The end of the year is a great time for some good old fashioned daydreaming. Clear your head and think about what you would do if you won $200 million in the lottery. Be as detailed as possible. Would you buy a fast car, quit your job in a hail of thrown paperwork a and profanities, do a Pretty Woman style shopping spree? Now what would you do the second week? The second year? At some point shopping gets old, so what are you going to do with the rest of your life, since money is no longer an issue. Would you start volunteering at the local woman’s shelter? Would you start a foundation that uses a community decision-making process? Would you write a book about the intersections between community good and corporate profit making? Be as detailed here as you were in the shopping spree fantasy.

I’m willing to bet that winning $200 million in the lottery isn’t what is standing between you and that dream. The things that you would do a few years into your lottery win are actually  your big, hairy, audacious goals. These are the goals that are so big that we are sometimes afraid to dream them. This year get over that fear and take the next step to getting to that goal. If helping battered women take the next step to independence is really your dream, then set up an informational interview with a director that you admire. If you want to start your own foundation, look for a job as a program officer and help other people give away their money more efficiently. If you want to write a book, then sit down and start writing a book.

A ticket isn’t stopping you from reaching your goal, so take that first step.

Me and Rosetta Thurman are giving an exclusive one hour webinar tomorrow, Friday, December 17 at 3pm CST/4pm EST for all of the lovely folks who’ve purchased our new book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar! Here’s all the details:

How to Build Your Professional Network (from Scratch!)

You’ve heard this many times before: the key to getting your dream nonprofit job or moving up in the sector is to network, network, and network some more. You’ve heard it so many times because it’s true.

But how do you network if you don’t have much of a “network”? Well, back in the day, before Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, nonprofit leaders actually made connections face to face most of the time. These days, technology has made communication much less time-consuming, but the old-fashioned methods of networking still hold true.

This interactive presentation will reveal nine practical ways to build your network from scratch – both on and offline. Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris, co-authors of How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar will facilitate.

Title: How to Build Your Professional Network (From Scratch!)

Date: Friday, December 17, 2010

Time: 3:00 PM CST/4:00 PM EST

The webinar is a totally FREE professional development opportunity for those who’ve already bought our book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar! And no worries if you can’t join us in real time – the webinar will be recorded for you to listen to afterwards. But you have to register in order to receive the recording!

If you haven’t bought the book yet, go buy it here and then sign up for the webinar below. Note: You will have to have purchased the book to be able to sign up for the webinar.

If you’ve already gotten your copy of the book, go ahead and  click here to register.

I read an article today about an airline pilot/cardiologist that had a very successful speaking and academic career. This pilot was uncovered as a fraud when it was discovered that he had not actually graduated from medical school and was not a cardiologist.

From the AP:

He seemed like Superman, able to guide jumbo jets through perilous skies and tiny tubes through blocked arteries. As a cardiologist and United Airlines captain, William Hamman taught doctors and pilots ways to keep hearts and planes from crashing.He shared millions in grants, had university and hospital posts, and bragged of work for prestigious medical groups. An Associated Press story featured him leading a teamwork training session at an American College of Cardiology convention last spring.

But it turns out Hamman isn’t a cardiologist or even a doctor. The AP found he had no medical residency, fellowship, doctoral degree or the 15 years of clinical experience he claimed. He attended medical school for a few years but withdrew and didn’t graduate.

When I read these type of stories I always wonder how it got to this point. It probably started with trying to impress a woman at a dinner party (“Yes, I am a pilot and a heart surgeon”) and then when that went well, he tried it at his next job interview.  

I know when the job market is tight there is an little voice in your heard that may be encouraging you to embellish your qualifications. Fight that urge. Make your resume stand out more by branding yourself, building your network, and legitimately increasing your skills.

Lying is a slippery slope. One day you are fudging your GPA on a resume and the next you are pretending that you are a flying heart surgeon.

