Announcing the 2013 Nonprofit Rockstar Teleseminar Series

With 2013 in full swing, it’s time to get focused as we work toward our goals and aspirations, especially for career and leadership development! I’m honored that we continue to hear from nonprofit professionals around the country who consult our book How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate your Nonprofit Career, co-authored by Rosetta Thurman and I.

As the book has grown in popularity over the last two years, Rosetta and I have engaged with readers like you through book signings, speaking events, workshops and social media. This year, we’re launching the Nonprofit Rockstar Teleseminar Series, a new way to connect with our online community!

The 2013 Nonprofit Rockstar Teleseminar Series

Monthly Conversations about Nonprofit Leadership and Careers

This free, monthly teleseminar series will cover a variety of topics in nonprofit career and leadership development. Each session features experts who will be sharing their knowledge, ideas and experience to help you accelerate your career and enhance your leadership skills. For more information and a full schedule, visit nonprofitrockstar.com.

This teleseminar series is co-sponsored by Idealist, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)

Our 2013 Nonprofit Rockstar Teleseminar Series will be kicking off  this month on Wednesday, January 23 from 12:00-1:30pm EST(9:00am-10:30am PST). Registration is now open online. Organizing the series is Tiffany Rivera, the new Volunteer Intern at Thurman Consulting. Questions? Contact Tiffany at rivera.tiffany.n@gmail.com.

6 Ways to Rock Your Nonprofit Career in 2013

Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Time: 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST

Where: via teleconference, dial-in information will be provided upon registration

Click here to register for free >>>

Are you looking for ideas to advance your nonprofit career this year? If so, mark your calendar for the kickoff of The 2013 Nonprofit Rockstar Teleseminar Series! Join Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris, co-authors of How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career to learn six practical strategies to accelerate your nonprofit career based on concepts from their popular book.

About Rosetta Thurman

Rosetta Thurman is the President of Thurman Consulting, an education company that provides personal and professional development opportunities to empower a new generation of leaders to change the world. Rosetta is a nationally-recognized speaker and facilitator who has helped hundreds of nonprofit and association professionals improve the way they work, lead and live their lives. Her popular keynote speeches and workshops inspire audiences around the country to build meaningful careers, enhance their leadership skills and live with greater purpose. For more information, visit rosettathurman.com.

About Trista Harris

Trista Harris is nationally known as a passionate advocate for new leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. She is a leading voice for Generations X and Y and seeks to create professional development opportunities throughout the sector. She writes about generational change in the foundation field in her blog, New Voices of Philanthropy and is an international speaker on working across generations to create social change. In her professional life, Trista is the Executive Director of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice.  A native Minnesotan, Trista received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Howard University and her Master’s in Public Policy degree, with a focus on philanthropy and nonprofit effectiveness, from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. For more information, visit tristaharris.org.

About Idealist

Idealist was launched in 1995, on a shoestring budget but with an ambitious goal: to be the starting place for anyone, anywhere who wants to make the world a better place. Today, Idealist is the most popular online resource for the nonprofit sector, with jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities provided by over 70,000 organizations around the world and 100,000 unique visitors every day. For more information, visit idealist.org.

About the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN)

The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) promotes an efficient, viable, and inclusive nonprofit sector that supports the growth, learning, and development of young professionals. We engage and support future nonprofit and community leaders through professional development, networking and social opportunities designed for young people involved in the nonprofit community. For more information, visit ynpn.org.

About Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)

Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) develops extraordinary new leaders to enhance organized philanthropy and its impact on communities. EPIP envisions a day when all generations of practitioners in philanthropy collaborate effectively to build better foundations for a better world. For more information, visit epip.org.

Make today better than yesterday

Sometimes we get overwhelmed by how big the goals are that we'd like to achieve but an easy way to overcome that fear is to ask yourself "is today better than yesterday?" Chad Fowler has a great guest post on the Four Hour Work Week blog about moving from inaction. From Chad:

Make a list of the difficult, complex personal or professional improvements you’d like to make. It’s OK if you have a fairly long list. Now, for each item in the list, think about what you could do today to make yourself or that item better than yesterday. Tomorrow, look at the list again.

Was yesterday better than the day before? How can you make today better? Do it again the next day. Put it on your calendar. Spend two minutes thinking about this each morning.

