• Building Alliances, One Millenial at a Time

    October 13, 2009 // No Comments »

    Today I would like to announce the launch of NonProfit Millenial Bloggers Alliance, a consortium of next generation leaders in the non profit world doing good for social change. I have participated in several consortium and working groups over the last decade. Some have been great and others not so much!  This one is truly special! I was really excited when Alison Jones of Entry Level Living asked me to be a part of this new initiative.  To be in the company of my peers, several of them colleagues, is quite amazing.

    I have followed many of them for quite some time and am am always learning new things from them. More than serving as a mere collective, I am interested to see how we forge partnerships, learn from each other and build capacity beyond our immediate group.

    Be sure to add them to your google reader (or whatever blog bookmark that you are using)…and stay tuned!

    Posted in ChangeBloggers, Diversity

    New Leaders, Women of Color Claiming Their Space

    November 15, 2008 // No Comments »

    I had the honor and privilege of attending a women of color recruitment brunch for the Center of Progressive Leadership this morning. I was on the fence about applying to the fellowship program, but after this brunch, I am completely on board. I spoke with the Paula, Director of Programs and Brian, the Director of Outreach, and I am extremely excited.

    The main goal of this brunch was to recruit women of color new leaders in the Philadelphia community  as a part of promoting diversity in the CPL family.  I was initially apprehensive as I have no intention or aspiration for seeking public office.  Yet, the choices I make and initiatives I am involved in, do make a clear political statement.

    I was blown away during the introductions before brunch.   The gathering of talent and passion in the room.was overwhelming and such a beautiful sight. I hope that we have more opportunities to congregate in the future. Everyone in attendance was dedicated to personal and professional growth, as well as committed to affecting change in their communities.  There were also many lawyers in attendance, both in the public and private sector.  Several women are or have founded start-up non profits in their communities and others plan on running for public office.

    Several of us will apply to the next class of CPL Fellows.  I also think that several collaborations will come out of this networking event.

    Stay tuned…..

    Posted in Career, Diversity, Politics

    Young Voices of Philadelphia: Lessons from a Young Non Profit Leader

    November 12, 2008 // 2 Comments »

    Young Voices of Philadelphia is a new segment that I am unveiling today. This is a forum in which young non profit movers and shakers in the Philadelphia area will share a little about themselves, about their organizations and initiatives, and how they view their role in changing Philadelphia for the better.

    Alexis and I met at Temple University, in a Poli Sci course if memory serves me well.  What initially struck me was her extremely fresh and progressive ideas about how she saw the world and plans on being part of a solution.  While we have since trickled in and out of each other’s lives, we have remained connected through our commitment to the Philadelphia community. Check Alexis out on Facebook.

    All the things I wish someone had told me before
    by Alexis Jeffcoat

    I procrastinated about this blog post all weekend. Of course, I had plenty of time to do it and I even knew what I wanted to talk about. Yet, time just seemed to slip away (at this point it should be clear why I can’t maintain a blog of my own…). I am a procrastinator by nature but I’ve also been a bit distracted lately.

    You see, I am back on the job prowl.

    Yes, this young, non-profit professional is diving into a job search (of course just as we are embroiled in an economic downturn) and that has given me pause to reflect. What exactly have I learned and what would be worth passing on to other people? I’ve working in non-profit since I graduated college and I feel as if I am just now wrapping my head around some very important lessons. So, for all of you new graduates out there, here are some of things I wish someone would have told me.

    1. Don’t let people put you into positions you’re not ready for. This happens all the time in the non-profit world. The awesome thing about this industry is that you can get in on an entry-level job and really get your hands dirty. You won’t be stuck as the “copy b*&*h” or “coffee runner”, you’ll actually get to do some substantial, meaningful work. The problem is that most non-profits are under-staffed and underfunded. They do wonderful work but they don’t have the infrastructure to support it. As a result, they often end up giving one person the job of two or three different people. It can be tempting to see this as an opportunity to gain some major kudos and beef up your resume. It’s not. Trust me. I was completely in love with non-profit positions that seemed like a great challenge (you know the ones I’m talking about, the responsibilities list is 45 items long, they want you to fundraise a portion of your salary, etc. etc.). You will spend so much time reacting and managing crisis that you won’t be able to develop any actual skills. You want to find somewhere that strikes a balance. You don’t want your first job to be managing a program or directing fundraising activities right out of college. That trial by fire crap is overrated. Find a position that gives you some responsibility and autonomy but also an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the profession. That way, you’re gaining valuable experience but you’re not attempting to hold up the whole world by yourself.

    2. People are going to say you’re not a real professional. Those people are full of crap. There is this persisting image of non-profits as places where you do yoga in the lobby, everyone wears Birkenstocks and no one eats meat. While there are definitely places where this happens, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have a real job. The truth is people who work at most non-profits put in the kind of hours only lawyers and doctors see and they do it for a lot less pay. You have to be extremely resilient, creative, resourceful and organized to thrive in this field. Those same people who help make sure animals have good homes and do other ” cute” things also fundraise millions of dollars, manage budgets and multiple projects, do marketing and pr and convince people to give up their time for free. That is no easy task and it is definitely professional.

