each person, I think the three elements listed below are critical to seeing any positive change in our work lives.

Relationships: Are you building communities?

We often hear about relationships in the context of moving up: Who can help you when you need a job or a connection? However, reducing our networks to a series of one-way transactions ignores the role people have in our growth over time. People connect us to opportunities, sure, but they also challenge us, encourage us, and help us see things differently. In short, they help us work better and achieve more than we would if we did everything alone.

So instead of thinking in terms of one-off asks and networking, think in terms of building multiple communities. In a community, you only get as much as you give, you have to be deliberate about nurturing relationships, and you are surrounded by people who have something professionally or personally meaningful in common that they are eager to act on or discuss. By thinking in terms of more than one community, you can view various aspects of your life and interests as places for growth and spot opportunities for overlap and collaboration.

I also like thinking in terms of community because it allows us to be more inclusive. Too often, when we think of networking, we think solely in terms of including people who can help us get ahead. Yet one thing I have noticed is that the currency of many networks is actionable, powerful ideas and ideas can come from anywhere. So how can we begin to think of the people we serve as members of our communities, moving beyond the sometimes-transactional nature of the relationships we create with them due to our roles and organizations?

Excellence: Are you committed to being great?

Excellence—marked by progress and accomplishments that move you and the organization forward—is needed when asking for any raise, promotion, or new opportunity. However, it’s not enough to just work repeatedly and assume progress; we have to work with the goal of getting better. And while this might seem obvious, how often do we do work mindlessly? When we commit to becoming great at something, we set goals for ourselves, we invest in our work, and we feel more ownership of our growth.

The pursuit of excellence requires a different approach to passion. Passion on its own can be pretty difficult to follow in terms of your career; just because you are passionate about something doesn’t mean you want to invest in becoming great at it nor does it mean people will pay you for it. However, excellence requires you to pay attention to your interests and talents—the things that move you—in the context of your career and your community. In looking at your mastery in terms of its impact on your organization and cause it implicitly asks: what value are you bringing to others?

Visibility: Are you letting people know about your successes?

No, you don’t have to send an email every single time you do something well, but it never hurts to let people—your boss, colleagues, community, or peers—know of your successes so they can keep you in mind for opportunities and offer help when needed. Makes sense, but we all know this can be hard. You might be a nose-to-the-ground kind of worker (like me!) who thinks the work should speak for itself; or you might think that it feels arrogant to talk about yourself when you’re just trying to advance a cause or support your team and the people you serve.

But I’ve realized that this isn’t a matter of bragging or ignoring the work of others; sometimes people don’t know about your work simply because you are the only one who can tell them. It’s a matter of logistics. How would someone know about that great program you created if you don’t tell them? Why assume people are paying such close attention to what you’re doing? Just let them know so they can take note. Pay attention to the meaning this success has for them, your organization, and your community so you can leverage your success to do even better work. For example, if your manager realizes that the new program you’ve created will make it easier for students to get help with their homework, be sure to keep her up to date on the progress of the program and any needs you have moving the program forward. And if down the road you want more responsibility, you have a tangible success to highlight.

I’ll write more about how to strengthen each of these elements tactically, but this framework has been really helpful for me. Not only has it required me to be deliberate, but it also reflects the approach of many leaders and successful people I admire. While it’s true that people experience happy accidents in their careers, for many it’s a matter of actively connecting with the right people, working well, and sharing successes.

Photo credit: S.C. Asher, Creative Commons/Flickr

Nothing high-tech and nothing fancy. I’ve realized that what works for me are actions that trigger additional positive, productive behaviors and require me to be mindful. Here are my favorites strategies for being productive.

Create a keystone habit.

