As I’ve been traveling across the country today, I realized that I haven’t been sharing as much as I would like about my upcoming speaking engagements, so I thought I’d list where I’ve been this winter and what’s coming up for me this spring.

My hope is that this listing of the types of organizations I work with and topics I cover will give you an idea of how I might work with YOU, especially if you’re in the midst of planning a conference, retreat, or meeting on leadership, nonprofits or social media. As always, I’d love to connect with you or your organization while I’m in town if we can make it happen. Feel free to contact me here.

January 24, 2012: Invited Speaker, National Human Services Assembly Field Services Council, DC. ”Developing the Next Generation Network: How to Develop and Retain Next Gen Professionals in the Field”

February 2, 2012: Speaker, Association of Fundraising Professionals Yosemite Chapter, Modesto, California. ”New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”

February 9, 2012: Speaker, Princeton AlumniCorps Emerging Leaders Program, DC. “Demystifying Diversity in the Nonprofit Sector”

February 13, 2012: Panelist, Council on Foundations 2012 Family Philanthropy Conference, Miami. “Tools of Engagement: Family Dynamics and Social Networking”

February 16, 2012:  Speaker, First Leadership Institute for Women hosted by Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MSCASA), Biloxi. “Defining Your Own Leadership: How to Develop a Personal Mission Statement”

March 13, 2012: Keynote Speaker, Taste of Philanthropy Conference hosted by Women in Philanthropy of Western Massachusetts (WiP). “New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”

April 4, 2012: Speaker, ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Women’s Executive Forum, DC. “Six Ways to Rock Your Association Career”

May 4, 2012: Speaker, American Academy of Family Physicians’ Annual Leadership Forum, Kansas City, Missouri. ”Cultivating Leadership Across Generations”

How We Can Work Together

Invite Me to Speak at Your Next Conference or Event

Wanna learn more about my speaking and training? Click here to learn more about my speaking topics, fees and previous clients. My goal as a speaker is to spark real conversations around today’s most important leadership and organizational issues and empower attendees to make positive changes in their work and life. I have worked successfully with young professionals groups, associations, nonprofit organizations, fellowship programs, universities, foundations, libraries and chambers of commerce. Contact me here with more information about your event.

Piggyback on a Pre-Scheduled Event

If you have ideas for piggybacking on when I’m already in your town for an event or meetup for your organization, staff or young professionals group, contact me ASAP since my travel planning tends to move fast! If there are opportunities to work together, I would like to add it to my itinerary sooner than later. Feel free to contact me here.

Earlier this week, I gave a presentation for the National Human Services Assembly’s Field Services Council about how to develop a new generation of nonprofit leaders. We talked about some of the new research about what Generation X and Y nonprofit professionals need as well as ideas for how managers, organizations and associations might experiment with different strategies.

What I wanted to share here today is part of the conversation we had about the language we use in nonprofit leadership development as it relates to young people in the sector.

Develop vs. Support

The conventional wisdom in nonprofit leadership development is inherent in the term itself. It can be seen as the idea that nonprofit professionals need to be “developed” from what they are to what they should be. Like tadpoles. Or, it could be interpreted as a continuum of support systems that are required for professionals to reach their full potential in life and work.

I like the latter much better.

That’s why I wonder if now is the time to explore using the term ‘support’ more than we say ‘develop.’ When organizations hear that they need to develop their younger staff, they often go immediately into, “Oh, we don’t have money to develop our staff. It’s expensive to send them off to training or conferences.”

Sure, it is. But there are so many other ways to support young nonprofit professionals that cost little to no money. And the problem is that these opportunities are being grossly underutilized. Maybe because the language we’re using sounds a bit daunting for the average organization.

In contrast, the word support can refer to a wide range of activities from something as simple as saying YES when a young staff member asks to sit in on an important board meeting to giving permission for a group of interns to attend a free nonprofit panel discussion during the day.

Next vs. Now

Another thing we discussed was the language we use when we talk about younger nonprofit leaders. Whenever organizations talk about under-40 professionals, they tend to use the problematic term “next generation” or the more hip “next gen.” While it’s extremely important for groups to have programs geared toward this age demographic in the sector, the term implies that these young people will ONLY become leaders once they get older, over 40. Beyond that, it’s not clear who or what determines when (or if) a “next gen” professional actually transitions into a NOW generation leader.

