Too often in the social sector, our organizations are like rowboats, we are all rowing in the same direction but we are looking backwards as we do it. My personal plan for 2012 is to be more forward thinking, so that I can anticipate what will happen next and prepare for it, rather than being reactive to yesterday’s problem. In that spirit, here are my predictions for the social sector in 2012:

0% processing fee for donations

In response to mass protests against the financial services industries, a forward-thinking credit card company decides to demonstrate extreme corporate citizenship and eliminate credit card fees for donations on a charity donation site like www.Razoo.com. Their market share increases significantly, nonprofits see a boost to their bottom line, and other credit card companies quickly follow suit. By 2015, charity donations enjoy 0% fees across donation platforms.

Nonprofit intellectual property infringement

A small nonprofit sued a corporate philanthropy program that uses crowdsourcing contests. In court papers the nonprofit alleged that the corporate giving program used the contest to identify promising trends in the social sector and then funded larger nonprofits to implement those strategies.

95% for social enterprise

A large, national foundation changed its investment strategy from traditional investments that have little mission impact, to 100% of its endowment invested in social enterprise projects. The range of projects that they support include grocery stores in inner city, wind projects, and a Zipcar franchise. The foundation saw an increase in investment returns and was able to leverage its entire endowment for its mission.

Millennial movement

A Top 100 nonprofit hired a CEO from the millennial generation. The organization touts their new CEO’s ability to ability to harness the power of technology and manage remote teams. Nonprofit sector analysts watch this placement carefully to determine if this is representative of a new wave of hiring from traditional organizations that are looking to completely revamp the way that they do work.

Common grants become common

Regional Associations of Grantmakers from across the country announce that they have partnered together to create a universal common grant application. The application is widely adopted by grantmakers and significantly reduces the paperwork burden on nonprofits.

Career Agents

An enterprising recruitment firm has identified the trend of Gen X and Gen Y employees taking an increasing number project-based appointments with nonprofit organizations. To capitalize on this trend they added to their staff of recruiters a handful of “career agents”, that are not hired by the nonprofit but are retained by the individual nonprofit professional. These career agents identify positions and negotiate on behalf of the professional.

What changes do you see happening in 2012 for the social sector?

It is almost time for the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy Annual Conference! Register here. To get you excited about the great content of the conference, I am reposting a session that I did at the last EPIP Conference called “How to Build your Multi-generational Network from Scratch”.

Watch the Video Here

2011 EPIP National Conference

Concurrent Workshop: Investing in Influence for Policy Change
Conference Track: Philanthropology 4.0 – Generations in Philanthropy

Session Designer:
Trista Harris, Headwaters Foundation for Justice

Synopsis:
You’ve heard this many times before: good grantmaking is about knowing what is happening on the ground.  Having a strong network can help you master this grantmaking skill.     But how do you network if you don’t have much of a “network”, especially a network that spans multiple generations? Well, back in the day, before Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, people 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.

Too often I am self-reliant to a fault. I usually refuse to ask for help and think that I can balance the world on my shoulders. What happens when you balance the world on your shoulders alone is that you drop something or you get squished. A few years ago, I realized that trying to do it all was holding me back professionally and personally. I started writing about how to hire a wife and the myth of work/life balance. The surprising way that I got through that rut and finally had the space to write a book, run a foundation, and travel around the country on a book tour while raising two kids is by becoming a part of a multigenerational household. My Dad moved in with us almost 2 years ago and it has made all the difference in the world. Instead of cursing through traffic to try to get home before daycare closes, he now picks them up from school and I can even have an occasional evening meeting or travel on the book tour without worrying how the kids are going to get in school.

Raising a family and having a career today is becoming a 10 person job. If you feel like it has been impossible for you to juggle the demands of home and work, it is probably because it is impossible to juggle home and work. Calling in the reinforcements doesn’t mean that you are weak, it just means that none of us can do this alone.

Thanks Dad for having my back.