People who are close to me know that I am pretty protective of my leisurely mornings. I wake up around 6 a.m., get dressed (with clothes I laid out the night before), make myself a big breakfast, and catch up on my favorite blogs. No rushing, no panic, and no hunger.  As a result, I am happy, I don’t get hulk-smash hungry in the middle of the morning (which makes me irritable and unable to focus), and I arrive at work determined and ready to dig in. This one habit sets the tone for a productive day. Alexis Grant, a writer and digital strategist, talks about the power of positive, daily habits in her newsletter:

If I’d only started doing yoga, this wouldn’t qualify as a keystone habit. But as my yoga practice becomes more consistent — I now go twice a week – I find myself forming other healthy habits, too. Because I feel so good after yoga, I don’t eat unhealthy food when I get home. And because I want to feel good at yoga the next day, I’ve been skipping my unhealthy evening snack, too.

Cultivating ONE new habit has helped me create a healthier lifestyle.

But you don’t have to apply this science to your health. Here are a few other areas where you might want to create or change a keystone habit: 

Writing – What ONE writing habit could you focus on that would serve as a launch board for a great writing career? It could be committing to writing 100 words each day or blogging for 30 minutes as soon as you get up. If you can stick to one positive habit, you’ll soon see the benefits and reap the rewards… and then adopt other smart writing practices, too.

What habit can you adopt that will anchor your day and push you to do better work?

Start the work day with easy wins.

For me, this is usually responding to emails, updating the writer or editorial calendar, or sorting articles that need edits. These are light things that tend to have a domino effect on me: I start plowing through similar activities and get into a groove.

End a meeting with next steps and get an agenda before hand. 

I’ve become religious about this. When we meet, we should be able to answer the question: Why are we here? And when we’re done, we should be able to answer: What will be accomplished now that we’ve met?

Carve out time to think big.

Friday’s at work are light days. We don’t publish a lot of content on Friday for two reasons: 1. Fridays are our lowest traffic days 2. I need time to meet, read, reflect, and plan! So on Fridays, my day isn’t jammed with tons of tasks like editing articles, pitching, and meetings. Instead, I’m doing more of my big-picture thinking and supporting the other people on my team. LinkedIn’s CEO, Jeff Weiner, advocates scheduling nothing on a daily basis.

In aggregate, I schedule between 90 minutes and two hours of these buffers every day (broken down into 30- to 90-minute blocks). It’s a system I developed over the last several years in response to a schedule that was becoming so jammed with back-to-back meetings that I had little time left to process what was going on around me or just think.

At first, these buffers felt like indulgences. I could have been using the time to catch up on meetings I had pushed out or said “no” to. But over time I realized not only were these breaks important, they were absolutely necessary in order for me to do my job.

Here’s why:

As an organization scales, the role of its leadership needs to evolve and scale along with it. I’ve seen this evolution take place along at least two continuum: from problem solving to coaching and from tactical execution to thinking strategically. What both of these transitions require is time, and lots of it. Endlessly scheduling meeting on top of meeting and your time to get these things right evaporates.

Even if you aren’t a manager, time to reflect is priceless and critical to your growth.

If it matters, put it on your calendar.

This is to follow up with the point above. If you need time to read, put it on your calendar. Want to check in with co-workers, put it on your calendar. Honor it so it becomes a regular part of your schedule.

Ignore things you’re not ready to use.

When you’re tying to push yourself to grow, it’s easy to consume information constantly. I have a tendency to do that but here’s the thing: if I don’t act on knowledge, I lose it. So unless I am ready to change something or need help planning something, I try to limit what job-related stuff I read.  For example, if I’m not going to dive into Google+ now, I’m going to hold off on reading about it until I am. Of course, you need to know what’s going on in your field, but you should carefully pick the publications you need, and be OK ignoring the rest.

What helps you be productive?

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I sense a lot of panic when young people ask me questions about finding a nonprofit job. Yes, panic! Not just because they aren’t sure of what they want to do (and how to get there), but also because they aren’t sure what kind of organization to work for. I believe that the two are deeply connected: Our success depends on us having a good sense of what our skills are and being in an environment that nurtures us. When job hunting, examine an organization based on these three things you need in order to thrive.

You need to learn

This might seem obvious, but you need to learn more about your profession and your field; the skills required to excel and the gaps in your own understanding that you need to fill. And while you’ll likely change your job and focus in a few years, many of the skills common in entry-level nonprofit jobs—for example, writing, managing multiple projects, event planning, research—will help you in the long run.

