7 Tips to Balance Database Management With Your Day Job

What’s one thing that development staff, volunteer coordinators, operations managers, HR and Program people all have in common?

At any time, we can become our org’s database admin, too.

“Accidental admin” is the term we’ve lovingly coined to all the database managers who never signed up for this. Typically the consequence of multiple-hat syndrome, these are the nonprofit professionals who were standing closest to the system at the time when their org desperately needed an admin.

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The Unconference Model is Problematic. Here’s Why & What to Do About It

Gang, let’s talk about unconferences. Because I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings.

First, if you’ve never heard of an unconference, let’s start there. An unconference is a “participant-led” learning experience. It rebels against the typical conference structure, in that there’s no preset agenda.

Yep, you read me correctly.

There is no agenda for this conference, .until you show up to make it. The idea is that the audience –the people who this whole thing is designed to benefit–  put forth the topics they want to discuss. Hence, the ‘un’.

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How to Organize Your Job Search Activities (and Feel Good Doing It)

Let’s get right to it. Job hunting is the worst.

I’m reminded of this every time I sit with my boyfriend to talk job prospects. He’s smart, talented and dedicated, yet sometimes he’ll forget! The job search is just that good at eating away at your confidence & optimism.  

It also exacerbates real life stressors, stuff we all go through at some point – like financial stress, low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and other fun anxiety-inducing things.

No one can make that stuff disappear. But there is a way to make this easier, a piece of advice that’s often neglected on career sites: organizing your search activities.

Yup yup! When the act of job searching already has you feeling like this….


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9 Resources Every Nonprofit Salesforce Admin Needs to Know

Are you the Salesforce Admin for your nonprofit? Was that always meant to be your role, or is it one you’re assuming because #multiplehats?

We have a phrase for those in the latter. We call you “accidental admins”, because so often that’s what nonprofit database administration is. It’s also how many of us got our start in Salesforce land.

Whether you’re in this for the long haul or desperately looking to break free, Salesforce can be overwhelming. It’s a a complex product, backed by a massive ecosystem. Where does one start?

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How to Plan & Organize Your Nonprofit’s Email Campaign

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Getting ready to send out an email campaign on behalf of your nonprofit?

If there’s one task that unites most departments, it’s the email campaign. Volunteer managers, fundraisers, program & comms staff all need to email our respective constituents. Even the ops/ tech staff don’t get a break: they’re often the ones getting those lists together for us!

But more on that later.

The point is, whether this is your first campaign or your fiftieth, this doesn’t have to be chaos.  A good process never hurt nobody, and you’ll definitely need one to execute something this important.

There’s a method to this particular nonprofit madness. Let’s talk email.

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My Nonprofit Story: Part 1 of Who Knows How Many

The nonprofit sector has been holding me against my will for the past 14 years.

You know how they say every joke has some kernel of truth? Well that’s true here. I’ve tried getting out of the nonprofit sector two times in my young adult life.

The first time was during my senior year of college. By that point, I’d held an internship at a nonprofit organization for over 5 summers. I also had a nonprofit work-study job, a 4 year stint with a local org doing client advocacy  work (by teaching people how to ask the right questions).

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