This post is by Celeste Hamilton who, when not coordinating the La Vida Idealist blog, is out exploring the vast world of closed door restaurants in Buenos Aires.
From Flickr user lepiaf.geo
For those of you who live to eat and eat to live (in that order), Ghetto Gourmet and TableSurfing are two great ways to meet others who enjoy both good cooking AND a good chat.
Ghetto Gourmet is a "dinner party network" for generous foodies who like to mix up the people sitting across them from time to time. This community-centered dining experience—which began in 2004 as a series of living room dinner parties around the United States—focuses on fine meals, interesting art and new friends. Need a new dessert recipe? Feel like eating a fine meal with strangers? Want to know where the local food-centered happenings are? Simply go to the website and check out what's going in your area. You never know who or what you might encounter - entertaining stories, an old friend from elementary school, help for that city-wide art project you are organizing...The possibilities are endless.
Although in its beginning stages, TableSurfing is another project that combines online social networks with real world social dining. The name is a direct tribute to CouchSurfing, a nonprofit that connects strangers with places to stay all over the world, because the sentiment is the same. Let's say you are going to whip up grandma's famous brisket and are craving company. Or for the less culinary-inclined, you're about to grab tacos in about an hour and want to talk about how to improve the local parks. Simply post the announcement on TableSurfing, and automatically your Facebook and Twitter friends will find out and decide if they'd like to join you or not.
I love how Ghetto Gourmet and TableSurfing can literally help bring your ideas to the table while encouraging connections with people you probably would pass by in the street without thinking twice. Because for expats like me living in a new place, or long-time locals who want to see different faces, sharing a meal is the perfect way to get the conversation started.
This entry is by Anne Lind and cross-posted from the Idealist.org Development Blog.
From Flickr user SOCIALisBETTER
It's no secret that some of Idealist's most loyal users are job seekers. When I meet someone who is looking for a nonprofit job and I tell them I work for Idealist, the usual response is something like, "I'm on there all day, every day!" I wanted to see what I could learn from the people who have such a "personal" relationship with the site, so I sat down with some job seekers to observe how they interact with Idealist, and other sites, as they conduct their job search.
One observation that has been pretty consistent among the participants is that when they open a job listing, the very first thing that they do is scroll all the way to the bottom to read the qualifications, required experience and salary information. Basically, they want to know if it's even worth their time to keep reading. Job seekers seem to agree that they are more likely to decide to apply if they are confident that it is the right fit for them in terms of experience level and salary. However, the amount of information that employers offer in these areas varies quite a bit.
On idealist 3.0, the new version of our site, we're planning to add two new fields to the job posting. One is a drop down menu to select the "Professional Level" of the job:
We'll also have two options for listing salary. You can display a salary range using this nifty tool with sliders, or you can enter a specific salary or wage (or neither, if you prefer not to include salary info):
Here are some questions for the HR Managers and job posters out there:- Do you usually include a salary or salary range in your job listing? Why or why not?
- How much information do you usually provide about the experience level and qualifications you are looking for? Do you find that you get better qualified applicants when you include more information?
- Do you think these fields would encourage job posters to include more detailed information in their listings? Would you use them?
- Do you have suggestions for other helpful fields?
Please leave a comment below. Thanks so much!
Emily Mew originally wrote this post for the La Vida Idealist blog, where we compile stories and resources from Idealists in Latin America. We thought some of these lessons might help wannabe-volunteers even if you're not planning to spend time in a Latin American commnity.
Photo via Emily Mew
Tired of the “nine to five?” Thinking of leaving the daily grind for something more rewarding? Here are my top 10 suggestions for those of you who thinking of trying your hand in Latin America.
10. Don’t listen to the people who tell you that you’re foolish for leaving your “stable” job, your great apartment, or your life as you know it. If you’re feeling the itch to get the heck out of there, now is the time! You will only regret what you never had the guts to do.
9. Save your money. You can get by on very little here, yes, but you’ll want a cushion in case anything happens. Plus, many organizations require donations for administrative costs and the resources it takes to orient volunteers.