• What should you look for? A high-performing organization. We often consider an organization’s size when determining whether or not we’ll be able to get our hands dirty. Small organizations often allow you to try on different hats, while larger organizations might give you an opportunity to develop a speciality more quickly. However, I think the biggest difference is not the size but the culture. A high-performing organization has: strong leadership and vision, value placed on continuous feedback and measurement, emphasis on communication and team work, and keeping (and supporting) the best people.

These things are important because regardless of what your role is at the organization, you’ll have specific things you will be held accountable for, which will encourage you to think strategically while learning the nitty gritty of how to excel in your role. You’ll likely be surrounded by other high-performers and more easily see where your work fits into the larger picture. Both are great for motivation and inspiration.

• How can you find a high-performing organization? To start, do some research on the organization (which you should be doing anyway!). Who works there, what are their backgrounds, and how long have they been there? What are people saying about the organization online and offline? What are some major accomplishments or milestones the organization has experienced recently? When interviewing, ask about the role and expectations. My favorite is: How will you know within a year that I was the right one to hire? (I’ve gotten some interesting responses to this one!) Alison Green of Ask A Manager has this magic question: “Thinking back to people who have been in this position previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?”

Honestly, I think a lot of the job-seeking advice out there can help you with this (in terms of doing research and asking thoughtful questions) but what will help you filter the information you receive is that you are looking for signs that an organization is high-performing.

You need to grow

Sure, in your first job you might become a better writer if you’re working in communications or become better at crafting lesson plans if you are working as a teacher or instructor. But are you picking up on soft skills? Can you understand and navigate an organization’s culture? Do you know how to speak with colleagues and constituents, how to manage expectations and manage up?

• What should you look for? A good manager. All too often, I hear horror stories about an intern or young professional making a mistake at work, but little about what was done by the manager to show them why what they did was wrong and how they can improve. To a certain extent, this is understandable: it’s much easier to tell someone how to correct their spelling than how to dress or how to speak during a meeting. But as we move up and around in our careers, we learn that it’s these social, softer skills make a difference in how people perceive us and make it easier for us to shine in our roles. Having someone gently, yet honestly help us spot and fix our errors in this area is crucial.

• How can you find a good manager? When interviewing, if you aren’t speaking with the person who will be managing you directly, ask if you can do so. Ask about that person’s management style, how they handle employees who aren’t doing well, how they mentor and support junior employees. You’re looking for someone who values on-going communication and who values being a manager (i.e. they realize they act as a coach/supporter and that employees are not just vessels for demands).

You need to connect

One of the things I benefited the most from during my first two jobs out of college was that I participated in fellowships. As a result, I had a built-in network of people to talk to, share ideas with, and learn from. Also, people to go out with and just have fun with as I tried to figure out what the hell I was doing with my life. When you’re just starting out, having a peer group provides support and insight.

• What should you look for? A strong team or a great city. While I did participate in fellowships, my relationships often fell outside of my organization. This was because I was usually the first or only person who held that particular role, so I was never part of a team. That being said, working in Philadelphia and New York made it easy to find fellowships, meetups, conferences, and workshops where I could meet people.

• How can you find a strong team or great city? Some time ago, I (half-jokingly) made a list of the best cities for nonprofit professionals. In it I outline some of the things that I value about NYC in particular in terms of it being a great place to launch a nonprofit career. Additionally, when researching and interviewing at organizations, try to speak with the other people you’ll be working with to get a sense of team-dynamics. Side note: I’ve learned that while some places might not have formal teams in my area, an organization that encourages collaboration will often always have people from various departments working together to solve problems. Ask about how the organization fosters community and if there are opportunities to work with people in different areas.

Bonus tip: You need to earn

This is deeply personal, but I always tell folks: you will resent your job if you aren’t making enough to take care of yourself. Additionally, don’t be afraid to ask about job benefits. For example, maybe salary isn’t as important as having adequate health care, or flexibility in scheduling.

Obviously, there is no such thing as the perfect organization or the perfect job. But by being clear about what you need and what kind of environment will help you succeed, you can make better decisions about where to work.

