Month: September 2010

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You want to work in HR?

Group-of-people-standing-beside-a-white-board

I recently received an email from someone seeking advice on entering the field of HR as a career choice. This is a question I often get and so below is the advice I gave to someone with a degree in accounting. If you have a degree in HR, I would recommend that you also find some experience and education in business, finance and/or accounting. Understanding business is critical to a successful HR career if you really want to make an impact.

1. Find your passion.

2. Try an internship in an HR department. There are so many specialties within the field that this experience could prove valuable to you in determining what type of experience and education you will need to obtain and in which HR specialty. You can find certificate programs in a variety of specialties through local colleges and professional organizations. Take advantage of those.

3. You will definitely need to gain some experience. There are few ways to do this. You could seek out entry level administrative positions within HR or training departments. You could also look for opportunities within companies or organizations that you may currently work or have worked for previously. Retail and restaurant management positions can be a way to gain experience in many aspects of human resources such as hiring, recruiting, training, and supervising others. Recruiting firms and employment agencies also are a great way to get experience in that area and often hire new college graduates.

4. NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. Join local or student SHRM chapters or other HR organizations in your area and get involved. Volunteer and join committees. You will be able to build a broader network and gain some experience by participating actively.

5. Create a LinkedIn Profile. Make sure you join groups with which you have a shared interest. Group postings often include networking and educational event announcements and other topics of interests to you. Also, seek individuals who are in HR roles within the organizations for which you are most interested in working. Try to connect to them and watch their updates. You may find announcements of openings in their companies on their profile.

6. Attempt to connect with an HR person within an organization for which you want to work to set up an informational interview. Use the interview to learn what roles the company has within the department, what skills and experience is needed to work within those roles, and ask for ideas on how you can gain the skills and experience. Make sure you keep a business card when you leave the meeting so that you can properly thank them for their time with a note and keep in contact via LinkedIn or through email.

7. Watch your online presence. Google yourself and keep all of your information and postings professional. Seventy percent of employers will Google you!

A career in HR can be very rewarding, but like accounting it isn’t for everyone. It is important to figure out what aspects of work excite or motivate you. When you find a job you are passionate about, it doesn’t feel like a job. And that is the best career you can have!

What advice can you share?

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com.

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Evaluating Your Major Gifts Prospects

board-members-evaluating-their-major-gift-prospects

Too many people (NPO board members, volunteers and staff) believe that “Evaluation” means determining what a potential donor should give!! That couldn’t be more wrong.

A formal evaluation process has two objectives: to identify a dollar amount that the prospective donor would be likely to be able to afford; and, to identify a (realistic) dollar figure that the donor will be asked to give – a figure that a donor might give if s/he were so motivated.

Though they may sound alike, they’re not the same thing !! And, they are not identified in the same timeframe.

The need to “evaluate” a potential donor ties into two circumstances:
(1) The Prioritization Figure: Since the members of a Major Gifts Committee (staff, board members and volunteers) don’t have an unlimited amount of time to chase every lead for potential major gifts, the list of those individuals must be prioritized, and those individuals with the highest dollar evaluations are placed at the top of the list … and get the most attention.

The focus, initially, is on determining if an individual should be on the Major Gifts Prospects List. Once you’ve determined that the other criteria have been met — see (https://staging.management.org/ blogs/fundraising-for-nonprofits/2010/06/15/who-is-a-major-gift-prospect/), you must come up with your first “evaluation:” Is this person capable of giving an amount equal to 1% or more of your fundraising goal … and where is s/he likely to fall on the “Gift Table” ?? — see (https://staging.management.org/blogs/fundraising-for-nonprofits/2010/09/07/constructing- the-gift-table/)

So, how do you come up with the number you use to prioritize your list of major gifts prospects? …by asking the person who suggested the name in the first place, by asking someone who knows the person fairly well, by getting a feel for the value of that person’s car/home/yacht/toys, by researching what that person has given/committed to other NPOs (just look at their annual reports, plaques in their lobby, stories in newspapers). In essence, the initial evaluation can be based on specific (publicly available) information or on “common knowledge.”

(2) The “Ask” Amount: When actually soliciting the gift/commitment, it is important that the prospect be asked for a specific dollar figure.* That figure must be consistent with the prospect’s ability to give, his/her business and family circumstances, the extent to which s/he may have become involved with the NPO and its mission/programs, the extent to which his/her “need” will be satisfied by making a gift of that amount, and the likelihood that s/he will say, “Yes,” to that amount.

The determination of that figure, therefore, must be part of a serious process. This figure must be based on solid information obtained from reliable sources … with the best source being the person who had been selected to “cultivate” and eventually solicit an individual. The actual determination of the “Ask” will be based on all the information available close-and-prior-to the actual solicitation.