See the problem here? The very programs that seek to help young nonprofit professionals can, by their very name, defer – or worse – belittle, the leadership they are already exhibiting within their communities, day after day.

In a previous post, I’ve written about The Normative Problem with the Term ‘Next Generation’ Leaders. I invite you to read it and then consider whether that term is really appropriate or useful for the field of nonprofit leadership development and where it needs to go.

My hope is that in 2012, we start thinking beyond who’s “next” and focus on who’s “now,” standing right in front of us with the courage and capacity to lead in a bigger way.

What do you think about the language we use in the field of nonprofit leadership development? What else, if anything, needs to change?

I’m excited to share that applications are now open for the 2012 ProInspire Fellowship! ProInspire is a program founded by the fabulous Monisha Kapila for outstanding young business professionals who want to have a life changing experience – spending one year using their skills working for a leading nonprofit. I have worked with Monisha in the past and had a chance to meet and speak to some of the amazing Fellows that were chosen for a previous class. This year, they will have TWO classes of Fellows in Washington D.C. – Spring Fellows starting in April and Fall Fellows starting in August. If you apply and get accepted into the program, I know that it will be time well spent!

I’ve pasted more information below about the program. Please forward this post and spread the word to anyone who might be interested!

***

Now that you have your 2012 nonprofit career plan, you may have realized that it’s time to start looking for a new nonprofit job. If you’re planning to transition to a new position this year, it can be daunting to know where to start, especially if you’re coming from the corporate world or changing roles after a few years. Yes, the doom and gloom monsters are all over the place talking about how bad the economy and the job market is, but keep in mind that nonprofits are still hiring, even more than for-profits are. And there is still turnover in the sector – people leave jobs all the time to move on to something else. So your dream nonprofit job could be open right now!

Here are a few ideas for how you might go about launching a successful search if you’re seeking a nonprofit job right now or in the near future.

1. Get Clear on What You’re Good At

What unique value would you bring to the organizations you want to work for? Once you are clear on what your strengths are, the easier it is to sell yourself during the application and interview process. Here are some tools to use:

• VIA Character Strengths Assessment (it’s free to take the survey with email registration). It’s a long questionnaire (240 questions) but it will help clarify your top five signature strengths that you should be using in your work as much as possible.
• StrengthsFinder 2.0 is an assessment tool to that aims to uncover what your true talents are. I believe you have to buy the book to access the tool, but many nonprofit professionals I have worked with have found the process helpful.

2. Figure Out What Kind of Organization You Want to Work For

The key is to seek out organizations whose work you’re passionate about and whose mission aligns with your personal mission in life. That may mean sticking to particular causes that you have a personal interest in or a strong affinity with. Because when the going gets tough (and it will, believe me), the one thing that will save you from going completely bonkers is your connection to the work. Restrict your job search to work that matters to you. Your passion will shine through even before you get the position.

Start by making a list of organizations whose mission you can get behind. These can be groups you’ve collaborated or partnered with in your current or previous position, nonprofits your colleagues recommend or agencies you come across through an online search. Then, do your research. Are there similar organizations? What sets this one apart? How do people talk about the organization? What is the culture like?

Once you know what sort of organization you would like to work for, it becomes a different ball game in terms of positioning yourself for a place in that organization. You goal is to do what it takes to make yourself the inside candidate.

3. Update Your Resume

What jobs or volunteer roles have you held in the past year? Add your experiences as bullet points on your resume. Also list any leadership roles you’ve held as a board member or as part of a professional association. If you have a job now, be sure to add or revise your position description under your current job experience, especially if your responsibilities have changed. Did your job title change? Be sure to update that, too!

Just don’t make the mistake of simply listing everything you’ve ever done in your previous positions, all the way down to making copies as an intern and mopping the floors as a restaurant worker in college. You may think you have to fill in space on your resume if you don’t have much experience, but take comfort in the fact that it’s not so much about how many years of experience you’ve had, but what you’ve accomplished in each particular position you’ve held. Don’t focus on duties; focus on accomplishments instead.

4. Create a LinkedIn Profile

If you’re looking for a new job in the nonprofit world and you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a TON of openings, leads, connections and opportunities. It’s an easy way to get your name ranked favorably in Google search as well as an avenue to meet other nonprofit leaders in your community. LinkedIn is also great for getting the attention of hiring managers and headhunters as 86% of recruiters use social media to research applicants.