When I first started in philanthropy I had a great professional network that I could rely on for advice and connections but felt like I was really missing the emotional support that I needed to move on to the next phase of my career. I had great friends, but they didn’t really want to talk about work stuff. I had coffee with a colleague who was expressing the same frustration, so we decided to start an informal coaching group of young female professionals, who were ready to move to the next phase of leadership and would benefit from a community of support.

We called our group the “Fab 5.” The five women were from academia, philanthropy, social enterprise, and business. Their diversity of experiences and perspectives lead to rich conversations and new connections during our monthly meetings. Each meeting is hosted by one of the members on a rotating basis and includes a time for check-in around a guiding question like “how to balance work and home” or “finding volunteer opportunities that sustain you” or “managing up.” Each of these women is an important mentor in my life.

An exciting development in my journey with the Fab 5, is seeing the model be replicated all over the country by people that were inspired by it when they read “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar”. I was so surprised when I heard someone talk about her “Fab 5” group, so I said “Hey, I have a Fab 5 group too!” She said “I know I got the idea from you when I read the book.” Whoops.  I’m amazed that our little group is useful for people all over that are trying to take their careers to the next level.

What have you tried to get the encouragement you need to strengthen your career?

One year ago this week, Rosetta Thurman and I released the book “How to Become  Nonprofit Rockstar“. I don’t think either of us could imagine the sort of reception that the book has received. We have heard from readers as far away as Tanzania,  where the President of a Civil Society Foundation in Dar es Salaam has gotten two copies so far because her last signed copy was borrowed and not returned.  The nearest reader has been someone that lives about 10 feet away from me. My 12 year old daughter read a copy of the book and when I took an especially cute photo of her in footie pajamas and said that I was going to post it on my Facebook page, she said I was hurting her personal brand.

I’ve been especially grateful for the many readers that have tweeted about the book, participated in our leadership intensive, and have worked like heck to get me and Rosetta to your towns as part of the Nonprofit Rockstar Tour. During the tour, I’ve gotten to visit 6 of the 11 EPIP Chapters across the country and have been so impressed with the expertise and leadership young people are bringing to the social sector. Publicizing this book has been a completely grassroots effort and without your assistance we couldn’t have spread this message across the country. Since each of you has done so much to spread the word about the book, we decided the 1st anniversary was a great time to express our gratitude.

For one week only (October 31st to November 6th), we are giving you a free electronic copy of “How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar” ($24.99 value), when you click on the pay with a tweet button below. You will receive a complete PDF of the book, when you send a tweet or Facebook post about the book using the link below.

*Image from the amazing Northern Sun catalog

To put it mildly, this economy stinks. Many recent college grads or long-term nonprofit professionals are looking for work. From organizational downsizing, to cuts in grant funding, to hiring freezes, it is tough to get your foot in the door in any field. It’s even hard when you are trying to do good for a living. Here are some tips to shorten your job search:

• Have fresh eyes look at your resume- If you have sent your resume to 40 organizations and aren’t getting an interview, it’s time to have someone else take a look. Possiblities are friends, mentors, or organizations that have employment counselors can all be helpful.You want to put your expertise in the best possible light and often help is needed to do this.
• Make a social media splash- It is critical to have an updated social media presence during your job search because possible employers will be Googling you. Setting up a LinkedIn profile is critical and cleaning up any questionable Facebook content helps too.
• Drink a lot of coffee- Informational interviews are critical where you are conducting a job search. Do research on your “dream” organizations and set up coffee with their Executive Director or someone who is doing a job you would like to do. Spend 80% of the time listening and 20% asking questions and sharing your background. Learn about the organization and ask who else you should talk to in their network. Leave them with a copy of your resume and a good impression of you. 
• Build your skills- During your job search volunteer to build your skill base. If you want to be an event coordinator for that great mentoring program, volunteer to help them plan their next big event. You’ll sharpen your skillset and build new relationships.
• Get a side hustle- Having an extra way to earn income is critical while your are working full time and especially when you are looking for work. Side hustles allow you to strengthen a skill set (contract grantwriting) or explore another side of yourself (yoga class anyone?), while you are bringing in extra financial resources. Other places where you can identify some side work are www.elance.com or through our network.