*Oh, yes !! In case you were wondering why it is essential that a prospect be asked for a specific dollar figure, watch for my posting on “Asking For The Gift.”

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Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating or expanding your fundraising program? With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, I’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Contact me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com
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Have you seen The Fundraising Series of ebooks ??
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If you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to the author of this posting.

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Twitter Works

Twitter Logo on Smartphone Screen

Twitter continues to prove its worth as a crisis management tool, often surpassing traditional media sources because of its flexible and easily accessible nature. In a recent blog post, Jessica Ziegler, social media strategist and Vestor Logic’s Director of Social Web Design, described how Twitter took the lead during last week’s Colorado wildfires:

From where I sat it took a while to get any of that information. The TV station websites were on it pretty quickly, but it was bare bones info, a few sentences. The newspaper sites had nothing until much later.

Enter Twitter. Immediately the hashtag #boulderfire was pumping out up-to-the-minute information and photos. The Twitter community in Boulder immediately rallied and began putting residents in contact with people who could help. They kept the information flowing in a constant stream.

By the next day local businesses began using Twitter to offer goods and services to residents displaced by the fire: offers of meals, places to temporarily house pets, hotel rooms. Soon messages of encouragement and thanks to the local firefighters and police began appearing.

Examples like this can be found with nearly every crisis and disaster these days. Whether the incident is local or worldwide, someone has started a hashtag and volumes of information, first hand reports and images are being distributed via Twitter long before traditional media can get on the story.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. , an international crisis management consultancy, and author of Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training.]

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J is for Joy

The words "choose joy" written on a paper

Bringing Joy to Work

“To bring joy to billions” is the mission statement of Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret and her newly released book The Power. I know that I’m one of those billion people that she was intending to bring joy to. While her work has brought me joy, she has no idea that it has. And that is like most of our work. We have no idea the kind of joy it brings to others. Maybe you’re involved in creating a product or service that changes lives. Or maybe your product or service doesn’t change lives, but you are doing so by connecting intimately with your colleagues and customers. We’ll never know the kind of joy that we will bring to another person. We just have to trust we do and keep on being joyful in our work.

Lately I’ve been observing others bringing joy to their work, which elevates my joy. Here is what I’ve noticed. The loving arms of my son’s preschool teachers welcoming him for his first day of school. The passionate woman over the phone raising money for a cause she deeply believes in. The hugs and encouraging words two facilitators share with their participants, those struggling with chronic or life-threatening illnesses. The store clerk patiently waiting to serve her long line of customers with a smile. The employee inspired to start a special interest group at her organization that is changing people’s lives.
What does joy look like in your work? The latest project that I’ve been working on is bringing me so much joy! The following is the announcement that I sent to my database about it and it brings me joy to share it with you now.

Project GratOtude Has Arrived

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. – William Arthur Ward

Greetings,
Yesterday I celebrated my birthday and thought about what it might be like to leave the gifts I received unopened. I would miss out on the experience to share pure joy with those whom I receive gifts from and with others who receive mine. According to many different experts, the importance of gratitude is the key to living a fulfilling, joyful life. While this might seem obvious, very few people actually take the time to work on integrating gratitude into their daily lives.

Recently I received a huge gift of inspiration to start a movement encouraging people to be more grateful, naming it Project GratOtude.
Today on Sept. 13 I am unwrapping this present and giving it to you on the same day that Oprah is beginning her farewell season.
Project GratOtude is dedicated to honor Oprah because she is one of my greatest teachers on the subject of how to give big and dream big.

Come find out about this grass-roots effort to inspire ONE million people to make a difference through the Project GratOtude Challenge at www.projectgratOtude.com. Join our community and we’ll give you all the secrets and tools to be MORE GRATEFUL.

We’ve gotta GREAT feeling about what’s in store for all of us who are embarking on this Project GratOtude journey together. You will feel joy rising for yourself as you make a difference and others will catch your contagious energy!

With GratITude,
Janae Bower

p.s. I invite you to join this challenge, which will bring YOU joy through practicing gratitude: www.projectgratOtude.com

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most.
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Women and Senior Organizational Leadership

Four women working in a business meeting in a coffee shop

Women, Power, and Leadership

In Cathy Curran’s blog on July 7, Women, Power, and Leadership, she talks about how, in the past 40 years, women have become increasingly important players in the business and professional worlds, including positions of leadership. She says that while a glass ceiling still exists and, despite the fact that more and more women are getting past it, that women continue to underrepresented in leadership roles. Cathy states that one reason more women have not made the transition into leadership is because the socialization of women still does not prepare them to handle organizational power and influence. She contends that among all the leadership skills taught to prospective female managers and leaders, education in the successful use of personal and organizational power is lacking. Cathy suggests that some of the more individualistic – and traditionally more masculine — skills and qualities, such as independence in thought, action, and decision making, taking risks, and understanding competition, are ones that women will need to intentionally put more time into developing in order to make a successful transition into organizational leadership roles.