Once you join LinkedIn, be sure to fill in your profile completely with a picture, your resume and a brief bio. You want to let potential employers know who you are, what you’ve done and what you’re looking for as the next step in your career.

5. Always Carry Business Cards

Business cards are still the numero uno way of marketing yourself and exchanging information when you’re in an in-person networking situation. Especially if you’re currently unemployed, you want people to have a way to contact you if they come across any job leads. My favorite place for business cards is Vistaprint. I’ve used them for the past 10 years because of their low cost, easy-to-use website and quick delivery. And when I say low cost, I mean low cost. New customers get 250 premium quality, color business cards free! You just pay for shipping.  Click here to order yours. They also have a ton of professional business card templates, but I always keep mine very simple. Other people swear by MOO Business Cards. I’ve heard good things about people using them, especially their mini cards. And the people who love them really love them. They’re more expensive, but the designs they have are beautiful and more sophisticated than anything Vistaprint offers.

You never know when you’re going to be at a happy hour or conference and find yourself chatting up the CEO of a nonprofit you would die to work for. In the worst case scenario that you forget your cards, be sure to ask for THEIR business card so that you can follow-up. And, please DO follow-up within 24-48 hours, while the memory of your remarkable presence is still fresh in their minds.

6. Explicitly Ask Your Network for Leads

I’ve heard of people getting nonprofit jobs in all sorts of ways – through volunteering, attending events, their dad’s best friend on Facebook – the list goes on and on. But what many people don’t realize is the simple power of asking people you already know for help.

When I first came to DC as a recent college grad, I was desperately seeking a nonprofit job that paid enough so I didn’t have to live with a roommate. I sent emails to my family, friends, and professors asking them to help me if they could. In the process, I found out that one of my cousins worked for one of the largest nonprofit associations in the city (and just happened to have an Executive Assistant opening) and that one of my professors had a contact at the United Way, one of the places I wanted to work. You may find that you have dozens of “hidden” connections like this within your own “inner circle” of people that you know. The point is to open the doors of opportunity for yourself by letting people know you need help finding a nonprofit job. Especially if they already know you and what an amazing person you are, they will be more than happy to assist you in your search if they are able.

If you don’t want to announce to the whole world that you’re looking for a new gig, it’s best to contact a group of select colleagues via email. You should definitely use your work contacts (excluding your boss) as resources for your job search. Let them know that you’re exploring new career opportunities and you would love their help if they come across any positions that fit your expertise and interests. Be sure to also attach a copy of your resume so they can pass it along to folks who may be interested in hiring you. Your network can be your most powerful ally in job searching before you leave your current job.

7. Have Relevant Writing Samples Ready

You know the drill. Often when you’re applying to a nonprofit job, the organization will ask you to provide a writing sample as part of your application. Why do they want a sample of your writing? To ensure that you don’t write like an 8-year old and they can trust you to pump out basic correspondence on behalf of the organization. Nonprofits also like to see writing samples from applicants to see if shows that you’ve done anything remotely related to the job you’re applying for. How do you make yours stand out from the pack? Send a relevant writing sample, like a grant proposal you’ve written for another organization in the past, a newsletter you wrote and designed, or a planning document you developed.

Nonprofit hiring managers really do read the writing samples you send in with your applications. Believe me, I’ve read through hundreds of them over the years. Most of them are a waste of paper. Purely unremarkable. You have a great opportunity to make yours stand out from the rest. Think twice before you send in your senior thesis on the Armenian government as a writing sample. It’s much better to send something that’s more relevant to the job you’re applying for.

8. Volunteer with an Ulterior Motive

There is always a wonderfully rewarding feeling in giving your time and talents to a worthy cause. Feeding the homeless, tutoring children, or playing games with senior citizens can all give you a sense of community as well as help you grow as a person in the process. But if you’re actively seeking a new nonprofit job, it’s important that you use every chance you get to further your job search process. If you’re going to volunteer, try to choose opportunities that allow you to build your resume, make new contacts, or learn a new skill.

I mean, there’s only so much time in the day, so if you’re actively seeking a new nonprofit job, it’s important that you use every chance you get to further your job search process. If you’re going to volunteer, take on opportunities that allow you to build your resume by using your professional skills to help the organization instead of merely ladling soup into bowls for the homeless. You can even ask people in your network if they know of any nonprofits that could use a volunteer bookkeeper or someone to design their new brochure for free. 99% of the time, the answer will be an enthusiastic YES, and a win/win for both you and the organization. They get free labor and you get to put on your resume that you helped the nonprofit achieve XYZ outcome through volunteering your professional skills. Resume tip: call it “pro bono consulting.” Sounds fancier.