I’ve been preaching for a long time that having a mentor isn’t enough to get you big dog status. The Washington Post has a great article that drives that point home. From the Washington Post:

Much ado has been made recently about the importance of sponsors, versus mentors, in the career advancement of women. Just this summer, Catalyst released a study, Sponsoring Women to Success , pointing to the fact that sponsorship may in fact be the single most critical strategy for accelerating a woman’s career.

So just what is the difference between a mentor and sponsor? Think of mentors as the friendly guides who dispense helpful information, offering up input and advice to mentees. Sponsors, on the other hand, are defined by their organizational clout and ability to open doors; they will personally advocate for a cause, project or promotion on a protégé’s behalf.

My life has taken a big turn from worklife balance to crazy tightrope of life. As always Rosetta Thurman has been able to put this feeling together in a beautiful blog post about how to start getting it back together. From Rosetta:

I probably don’t have to tell you just how many things are vying for our attention these days. Well, maybe I do. I have a point to make here. We’ve all got so much to do all the time that it seems to be getting harder to concentrate fully on everything we have to do in the first place. Couple that with technology and you have all the possibility that more opportunities, more networking, and more connections bring.  Alas, they also bring the little things.

You know, the little things that run counter to that “balanced life” we all seem to want to lead. Little things like email (we all get way too much), social media (it’s great, but who can really keep up with 12,000 people on Twitter?), long to-do lists at work and at home (where not much ever seems to really get “crossed off”), tedious meetings and conference calls (many of which seem unnecessary). All these little things add up to one big thing.

I’ve been putting off hiring another assistant ever since business slowed down for me late last year. But then what happens? All spring, all summer and now fall, my speaking and coaching schedule is heating up, and things are moving faster than I can keep up with them. I’m like the little tortoise trying to enjoy the race and the hare is just whizzing by, running around me in circles, taunting me with a full inbox, piled up voicemails and the red glare of unread Facebook updates.

Thing is, I suspect that I’m not alone. Everyone in my circle always seems so damn busy. (Or maybe I just need a new circle?) With the pace of technology, many of us seem to have gone way beyond that magic 150 number of people we can sanely keep track of in our mental rolodex.

Read the rest here.

There seem to be a common complaint among people that are frustrated with their organizations, it sounds something like this “my boss is an idiot” or “my organization is a mess, it is so hard to get things done”. I get the frustration but don’t get the common reaction, which is to continuously complain about the situation and not do anything about it. That’s where this great blog post from YNPN Detroit comes in handy. Learn how to become an organizational change agent. From YNPN Detroit:

As we look to transform our community, we often overlook the powerful role that we can play as change agents within our own organization. After all, if we work to ensure our organizations are more effective and just, we can help to boost their transformative impact.

But becoming an organizational change agent isn’t always easy. Here are some thoughts for how you can get started:

• Prove yourself. The leadership of your organization is not going to be interested in seeing you take on additional projects if you haven’t demonstrated success in the work you were hired to do. Make sure you are always delivering over and above on the work you’ve been assigned before you start exploring other opportunities to impact the organization.
• Start small. You might have a grand idea that would have a transformative impact on the organization’s work, but most likely that won’t be the first place you are able to exercise influence. Find areas where you can build up a number of small wins, so that you can earn the trust you need to tackle the big things.
• Find allies. Not everyone is interested in listening to the young “whipper snapper” who’s full of ideas. That means that some times you need to send your message through someone else. Find those folks in management who are most receptive to change, and let them carry your ideas forward. Better to see the change take place than to get the credit.

Read the rest here

The speakers for the Nonprofit Rockstar Leadership Intensive have been announced. The full list is below but let me just say how excited I am that these experts from the nonprofit sector, government, and philanthropy will be sharing their insights with the retreat participants. I’m even more excited that I will get to learn from their stories of leadership. More info about the retreat is at www.becomeanonprofitrockstar.com.