What do you look for in an organization?

This by far the most common question I get about working in the non profit sector and understandably so: according to Bureau of Labor Statistics National Compensation Survey, non profit managers and administrative staff make less than their peers in the government and for-profit sectors, leading many to wonder if taking a non profit job means taking a vow of poverty.

At the same time, I think the narrative around salaries ignores the complexity of compensation. We should certainly strive for better salaries for non profit employees, yet we should also be mindful of the limitations of comparisons when it comes to our financial well being.

To that end, when searching for a non profit job, here are some tips to keep in mind when thinking about your salary.

1. It is ok to not take a job if it does not pay you enough to take care of yourself. This should be obvious, but it needs to be said: if you find yourself struggling to provide basic necessities for yourself, you will resent your job. Keep searching or rethink how you can become involved in the non profit sector—volunteering, part time, fellowships, internships—until you find an opportunity that provides the salary you need.

2. Define what you mean by “live.” My first salaried non profit job paid $36,000 a year, with a take home pay of about $2,200 a month. I was able to live comfortably on this salary in NYC and wrote about my expenses and lifestyle. The key for me was figuring out what I needed and what I valued.

What matters most to you? What are your non-negotiables? I love going to professional development and networking events and find that many of those are free or low cost so it didn’t break the bank for me to grow my network and learn about the sector. It was helpful for me to figure out what I really wanted to do, what I needed to do, and how I would allocate my funds to support those activities. Jenny Blake over at Life After College has put together a fantastic budget spreadsheet to help you get started.

3. Go beyond salary. While salary is certainly important, other forms of compensation (i.e. benefits) can make a lower salary worthwhile. Flexible hours? Tuition assistance or loan repayment opportunities? Mentoring and support for professional development? Take a look at some common non profit job benefits and see what resonates with you.

4. Do your research. As I said before, compensation is complex; therefore it is helpful to do some digging. There are some fields that pay better than others (health/medical vs. environment) and some professions that have higher earning potential than others (technology vs. outreach). A variety of other factors affect salary including the size and location of the organization and in some cases salary can be comparable to what is found in the for-profit and government sectors.  Common Good Careers offers some great tips on researching non profit salaries.

Want to learn more about non profit salaries?

Bridgestar has a straightforward Q&A discussing common questions about salary/compensation that non profit job seekers have.

Idealist.org (where I work) has an extensive list of salary surveys and articles about non profit compensation. 

What questions do you have about non profit salaries?

This is the first post in a series I am having where I address common questions about careers in the nonprofit sector. Read the introduction here. And be sure to subscribe to my blog so you never miss a post!

Is it possible to live on a non profit salary?

So you’ve decided to explore a career in the nonprofit sector.  Great!  However, if you’re a recent college grad, writing a résumé for your first job out of college is tough. Unlike traditional résumés where you can highlight previous experience that is most likely connected to the job for which you are applying, time in college is often characterized by random jobs and classes that don’t go together. How can you package and present your experiences in a way that demonstrates you’re a good fit to a potential employer?

What you want to send to potential employers is not a traditional resume but rather a Career Launching Résumé (CLR). Lauren Friese over at TalentEgg.ca defines a CLR as a résumé that focuses on your assets, demonstrates your interest in the position, stands out, and is written like a sales proposal. What do these four characteristics look like when applying for a job in social change?

Your Assets:

You need to demonstrate to an employer that you can do the job well and fit into the organization’s overall mission. What skills are your bringing to the table that will meet an employers need?

Showcase accomplishments not just duties: If the job you are applying for wants management skills, give data that shows how you secured a partnership or followed through with a successful project. Throughout your cover letter adopt the language of the organization to connect what you did and who you are with what the organization needs.

Your Interest:

A common piece of advice given when applying for nonprofit jobs is to demonstrate passion for the organization and its mission. But what does passion look like in a résumé?