8. Be honest with yourself about what kind of environment you can work in. If you choose to live in a non-touristy town be prepared to feel uncomfortable a lot of the time. Also, lots of folks think they want to be “totally immersed” but after the 27th day of rice and beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you might think twice about living in the remote highlands.
7. Learn a lot of Spanish before you come. Volunteering means working with the community which means communication is a necessity.
6. Match your existing skills and interests with the work that the organization is doing. A lot of programs (especially the smaller ones) don’t have the resources to teach you a whole new set of skills. It will be a better experience all around if you bring something to the table.
5. On the flipside, don’t come here thinking you know everything. Nobody likes a know-it-all. But in Latin America, the “Imperialist/Yankee know-it-alls” are detested. (In fact, studying up on the history of Latin American politics isn’t a bad idea.) Ask lots of questions, and listen to what the locals have to say.
4. Treat your volunteer position as if it’s a real job. Organizations rely on volunteers because they often don’t have the resources to pay employees. If you have the attitude that you can do whatever you want because you are “volunteering your time” people will not like you. And they might ask you to leave.
3. Expect things to take double, triple or even quadruple the time it takes in more developed countries. And try not to get discouraged about this. Life is slower down here, mainly because the technology that speeds up our lives often doesn’t exist.
2. Hit the ground running, but cut yourself some slack at the same time. It takes a lot of time to learn the language and the cultural norms. But everyone likes a go-getter and you will become more involved more quickly if you take the initiative.
1. Don’t be shy. Speak up even if you can’t find the Spanish words. Act when you see the need. There is a whole lot of need down here and if you are always on the lookout for ways you can help, you will undoubtedly be a successful agent for change.
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Posted by our Nonprofit Careers Team.
Idealist staff photo by Julia Smith
This Thursday, October 8th at noon ET, Idealist.org will partner with the Chronicle of Philanthropy for an online chat on Breaking into the Sector.
An intensely competitive job market is making it harder than ever for recent graduates and established business professionals to break into careers in the nonprofit world. - What can you do to stand out from the crowd?
- What can you do to make sure you are an attractive candidate for a great new role when conditions improve?
- And if you do land a position, what should you do to make the most of your opportunity?
Career transition experts Meg Busse and Steve Joiner (authors of the Idealist.org Guides to Nonprofit Careers and our Career Corner advice column) and nonprofit leader Rosetta Thurman will answer these questions and more.
We hope you will join us Thursday.
By Joanna Eng, who runs the Idealist in NYC blog.
Via Flickr user faungg
Have you volunteered for eight hours with a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization? You can get a free or half-off night's stay at one of 53 hotels, which are scattered across 23 U.S. states. In other words: Give a day, get a night.
This promotion, which we just found out about on the Jauntsetter blog, is being offered by Sage Hospitality as a way to support volunteerism. They're only giving out a limited number of completely free hotel stays, but the 50% discounts will run through March 2010, so you have plenty of time to plan your getaway.
Sage also offers a deal for active and retired teachers and school administrators! Educators can get a 50% discount on rooms at all the company's hotels, up until December 30, 2009.
I love the idea behind these promotions. There are already plenty of rewards out there for those who travel frequently or have certain corporate affiliations. Now, people are getting rewarded for choosing to volunteer (anywhere!) or work in schools.
Disneyland and Disney World are planning to get in on the action too, starting in January 2010, when they'll offer free days at its theme parks after completing certain volunteer projects.
Posted by Scott Stadum.
The Case Foundation, Facebook Causes and PARADE Publications are kicking off the 2009 America's Giving Challenge, a national competition enabling everyone to use their social networks and personal contacts to increase support and to raise awareness and funding for their favorite causes.
From now until November 6 at 3:00 p.m. EST you have the chance to help your favorite cause win up to $50,000. There are also daily and overall awards ranging from $500 to $50,000, for a grand total of $170,000, based on the number of donations to their cause using the Causes application on Facebook. There are two ways which you can get involved: - Champion a cause – Individuals can become "cause champions," individuals who are passionate about a specific cause and will compete to obtain the most donations for their cause through the Causes application on Facebook.