Gender Disparity in Senior Leadership

I certainly agree that the leadership traits prioritized by most organizations could largely be described as masculine or agentic (i.e. someone that demonstrates assertiveness, competitiveness, independence, courageousness). Not only that, but I would argue the majority of competency models in organizations continue to manifest a bias toward traditional leadership qualities and skills. Despite this, the number of women in the managerial and professional ranks in the United States has steadily increased in the past 30 years, and research now shows that women currently hold 51% of managerial and professional positions (Welle, 2004). It is interesting that while these numbers are significantly larger today than ever before, the movement of women into senior leadership positions continues to be incredibly slow. According to Welle, among Fortune 500 companies, only 16% of corporate officers, 14% of board directors, 5% of top earners, and just over 1% of CEOs are women.

Influence of Gender Stereotypes

What is the explanation for this continued disparity at the top? Recent studies reveal that although gender stereotypes are slowly but surely changing in the corporate ranks, women in these settings continue to be viewed as having more nurturing, supportive, and communal tendencies, and are evaluated more harshly than men if they demonstrate these qualities, especially in more senior leadership roles. Ironically, women managers, on the average, actually score higher than men on objective measures of agentic or traditional leadership qualities, but still are not well represented in executive positions (Duehr & Bono, 2006).

Bias at the Top

It appears that more traditionally feminine qualities, while more often valued and perceived as effective at middle manager levels, are not seen as having the same relative value for senior level positions, especially in larger companies. It seems clear that in a majority of corporations, the competencies most valued at senior levels of leadership continue to be the more traditionally masculine (e.g. being keenly focused on the financial bottom line, capacity for critical and strategic thinking, and the ability to make risky and independent decisions). There are of course many unfortunate ironies and outcomes associated with these biases. While many women appear to possess the traits viewed as important for senior leadership, they are frequently not perceived to have enough of these qualities, especially by the individuals that make decisions about senior leader advancement. If this is true, it would seem that further development in women of certain, more agentic qualities and talents, will be important — as Kathy Curran states – but it is likely that changes in perception, or a changing of the guard, may also need to take place. If the glaring gender disparity in executive positions is going to shift, there will likely need to be a perceptual shift within the ranks of those that make promotional and hiring decisions for these roles.

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Dancing With the Stats

Person using macbook to track statistics

Tracking the statistics for a non-profit is an important part of fulfilling accountability measures of funders. Every non-profit should have a statistics gathering strategy. This will ensure that data is gathered accurately and becomes a part of the regular activities of your non-profit.

Your statistics gathering strategy should include:

  • Who will do it – It should describe specifically who in the organization will be responsible for day to day statistics gathering for each program and service and who will be responsible for compiling the overall statistics for the organization. Be sure to include this task in the appropriate staffs’ job description.
  • When it will be done – Deciding on when statistics will be gathered is an important part of ensuring consistent handling of data. You may want to set daily, monthly, quarterly and yearly deadlines for statistic submissions.
  • How to gather the data – The strategy should outline what tools will be used to gather and manage the statistical data. It should include copies of the tools that are going to be used, such as a template.
  • How the data will be used – Spelling out exactly how the data can be used is important. Once you have decided how you will use the data, be sure to draft a policy to guide the use of this data. This ensures that all staff are aware of acceptable use of organizational statistical data.
  • Where the data will be stored – There are decisions that must be made such as will the data be stored solely electronically, or will the organization prepare a yearly report that provides the statistical data from that fiscal year, so that it can be shared with funders or potential funders in hard copy.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

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4 Things to Include When Writing a Report to Your Funders

Business professional working on a report for funders

Writing reports for funding received is as important as writing your initial proposal. Too often we forget that our funders are very dependent upon written reports to provide accountability for their own activities and actions. It is through details of these reports that they are able to promote themselves and convince more people to invest in them, which may result in more funding for your organization over the long term.