Highlight any academic research related to social change: Did you use your thesis to examine the impact of educational policy on a local community? Have you explored business practices that address poverty or expand employment opportunities? Integrating social issues into research is a great way to show passion while developing writing and critical thinking skills. Since you are just graduating from college, this information should be at the top of your résumé and listed under your college.

Emphasize service and fit: In the cover letter, discuss the organization’s track record and how your skills can fit in with their future plans. If you have done community service before, put it on the résumé and describe. Organize your résumé chronologically but use subheadings and titles that demonstrate the skills and experience applicable to the job. Instead of saying “Relevant Work Experience” try “Community Leadership Experience.” If the job is managerial or administrative related, use related words in your titles and descriptions.

Standing Out:

Many of us have heard of the frightening statistic that most hiring managers only spend 30 second per résumé which means you have less than a minute to catch someone’s eye. How can you make a person keep reading?

Get a personal contact: 90% of all jobs are filled by referral. Try having an informational interview with someone at the organization you would like to work at and use that person as a segue into a job, or tap into your networks (alumni are great for this!) for contacts. Look into organizations that your college has a great relationship with and see if they are hiring. Make sure to mention personal contacts in your cover letter.

Selling Yourself:

In the end you are selling a product: YOU. It is crucial that the packaging is put together and there are no surprises. What is your best presentation?

Proofread and share: Print your résumé and cover letter out and read it the day after your write it to scan for mistakes. Share your résumé with peers for some fresh eyes to ensure that everything you’ve written makes sense and is easy to navigate.

Use social media wisely: “Googling” is all the rage these days. Make sure your internet presence is clean and interesting. Try starting a blog to build yourself up as a thought leader in the field or simply to discuss pressing issues in social change while developing your communication skills. Use LinkedIn to keep people up to date on projects you are working on while connecting with others who share your passion.

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You can’t read about professional development or entrepreneurship without coming across advice to find a mentor: someone who takes you under their wing and shows you the ropes. This person helps you answer questions, expand your network, and vouches for you when needed. In return, you demonstrate progress and enthusiasm, and help them as much as possible in your own way.

However, aside from the programs I participated in as a student—where we were given mentors to help us navigate certain projects or adjusting to school—I have never had a mentor as a professional. I have never had a wise, older person in my corner who I connect with on a regular basis to talk through problems.

And I think this is a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, I see the benefit of having a mentor and I have people in my life who care about me and want me to be successful. But the truth is, I have never really had the desire to seek out one person to be my sounding board and long-term coach; it’s a lot of work on my end, on their end, and is a little too hierarchical for my taste. Instead, I prefer to connect with people when I have a problem I need help solving.

I do this because I believe that when you start from a place of wanting to solve a problem—instead of wanting to follow a particular person—you open more doors. People younger than you, older than you, people in different fields and professions, people in different communities, become problem solvers. You are also more deliberate and focused about what you need, which makes it much easier for people to actually help you (I am struggling with creating a strategy for X vs. I don’t know what I’m doing about anything).

For example, when I started crafting the vision and editorial calendar for Idealist Careers, I realized two things: 1. My role was shifting to include more editorial and content creation and 2. I had very little sense of what it meant to do those things effectively. So, in addition to reading more and doing more research, I reached out to people in editorial roles at startups, established companies, and people who were freelancers. I had specific questions and got exactly the help I needed while connecting with new professionals in my field.

In fact, if you look at formal mentoring programs for professionals or entrepreneurs—like those built into fellowship programs—you’ll see something similar: a mentor is often helping participants solve a specific problem over a finite amount of time.

So rather than looking for the one, maybe we should focus on cultivating networks of experts and supporters.

What do you think? Do you have a mentor?

Photo credit: Donna Cymek, Creative Commons/Flickr

The grind. You’ve been there. When you started, you happily threw yourself in, seeing how your work fulfilled a greater purpose and mission. Then, you got caught up in the day-to-day work and feel disconnected not just from your job, but also from your cause. You start to wonder if you’re actually making a difference.

I think there are things we can do on a regular basis that allow us to grow professionally while reconnecting us with the reasons we decided to pursue social-impact careers in the first place. Here are activities to try every day, week, month, and year.