- Promote, donate or join a cause – All individuals are encouraged to take part in America's Giving Challenge by joining, promoting and donating to the causes they care about. Facebook membership is not required to donate to a Giving Challenge cause.
You can register to compete in the 2009 America's Giving Challenge at www.americasgivingchallenge.com. For more information about the challenge, read this.
Compiled by Douglas Coulter.
From Flickr user Randy Son of Robert
IdealistNews is a project of Idealist.org and Reddit where users like you can submit nonprofit news stories from around the web and vote on your favorites. Here's a roundup of some recent stories (titled the way users submitted them):
Have you posted a link to IdealistNews yet? It's easier than ever with the "bookmarklets" tool. You can drag it to your toolbar or to your bookmarks and submit a link with the click of a mouse. Find out more.
To find more stories or share your own, be sure to visit IdealistNews.
Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Working Across Generations: Defining the Future of Nonprofit Leadership, a new book by Frances Kunreuther, Helen Kim, and Robby Rodriguez, examines the changing face of leadership in the nonprofit sector, which they describe as "a time of great hope and possibility, and a time of challenge and loss." Readers will also find practical advice on how best to prepare for this interesting time for the sector's workforce, recognizing the unique contributions of both long-time and younger leaders, and the potential benefits of cross-generational collaboration.
An initiative of The Building Movement Project, the book has inspired events across the country, including two taking place in October, during Nonprofit Career Month. The first, which takes place today in Portland, Oregon, is being organized by the nonprofit support organization TACS and features the book's authors and local nonprofit leaders discussing issues related to the coming leadership transition.
At the second event, which takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Thursday, October 15, Robby Rodriguez and Monica Cordova of the SouthWest Organizing Project, will explore ways to approach generational transitions and the roles various stakeholders play in preparing for a strong future for nonprofit leadership. The event is being organized by the Center for Nonprofit Excellence.
By Steve Joiner. Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Via Flickr user sean dreilinger
My colleague Meg Busse and I joined Rosetta Thurman to answer questions during a Chronicle of Philanthropy live discussion. Our audience came from a variety of backgrounds and ages, and their excellent, timely questions had all of us in a flurry of typing. Their questions included: - I'm seen as overqualified and not having enough nonprofit experience. How can I better present myself to get past these perceptions?
- What are your best strategies for conducting a job search from a different location?
- I don't know how to use my current job to position myself for a future career in development. How else can I build that skill set?
- I'm currently unemployed with a corporate background in customer relations. How can I move over to the nonprofit sector? What skill sets are transferrable?
- If you are fortunate enough to land an entry-level job in the nonprofit sector, what steps can you take to make it a career?
- Since many applicants have volunteer experience, leadership skills, advanced degrees, etc., what is the best way for young people just entering the nonproit sector to stand out from the competition?
Between the three of us, we tried to provide varied perspectives and a range of resources to help give the participants some concrete next steps. It was also great to have a venue to answer many of the common questions that we hear. To read the transcript of the discussion, click here. The transcript will direct you to a variety of resources for aspiring (as well as current) nonprofit professionals.
Click here to peruse the Career Corner archives.
Posted my Meg Busse as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Via Flickr user Aaron McDowell
Rosetta Thurman does it again! This Wednesday, October 14, from 12:00 to 1:00p.m. EST, she will be hosting a live radio show to discuss issues and ideas around nonprofit work. Some of the topics for this week’s show are Nonprofit Career Month, the future of the nonprofit sector, and the work of some of the great Generation Y nonprofit bloggers. Her guests for this week include Stephen Bauer of American Humanics and me (Meg Busse of Idealist).
The format of this program should be fantastic. Since it’s live, not only can you listen to the show, but you’re encouraged to join the conversation! You can call in using the phone number 646-200-3352 (no passcode needed), or you can type in questions and comments via online chat. And in case you’re not available during the live show, you can listen to the archive online or through iTunes anytime. For more information, check out the blogtalkradio page where you can tweet, email, or share the show with friends, or even set an alert to remind yourself to tune in.
Chalk up yet another innovative idea to Rosetta Thurman, and be sure to join in the conversation this Wednesday, October 14, from 12:00 to 1:00p.m. EST.
Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
From Flickr user DailyPic
Today, as we host a Nonprofit Career Fair together with the Portland State University Career Center, we are also running our very first live webcast of our accompanying information session, "Connecting Intention to Action. Connecting Action to Career" (1:30-2:30 pm PST).
Meg Busse and Steve Joiner, Directors of the Career Transitions Program here at Idealist, will lead this workshop, which takes a holistic view of the career search by helping participants to: - See themselves—and their career paths—in a more complex and complete way
- Understand several self-assessment tools that will help them articulate their experiences, skills, values, and priorities in a compelling way
- Explore the "nuts and bolts" of the nonprofit sector in order to gain a larger view of how they might fit in
- Explore ways to create intentional opportunities with organizations by exploring the synergy between their self and sector understanding
This event will also be offered as a free webcast to the first 150 attendees who register. If you are interested in joining us via the web, here is the log-in information:
To access the Idealist Career Fair Presentation: click here.
To call in:
Dial: 866-740-1260
Enter the code: 2270113
www.nonprofitcareermonth.org/simulcasts
Posted by Scott Stadum.
Today is Blog Action Day 2009, focusing on climate change with "bloggers posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance." This year's annual event has over 8,740 blogs participating in 148 countries around the world, reaching over 12,000,000 million people globally.
Nonprofit partners, including Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, OxFam and the United Nations Foundation, as well as notable blogs such as Global Voices, The Official Google Blog and Mashable, aim to raising awareness about the importance of climate change and encourage dialogue.
Want to help?
You can register your blog and then sign the climate change petition. Blog Action Day also has listed a number of ways you can participate (halfway down the page) – from posting badges to your site, to putting yourself on the Vote Earth map and uploading your photos, to adding your personal story about climate change, to supporting strong climate legislation in the United States. There are plenty of ways you can make your voice heard.
This is a great opportunity to reach millions of people and let our concerns be heard and all it takes is a few moments of your time.
Have you seen (or written) a stellar blog post today? Leave a link and a comment below!
Compiled by Scott Stadum.
From "The Times of Harvey Milk" via Flickr user Stewf
IdealistNews is a project of Idealist.org and Reddit where users like you can submit nonprofit news stories from around the web and vote on your favorites. Here's a roundup of some recent stories (titled the way users submitted them):
Have you posted a link to IdealistNews yet? It's easier than ever with the "bookmarklets" tool. You can drag it to your toolbar or to your bookmarks and submit a link with the click of a mouse. Find out more.
To find more stories or share your own, be sure to visit IdealistNews.
By Jung Fitzpatrick, who coordinates the Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center.
From kimncris via Flickr's Creative Commons
The challenging thing about deciding to apply for graduate school is that each person's situation is unique. Here are a few things to think about:
Skills and knowledge can be gained in a number of ways.
Grad school is just one of them. If you feel you're in a rut at your current job, perhaps you should talk to your supervisor to see if you can take on new responsibilities or projects. You can also start looking for another job. If you are unemployed, you can always volunteer or intern with an organization – perhaps even proposing a project that would benefit the organization and allow you to learn and gain some new skills.
Alternatively you can sign up for classes such as continuing education courses or local professional development workshops.
Grad school costs money.
Unless you are applying for a doctoral level program that will fund your education, most professional masters programs charge tuition. Even with financial aid, mostly in the form of student loans, you will be responsible for the cost of your degree. There are some programs that offer free tuition to their students, but they are competitive and usually have specific eligibility requirements. The National Urban Fellows is a full-tuition fellowship for mid-career professionals of color who are interested in getting a Masters in Public Administration. Forte Foundation works with business schools to recruit more women and offers full-tuition through its Forte Fellows program. These sorts of programs are few and far between, though.
With some research, flexibility and creativity, you may be able to reduce the cost of a graduate education. Read more about financing your graduate education.
There are alternatives to full-time graduate study.
You can work while you study, or get a certificate in a degree area. These alternatives may also help you afford further education.
If you're unfazed by cost and really feel that grad school will give you an opportunity to achieve your goals, then you can read these articles for your next steps. You can also check to see if one of our remaining Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good is coming to a city near you this fall!