Rebecca Cokley | Director of Priority Placement for Public Engagement, White House Presidential Personnel Office

“Personal Branding for Career Advancement and Community Impact”

Rebecca is responsible for outreach to constituency communities to identify the most qualified candidates to fill political appointments across all agencies. She previously served as the Confidential Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services at the U.S. Department of Education and has spent the last 15 years reaching out to marginalized and underrepresented communities. During the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Rebecca served on the leadership team of the Obama Disability Policy Committee. Rebecca has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California Santa Cruz and is an alumnus of the Education Policy Fellowship Program.

Robert Egger | Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen

“Authentic Leadership: What It Is, What It Looks Like and How He Does It”

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, the country’s first “community kitchen”, where food donated by hospitality businesses and farms is used to fuel a nationally recognized culinary arts job training program, where unemployed men and women learn marketable skills while donations are converted into balanced meals. Since opening in 1989, the Kitchen has produced over 23 million meals and helped 800 men and women gain full time employment. The Kitchen operates its own revenue generating business, Fresh Start Catering, as well as the Campus Kitchens Project, which coordinates similar recycling/meal programs in 30 college or high school based kitchens.

In Washington, Robert was the founding Chair of both the Mayor’s Commission on Nutrition and Street Sense, Washington’s “homeless” newspaper. He was also the Co-Convener of the first Nonprofit Congress, held in Washington DC in 2006.

Robert’s book on the non-profit sector, Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient and Rewarding For All, was released in 2004 by HarperCollins. It received the 2005 McAdam Prize for “Best Nonprofit Management Book” by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management.

Robert was included in the Non Profit Times list of the “50 Most Powerful and Influential” nonprofit leaders from 2006-2009. He was the recipient of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 2007 “Lifetime Achievement” award and the 2004 James Beard Foundation “Humanitarian of the Year” award. He has been named an Oprah Angel, a Washingtonian of the Year, a Point of Light and one of the Ten Most Caring People in America, by the Caring Institute. He is also a 14-gallon blood donor to the American Red Cross.

Robert speaks throughout the country and internationally on the subjects of hunger, sustainability, nonprofit political engagement and social enterprise. He writes blogs and editorials to share his ideas about the nonprofit sector and the future of America.  To check out Robert’s most recent speaking schedule, blogs, and editorials, please visit www.robertegger.org.

Melissa Johnson | Executive Director of Neighborhood Funders Group

“Movin’ On Up: Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Nonprofit Executive Director”

Melissa Johnson is the Executive Director of the Neighborhood Funders Group. Prior to NFG, Melissa served as the national field director for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.  With over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit  sector, she has served as a philanthropic consultant helping to seed giving circles, develop models of community philanthropy, and advising foundations on issues of social justice and racial equity. Melissa’s career in philanthropy began in her work with community foundations in her native state of North Carolina where she served as a program officer and other key roles in rural and urban grantmaking, funding collaboratives, and major community initiatives. Additionally, her prior work at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits grounded her commitment to build nonprofit capacity and strengthen the sector as a whole.

She holds a B.A. in English and Sociology from Wake Forest University and a Masters of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration on community practice and community development. Melissa’s voluntary service has spanned several organizations including Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, Guatemala Human Rights Campaign-USA, North Carolina’s Youth for Tomorrow (ncyt), NCNG Emerging Leaders Network, United Way of Greensboro, YWCA of Greensboro, Resource Generation, and the University of North Carolina’s School of Social Work Alumni Council.

Monisha Kapila | Founder and CEO of ProInspire

“Developing Valuable Expertise: Essential Skills for Nonprofit Managers”

Monisha founded ProInspire to address the gap between nonprofits that seek broader pools of talent, and business professionals who want to transition into the sector. Monisha brings 10 years of experience in the business and nonprofit sectors. Most recently she was a Senior Marketing Manager for Capital One Financial Corporation. Prior to Capital One, she was a Harvard Business School Leadership Fellow with ACCION International, a pioneer in the commercial approach to microfinance. Monisha has worked with a number of leading non-profit organizations throughout her career, including CARE, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and the Clinton Foundation. She began her career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen.

Monisha has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was recipient of the Dean’s Award, and a BBA with distinction from the University of Michigan. She received her Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. Monisha is an Advisor to the Social Enterprise Program at American University and previously served as Vice Chair of the Board for the I Do Foundation.