Fundraising Staff's Diversity And Inclusion

Originally appeared in the NPT Instant Fundraising eNewsletter

By now the idea of diversity has become standard in many areas of American life, including the nonprofit sector. That’s a fine ideal, but just what is diversity?

During the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ international conference on fundraising, Beverly L. Herbert of the Association for Community Living in Springfield, Mass., and Alphonce J. Brown of Docere Consulting in Long Branch, Calif., looked at the AFP’s definition of diversity, but did so by bringing in another important concept: Inclusion.

According to the AFP, diversity and inclusion in fundraising seek to achieve a broad representation of experiences, perspectives and cultures to ensure that that the best possible thinking, ideas, opportunities and solutions are considered; intentionally create a respectful and welcoming environment that is open to all; and appreciate the unique contributions of every member of the community.

Herbert and Brown said that although many nonprofits are aware of demographic shifts, many still view minority groups as recipients of charitable benefits, rather than producers, contributors or donors.
To promote both diversity and inclusion in nonprofit organizations, they recommend the following:

• Recognize that differences can and should be embraced by the leadership.
• Look beyond the obvious.
• Seek others who are not represented in leadership’s immediate circle, i.e., individuals who have skills and experiences an organization lacks.
• When finding these individuals becomes difficult, cultivate new leaders.
• Talk about it. Reach out. Ask somebody.

4 Tips For Talent Management

The fast-paced world we live in has made it more important for nonprofits to manage human capital. Yet a new survey from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) seems to indicate that quite the opposite is happening.

The survey, distributed during the AICPA Not-for-Profit Industry Conference and titled “Talent Pipeline Draining Growth,” details how bad management can hurt a nonprofit in all facets of the organization. In addition, it offers four steps to reconnect human capital to the growth agenda. The steps are:

• Embed human capital strategy within the wider overall business strategy. Organizations need to develop relevant human capital metrics to support and implement the wider strategy.
• Focus on getting the right information and translating it into actionable insight. Human capital information needs to be credible and accurate.
• Leverage the relevant skill set to bring credibility to the data, insights and subsequent actions. Organizations must ensure there is clarity on responsibility, accountability and ownership for human capital performance management.
• Structure the organization to encourage collaboration and partnering. If necessary, restructure for closer collaboration at the executive and operational levels, especially partnering between finance and human resources.

4 Ways To Ease Job Interview Anxieties

Job interviews are one of those things that can strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest person. While it's normal to feel this type of anxiety, it's imperative to find ways to control your fears so you can make the best possible impression on the hiring manager.

There is no better way to calm your interview jitters than to prepare. While there are many different forms of preparation, you will find that the best thing for your nerves is to roleplay with a friend or family member. This will allow you develop answers to typical interview questions and will make you feel more comfortable with the process.

Here are three other tips that will help you feel more relaxed and confident when the day of the interview arrives:

• Plan your day around the interview. There's no better way to raise your stress level than running late because you overbooked your day.
• Practice stress relieving exercises. While you are waiting in the receptionist's office for your name to be called, do some simple relaxation exercises, such as closing your eyes and paying attention to your breathing. These techniques are very good at lowering your stress levels.
• Prepare your own questions. Don't say "no" when the interviewer asks if you have any questions. This is a good opportunity for you to show that you have done your homework and are genuinely interested in the job. 

4 Job Interview Problems And Solutions

Originally Posted on the NPT Jobs Career Center

Here’s a nightmare scenario: You’ve done countless hours of preparation for your job interview, to the point where you are very confident about your chances. So naturally, you forget all of your talking points when it comes time to talk to the hiring manager.

This scenario is one that is all too common these days and it’s all the more frustrating because of all the preparation that job seekers do. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans can’t stop the simple fact that mistakes can happen. The key is to have a plan when disaster strikes so you can quickly recover without damaging your chances of getting the job. Below are four of the most common interview disasters along with solutions on how to recover from them:

Problem: Whether it’s because you overslept or misread the train schedules, you’re running late for the interview.
Solution: Call the office once you have determined you are going to be late and let them know when they can expect you to arrive.

Problem: You forgot to bring copies of your resume and/or portfolio.
Solution: Make sure to have a copy somewhere online, whether it’s in your e-mail or on your LinkedIn profile, that you can print out when you get to the interview.