Best of luck!
By Erin Barnhart, who runs the Volunteer Management Resource Center.
Via Flickr user aaronisnotcool
We often look to our friends or family when considering how and where we might want to get involved in our communities. Asking those we know and trust how they’ve chosen to serve can sometimes help get the ball rolling for us to start deciding where and how we might want to volunteer.
But perhaps you’ve been looking for additional volunteer role models? Well, if you’ve ever wondered how your favorite TV characters and personalities choose to lend a hand, this week your wait is over.
As part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s initiative to promote community engagement and volunteering, during the week of October 19th television networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox will highlight service in several of their programs and broadcasts. On some shows, this may be a brief segment or an airing of one of EIF’s star-studded promos; on others, volunteering and service will be central themes in the script. Some of the 90+ shows participating in this week of primetime volunteerism include 30 Rock, The Office, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Dancing with the Stars, the CSI franchises, Ugly Betty, and late night shows hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, and Jay Leno.
Now while three of my favorite all-time shows—The West Wing, Northern Exposure, and Sex and the City—may no longer be on the air (and therefore I may never know how Josh Lyman, Joel Fleischman, or Carrie Bradshaw might have volunteered in their respective communities), I’m looking forward to seeing how today’s stars and primetime characters choose to get involved. Say for example, oh, Dwight Schrute?
To learn more about the EIF and iParticipate.org, click here. If you live in the Los Angeles area, EIF is also coordinating a number of volunteer projects in the metro area; you’ll find these, as well as thousands of other volunteer opportunities nationwide (many of which are from Idealist.org via our partnership with All For Good) on their site.
Stay tuned…
Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
Learning and schmoozing at an Idealist fair (staff photo)
Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 20), as we host a Nonprofit Career Fair together with Seattle University, we will also run a live webcast during an accompanying information session, "Connecting Intention to Action. Connecting Action to Career" (1:30-2:30 pm PST).
Meg Busse and Steve Joiner, Directors of the Career Transitions Program here at Idealist, will lead this workshop. They'll take a holistic view of the career search by helping participants to: - See themselves and their career paths in a more complex and complete way
- Understand several self-assessment tools that will help them articulate their experiences, skills, values, and priorities in a compelling way
- Explore the "nuts and bolts" of the nonprofit sector in order to gain a larger view of how they might fit in
- Explore ways to create intentional opportunities with organizations by exploring the synergy between their self and sector understanding
This event will also be offered as a free webcast to the first 150 attendees who register.
If you are interested in joining us via the web, here is the log-in information:
To access the presentation, click here.
To call in, dial: 866-740-1260
Enter the code: 2270113
To learn more: www.nonprofitcareermonth.org/simulcasts
Posted by Amy, editor of The New Service blog.
This week, in conjunction with Open Access Week 2009, IssueLab launches the Research Remix Contest.
IssueLab, the online publishing forum for nonprofit research, challenges working artists and digital media students to remix facts or data from one of over 300 openly licensed research reports on the IssueLab website into a video or animation under three minutes long. The idea is to create commentary on social issues while making nonprofit research more widely available.
Deadline for submissions is Dec. 31, 2009. Winners will be selected by jury, and prizes include a Dell Mini Notebook and Flip Camcorder. Winning videos will be screened during an in-person event in Chicago.
Open Access Week is an international movement that pushes for broad and free access to research findings and publicly funded studies. Learn more during this week's Chronicle of Philanthropy live chat "How to Share Nonprofit Research with a Wide Audience," featuring leaders from IssueLab and other groups who are working to make nonprofit research accessible to everyone, cost-free.
Posted by Amy Potthast, Editor of The New Service.
From USFS Region 5 via Flickr
Recently a task force of business, nonprofit, and government leaders launched a new dialogue-based website to increase the impact of volunteers on pressing social issues throughout the United States.
Their report, Reimagining Service: Converting Good Intentions into Greater Impact, articulates key beliefs about managing volunteers and building volunteer capacity. Organizers invite you to take part in the conversation at ReimaginingService.org.
