Interview Schedule: Week Ending 11/28/09

Available in-person:
Monday, 11/23 all day

Available for phone:
Friday, 11/20 from 10:00am – 5:00pm
Tuesday, 11/24 from 3:00 – 5:00pm

A light week due to the holiday!

Question for the masses: Should I include my Saturday and Sunday availability, or are most organizations a M-F deal?

New feature: Interview schedule

Starting tomorrow, I am going to post my weekly availability for phone and in-person interviews. There will be one copy on my blog, under the “interview schedule” tag, and another copy under the Contact section of Cristina-Fernandez.com.

My work schedule is dynamic and is never the same week-to-week; I don’t even have any “guaranteed” days off. As a result, it can be a little challenging to set up interviews. Hopefully, this interview schedule feature will make things a little easier!

What Is a Nonprofit Organization?

Whenever I mention that I am looking for work in a nonprofit, people usually get confused as to what a nonprofit organization really is. There are two questions that I get asked all the time regarding the subject:

1. What does a nonprofit do?
and
2. Do you have to work for free?

A former boss was appalled that I’d put in so much time and effort into my graduate education simply to volunteer for the rest of my life. How on earth was I going to put food on the table working at a nonprofit?

To give a sterile definition, a nonprofit organization is one whose focus is something other than pursuing profits. Most nonprofit organizations are geared towards providing some sort of service or benefit to the public, and while it may not be their reason for existence, yes, they do need to make money. A puzzled colleague of mine countered my explanation asking, “Then… Why is it called a nonprofit?”

The problem is that the term “nonprofit” is misleading. Every nonprofit organization needs to make some sort of income to cover operating costs, fund new programs and incentives while keeping current ones going, pay its employees, etc. Funding is actually a hot topic in the nonprofit world, and, especially given today’s market, grant writers and development associates have their work cut out of them!

Hildy Gottlieb of the Community Driven Institute suggests using the term “community benefit organizations” in lieu of “nonprofits”. In her own words:

The term Community Benefit Organization states what we are.  It is a term that powerfully and boldly focuses on our reason for being. 

- BlogHer

In a recent Connecting Women interview, Gottlieb places the term “nonprofit” in a category with archaic terminology that was acceptable once upon a time. While I feel that her analogy was a stretch, I agree with her rationale and feel as though community benefit organization is a better, more accurate term. It shifts the focus away from the profit aspect (or perceived lack thereof) and toward the main focus of these organizations: benefiting the community. Let’s rethink our language; we shouldn’t focus on what these organizations aren’t.

Question: Raises

Working women, have you ever had to negotiate for a pay raise? Tell us about your experience!

A colleague recently posted about negotiating a raise, and I think she is taking all the right steps: She did her research on salary.com to see where she stood vs others who do the same work, taking her acquired kills and responsibilities into consideration. From this, she was able to determine how much she could be making comparatively and calculated both a reasonable and an ideal percent increase. She also compiled a list of non-monetary bonuses that could be supplemented as well. I think that this gives her a lot to work with when she goes into the office to have The Talk, so best of luck to her!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I had an unsuccessful raise negotiation back when I was promoted in late 2008. It was my first opportunity to negotiate a raise, and I didn’t do the greatest job! To make a long story short, I surprised the DSM with the discussion and flatly asked for a specific rate of pay. I based my information off of some discussions I had with people in my networks, some of whom had previously worked for the company in my position. But that was it; I didn’t take into consideration what these individuals brought to the company at the time of their hire or the current state of the economy and its effects on the company. I had no idea what other people in my position were being paid at that time, and to my embarrassment, learned that the pay I was being offered was on the higher end.

At that point, I backed off and accepted the original offer, probably blushing at my lack of information. Sometimes I wonder if I could have lowered my counter a little and brought up some of the transferable skills/experience that I would have brought to the position from my previous job. Would I have been more successful? I suppose I will just have to file this one under Life Tuition and be better prepared for my next negotiation opportunity.

Politics? In MY doctor’s office?

If you haven’t already heard, President Obama has begun taking steps to overturn a Health and Human Services regulation put in place by former President Bush that essentially limits a person’s right to receive complete health care and accurate health information from which they can make informed choices. In some cases, the patient may be denied care without even realizing it (e.g. not being informed that certain treatments or services were available). Why? Because the doctor or health provider may have moral objections to it. In terms of women’s health, the definition of abortion was broadened to include oral and emergency contraception, even though neither of those options result in terminating an existing pregnancy. So if your particular doctor is pro-life and believes that your Ortho Evra patch falls under the category of abortion, then you’re out of luck! I have heard of stories where women had been denied Plan B, even after a sexual assault, because of this.

