How Important is Mission to You?
In the last several months I’ve been blessed with opportunities to find several organizations staff members in either the development office or executive suite, and I’ve seen one major disconnect between job seekers and job offerers (offerers? well, you get it).
Today is a “buyers market,” and one thing that those that have the jobs want — as much as high skills and the ability to “hit the ground running” — is an undeniable, rock solid commitment to the mission they serve. Nothing less is acceptable.
Yet so many job seekers are just looking for a job, any job.
Yes, any unemployed development officer will tell you, whether you find funds for preserving panthers or coddling kids, the techniques are pretty much the same. That same job seeker will quickly point out that as a professional fundraiser, s/he can raise money for just about any mission.
Yes, true, but …
The NPO is right. Actually, by definition, the NPO is right because it has the job to offer. But it’s more than that. The NPO is right to want someone with a demonstrated interest in what they do — whether that’s feeding the homeless, saving forests, or teaching history. They’re right to think that nothing raises awareness and funds like someone committed to the mission.
How is this a career step? Like I’ve said so many times before: be very specific about what you want … right down to the mission. Just like prospect work, someone who is “kind of” committed to your mission may give you a token gift — or you may accept a token job, but when your interests match theirs, you get a major gift — and maybe a job of a lifetime.
Look Poverty in the Eye
When was the last time you saw poverty? It’s not a pretty sight, huh? Like a lot of Americans you might ask, how can people live that way? Honestly? I do too.
You have to be brave to be poor. Think about it. If you don’t have much, you need to think of creative ways to survive — not all of which make sense to the uninitiated. For example, did you know that cleaning supplies are not paid for under many government assistance programs? Who would have thought that being clean was a luxury?!
The career point here isn’t to make you angry or sad or to spur you to social action (although feel free if you’re moved to do so), but to remind you that when you have less, you get creative — even in your career. So don’t bemoan your lack of resources, but get creative so that you can move ahead despite the obstacles. You’ll feel better about yourself and others will be amazed — and that’s an excellent career move!
My Cat: The Ultimate Volunteer
I’ve lived with enough cats to know the good and bad of them. Each has a personality — for better or worse — and the cat we have now is the quintessential volunteer.
Our cat, aptly named “Princess,” is not happy doing anything she’s forced to do. (Ever try putting a cat into a cat carrier?)
Princess CAN be coaxed into moving in the direction you want her to go (food works well).
Princess will disappear for hours on end, only to show up when things get interesting (like when someone shows up at the door).
I could go on, but what I’ve found is that our cat makes me a better manager of volunteers. There’s no “commanding” volunteers — only attracting — I need to make things interesting, and having food always helps.
What can you learn from having your pet that makes you a better nonprofit manager? Scratch them out to me at matt@FundraisingTalent.com.
Volunteer for the King
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great man. In the last 20 years he has entered the pantheon of American “demi-gods” who merit holidays — and remarkably a holiday that is marked with service to others, not the latest sale on sheets.
That’s nice, but what does this have to do with your career? Because service to others keeps us connected with people who are important in our lives — people who can make the difference in our careers.
I’m not suggesting that you decide how to spend your volunteer time based on a cold calculus of what kind of service — and where — will best boost your career, but what I am saying is that almost anything you do — and almost anywhere you do it — will boost your career. How’s that? Because just like we see in our own volunteers, doing work for nonprofits helps us build skills, confidence, and connections that we may not have picked up anywhere else. That’s why volunteering — not just one day a year, but on an ongoing basis — is a fine career move. Have fun.
Kasser’s Paradox
As you might know, I teach a course in Philanthropy at Eastern University’s Masters in Nonprofit Management Program. One of the books that I require is Tim Kasser’s “The High Price of Materialism.” I tell people that Kasser quantitatively proves what theologians have been telling us for centuries: “Money don’t buy you love.”
The thesis is pretty simple. Beyond a certain point where we can have all the food, shelter, and anything else we need (that’s need, not want), most things beyond that do not give us any more happiness than not having them. Yet Kasser was able to show that people pretty much divide up into two camps (across most cultures, as it turns out): those who want more, and those who are pretty happy with what they have. As it turns out, the people who want more get more, and are the least community minded (read: give less philanthropically). Those that have less and want less are the most generous, yet have the least to give. It’s what I call “Kasser’s Paradox.” It’s something that most fundraisers know intuitively, so seeing the numbers is refreshing. It’s also why finding people who have great means AND great generosity is so rare.
So how is this a career discussion? Are you so focused on moving ahead in your own career that you forget about those around you? Are you rich in potential but oblivious to the needs of others? Don’t worry; it’s easy for that to happen, and according to Kasser, normal. There’s only so much time and you might not know what to do anyway. Yet those who are generous in their interactions — those that help others get ahead — feel better about themselves and often are paid back with the same generosity from others. Like a rare donor, career generosity doesn’t need to lead to “Kasser’s Paradox.”