The task force's central beliefs include the following:
- The increased numbers of volunteers who are responding to this year's national spotlight on service are a "talent management opportunity" – the nonprofit community must ensure its volunteer management expertise and ensure that volunteers are in the end really making a difference. That's what volunteers want to do, after all.
- Funders must increase their investments in volunteer management capacity so that organizations can leverage citizen service to drive impact on social issues.
- Government, nonprofit, and corporate leaders must pay attention to realizing the potential of volunteers, programs, and management. Every workplace and institution should have a designated Service Leader point person to mobilize people to serve.
- Nonprofits should be able to access simple and affordable volunteer management tools.
Based on these beliefs, the task force is asking for your feedback and input on five action steps: increase funding for volunteer infrastructures; establishing a network of leaders; developing effective volunteer management tools; and devising metrics that assess and communicate the outcomes of effective volunteer programs.
Do you work with volunteers? What ideas do you have for strengthening the impact of volunteer service?
Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of
professional opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
A Peace Corps training group courtesy of Tommy and Georgie
International service experience isn't just for people who want to become international development leaders or Swahili professors or even English teachers. Volunteer assignments vary immensely and the technical training and hands on experiences that Volunteers get are intense – and valuable for people thinking about nonprofit careers.
Among the many international service corps offering career development skills for mid-career or aspiring nonprofit professionals are Atlas Corps, CUSO-VSO, American Jewish World Service, and Jesuit Volunteers International.
Whether you're just starting out in a career or have years of experience, you can also apply for Peace Corps assignments with direct application for later nonprofit work, such as: NGO Development and Urban and Regional Planning, Youth and community development, Education (not just teaching English, either), Environment, Food Security, Public Health and other health-related work as well as HIV/AIDS work.
This Monday, Oct. 26th, you can join nonprofit leaders who are applying their Peace Corps experiences directly to their current jobs in an online chat about Peace Corps starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
Learn more here, and note: registration is required!
Posted by Scott Stadum.
A billion is a big number.
Imagine if one out of every seven people you saw on the street weren't just hungry, but starving. That's quite a lot of malnourished friends, family, co-workers, strangers.
For the first time in history the UN World Food Program reports that there are over 1 billion hungry people on Earth. World Food Day was on October 16th, but the UN World Food Program, Nonprofit Action Against Hunger and YouTube want to challenge you to continue to raise awareness about this crisis.
If you'd like to get involved and help spread the word, there are a number of things you can do: watch this video and embed it on your blog; donate to the World Food Program and tweet about it; join the WFP Fanpage on Facebook; play the freerice.com game and for every question you get right, they will donate 10 grains of rice to the UN. For more ideas, click here and scroll to the bottom.
Much is needed to combat hunger: public and private investments, improved food distribution, increased water efficiency, education in modern agricultural techniques, less food waste. It starts with education and awareness, so it's encouraging to see a global humanitarian agency, a high profile social media community, and a nonprofit teaming up to say "food security can be achieved and it starts with you."
Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.
From Flickr user Hryck. via Creative Commons
Here are three new episodes we hope you enjoy:
1. Nonprofit Leader: Mac Bennett of United Way
Since March 2005, Mac Bennett has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of the Midlands in Columbia, SC. He is also a founding director of the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO) and has served as Executive Director of the Central Carolina Community Foundation.
Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Mac about making a difference while making a living; how Mac got started as a volunteer in the sector; the variety of ways to serve your community; and Jim Collin's book Good to Great and the Social Sectors.
Click here to listen.
2. Sector Switcher: Arlene Siegel Cogen, Applying Financial Planning Skills in the Nonprofit Sector
Arlene Siegel Cogen is a Charitable Gift Planner with The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) in Portland, OR. At OCF, Arlene’s main focus is individuals, families, professional advisors, and businesses who would like to establish current or testamentary charitable funds or deferred gifts.
Arlene entered her nonprofit career after 20 years of working in the corporate sector. As a Certified Financial Planner, Arlene worked for companies such as West Coast Trust and Allen Trust, Citibank, US Trust and First Union before finding her "dream job" with the Oregon Community Foundation. Amy talks with Arlene about the process of changing careers at mid-life, the crucial role of networking, and finding work that aligns with your financial goals as well as your values.