Personally, I was appalled that such a regulation could even pass to begin with. What good could come from such a policy? The people who are suffering most are those who are low-income or from areas where it is already difficult enough to have access to health care. I pasted the following text from PlannedParenthood.org:

President Obama has begun the process of overturning the Bush administration rule that limits the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate reproductive health information and services. The Bush rule is a huge threat to women’s health, and this is our best chance to reverse it.

In order to overturn the Bush administration rule, Obama has to allow 30 days for the public to comment on what he proposes to do. THE OFFICIAL COMMENT PERIOD ENDS ON APRIL 9 AT MIDNIGHT. We need to show our support NOW to make sure his proposal to reverse the rule succeeds.

I want to make sure that doctors and hospitals aren’t allowed to use their personal biases as an excuse to withhold health care information and services from their patients. That’s why I joined Planned Parenthood in speaking out in support of President Obama’s plan to undo this dangerous rule.

Will you add your voice? Here’s the link with all the info you need: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/campaigns/453.htm

If you want to add your name/voice to the opposition of the HHS “Midnight Regulation”, click here. You can choose to customize your letter or just go with the default, but please take advantage of this opportunity to make yourself heard.

Fundraising for the Walk for Hunger

Last month, I made a post about my participation in this year’s Walk for Hunger. A few days ago, I reached a milestone in my fundraising: $250 or 50% of my goal. Someone from the Walk for Hunger Twitter asked if I had any special tips on how I did it.

I had a number of factors working against me. First off, I’m a relative newcomer to the area, so I don’t have a great deal of connections. No longtime friends who “owe me one”, extended family I could sweet-talk… Secondly, as we all know, times are tough. The people most likely to donate to a charitable organization are working middle-class folks, and with less expendable cash in their pockets, organizations like Project Bread are feeling the burn. So what am I doing to raise money?

1. Create a webpage on Project Bread’s site.
This is a free option for people who have registered for the Walk online. Even if a person has never created a webpage before, it’s really a no-brainer with the WYSIWYG editor they have on the site. I urge everyone who is registered for the walk to use the free website. Customize the wording, upload images, change the colors, and customize your link so you can send it to anyone with an internet connection.

Project Bread also has a good number of facts on their site about hunger in the commonwealth that may be of interest to your friends and family. On last year’s walk, I saw a sign that read that, for every $50 donated, Project Bread could purchase up to 250 lbs of food. People like knowing how their donation is going to impact someone, and even if they only donate $10, I like to let them know that it could mean 50 lbs of food for a hungry person.

2. Promote your cause.
Now that I had a link, I sent it around. I put a link on my LinkedIn profile and used social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace) to get the word out about what I was doing and how much money I planned to raise. On Facebook, I even followed my sister’s example and created a Facebook group dedicated to my “cause”!

3. Ask!
Even if you’re like me and don’t know a whole lot of people, many people you do know may be willing to lend a hand. You don’t have to flat-out ask for donations (although that might work for you!), but if you just spread the word about the Walk and what you’re doing, people may offer. Additionally, I have sent out individual emails to people whom I felt would be sympathetic to Project Bread’s mission, as well as regular (every couple of weeks) bulletins/notes on social networking sites updating my friends on my progress and giving them the opportunity to donate.

4. Get your employer involved.
Many companies have programs that will match an employee’s donation to a particular organization. While the company didn’t turn up when I used Project Bread’s matching gifts search engine, I filled out a form here and learned that my company did have such a program. There were some guidelines and criteria that had to be met, but essentially I have to fill out a form and cross my fingers. So in a few weeks, my $250 may very well be $500!

Bonus Tip: Bake sales
I have never gone this route, but a friend of mine raised over $200 after selling her home-baked goods, so it’s worth a shot if you’re a good baker!

– and don’t forget to thank those who have contributed to your Walk. First of all, it’s plain good manners. Secondly, people who have donated in the past are more likely to donate in the future, so don’t burn any bridges by coming off as ungrateful!

2009 Walk for Hunger

On Sunday, May 3, I will be participating in Project Bread’s 2009 Walk for Hunger. The 20-mile Walk route weaves through Boston, Brookline, Newton, and Cambridge. This will be my third Walk, and I hope that I can count on you all once again for your support.

