The Future Of Volunteerism And National Service

Cross-Posted From The NonProfit Times Blog

As you are probably aware, the Dec. 1 issue of The NonProfit Times was just released the other day.  Included in that issue was a special report entitled "2012: The End Of The World Or Nonprofit Renaissance?"  This report features six columns by major nonprofit personalities like Adrian Sargeant of the Center on Philanthropy and Ben Duda of AmeriCorps Alums. 

Duda, who works as executive director at the organization, wrote a piece about national service and volunteerism.  And sticking with the end of the world theme, he discussed what place they have in America in the future.  He argues that they will endure as long as citizens demand that they do.

AmeriCorps was kind enough to blog about the piece he wrote for us, which we are very grateful for.  You can read the entire article in his blog post, but here's an excerpt from it to whet your appetite:

I’m not buying the “end-of-days” hype. I’m fully confident the Mayan Calendar will join the list of dubious doom predictions, alongside Harold Camping’s end of the world timing in 1994 or May 21, 2011, no, wait, Oct. 21, 2011, the hysteria of the Y2K computer failures, and those classic National Enquirer cover stories from the supermarket checkout line. But since we’re talking predictions, here’s where I think we’re going as a sector and as a country.

There’s a new wave of critics on the value of national service, as the (Mayan) calendar turns to 2012, with some in the House of Representatives advancing a zero budget going forward for AmeriCorps. That is not a very good idea. Its not very good for our country, especially for a generation of young Americans who want to serve their nation, and who will one day lead this country.

Is it the end of the world? No, although it certainly feels like a re-run of a bad sitcom. National service will endure and we’ll be thankful it does as a generation of nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and entrepreneurs ascend with a common career arc that is rooted in volunteerism and defined by national service.

More than 700,000 Americans have served in AmeriCorps since 1994. For 1,700 hours in service to the country this year, a member gets $5,550 toward loan repayment or future education. That’s a good investment in our future workforce and future leaders. Best of all, it represents a $2.01 return in essential services for every federal dollar, nearly unmatched when analyzing government spending.

Nonprofit Job Titles

It always helps to know what you want.  This is especially true when looking for a job.  Before you start your job search, you should have a good idea of the kind of work you want to do.  There are countless positions in the nonprofit sector.  Knowing the various nonprofit job titles, and the roles they play, is a good first step to landing a quality job.

Let's get one thing clear: It's going to be next to impossible to memorize the descriptions for every job title you are interested in.  That's why you need to narrow it down to the possibilities that make the most sense for you.  You may be interested in a fundraising job, but it's highly unlikely you will land a high level position in that line of work if you are just graduating college.  What title would you hunt for this kind of position?  Here are some examples:

• Major Gifts Officer-Will identify and cultivate major gift opportunities.  Often times will be responsible for writing donor briefings, special correspondence, and proposals.
• Planned Giving Officer: This position is responsible for designing and implementing fundraising programs for planned giving.  They will also be in charge of handling deferred and insurance gifts.

Typically, any fundraising title below "director" is considered entry level.  You can do a Google search for "nonprofit job titles" to discover even more positions.  If you want to know even more about these jobs, such as how much they pay, I would recommend taking a look at The NonProfit Times' Salary and Benefits Report.

Facts About Fundraising Staff

Cross-Posted From The Nonprofit Jobseeker

Staff turnover is a fact of life for any nonprofit manager. A very costly fact of life. This is even more of an issue when it comes to fundraising staff. Not only is the work they do very valuable, but finding a replacement can be very difficult and expensive. And to add insult to injury, the time spent finding a replacement can be a prime period for fundraising opportunities. That's why it's so important to improve the retention of your fundraisers.

The NonProfit Times attended this year's Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International Conference on Fundraising where Penelope Burk, president of Cygnus Applied Research, Inc., spoke on the topic of staff turnover. She said the key to retaining great fundraisers lies in knowing more about them. She shared some facts gathered through a survey of fundraising employees of nonprofits:

• Why they chose a fundraising career. Most fundraisers entered the profession “accidentally” (i.e., through other work they were hired to do), rather than intentionally. Some take an opportunistic view, coming into the field as leverage to other jobs in the sector.
• The profile of a loyal fundraiser (one who intends to stay). Key characteristics include a belief in the mission, having personal/family needs accommodated, being included/respected as an active participant in planning, creative discussion, working with a team.
• Why fundraisers left their last position. Salary or increase in salary is always the primary reason why fundraisers left their last jobs or intend to leave the current one. Flexibility on salary plus offering benefits that fit the times is a first practical step to lengthening their tenure.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 11/28/2011

Hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  I certainly did (though I hate much less than I thought I would).  Now that the holiday is over, it's time to get back to the job search.  Hopefully you've already found some good nonprofit jobs to apply to.  If not, here are some, directly from our career center:

