Are You the Best Investment?
From your employer’s point-of-view, are you the best investment for your organization in the slot you fill? That’s a tough question. It can send shivers down your spine.
So now that you’re concerned, let me throw another at you: can you quantify it? If you factor your salary into the special event or your cost per hour into the grant proposal, is there still a profit? At the end of the year, does the program make at least double your expenses plus your salary?
You might be thinking “Matt, my job isn’t designed to make money”. That could be true – directly. For example, you could be a prospect researcher or a gifts processor. But very few jobs in this world – especially in the fundraising world – don’t support the core enterprise, which usually is connected somehow to the “bottom line”. How your job makes an impact, then showing its impact, can be a lot tougher to figure out. But doing so will boost your confidence and maybe even your salary at review time!
Multi-Channel Marketing
Larry Stelter spoke recently at our local National Committee on Planned Giving chapter. You might recognize Larry’s name from his successful planned giving marketing company, Stelter. He brought up a lot of solid points on getting the word out about bequests, annuities, and trusts, but the one that stuck with me the most was when he said (and I paraphrase), “When marketing planned gifts, direct mail supports your website, email supports your direct mail, the web supports your email, and altogether they lead to gifts.”
To prove the point, he cited a disappointed client who told him that their mailing list only returned a very small handful of tear-off postcards from their brochure. Then Larry pointed out the spike in web site inquiries soon after the mailing went out – a huge success!
What does this mean for your career? Multi-channel marketing works there, too. By itself, teaching a conference seminar won’t get you your next job. But when you combine it with one-to-one networking, both become more powerful. Add an article to your local AFP newsletter, and suddenly you’re the first person someone thinks of when they have a new opportunity!
Alternatives
Not long ago — May 16 – was “National Bike to Work Day”.
Here in Philadelphia it was a raw, rainy day — hardly the kind of weather that even the most dedicated cyclists look forward to. Taking this great alternative transportation — good for the commuter, the environment, and the city — never got any traction on the slippery streets.
But it begs the question: in managing your career, should you be looking at new ways to do the same old things? How can you get out of your comfort zone – maybe when the conditions don’t seem ideal – in a way that can make a difference to you and those around you (and maybe the entire planet!)?
Should you be doing more one-to-one networking when you usually just go to a conference once a year? Can you turn a personal achievement story into an article for your local Association of Fundraising Professionals’ newsletter? How about connecting two friends so they can help each other – and each attribute their success to you?
The results, like biking to work, can turn into green — your colleagues will be green with envy for your success.
Stop and Put Down the Screen
On a recent trip to Washington, DC I met Robert Kesten, Executive Director for the Center for Screen-Time Awareness. Bob’s mission is to get all of us to spend less time in front of our favorite “screen”, whether that’s our television, computer, iPod or whatever, and put more time into “life”. That’s a huge goal, but one that we can all relate to.
So I ask you … how much are you in front of a screen? If you’re like me, waaaaay too much! (Funny, huh, that the way to make this point is to send you a message through your screen!)
Your career task for the day: get up, get away from your screen, and get out of your space — your cube, your office — and make real, live contact with someone.
It really doesn’t matter who you see — a colleague, a prospect, a co-worker — whoever it is will be impressed that they received a visit and not an e-mail or text message. They’ll remember your effort, and you’ll reinforce a relationship that could pay dividends for your career.