Click here to listen.
3. Job Seeker: Abby Flottemesch, a Mid-Career Development Professional
Abby Flottemesch is a Minnesota native who is currently engaged in a job search. Abby recently completed a year-long fellowship with Atlas Service Corps. As a fellow, she traveled to Bogota to work with the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation – a Colombian foundation that provides resources to organizations that work with disabled individuals and the elderly.
Prior to her Atlas Corps Fellowship, Abby worked for five years in program and fund development in Minneapolis and in Washington, DC, with The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP). Abby also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, organizing community development efforts in Puerto Rico. Amy speaks with Abby about the important skills required in a fund development role at a nonprofit; her recent Atlas Corps Fellowship, and her job search strategies.
Click here to listen.
You can browse the entire directory of Idealist.org podcasts here.
Compiled by Scott Stadum.
From Flickr user Michael mx5tx)
IdealistNews is a project of Idealist.org and Reddit where users like you can submit nonprofit news stories from around the web and vote on your favorites. Here's a roundup of some recent stories (titled the way users submitted them):
Have you posted a link to IdealistNews yet? It's easier than ever with the "bookmarklets" tool. You can drag it to your toolbar or to your bookmarks and submit a link with the click of a mouse. Find out more.
To find more stories or share your own, be sure to visit IdealistNews.
The Building Movement Project and Idealist.org are conducting a survey to identify organizational practices in nonprofits that create a positive workplace, build leadership, and respect the skills and contributions of employees. We’re interested in hearing what allows you to do your best work both in your current job and for your career.
Results of the survey will be distributed widely so that organizations across the country can read what nonprofit staff value in the workplace. The final report will include recommendations for how organizations can attract, retain, and support multigenerational leadership and how individuals can get the most out of their workplaces, especially in these challenging economic times.
If you can spare about 20 minutes to share your experiences, please begin the survey here.
In addition, if you’re interested in sharing your thoughts further or participating in a focus group to discuss the results, there is a space to provide your contact information at the end of the survey, or you can email your information to whatworks@buildingmovement.org.
Thanks in advance for your insight!
By Put Barber, Editor of the Nonprofit FAQ.
We're beginning a series of posts related to self-regulation and self-governance around the world. Here are several resources, including a webinar series that kicks off tomorrow!
One World Trust, a research nonprofit based in London, UK, tracks codes of conduct and standards of self-regulation for civil society organizations in 80 countries. It publishes the results on a webpage at http://www.oneworldtrust.org/csoproject.
There are colorful maps which graphically represent the number of initiatives One World Trust has found in each of the countries. Clicking through will bring you, for example, to Auto Evaluación para las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil. Principios de buenas prácticas para organizaciones socials from Fundación HelpArgentina … or to any of 319 other models for good practices country by country.
Useful for building your own organization’s policies to ensure the delivery of high-quality services while following good management practices. And interesting to read about the various ways groups of non-governmental organizations have worked together to tackle those tough questions around the world.
Meanwhile, for nonprofits in the US, Independent Sector is offering a five-part webinar series focused on “good governance and ethical practice” for boards of directors. The series is free for members of the nonprofit umbrella group and any organization that joins IS before the end of next January can credit the webinar registration fee toward the dues for next year.
These webinars will be based on the workbook that IS developed to go with the “Principles and Practices” guide published by its panel on the nonprofit sector. The workbook and the guide can be downloaded without charge from the IS website nonprofitpanel.org. Find all the information about the webinar series here.
Again, for organizations in the US, the Internal Revenue Service offers a review of governance issues that come up frequently in its work with tax-exempt organizations here (pdf). This document is useful because it links somewhat abstract governance matters with the practical steps organizations need to take to complete the required filings with the IRS.
This entry, written by Erin Barnhart, originally appeared on the La Vida Idealist blog.
By Flickr user hyperscholar
When I was a kid growing up in rural Oregon, I spent a fair amount of time pretending I was somewhere far more exotic. For example, my backyard was usually Australia and I was living off the earth out in the Bush, gathering supplies of grass and pinecones for my faux meals off the grid. I was also a bona fide globe and map nerd and spent hours memorizing capitals, population facts, and other snapshot details of countries around the world.