Daily

• Rewrite your organization’s mission with your role included.  For example, if your organization states, “Our mission is to provide our students with the outstanding education they deserve,” rewrite this to include how you help the org fulfill this mission: “As a fundraiser, I help us achieve this mission by raising money to support programs that bring our students high-quality academic opportunities.” Put this right above your computer and read it every day.

• Thank someone. So many people think showing gratitude has to be a huge endeavor (and don’t get me wrong—I am a big fan of hand-written notes and love letters and send them often) but it really doesn’t have to be. It also doesn’t have to be limited to the people at our jobs; we are often supported by a wide range of people. So walk over to a colleague’s desk; send a friend an email, text message, or Facebook message; take your sibling out for lunch; let the students you work with know what you’ve learned from them that day; and if you are spiritual, say a prayer. When expressing your gratitude, be specific about what you’re thankful for and how you’ve been helped. Doing this makes me happy and feel more connected to my work. 

• Take a break. No matter how much we love our jobs, we are reenergized when spend some time away from work. And time alone can boost creativity. So carve out some alone time  on a daily basis. Maybe you commit to leaving work no later than 6 p.m. or not having lunch at your desk. Maybe you wake up early to have a leisurely morning (I do this and am pretty protective of my morning time) or you set aside 30 minutes to go for a walk. The goal is to deliberately add something to your day that allows you to feel relaxed.

 Weekly

• Keep an “I-loved-this-now-I-am-ready-for-that” journal. While I am all for gratitude journals and even failure journals, I like to reflect at the beginning of the week. This way, I can incorporate the good and bad things that happened in the previous week into my plans for the upcoming week. This works for me because context and a commitment to getting better help me work through challenges and appreciate progress at work. Your approach can be a formal journal entry or it can be a few minutes of pacing back-and-forth in your room, notepad in hand, having a loud conversation with yourself (ahem, my preferred method). 

• Sit in a different department. See how your organization works to meet its mission leveraging different skills by talking with someone in a different department—and lend a hand if you can. This is actually how I got interested in fundraising. I was running a leadership program for teens in Philadelphia and a coworker kept asking me for data and stories for grant reports and applications. At some point, I had to stop ignoring the emails and sit down with her and I am glad I did! I got to learn more about development and ended up working in fundraising four years.

• Connect with the people you serve. This might be difficult to do, depending on your line of work (for example, if you work in finance for a health-based organization, it might be hard to connect with clients due to confidentiality reasons.) So consider formal and informal ways to get on the ground: chatting with the communications team about interesting stories or sitting in on a class/workshop/meeting being held for your organization’s constituents. Or, ask your manager for ideas on how you can see the impact of your work. Sometimes, just listening to what people need and what’s helping them succeed is great motivation.

Monthly

• Hang out with your peers. At my last job, I connected with three other young women who also worked in development at charter schools. We all met accidentally, but we ended up seeing each other regularly for dinner and drinks. Aside from gossip, it was great to share information about opportunities, get insight on how to deal with frustrations, and chat about what it was like to be working, living, and loving in NYC as 20-something women. Find a group that enriches you personally and helps you become better professionally.

• Volunteer your skills for a different cause. Consider this a stretch assignment: by leveraging your skills in a new situation for, perhaps, different goals, you are pushing yourself to do better and sharpening your skill set. Not to mention the opportunity to connect with new people and see potential ways your cause and another may overlap—a great way to foster collaborations.

• Read a book that speaks to your inner drive. Yes, I know we got into this work because we want to create a better world. But you know what else makes me excited to roll up my sleeves and work for change? Stories about growing up with difficult families. The topics range from how parents stayed together without killing each other to how to deal with death and war. Written from the POV of growing, overcoming interpersonal challenges, and learning to accept who your family is, these stories strongly resonate with me and make me feel part of something bigger (i.e. You mean I’m not the only one?). What topics connect you to the human experience and drive you to be more involved?