• Placement Specialist: This position, at Cultural Vistas, is located in Columbia, MD.  It's a part-time/entry level position, making it ideal for individuals just graduating college.  Among the accepted candidate's responsibilities are generating new leads for internship placement services using internet market research, managing a database of employers, and providing weekly status reports.  You should be willing to seek out educational workshops or other activities to develop your knowledge of of cultural exchange and administration.
• Sr. Manager, Development Operations: Are you an expert in development with a strong passion for animals?  Then this position is right for you.  This job is for Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, UT.  This is a full-time job and the ideal candidate will have an extensive background in development, including an advanced knowledge of fundraising and grant seeking processes, procedures, and requirements.  This is NOT a position for someone just starting out in fundraising.
• Medical Education Project Manager: The American Pharmacists Association in Washington, DC has an immediate need for a senior project manager.  To qualify for this position, you must have 4-6 years of experience in healthcare education.  In addition, you must have significant experience with online education.  Any accreditation experience is a plus.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: Thanksgiving Edition

Happy pre-Thanksgiving!  Hope that everybody has a great dinner.  We will be back next week with new posts on nonprofit jobs.  Until then, here are a couple of jobs to apply to before the festivities begin:

• Social Worker/Bereavement Coordinator: Under the supervision of the Clinical Supervisor, the Bereavement Services Coordinator provides counseling and support to individuals, couples, families affected by loss of a loved-one. Conducts a biopsychosocial evaluation of the client, formulates a treatment plan and enlists the client's participation in the planning of treatment goals consistent with the client's needs and capacity.
• Grant Development Specialist: WestCare Foundation seeks full time Grant Writer and Development Specialist. Person in this position is responsible for developing, preparing and submitting local, county, state, federal and private grants related to WestCare, a national behavioral health care organization, and all related entities. Person in this position will also perform written special projects as needed. Essential job functions include; research, grant development, proposal writing and grant team coordination; submission and compilation of grant proposals.

Writing A Nonprofit Resume

Nonprofits and for-profits seem like they couldn't be more different.  In reality, they are more similar than you think.  The current trend in the sector is for organizations to be run more like a traditional business.  That's why you are seeing more colleges offer degrees in nonprofit management. 

Differences do still remain, especially when it comes to the hiring process.  This is clearly illustrated when it comes to resume writing.  Although the basic idea is the same, nonprofits will be looking for slightly different attributes than a for-profit company.  If you really want to catch the eye of your favorite organization, you are going to need to know how to write the ideal nonprofit resume.

• If you have previously worked in the for-profit sector, make sure you identify how your skills in that field can be adapted to the nonprofit world.  A great example of this can be found in this sample resume posted by Bridgestar.  Notice how the applicant emphasizes skills like marketing, management, and leadership?  These are all things that are useful for nonprofits.
• Also note that the above resume separates the applicants nonprofit experience from her for-profit work.
• Volunteer work is usually considered irrelevant when writing a resume for a standard corporation.  This is hardly the case for nonprofits.  If you have any experience volunteering, make sure you list it in your employment history.
• The above applies if you have ever served on a board or committee before.
• Make sure you remove any jargon that might be unfamiliar to those outside of the corporate bubble.  Your language should be professional, but you shouldn't use language that is only relevant to those in your previous field.  You will be dealing with many different backgrounds if you work in the nonprofit sector, so there is no need to try and impress people with your vocabulary.
• You should emphasize your ability to do many different jobs.  Though it's not always the case, most nonprofits will not fill their employees into specialized roles.  This is especially true the smaller the organization is.
• As I mentioned in the opening, you shouldn't hesitate to emphasize any business management experience you have. 

This might seem a little overwhelming, but you will soon find it's not a big deal to re-work your resume for the nonprofit sector.  They might be very different from for-profits, but they aren't so different that none of your previous skills won't be transferrable.

Nonprofit Career Round-Up: 11/22/2011

Here are today's top nonprofit jobs, including a new featured position:

• Director of Development (FEATURED JOB): Supervise and train all Development Department personnel. Plan and manage all fund-raising campaigns and activities. Develop calendar and action plans for individual/corporate giving, grants, membership, direct mail and special events. Be responsible for overseeing the organization’s website and social media campaigns. Be responsible for overseeing use of Raisers Edge fundraising database.
• Client Relations and Stewardship Manager: Uses judgment and acquired knowledge to determine appropriate action to take in response to all customer service requests related to subscriptions, donations and magazine distribution.  Manages the donor acknowledgement program, ensuring that all donors are properly acknowledged in a timely manner.  Manages the magazine’s relationship with several vendors and works within budgetary constraints to ensure that “thank you” gifts are ordered, packaged properly and distributed in a timely manner to donors.
• Managing Director: The Managing Director will lead the efforts and work for the west coast out of the San Francisco office. He/ She will drive presence in the Bay Area to increase the impact of this growing firm. In addition to managing client relationships, he/she will lead business development, marketing, and operations. The successful candidate will develop local office culture and oversee a group of talented advisers and staff committed to Arabella’s entrepreneurial management style.