Last year, I had an overwhelming response from my friends and family. I managed to raise $285. This translated into over 1400 pounds of food for the hungry! That’s a lot of warm meals. This year, I want to tip the scales and raise $500.

That’s right, five hundred dollars.

In order to achieve this, I am depending on the generosity of friends, colleagues, family, and kind strangers to donate whatever they can for this wonderful cause. If 20 people donate $25, then I’ve reached my goal! Project Bread’s 2008 Status Report on Hunger showed us that more than 522,000 people struggled to put food on the table this winter. Money raised through The Walk for Hunger funds more than 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, food banks, and food salvage programs in 128 communities across Massachusetts. Even if you can only spare $10, that’s equivalent to 50 lbs of food for somebody. Every little bit will help.

Please donate to my walk to help me make a difference and reach my personal fundraising goal. Thank you for your support of me and of hungry people.

Together we CAN make a difference!

If you would like to donate, please visit this link. Or, if you’d rather donate to my entire team, here is our link.

Thank you for your support!

Interests On Your Online CV or Profile?

I’ll admit it; while I am a big fan of VisualCV, I haven’t been the most faithful user of the site. In fact, when I (finally) got around to updating my account today, I realized that all my contact information was out of date, and I had only completed my education and reference section.

While I got that up to date, I toyed with the idea of putting in an “interests” section. The idea intrigued me because a prospective employer would get to know more about me as a person, in addition to my other qualities. And, let’s face it, resumes/CVs can be a little dull. I know they aren’t meant to be best-sellers, but having an interests section does make it, well, interesting.

On the other hand, having interests listed may give employers reason to eliminate a job seeker from their list of potential candidates. One of your interests might be a pet peeve of an employer, or even something s/he stands against. Your favorite band? The employer may absolutely hate it. Even something as common as “spending time with my family” or “babysitting my grandchildren” may be construed negatively.

So, what to do?

I am of the opinion that interests sections should stay out of resumes or other documents that are being sent in response to specific job openings, but on a networking site such as VisualCV or Facebook, I’m torn. How personal are job seekers allowed to get? Your feedback is appreciated.

Reflections

Over the summer, I received an email from Dr. Meg Bond of the Center for Women and Work asking if I would be interested in joining the planning committee for the Center’s 10 year anniversary event. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up! The event was called Everyday Advocate for Working Women: Ordinary Actions, Extraordinary Impact, and its purpose was to honor people who have made positive impacts on women in the workforce. On October 23, 2008, we had a jam-packed room at the Wannalancit Mill complex full of people who wanted to honor a certain someone. Our guest of honor Niki Tsongas garnered a standing ovation such that the camerawoman (that would be me) couldn’t capture anything but the backs of people’s heads for probably a full minute. After the event was over, the Center was showered with praise, we had raised a ton of money, and we got to sit back and breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Getting to that point took months of hard work, from fundraising to marketing to working out all the minutia involved in making a big event a success. There were some moments where panic started to set in because things didn’t seem like they’d work out, but it turned out to be a smashing success. For me personally, it was a wonderful learning experience and confirmation that yes, I really do want to work in a nonprofit organization. Despite the fact that I was working 40+ hours at my retail job, the time I spent at/for the Center kept me going. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the whole vibe of the small nonprofit group, and I underestimated the amount of satisfaction of working for a cause I supported.

A number of people have asked me why I am still working in an industry that has little to do with my heart’s passion, and yesterday’s entry on the Idealist Blog pretty much sums it up. It’s secure, it pays the bills, and it’s something, when so many people are without work. And it’s not as though I loathe my job, either; there is a lot to like about my position. There are days when I wish I could focus exclusively on finding the nonprofit job of my dreams, but I know that isn’t possible right now. I consider myself lucky that I know what I want and where I want to go from here; I’m lucky that I work with great people in an industry that isn’t going to fall through the cracks. Times are tough, but we have to be tougher.

Donate to Idealist

One of my favorite websites to visit is Idealist.org, a site dedicated to nonprofit networking. There are job and internship postings there, as well as a community full of people who are involved in nonprofits of all different sectors. They host career fairs for aspiring nonprofit professionals, and you can get all the latest NPO news from their blog. I visit the site every time I have time to browse the web.

However, being a nonprofit organization themselves, Idealist relies heavily on donations and grant funds. Unfortunately, the big grant that they were counting on fell through, so it’s time for Plan B: Community support.

If you’d like to donate to Idealist, you have a number of options available on their donation page. If you have a few dollars to spare, please consider helping them out!