Fab 5 for me, Fab 5 for you

When I first started in philanthropy I had a great professional network that I could rely on for advice and connections but felt like I was really missing the emotional support that I needed to move on to the next phase of my career. I had great friends, but they didn’t really want to talk about work stuff. I had coffee with a colleague who was expressing the same frustration, so we decided to start an informal coaching group of young female professionals, who were ready to move to the next phase of leadership and would benefit from a community of support.

We called our group the “Fab 5.” The five women were from academia, philanthropy, social enterprise, and business. Their diversity of experiences and perspectives lead to rich conversations and new connections during our monthly meetings. Each meeting is hosted by one of the members on a rotating basis and includes a time for check-in around a guiding question like “how to balance work and home” or “finding volunteer opportunities that sustain you” or “managing up.” Each of these women is an important mentor in my life.

An exciting development in my journey with the Fab 5, is seeing the model be replicated all over the country by people that were inspired by it when they read “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar”. I was so surprised when I heard someone talk about her “Fab 5” group, so I said “Hey, I have a Fab 5 group too!” She said “I know I got the idea from you when I read the book.” Whoops.  I’m amazed that our little group is useful for people all over that are trying to take their careers to the next level.

What have you tried to get the encouragement you need to strengthen your career?

Nonprofit Rockstar's 1st anniversary means a big present for you!

One year ago this week, Rosetta Thurman and I released the book "How to Become  Nonprofit Rockstar". I don't think either of us could imagine the sort of reception that the book has received. We have heard from readers as far away as Tanzania,  where the President of a Civil Society Foundation in Dar es Salaam has gotten two copies so far because her last signed copy was borrowed and not returned.  The nearest reader has been someone that lives about 10 feet away from me. My 12 year old daughter read a copy of the book and when I took an especially cute photo of her in footie pajamas and said that I was going to post it on my Facebook page, she said I was hurting her personal brand.

I've been especially grateful for the many readers that have tweeted about the book, participated in our leadership intensive, and have worked like heck to get me and Rosetta to your towns as part of the Nonprofit Rockstar Tour. During the tour, I've gotten to visit 6 of the 11 EPIP Chapters across the country and have been so impressed with the expertise and leadership young people are bringing to the social sector. Publicizing this book has been a completely grassroots effort and without your assistance we couldn't have spread this message across the country. Since each of you has done so much to spread the word about the book, we decided the 1st anniversary was a great time to express our gratitude.

For one week only (October 31st to November 6th), we are giving you a free electronic copy of "How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar" ($24.99 value), when you click on the pay with a tweet button below. You will receive a complete PDF of the book, when you send a tweet or Facebook post about the book using the link below.

Professional Development is for Nonprofit Job Seekers Too

*Image from the amazing Northern Sun catalog

To put it mildly, this economy stinks. Many recent college grads or long-term nonprofit professionals are looking for work. From organizational downsizing, to cuts in grant funding, to hiring freezes, it is tough to get your foot in the door in any field. It's even hard when you are trying to do good for a living. Here are some tips to shorten your job search:

• Have fresh eyes look at your resume- If you have sent your resume to 40 organizations and aren't getting an interview, it's time to have someone else take a look. Possiblities are friends, mentors, or organizations that have employment counselors can all be helpful.You want to put your expertise in the best possible light and often help is needed to do this.
• Make a social media splash- It is critical to have an updated social media presence during your job search because possible employers will be Googling you. Setting up a LinkedIn profile is critical and cleaning up any questionable Facebook content helps too.
• Drink a lot of coffee- Informational interviews are critical where you are conducting a job search. Do research on your "dream" organizations and set up coffee with their Executive Director or someone who is doing a job you would like to do. Spend 80% of the time listening and 20% asking questions and sharing your background. Learn about the organization and ask who else you should talk to in their network. Leave them with a copy of your resume and a good impression of you. 
• Build your skills- During your job search volunteer to build your skill base. If you want to be an event coordinator for that great mentoring program, volunteer to help them plan their next big event. You'll sharpen your skillset and build new relationships.
• Get a side hustle- Having an extra way to earn income is critical while your are working full time and especially when you are looking for work. Side hustles allow you to strengthen a skill set (contract grantwriting) or explore another side of yourself (yoga class anyone?), while you are bringing in extra financial resources. Other places where you can identify some side work are www.elance.com or through our network.

What other advice would you give to nonprofit job seekers?

Sponsors are the new mentor

I've been preaching for a long time that having a mentor isn't enough to get you big dog status. The Washington Post has a great article that drives that point home. From the Washington Post: Much ado has been made recently about the importance of sponsors, versus mentors, in the career advancement of women. Just this summer, Catalyst released a study, Sponsoring Women to Success , pointing to the fact that sponsorship may in fact be the single most critical strategy for accelerating a woman’s career.

So just what is the difference between a mentor and sponsor? Think of mentors as the friendly guides who dispense helpful information, offering up input and advice to mentees. Sponsors, on the other hand, are defined by their organizational clout and ability to open doors; they will personally advocate for a cause, project or promotion on a protégé’s behalf.

Women, it’s time to get a sponsor.

What may in effect sound like a slight distinction actually has major implications. Research substantiates that women tend to lag behind men when it comes to promotions, even when women have mentors. Yet when women’s mentors are high ranking—that is to say, when they fall into the ‘sponsor’ category—women are just as likely as men to get promoted. As the Catalyst study authors note, a sponsor “can propel a protégé to the top of a list or pile of candidates or even eliminate the list itself.”

Read the rest here.

Getting it together

My life has taken a big turn from worklife balance to crazy tightrope of life. As always Rosetta Thurman has been able to put this feeling together in a beautiful blog post about how to start getting it back together. From Rosetta:

I probably don’t have to tell you just how many things are vying for our attention these days. Well, maybe I do. I have a point to make here. We’ve all got so much to do all the time that it seems to be getting harder to concentrate fully on everything we have to do in the first place. Couple that with technology and you have all the possibility that more opportunities, more networking, and more connections bring.  Alas, they also bring the little things.

You know, the little things that run counter to that “balanced life” we all seem to want to lead. Little things like email (we all get way too much), social media (it’s great, but who can really keep up with 12,000 people on Twitter?), long to-do lists at work and at home (where not much ever seems to really get “crossed off”), tedious meetings and conference calls (many of which seem unnecessary). All these little things add up to one big thing.

I’ve been putting off hiring another assistant ever since business slowed down for me late last year. But then what happens? All spring, all summer and now fall, my speaking and coaching schedule is heating up, and things are moving faster than I can keep up with them. I’m like the little tortoise trying to enjoy the race and the hare is just whizzing by, running around me in circles, taunting me with a full inbox, piled up voicemails and the red glare of unread Facebook updates.

Thing is, I suspect that I’m not alone. Everyone in my circle always seems so damn busy. (Or maybe I just need a new circle?) With the pace of technology, many of us seem to have gone way beyond that magic 150 number of people we can sanely keep track of in our mental rolodex.

Read the rest here.