It has been over a year since I last updated this blog, though I still have a couple of drafts that will eventually be posted. If anybody has suggestions for what they would like me to write about, I will do my best to fulfill any requests.

On a personal note: I am no longer actively trying to shift gears and have not been for several months. That being said, if any can’t-pass-up opportunities just so happen to come by way, I wouldn’t look the other way. For now, however, I plan on remaining in the retail industry.

Incoming Phone Calls

Since my last post, my partner and I made the decision to move. Our current situation was not ideal (to be polite about it), so we spent the next few weeks preparing for a short but significant move into a multi-family house the next town over. So far, it’s been grand, but there has been one major setback: Our phone is, we learned today, not accepting incoming calls. We did not realize that there was a problem with our phone until this evening, since we had been able to make outgoing calls just fine. (I had optimistically thought that the telemarketers who used to call us a dozen times a day just gave up!)

Those of you who had been trying to get in touch with me will have to call my mobile number, or simply send me an email. Hopefully our land line situation will be resolved soon!

Cover Letters: A Love-Hate Relationship

After a very long hiatus from blogging, I’m back in action! Additionally, my job search was put on hold for a few weeks after I contracted the flu in late December. (It was about time; I had a clean streak spanning a few years!) But with only a few minor sniffles to contend with, it’s time to rev up the proverbial engine and play a little catch-up.

As some of you know, I am in the process of shifting careers. Currently, I am an assistant store manager in the retail industry, and I am seeking employment in the community benefit/nonprofit sector as a program coordinator (or similar position). Idealist has been updated with several job postings that pique my interest, so I predict that I will be busy writing cover letters and looking over my resumé this afternoon.

Speaking of which, I have always said that the cover letter is the hardest part in the job hunting process. I have a love-hate relationship with the cover letter.

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.

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.

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?

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.