There was a time, not so long ago, when I would spend the weeks leading up until Christmas bent over a table of cardmaking supplies. I would get a ton of joy from arranging the paper just so and thinking up witty sayings for the inside of the cards. It was a huge creative outlet for me that I really enjoyed. My husband asked me if I was going to make cards this year and I snorted a “yeah, right”. The thought of making a pile of homemade cards today makes my brain hurt. I was trying to figure out why something that was once a pleasurable hobby, now sounds like a bleak chore and it’s because I like my job.

I know that this is a weird leap but card making was my creative outlet when I felt like I wasn’t able to be very creative in my job. I was a small part in a large machine and there were responsibilities that I needed to manage in very specific ways. I hadn’t yet learned how to bring creativity and vision to my work, so I had to find a different place (card making) to use that creativity and vision that was inside of me, just waiting to come out.

Now I am able to use my creativity every day at Headwaters and I’ve found a great creative outlet writing “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar” with Rosetta. In the past, I might have equated life balance to excellence in every area of my life at the same time. I’ve finally come to the place where I realize that balance, for me, is using my skills, talent, and energy in a way that makes me happy and makes the world a better place, even if that mean no homemade cards this year.

Last week I gave a presentation to the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network in the Twin Cities (with a strong showing from the Public Allies cohort) about how to build a professional network. It was estimated that we had 70 people crammed into the conference room at the Minnesota Council on Nonprofits, so it feels like young professionals are hungry to learn more about this topic. I promised them the top 9 ways to build your network, so here it is:

1) Prioritize networking

2) Take advantage of the network that you already have

3) Exploit your social networks

4) Get business cards

5) Join professional associations

6) Go to nonprofit conferences

7) Go talk to people

8 ) Build your own frankenmentor

9) Start your own network

If you would like for me to talk to your affinity group or professional association about this topic, send me an email at tristaharris (at) gmail (dot) com.

The winner of the How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar career coaching contest is…

Shosh!

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for entering and spreading the word about How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar. If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned for more prizes and resources for book readers.

Here is a round up of some of the wonderful things that I have recently found in my in-box and Twitterfeed.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has posted the transcript of a live discussion on overcoming career obstacles and preparing for a successful nonprofit career where Rosetta and I were guests.

In a recent BoardSource survey nonprofit CEO’s rated their boards poorly when it comes to promoting diversity.

The New York Times has a new interactive feature where you can try your hand at fixing the nation’s budget deficit. Try it here.

Moo cards are my new favorite for personalized business cards.MOO Business Cards are $21.99 for 50 customized Business Cards, each one with a different design.

Today is the last day that you can enter to win one hour of free career coaching. Buy How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar and post a comment here to be eligible.

To celebrate the great response we’ve been getting to How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, Rosetta and I are each offering one hour of FREE career coaching (a $100 value) to someone who purchases the book by midnight EST on November 15. (Check out the great reviews the book has received from your colleagues!) All you have to do is buy the book (ebook or paperback) at the discounted rate of $19.99 (remember the price goes up to $24.99 after November 15!). If you’ve already bought the book, thank you! You’re already eligible to enter

How to Enter

First, buy the book if you haven’t already. Then, fill in the comment box below with your name, email and the general area of nonprofit career development you’d like to work on. You have to comment below to be eligible for this prize. Rosetta and I will be randomly picking one winner from each of our comment sections on Tuesday, November 16. Then, we will schedule our one-hour coaching call to help you implement some of the tools found in the book. Entries must be received by midnight EST on November 15. The winner will be announced as an update to this post on November 16!

Note: Entries posted on my blog will win a coaching session with me and entries posted on Rosetta’s blog will win a coaching session with Rosetta. You can post one entry on both of our sites if you like!

P.S. Even if you don’t win this time around, stay tuned for more contests and special offers just for Nonprofit Rockstar readers!

Do you feel stuck in your nonprofit career? Unsure how to take that next step? How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is an accessible, do-it-yourself map of how to navigate the nonprofit sector and gives you the tools that you need to move from entry level to leadership.