As I got older, I disappointedly discovered that the realities of work and paying for college can get in the way of travel dreams and the opportunity to spend several months traveling around the globe was simply never feasible. Instead, I began traveling for short periods of time, usually just one or two weeks, and over the past 15 years have spent time in twenty countries, slowly but steadily adding new locales each year to my been-there list and enjoying incredible albeit brief journeys in foreign lands.
So why am I telling you all this? Because while some of us are able to spend months if not years on the road, others just can’t do it – whether it’s because we have family obligations, a career we can’t step away from for extended periods, or even simply just can’t afford to go that long without a paycheck. This doesn’t mean though that international travel and rich cross-cultural experiences are out of reach for us. Rather it’s all about finding a way to make it happen.
Yesterday was my 34th birthday. I spent some time last night reflecting on my 33rd year and what I’d accomplished and was proud to count volunteering abroad as one of my major achievements. Sure, I wasn’t able to serve six months abroad, as extraordinary as that would be, but I did spend two amazing weeks volunteering in Jordan: living with a host family, learning a bit of rudimentary Arabic, experiencing the Middle East for the first time, unraveling and expanding my perceptions of life in the region – all while lending my professional skills and serving as a short-term partner with a local NGO. And while two weeks may be short, and thus my impact may have been minimal, I took pride in the fact that I am now one of the millions of people around the globe who have chosen to serve abroad. I’m part of that continuum of volunteers and my two weeks have been added to the collective investment of time, energy, and passion for greater intercultural understanding and global solutions to complex societal and environmental issues. That’s what I could do, so I did it. And it was well worth it.
Interested in volunteering abroad on a short-term basis like I did? Check out Idealist’s International Volunteerism Resource Center for tips on how to determine your interests and availability as well as find global volunteer opportunities that fit the bill.
Posted by Scott Stadum, who writes frequently about NGOs and technology.
From whiteafrican via Flickr
Dambisa Moyo's book "Dead Aid" has plenty of detractors and supporters, but regardless of how you feel about her thesis, she raises one very valid point: strategies for development in Africa need to be evaluated carefully. While serving in Peace Corps, I was constantly reminded to consider not only what the community needs, but what is appropriate for the community. While a local bakery might need a new oven, one from Sears isn't practical. Western approaches to commerce and banking need to be reconsidered before they are implemented in Africa.
Africans are able and eager to provide for themselves, provided the opportunity and the resources. One question two different groups are hoping to address is how to develop local markets in areas where credit is nonexistent. Two approaches, FrontlineSMS and PesaPal are both developing systems that leverage "transfer systems and mobile money functionality" using mobile networks.
FrontlineSMS:Credit aims "to make every formal financial service available to the entrepreneurial poor in 160 characters or less. By meshing the functionality of FrontlineSMS with local mobile payment systems, implementing institutions will be able to provide a full range of customizable services, from savings and credit to insurance and payroll."
The FrontlineSMS system also provides an easy method for distributing and tracking loans from microfinance institutions and because the technology isn't web dependent, it can be implemented entirely off the grid.
PesaPal is integrating with main mobile payment services Zain’s Zap and Safaricom’s MPesa and is intended for business through local vendors in Kenya as opposed to one-to-one transactions. PesaPal also integrates easily with websites through available plugins. An example is Totally Toto, an online children's retailer in Kenya that has integrated MPesa as a checkout option.
Do you know of other fresh examples?
Posted by Julia Smith.
Atlanta bound! Flickr photo from Payton Chung
Those of you in the Atlanta, GA and Virginia Beach, VA areas still have a chance to meet with recruiters in person at our final Graduate Degrees for the Public Good fairs of the 2009 season.
If you couldn't make it to a fair this year, you can still find lots of information about graduate degrees here on our site. Jung's blog posts Should You Go to Grad School? and Demystifying Grad School are great places to start, and they'll lead you to our Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center, her Twitter account @gradresources, and more.
Compiled by Scott Stadum.
From Flickr user –nathan
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