    3. You can’t save the world. This was the hardest lesson. You are going to get up every day and do amazing work and help people and it still won’t be enough. You won’t eradicate poverty. You won’t eliminate hunger. And sometimes, the people you are trying to help will resent you for it. You can’t save the world and that is a good thing because if all it took was one person working for the right non-profit or raising enough money and we still have poverty in 2008 then the world is bigger mess than we thought. I’m not saying you’re not doing awesome things. I’m not saying you won’t help some people. I’m saying you won’t save the world so don’t put pressure on yourself to do so.

    4. If you’re burnt out, get out. Take a vacation, find a new job, take a leave of absence and then restructure your job. If you are burnt out, the party is over. The unfortunate thing about the industry is that many non-profits are not equipped to prevent or treat burnout. Whether it’s because you have too much work and not enough support or because you just can’t help everyone who walks through the door, once burnout hits it can be an earth shattering experience. Believe me. I’ve had it so bad that there were days I literally could not get out of bed to face the world. It’s okay. It happens more than it should and one day, non-profits will be better equipped to deal with it. But I’m telling you now (because I like you), if you’re burnt out you have to run like you are on fire. If you don’t make a substantial change, you will end up leaving anyway. So make sure that the second you are burnt out, you sit down and talk to your boss. Don’t feel guilty (my God, are we non-profit people good at that!), just talk. And then make sure you have the power to make adjustments to whatever is causing your burnout. If you don’t, its time to leave. Not because you are a bad person but because you’re all you have.

    I guess that’s all I can think of for now. Its 11pm and I hope that I managed to give you some things to think about. For all of you out there who have been in it for awhile, what magic things have you learned?

    Posted in Non Profit

    NGen Claiming Space at Independent Sector

    November 11, 2008 // No Comments »

    I attended Craigslist BootCamp NYC in early October. It was an exciting coming together of the young movers and shakers in the Public Good community.  While the feel of the Independent Sector conference is extremely different than that of Craigslist Bootcamp, I am excited to see that NGens are claiming their space among established Non Profit Leaders. We are contributing our ideas, talent, passion and initiative as we bring a fresh look, feel and perspective to the Non Profit community.  Also, we are not shy about doing so.

    I am honored to be among an impressive blogger presence at this year’s Independent Sector Conference:

    Trista Harris — New Voices of Philanthropy
    Tera Wozinak — Social Citizen
    Rosetta Thurman — Perspectives from the Pipleline
    Katya Andresen — Robin Hood Marketing

    It was also a privilege to meet Heather Carpenter at NonProfit Leadership 601. I also met a prospective new blogger, Monica.  She is a prominent member of Philadelphia’s rising non profit leaders and the Director of Development and Publicity at the Green School in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, a school for autistic children. We will be setting up her blog within the next couple of weeks. She has a lot to say!!

    I am so thrilled that the Chronicles of Philanthropy picked up our presence and gave a shout out to our efforts.

    After the closing of this year’s IS Plenary, many NGens gathered for a post-conference brainstorming session.  While we initially broke discussed our reaction to the conference in smaller groups, we came together in the end to discuss several topics important to both NGens and the IS conference as a whole:

    Value

    - many felt that the orange “NGen” tags were value on several fronts. They provided visibility of emerging leaders to both other NGens and to more established members of the IS community.

    - The larger presence of NGens at the conference allowed us to share our concerns and issues of the future of the IS and the non profit world as well as a way in which we can contribute to its growth

    Why Did you Come

    - to meet and network with other NGens and more established members of the IS and Non Profit community

    - several suggestions were shared about how to better facilitate interactions between NGens and established IS members 1) mentoring and coaching opportunities 2) speed networking between NGens and established members 3) collaboration on plenary planning committees 4) IS board membership program

    - NGen investment in the sector through mission based development

    Where Do We Go

    - while many appreciated the seperate NGen track of workshops this morning, others thought that it separated us from the rest of the conference

    - many advocated for more NGen participation in the planning of the IS conference, as presenters and speakers, and on the Board of Directors.  Several individuals argued that if IS was truly committed to including NGen’s into IS, it would provide a way for NGen’s to actively participate in the planning and execution of furture conferences and initiatives

    - several individuals expressed the need for a greater presence of new media at the conference, particularly more Net Cafe stations and better access to power sources for those who have their own equipment. Also, the incorporation of sessions on the usefulness of new media to non profits and foundations should be established.

    - fostering of more scholarship opportunities for NGens who cant afford to attend on their own accord (encouragement to send thank you letters to all contributors to 2008 scholarship fund)

    - establish opportunities for NGens to interact in the local level, particularly through engaging local organizations such as PYNL (Philadelphia Young NonProfit Leaders) and YNPN (Young Non Profit Network)

    - creation of a listserv to share ideas

    - establishment of regional breakout sessions at next year’s IS conference

    - more NGen participation as moderators and speakers

    - NGen panel discussion or presentation at Plenary Meetings at next year’s conference

    Posted in Conferences, Diversity, Non Profit