But there are components that it is important to include in your reports to your funder that will allow them to use the tools you provide in your report to their most efficient and effective capabilities. So when you write a report, include the following:

  • Outcome measurement chart- This tool will allow your funder to see the progression of your plan, activities and outcomes at a glance. So make sure you keep it updated throughout the lifetime of the project to ensure you don’t miss any valuable lessons learned by your project.
  • Testimonials – Funders love testimonials. So if you can get written testimonials from clients who have participated in the project and felt their lives were impacted in a positive way, this is probably one of the greatest marketing tools that you and your funder could have.
  • Lessons learned – It’s vital for a funder to know that their investment left some kind of a lasting impact. So if you include lessons learned, it means that you have learned valuable information that both you and your funder can share with others who may hope to try to implement the same type of project that you have done.
  • Financial Report – Every report to a funder must include a financial report and in many cases must be accompanied by copies of receipts. Your financial report becomes a part of your funders accounting system and is an important piece in them being able to meet their financial accountabilities to their contributors, government and consumers of the grants they provide.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

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Being a PM doesn’t mean I have to chase people on tasks, does it?

As with many walks of life, there are many views on project management. The following short discussion demonstrates brilliantly the differing views of people relating to the task of project management and the responsbilities of a project manager.

When having met an organisation recently I was talking to a few project managers, and one of them said to me: “being a Project Manager doesn’t mean I have to chase people on their tasks does it” (to provide some context, this was a relatively small firm with small project teams – less than 6 key people in each project team).

It’s an interesting question as on this alone you get completely different behaviours (and processes) among Project Managers, and resulting from this alone you can get very different results from projects.

Let us know your thoughts on this question?

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For more resources, see the Library topic Project Management.

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How Can Companies Craft the Best Social Media Policies?

Social-media-applications-on-a-screen.

Smart Social Media Policies

Progressive businesses now embrace social media to broaden their marketing and increase revenues. They’re eager to reach out to their customers online and engage them in meaningful ways. So;

  • What social media guidelines should employees follow?
  • How can management weigh social media risks vs. opportunities?

Companies Need Two Social Media Policies

Overall, B2B, B2C, nonprofits and governments find that they need TWO social media policies.

Policy #1: Personal conduct codes for all employees’ access to, and use of, any social media while on company time or computer systems.

Policy #2: Guidelines for employees with any responsibilities that involve social media use.

Social Media Policies Must be SPECIFIC

Management must be thoughtful about clarifying their values and intended use of social media, then translate that into specific authorities and boundaries. For instance, are employees permitted to:

  1. Access their PERSONAL social networking accounts while on the job?
  2. Use the organization’s trademarks, such as a logo, when posting content on their social media sites?
  3. Voice personal opinions on company social media accounts?
  4. Post without first obtaining permission and/or approval?

Management should clearly define company objectives, conduct codes, usage guidelines, and authorities, then treat these policies similarly to all other HR policies. Have these written policies reviewed by legal counsel, discuss them with employees, give employees a chance to give feedback and ask questions, and be sure to obtain signatures on an agreement page.

Post these policies in places that are easily accessible to employees, and review the policies often. The internet, and social media, change fast. Be sure that your policies do, too.

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman: With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

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Constructing An Effective Grant Proposal (First Part of a Series)

a-person-trying-to-construct-a-grant-proposal.

So, you’ve completed your research and are ready to start writing!! The question, now, is how do you go about structuring your grant proposal?

For those circumstances where the funder provides specific guidelines, there’s only one rule worth remembering: “Follow those guidelines to-the-letter.”

But what about those many occasions when there are no guidelines for preparing the proposal? There are many examples on the web — just search for grant proposals, and hundreds, if not thousands, of hits will result.

Grant consultant web sites offer free information on formatting a proposal. My favorite is the Foundation Center’s Proposal Short Course at, http://fdncenter.org.

One of the best ways of learning how to structure a grant proposal, however, is by reading any lead article on the front page of the New York Times … or other daily newspaper. Grant proposals follow the journalistic model of who, what, when and how.

I once taught a proposal writing workshop for junior development professionals who were in their positions for less than six months. Their class assignment was to start writing so we, the faculty, could offer a critique. One participant turned in a near perfect first draft. When we questioned her as to why she was attending the class, she said she’d only been a development writer for three months. So we asked what she had done before? She had been a reporter !!

Structuring a proposal requires clear, concise writing. As in a NY Times article, the proposal writer needs to engage the reader by presenting a compelling case outline in the first paragraph or two. That introduction should include a statement of the issue to be addressed, why the applicant has the capacity to address it, how it will be addressed, who will be affected and how much it will cost.

The rest of the proposal then expands on each of those elements. Like the newspaper article, the lead tells all there is to tell and then entices the reader to learn more.
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Watch for future (Grants) blogs in this series, discussing each of those elements. Part Two, next Tuesday.
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Have a comment or a question about starting or expanding your grants program? Email me at Andrew@GrantServices.com..