If you choose a volunteer position that allows you to lead in some capacity, it looks a lot better on your resume than simply “volunteered to clean the local dog park.” If your goal is to obtain a job in the environmental field, for instance, you want to show that you can play a leadership role in the organization if they decide to hire you. If you want to go ahead and clean up the dog park or the river, step up and be the one to be the organizer or rally other volunteers so you can state your accomplishments on your resume as “recruited 100 volunteers to clean the dog park, the largest turnout ever.” Much more impressive, yes?

9. Use Nonprofit Job Boards

Many nonprofits look to the Internet to help them attract candidates to open positions. Here are some of the best, tried-and-true online job boards that have been recommended by nonprofit jobseekers. Of course, if you run out of leads, here’s a list of 97 nonprofit job boards that you can use!

• Idealist.org
• Association of Fundraising Professionals Job Center
• Council on Foundations Career Center
• Chronicle of Philanthropy Jobs
• Craigslist Nonprofit Jobs Section
• ASAE Career Headquarters (association jobs)
• LinkedIn Jobs
• CareerBuilder
• Charity Village Career Centre (Canada)
• Opportunity Knocks
• Philanthropy News Digest Job Board

10. Connect with Nonprofit Search Firms

Additional Resources

Last week, Allison Jones and I hosted our first #ynpchat of the year on creating a 2012 nonprofit career plan. (For those who don’t know, #ynpchat is our monthly Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals. It happens every first Wednesday of the month from 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern time.) The questions we used to guide the discussion were adapted from my previous post: 15 Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Nonprofit Career. It was a great way to ring in the new year and a fabulous reminder that 2012 can be as amazing as we want it to be. I shared a few of my 2011 accomplishments and 2012 goals here and I wanted to be sure to offer the opportunity to those of you who are in planning mode for your own career right now. Here are a few guidelines for creating your 2012 nonprofit career plan.

Ask Good Questions

These are the exact questions we asked during the chat: 5 Questions to Help You Create Your 2012 Nonprofit Career Plan. Feel free to use them to guide your thinking about what you want your nonprofit career to look like this year (or come up with your own questions!). Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Most importantly, who do you want to be?

Create a Portfolio of Accomplishments

One of the questions we asked was about looking back on what you did in 2011. This exercise is always helpful because most nonprofit professionals are not sitting at their desks patting themselves on the back most of the time. They are out in the community doing the work! Unfortunately, by the end of the year, it can be tough to articulate exactly what you were able to accomplish with your hard work. This is where creating a portfolio can come in handy, as Allison suggested. How? You can do this in a simple Word or Google document with bullet points by month or quarter. Or, if you start a nonprofit blog, you can create a page to post links to all the projects, reports and programs you’ve worked on or contributed to throughout the year.

Identify Opportunities for Growth

Now that you know what you want to see for yourself in the coming year, it’s time to seek out ways you can make those things happen. If you want to build your nonprofit network, for instance, are there specific conferences or events you want attend during the year? Certain people you want to meet for lunch? If you want to find a mentor this year, who can you ask to support you in your leadership journey? If you want to learn how to become a better manager, what are some stretch assignments you can take on in the next 12 months? 2012 is not the time to wait for opportunities to come to you. Make your own.

Commit to Taking Action

Give yourself a deadline for when you want to achieve certain milestones throughout the year. What do you want to make progress on first? Where do you want to be in the next 30 days? The next three months? Write all your goals down and set dates on your calendar now for tasks, meetings and events you don’t want to forget about later. If you’re looking for a new nonprofit job, set a measurable goal for how many applications you want to submit or informational interviews you want to conduct by the end of the month.

Honor Your Values

Whatever you do, don’t set ANY goals for your nonprofit career in 2012 if they don’t fit with who you really are or who you want to be. Sometimes what your boss wants from you is not in alignment with the path you truly want to follow for your life and work. Also remember that taking on more commitments at work can mean less time or energy to focus on your commitments at home. Be honest with yourself and honor your values. It’s better for everyone that way.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as I explore other ideas for taking action on your 2012 nonprofit career plan!

If you would like to talk through these questions and strategies with a coach, I am now offering 30-minute introductory career coaching sessions that you can book here.