Problem: Something happens to your suit/dress on the way to the interview, making it look far less nice than it did before.
Solution: This is one of the worst-case scenarios simply because there’s not much you can do other than replacing the damaged part of your outfit. The best course of action is to continue as planned to the interview and explaining what happened to the hiring manager.

Problem: In your anxiety, you forget the name of the interviewer.

Solution: Assuming you don’t see a nameplate on his desk, you should find a good time to ask for a business card. That will refresh your memory when it comes time to write a follow-up note.

4 Things Nonprofit Managers Need To Do After A Hire

Congratulations, your nonprofit finally hired a qualified candidate to fill a long-vacant position. Your work is done now, right? Not so, said Mendal Bouknight, president of the Piedmont Healthcare Foundation.

Speaking at the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy’s annual international conference in Atlanta, Ga., Bouknight explained that a nonprofit manager's work is far from complete even after a new employee is bought on board. A good employee is someone who is constantly motivated to do the best job possible so managers should constantly be thinking of new motivational and support techniques.

Bouknight described some of the things to think about as a manager or leader within your organization to motivate and retain employees:

• Intentionally focus on the team and the individual;
• Begin every day by thinking about your team and what you are going to do to support them;
• Select the right people: those who are talented, fit with the culture, bring value to the team, are smarter than you, and like what they do; and,
• Actively listen to your team.

Can You Be A Five-Tool Fundraiser?

If you are a fan of baseball, you've probably heard fans and professionals alike raving about so-called "five-tool players." These are the rare individuals who can play every aspect of the game at a high level.

Nonprofits would do anything to hire an employee -- especially a fundraiser -- who could do everything at an elite level. There are a lot of talented nonprofit professionals looking for jobs, but asking one person to do it all is asking too much.

That's why organizations are focusing more on the team concept.

During the AFP 50^th International Conference on Fundraising, Chris Looney, Jim Looney and Claudia Looney of CCS Fundraising introduced the concept of the Five Tool Fundraiser, not one person but a team that coheres to provide the tools necessary for successful fundraising.

Those tools are:

• Effective Solicitor. This person is mission driven and passionate, with strong institutional knowledge and fundraising DNA.
• Effective Manager of CEO and Executive Team. This is a teacher and mentor, a senior member of the leadership team who develops tools and resources.
• Effective Staff Manager. This person hires the best, minimizes turnover and is driven to help staff succeed.
• Effective Strategist. This individual is always looking ahead, takes the initiative, is a big-tenter and navigates around politics, keeping drama to a minimum.
• Effective Board/Volunteer Manager. This one gets the best from people who are committed to the mission.

Do you match any of these tools? Head to the NPT Jobs Career Center to start a Hall of Fame career as a fundraiser.

Wanted: Director Of Development

Are you looking for a fundraising job at a leading foundation in our nation's capital? Look no further than our latest featured nonprofit job.

The Army Distaff Foundation (ADF) is looking to hire a Director of Development to to report to and partner with The Army Distaff Foundation President & CEO, Board leadership and Fund Development Committee Chair on both short- and long-term strategies for The ADF to effectively broaden awareness and promote a spirit of giving.

Major responsibilities include:

• Assume overall responsibility for the Foundation and execute a focused plan for increasing philanthropy.
• Proactively manage all major/planned gift activity and oversee a diverse prospect pool of individual, business, and military related constituents.
• Serve as the liaison to the Board of Directors and Fund Development Committee by providing consistent knowledge transfer and reporting of fundraising activity.
• Participate in the development of new business initiatives by serving as a member of The ADF task force assigned with creatively and effectively expanding the organization’s charitable mission
• Promote the professional strengths and talents of the Foundation staff;  provide supervision to colleagues who are accountable for fundraising communications, annual giving, grant writing, event planning and database management. 

Qualified candidates will have a minimum of eight years of fundraising and major/planned gift experience, plus a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution (though a Master's degree and/or CFRE is preferred). Applicants should also have knowledge of the greater philanthropic military community and have expert experience with Microsoft Office products.

You can apply for this job by visiting the NPT Jobs Career Center.