Read the full post here.

#26acts of kindness

I have felt sick since I first heard the news about the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. Sick because I have two young children, sick because I have a husband that is a high school administrator and I worry about his safety everyday, and sick because these tragedies have become common occurances. When these things happen, I usually spend hours watching the news, trying to put together the pieces, and putting myself in the shoes of parents who have suffered an unbearable loss. I couldn’t do it this time, it just hurt too much.

I’m calling for a new response when the worst happens. I’ve seen how we can rise up during tragedies. After the 35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, thusands of people sent in donations to help the families affected put together the pieces. We all felt better because we did our part to help heal the wound but I want us to take it one step further. I want us to also take one small step to prevent the worst from happening again. If every single one of us got out of our media fueled depression and took just one step to prevent the next tragedy from happening and told everyone we connect with what that step was, I think we would be shocked by the impact.

So here are some ideas:

If you would like to make a gift help the families impacted  make a gift to:

Sandy Hook School Support Fund
c/o Newtown Savings Bank
39 Main Street
Newtown CT 06470
To donate online, go to https://newtown.uwwesternct.org

and then send that same amount to an organization that is working to prevent similar tragedies in your community.

If you feel like easy access to guns caused this then make a gift to a gun buy back program or to the Brady Campaign that is working on national gun policy,

If you think that mental health issues are to blame then support a local orgaization that is providing mental health services in your community. A Minnesota example is Crisis Connection, a great national example is the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

Your support doesn’t just have to be financial. Send a card to the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Co, who were the first responders to the crisis and thank them for their incredible bravery during a crisis:

Sandy Hook Vol. Fire and Rescue
18-20 Riverside Rd/Po Box 783
Sandy Hook, CT  06482

and then write a letter thanking your local firefighters a letter thanking them for putting their lives on the line for our community everyday.

Reach out to parents that are struggling with their children’s mental illness, bring them a dinner or just understand how hard it is to be in their shoes.

Then encourage your friends, real and virtual to do the same. After you’ve taken your first step to help our communities heal, update your Twitter or Facebook status with the tag #26acts and the tragedy that your action is in response to this will encourage people that are feeling powerless to remember that wach of us has the power to do something about this.  The only way to get rid of darkness is to shine a light on it, so let’s get shining.

More information about the #26acts movement can be found here.

Please help spread this idea by sharing this post with your network and taking your first action.

Don't just count it, use it

For many foundation collecting data is a way of life. We ask grantees to tell us how many clients they served, how long they were involved with the client, which changes happened as a result of their services. We want budgets and projections and evaluation plans and the list goes on and on. But why? Do we use the data to inform our future grantmaking? Not nearly often enough. Do we track our own data on length of time to return an email or processes to streamline paperwork? Hardly ever. Data is a powerful tool but only if you use it to make change, otherwise it’s just wasted effort.

NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Network did a great study on how nonprofits collect data and what they use the data for (if anything). The study pushes for more data driven decision-making, which I think is a great thing for nonprofits and foundations. You can read the study here.

So you're on a panel, what are you going to wear?

It is fall conference season and that means many of you will be attending conferences in full force both on the stage and in the audience. If you will be speaking at a conference, remember that your appearance often speaks louder than your words. Here is some advice about how to look your best:

1) What is your role? Are you a program associate or a CEO? Are you representing an established organization or are you with a start up? Knowing your role helps you determine what look you should project.

2) Audience Will there be 10 people in the room or 500. Knowing the audience size helps you pick an outfit that helps you stand out but not overwhelm.

3) Logistics Will you sitting in tall chairs or standing behind a podium. Figuring this out before will ensure that you don’t wear a pencil skirt and have to try to jump into a tall chair or non-matching socks that show as soon as you cross your legs (I’ve seen both, by the way).

4) Colors Find out what the backdrop looks like (ask your friend that’s on the planning committee). Try to make sure that you don’t clash with the colors that they are using.

5) Be comfortable Speaking at a conference is not the time to try new clothes. The last thing you need is shoes pinching or a shirt with buttons that come undone. Wear something that you know feels good and that makes you feel great. Uncomfortable clothes can make you look awkward and people are less likely to listen to what you are saying if you are spending the whole presentation adjusting your collar.

For great advice on professional clothing choices, check out the Corporate Fashionista Blog.