Yearly

• Attend a conference you’ve attended before. Isn’t it awesome to walk into a conference hall and see familiar faces? Attend workshops that allow you to build on information you learned last year? See how your field is changing and how you can be more involved? Bonus if the conference is a different city each year, allowing you to explore a new city and how that community wrestles with social issues. Attending the same conference can be both refreshing and comforting.

• Go to a new conference not related to nonprofits or social change. Isn’t it awesome to walk into a conference hall and know nothing about the topic?  Just kidding, but how often do we put ourselves in a position where we have to bring our profession and cause to a new audience? Or explore different tools or different ways of thinking when it comes to scaling our impact? This isn’t to say you should pick a conference randomly; instead try to pick a conference related to your profession (communications or finance) or skills you have to use regularly (writing, project or people management, budgeting) but not in the nonprofit space.

• Take a vacation. You knew this was coming, didn’t you? Go away for a little while and don’t feel guilt about it. Can’t take a big bulk of time off? Try taking three or four day weekends occasionally.

Of course, you don’t have to do all of these things, however trying to incorporate opportunities to reenergize and reconnect with your work and your cause is always worthwhile.

How do YOU stay passionate?

Photo credit: ThrottleUK, Creative Commons/Flickr

Hey, y’all. It’s been a while!

Because after five years, a break is well deserved. However, I’ve been up to a lot in the past two months:

• I’ve launched IdealistCareers.org, a new blog by Idealist where we provided resources, tips, and stories on how to find, land, and love your social-impact career.
• I’ve said farewell to Brooklyn, New York and am getting settled into my new apartment in Montclair, New Jersey.
• I’ve been accepted into the Mobilize.org Speakers Bureau and spent the past weekend connecting and learning from fellow young leaders.
• I’ve met amazing people from amazing companies as part of my personal and professional development plan to grow my network and learn more deliberately from my peers.

Yet during each of these opportunities (and many others) I had moments where I wasn’t fully present. This is because with each opportunity comes more visibility, and with more visibility, my fear of being uncovered as an imposter grows. You might know the feeling: the crushing self-doubt that wonders, “Am I really good enough for this?” As a result, I would try to do things quickly; just get them over with and move on to the next project, instead of savoring and sharing.

Then I started reminding myself: People are depending on my leadership.

Are you showing up?

People are depending on your leadership, too. People are depending on your insight, your encouragement, your action, and your questions. Your mistakes, your vulnerabilities, and your story. So you have to show up if you plan to make your mark and bring about the change that motivated you to get into this field in the first place.

By reminding myself of what I have to give, it’s easier for me to be fully present and be the leader I want to be. Here are a few other ways we can push ourselves to lead:

• Be confident. At the Mobilize.org Speakers Bureau retreat this weekend, the public speaking coach mentioned that the way to get through the terror of public speaking (it is terrifying, for me anyway) is to have confidence. But confidence isn’t some vague emotion or cocky attitude; it is the belief that you will recover. This moment will pass and you’ll be fine. So just go for it.

• Own your story and your skills. Why are you here? What do you have to bring? Again, I don’t mean a vague idea or emotion; I mean why have you been hired, recruited, or contacted? Why do you continue to write, research, and create? Why this field instead of another? In other words, we have to be deliberate and thoughtful about what we offer to the world.

• Commit to excellence. Invest in yourself and being the best you can be. There is nothing wrong with taking a chance and going for big opportunities; there is something wrong with not using these opportunities to push yourself to grow. What conferences should you plan to attend this year? What books are on your reading list? What new challenges are you picking up at work? For me, knowing that I am getting better and am being deliberate about growing make me more comfortable trying new things.

• Be nice to yourself. Have you done this before: you’re getting praise and suddenly someone gives you negative feedback and you’re filled with doubt. I know have. Of course, critical feedback is healthy; but taking this feedback and making it useful does not mean your efforts and ideas are completely wrong. Cut yourself some slack.

• Brag occasionally. “You’re great. You just never tell anyone what you’re working on.” I heard this in elementary school, high school, college, and continue hearing it at work. I focus on the work and working well. But if I want people to cheerlead for me and support me, I have to tell them what I am doing! Sounds logical, but it’s so easy for me to put my head down and hope my work speaks for itself. Sometimes it does, but many times it doesn’t. So, if you’re like me, know it’s ok to brag a little!