This book is designed for professionals who want to build a meaningful and rewarding nonprofit career. How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is based on the authors’ experiences as well as interviews with nonprofit rockstars who have supercharged their careers.

You’ll learn how to develop meaningful nonprofit experience, build a strong network, establish a strong personal brand, achieve the elusive work/life balance, and move on up in your career.

Rosetta Thurman and I wrote this book together and it is chock full of all of the things that we wish we knew when we first started our nonprofit journeys.

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is available with two versions for you to choose from: an ebook or a paperback.

You better act fast, though. The book will only be available at the introductory price of $19.99 through November 15, 2010. After November 15, the book will revert to the original retail price of $24.99. Save $5 by making your decision to buy now!

Buy the Ebook Version of How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar for an Investment of $19.99

This 189-page resource is ready for your download right now. Click here to get your copy.

Benefits to purchasing the ebook version:

189 pages of practical tips, strategies and real-life examples to help you ROCK your career
The ebook version contains LIVE hyperlinks throughout the book, so you can put the 50 tips into action right away
The ebook version saves paper, is searchable and can be saved to your computer to be read anytime, anywhere
Includes a resource section with links to books, fellowships and professional associations we recommend.
BONUS! Free 34-page ebook from Rosetta on developing your own blog
BONUS! Free 14-page ebook from Trista on becoming a presentation powerhouse

Buy the Paperback Version of How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar for an Investment of only $19.99

Wanna hold How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar in your hands? You can also order the book in paperback format. It’s 174 pages and ships within 3-5 business days. You can order it as a paperback here.

Benefits to purchasing the paperback version:

• 174 pages of practical tips, strategies and real-life examples to help you ROCK your career
• The paperback version is perfect for those who like the look, feel and smell of hard copy books, with margins for good old-fashioned note-taking
• Includes an extended resource section with lists of books, fellowships and professional associations we recommend

So there is a dirty little secret in the next gen movement. Gen X folks can pull the same ageist nonsense that baby boomers do. I know this is absolutely shocking (unless you are a Gen Y nonprofit staff member that is sick of your Gen X coworkers constantly railing against your generation). Alfonso Wenker, who is a blogger at From Our Perspective and is featured in How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate your Career, has a lot to say on this topic. From Alfonso:

I was hired for my first nonprofit job when I was twenty years-old. Yes, HIRED. It was a paid gig. AND it was a job in philanthropy to boot – and I still work for the same organization.

To this day I am still entirely humbled and grateful to Greg, my first boss, for hiring me. He took a risk and saw potential. And also, to this day, people continue to do a double take when they hear that I am in my twenties and work for a foundation in a lead program role. I still find myself saying at events and happy hours, “Yes, I am on staff and have been for three years.” It gets old after a while. Now in most settings I would expect that folks might be surprised to hear that a 23 year-old is the director of programs for a regional LGBT foundation, but the last place I’d expect to get pushback is at an event for young professionals. This has been a huge challenge for me.

When I landed what I call “the first job of my dreams”, I immediately started attending networking events, professional development seminars and of course “YP” events. Working in philanthropy I felt a little over my head at first. Everyone was older. Most everyone was white. Many had been seasoned nonprofit professionals before they arrived as program officers at a foundation.

I thought my one safe haven would be attending “YP” events. Think again. I suppose you could call what I encountered at these events, acute ageism. Sharing my age seemed to leave a bad taste in the mouths of people I thought to be peers. I continually had to assure my colleagues at these events that “No, I in fact, am not an intern. I am on staff.” I was shocked. These were supposed to be my people. We were supposed to band together about being younger in field dominated by folks 20 and 30 years older than us. Instead what I found was a general mistrust and disbelief.

Sometimes when I was not “out” about my age, I found my other young colleagues cracking jokes about “those twenty something’s” or ridiculing the work of their newest intern.

Read the rest of Alfono’s post here.