Learning never ends

I have long given up on chastising myself for not keeping up on every new development in the world of philanthropy. Face it-it’s impossible for the even the most passionate and devoted among us.  Pile on a full-time job and graduate school and that’s a recipe for an ulcer.  So I decided I must be more strategic about the process.  As any good student, I subscribe to the usual suspects (Chronicle of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Quarterly) which are great because I don’t feel guilty if it takes awhile to get through the issues. Of course, foundations websites are always good as well for keeping current on what other funders are doing.

But what I discovered (and try to indulge in every chance I get) are professional development opportunities that land in my lap.  I am fortunate in that being on staff at a foundation I have access to workshops, conferences and webinars I would not be able to access otherwise.  Attention to all interns out there: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE.  More often than not your foundation is a member of several organizations or has access to them via their foundation status.  As a staff member these can be free and you can get on mailing lists which keeps you connected to the field.  Not to mention the workshops and conferences can offer a great networking opportunity.  I have taken part in countless workshops at our local Donors Forum on several topics including “New Grant makers Peer Network” and “Funding LGBT Issues.”  In my first cycle, my Executive Director registered me for a 2-day Affordable Housing Conference (based locally) which truly opened up my eyes to the decades-long housing and discrimination issues this country has experienced.

Webinars are another option to take advantage of because they don’t require any travel, you can listen during your lunch hour and if you miss the actual date of the event, you can usually access the archived transcript.  Several think tanks and research centers offer these.  I’ve been able to register or access forums offered by Chapin Hall (University of Chicago) and Grant makers for Children, Youth and Families.  I wish I had the time to be a part of more sessions but my schedule doesn’t allow for that.  I try to focus on areas that I am passionate about and which my foundation is a stakeholder.  Opening myself up to these opportunities to learn and engage in issues I don’t have a lot of knowledge in allows me to be more effective at my job.  It also shows your boss how seriously you take your position.  And this should be rule number one for any intern. 

Paulette Pierre is a Program Officer intern at The Field Foundation of Illinois.  She has a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Philanthropy from Loyola University and is currently pursuing her MA in Interdisciplinary Studies at DePaul University.

Old Foundation, New Tricks

My foundation is a 35-year old, multi-billion dollar health funding behemoth that can sometimes be slow to change.  But thanks to the enthusiasm of an executive vice-president who's a fan of technology, we are embracing web 2.0 and exploring ways to incorporate it into our grantmaking.  One of the first steps was to start a blog (http://rwjfblogs.typepad.com/); most recently we started Twittering.  You can follow RWJF through Twitter and recieve its regular tweets on the latest publications, research and foundation news. When this was first announced I was kinda surprised...well, shocked.  Hearing that a foundation this old (in foundation years) was twittering was like hearing that my grandmother had started a My Space page.  But it's exciting news too.  So now I suppose I should join the bandwagon and give Twitter a serious look-see. 

I'm younger than the foundation but can be a little slow to embrace the newest technological trend.  I bought my first iPod in 2006.  I started my Facebook page 2 years ago but refuse to join My Space.  My first reaction to Twitter was "I don't want to know what people are doing every minute of the day".  But the more I read about Twitter's potential as a powerful tool to stay informed, the more curious I've become.  I need help, though.  Send me the philanthropy, health and/or news tweets that you follow so I'm not sifting through what I'm sure are thousands (millions?) of "twitterers" posting notices each day.

Looking for bloggers at COF Conference

New Voices of Philanthropy and Emerging Practitioner’s in Philanthropy’s blog EPIPhanies will be providing coverage of the COF Conference in Atlanta from the perspective of next generation leaders. I am looking for additional writers. You can write about the sessions that you attend, themes you have been seeing at the conference or your overall thoughts but we are really looking for a variety of perspectives of the conference. Blogging at the conference is a great way to give back to the field and is a fabulous way for you to raise your visibility as an up and coming leader. The team is filling up quickly so contact me at tristaharris (at) gmail (dot) com if you are interested.

Do you have a story to tell?

I am writing a book about getting ready for the career of your dreams. I believe that you don't get to the corner office by hoping and wishing, you need to train for it, just like an Olympic athlete trains for their dream. Ok, Maybe not JUST like an Olympic athlete. The nonprofit sector requires far fewer sit ups (thank goodness). I know each of you has had an interesting journey to where you are now in your career and I would like to include some of those stories in my book. I am looking for 200-300 word stories on: An example of an internship that you did that changed the course of your career or prepared you for a big leap in responsibilities.

Specific tools or techniques that you used to build your network and how that network has helped you find a new position or do a better job in your current position.

An example of a stretch assignment that you have taken on at work and how it helped you learn a new skills that made you more marketable.

How you decided to attend graduate school or got certification of some type and how that prepared you for a promotion.

Examples of how you manage your home life so you are able to handle more responsibility at work.

If you have a story to share email it to me at TristaHarris at gmail dot com. Include your full name and job title if you would like it included, you can also contribute your story anonymously (just note that in your email.

Specialist or Generalist

Which would you rather be: A mile wide and a foot deep or a foot wide and a mile deep?  Put another way, would you rather possess a breadth of knowledge across content areas or a depth of knowledge in a particular field?  A friend posed this question to me not long ago as I embarked on my philanthropic career path.  At the time I was wavering between whether it made more sense to specialize in a certain content area (economic development or arts and culture, for example) to perhaps make myself more marketable to a foundation or remain open to gaining knowledge in all of the social areas foundations fund. My decision could dictate my course of study going forward.

Perhaps my dilemma is emblematic of what we as a society are going through domestically and globally.  I can see the pros and cons of both sides.  With more interest in the “greening” of everything, the healthcare system being burdened over the next few decades and endemic diseases abroad and their global implications, large foundations with a heavy focus in these areas need experts who can step in and hit the ground running. This also applies to local foundations with a heavy focus on education, the arts or human services.  Bringing to the table a depth of knowledge and credentials as a former educator, an MFA graduate or even a licensed social worker, serves an individual well as a program officer.

But there is something to be said for being a generalist.  This suggests flexibility, adaptability and the willingness to learn a little about all social and community issues. In my current role, I am a generalist in that I have funded organizations which run the gamut of causes.  This has forced me to learn about each area that I fund.  Trust me, I have learned more about health issues, community organizing, arts education programs and social justice issues than I ever thought possible.  I am by no means an expert in any of these areas but by doing a little research and being exposed to these issues, I can now go into a site visit armed with information. This knowledge allows me to frame the questions to that particular grantee and sound intelligent doing so.

I must admit I enjoy being a generalist because my goal is to move into corporate philanthropy.  In this context, corporate giving programs cover many content areas. Remaining with my current public service and sociology course of study along with my year-long program officer experience will be more useful to my end goal.  I would hope having knowledge and exposure to myriad social issues would make me a more effective and valuable asset to any company. 

If you are a program officer or even a grantee, which do you think is better? I would be interested in hearing other points of view.

Paulette Pierre is a Program Officer intern at The Field Foundation of Illinois.  She has a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Philanthropy from Loyola University and is currently pursuing her MA in Interdisciplinary Studies at DePaul University.