Do you struggle with showing up and being a leader? 

Photo credit: Gerry Snaps, Creative Commons/Flickr

Five years ago, I was in Philadelphia, after deciding to spend Christmas with some friends instead of coming back to Brooklyn. While pacing back-and-forth in my room trying to think of a last-minute gift to buy, I decided to write to clear my head.

My old blogging site on Yahoo!360 was about to shut down so I needed to find a new space to write. I have always loved blogging and always saw it as an inherently revolutionary and community-building tool. So I signed up on WordPress and penned this piece outlining why blogging is so important to me:

With my other blogging site on the verge of shutting down, I have come across many people who wonder what the big deal is; after all, it’s just the internet, aint it?

Well, quite frankly, I am an avid believer in the internet, blogging, and the power the two have had and continue to have on relationships, politics, and identity.

I became aware of the power of blogging when Hurricane Katrina hit. Local newspapers were wiped out and national papers had difficulty getting in. However, regular people with friends, family, or they themselves who lost everything in the floods got on the internet and told their stories. They were not hindered by stringent standards of journalism, political allies, or profit: they were motivated by pain and a desire to share their stories. I remember reading some one’s blog who managed to post pictures of their house after the hurricane; or someone who described the pain he felt when they realized their parents were gone. Emotional relief through blogging need not wait for financial resources. All you need is the internet…

I see students who couldn’t care less for writing an essay suddenly have no problem writing about unfair teachers, painful homes and neighborhoods, first loves, lost loves, and other sentimental emotions in a passionate way. Blogs allow them the space to vent and reach out while simultaneously reading and writing more. Students won’t buy a newspaper but they will read an article online which often has a forum attached for questions and a space for people to blog and add more commentary.

And so, on December 23rd, 2007, this blog was born.

Reflections on five years

My earlier posts are much more personal and, to be honest, kinda terrible. Some of them make me cringe. But in flipping through them, I can’t believe how much has changed, personally and professionally.  My blog has gone from “oh shit, is this life?” to “ok, I think I get this work thing” to “wow, this blogging stuff is pretty powerful” and now to “I am so grateful – let me share what I know and please, share with me.” And this year has been my best so far.

• I started a new job at Idealist.org, managing their social media and blog. The ability to combine my passion (connecting people to the resources they need to make a difference in their communities) with my talents (writing and communications) at a kick-ass innovative organization is truly a blessing.
• I started blogging for the Huffington Post. When you are asked to write for a major website, you begin to think more clearly. What message do I want to send about myself, my work, and my topic? How can I leverage this for more writing opportunities? Should I spruce up my blog for new visitors? It was a tremendous opportunity to connect with new people and work with greater clarity.
• I spoke at Net Impact. This was my first time being in a business-oriented space and hearing about the intersection of business and doing good. It was electrifying. People presented big ideas, shared successes and failures, asked challenging questions, and had a hunger for excellence and change. I left feeling even more committed to the work I do.
• I learned more about you.  This summer I did a survey and I am SO glad I did: the diversity of readers here is refreshing yet presents a fun challenge for me as a writer: finding the sweet spot where I write about what I know/love while ensuring it is valuable to you.
• I impressed my boyfriend. Random, I know, since I rarely blog about my personal life anymore but I found his response endearing. Because my topic is so niche, most men don’t have any interest past “Oh, so are you gonna blog about me?”  Yet my boyfriend was interested and loved what I wrote about. And so were his friends and family. Yikes.

So, what’s next?

Although five years flew by, now feels like a good time to take a break. I’m not walking away from blogging, rather, I am taking some time to figure out the direction of this blog. I love blogging waaaaaaay too much to give it up, but I’d like to focus on tightening my writing, being more helpful, and meeting more people. Let’s call it a sabbatical. How long? I’m still chewing on that one.

Let’s keep in touch

In the meantime, connect with me on Twitter and Facebook. And feel free to shoot me a message.

Happy holidays, happy new year, and thank you!