Ranks of Volunteers Swell as Joblessness Rises

Growing numbers of newly unemployed professionals have been streaming into the offices of nonprofits since the recession hit looking to do some good, to network, or simply to fill the hours they used to put in at their former jobs, the New York Times reports.

In New York City, newly jobless professionals have searched for volunteer opportunities on the volunteernyc.org matching site, which last month recorded 30 percent more visitors than in February 2008, and caused New York Cares to add new-volunteer orientations that are booked an unprecedented three weeks in advance. Similarly, the San Francisco-based Taproot Foundation, which places skilled professionals in volunteer positions, had more people sign up on a single day earlier this year than during any single month in 2008. And in Philadelphia, Big Brothers Big Sisters has seen a 25 percent year-over-year increase in inquiries from potential mentors.

While many nonprofit leaders marvel at the sudden flood of bankers, advertising copywriters, marketing managers, accountants, and other professionals eager to lend their formidable skills in service of a good cause, the increased demand for volunteer positions has been something of a mixed blessing, especially for small organizations that are being forced to scale back on projects in the face of falling donations and cutbacks in government grants. “It’s like a Greek tragedy,” said Lindsay Firestone, who manages pro bono projects for Taproot. “We’re thrilled to have all of these volunteers. But now organizations are stuck not being able to take advantage of it because they don’t have adequate funding.”

According to Bertina Ceccarelli, a senior vice president at the United Way of New York City, which partners with the mayor’s office to run volunteernyc.org, the flood of professionals looking for volunteer opportunities in the nonprofit sector is similar to what occurred after 9/11 — except that many of the new volunteers have more time on their hands to fill. Still, like many nonprofit executives, Ceccarelli is bracing for the day when the economy revives and today’s jobless are able to find paid employment again.

“My hope is when they decide it’s time to do something else, they have fond memories of what they learned at United Way,” Ceccarelli said. “Maybe they’ll even become a donor. I’ll tell you, there isn’t an executive director in town who doesn’t think that way.”

Bosman, Julie. “From Ranks of Jobless, a Flood of Volunteers.” New York Times 3/15/09.

Source: PND

Managing Change in Changing Times

“The Times They are A-Changin,’” wrote singer Bob Dylan in 1963. In an interview soon after the tune’s release, Dylan stated that when he recorded it “something had just gone haywire in the country.” In truth, both the song’s lyrics and its early sentiment accurately sum up today’s catastrophic changes.

That America is in the midst of change unlike many can ever recall is evident. At last count, over 413,000 individuals in Georgia alone are out of work. The number of people losing their homes nationwide steadily continues to climb. And if those things are not enough, the up and down movement on Wall Street is enough to cause whiplash to investors everywhere.

In his 1996 book, Deep Change-Discovering the Leader Within, scholar, Robert E. Quinn, sums up change as “Walking Naked into the Land of Uncertainty.” According to Quinn, “Deep Change” explores not only change management, but also addresses a new way of thinking about change, and how it affects our lives. Thus, “Walking Naked into the Land of Uncertainty” was the impetuous for my workshop entitled, Managing Personal Change (to Create Opportunities) at last month’s Opportunity Knocks’ Launch Yourself Career Conference.

Change is described as an event or situation which occurs outside of an individual. Change can also occur within an individual as well. Still, to fully understand the change process requires examining the six distinct stages of change: loss, doubt, discomfort, discovery, understanding and integration. Individuals may experience both personal loss and organizational loss (job related) simultaneously. Understanding each stage will go a long way to minimizing fear, uncertainty and an individual’s failure to move forward.

Stage One — Loss. At Stage One, life as we know it has changed. During this stage an individual often experiences fear, shock and often, anger. Feelings of not being in control are also heightened. The action required at this stage involves taking small steps to regain control. If the loss is your job, the first thing you should do is apply for any benefits (monetary, health, veterans’ etc.) to which you may be entitled.

Communicate what you are feeling with people who care about you. Meditate or read something inspirational. Eat healthy. Most importantly, get plenty of rest. Any type of loss affects your body as well as your spirit. In other words, do whatever you need to regain some sense of control.

Stage Two — Doubt. Individuals continue to experience a sense of uncertainty during Stage Two. A sense of loss of control continues, so any effort toward regaining it is beneficial.

Stage Three — Discomfort. Stage Three is often characterized by anxiety. Individuals feel overwhelmed and confused. Depression normally follows. Focusing on short term accomplishments is important during this stage. Completing job applications in your particular field and confirming an interview are two such accomplishments. Arranging a budget plan for utilities and making payment arrangements with your mortgage company are others.

Stage Four –Discovery. During Stage Four, individuals enter the Hopeful phase. For instance you went on an interview in your field. While you don’t know whether you got the position, you felt the interview went well. You now feel energized. You pen a Thank you letter to the interviewer, and work to confirm a new interview for the following week.

Stage Five – Understanding. Here, individuals feel motivated to explore both short and long-term goals. If your former position was with a non-profit organization, you might consider applying to the open part-time position at a sister agency. Volunteering also enhances your job visibility. Volunteer positions may be added to your resume.

Stage Six–Integration. At this stage, individuals now feel able to move from ‘what was’ to ‘what is.’ Here, individuals are often able to glimpse the future. Even if still unemployed, they may now be able to envision possibilities. Upon finding a position, individuals begin to feel some connection to the organization or new colleagues.

“If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude,” says Amy Tan (author of The Joy Luck Club). While it’s not easy, strive to see change as a chance to explore new opportunities. Only until individuals learn to manage change, is moving forward a possibility.

Carol Gee

Carol Gee, M.A. has worked in education for 26 years in positions ranging from teaching to administration. Currently she is an editor and business writer at Goizueta Business School at Emory University. She is also the author of books, The Venus Chronicles and Diary of a ‘Flygirl’ Wannabe (Life Lessons of a Cool Girl in Training,) and a contributor to the baby boomer book, Age Smart-Discovering the Fountain of Youth at Midlife and Beyond. Carol is a recipient of the Center for Women’s 2009 Unsung Heroine Award for recognition of her dedication to issues that affect women at Emory or in the larger community.
www.venuschronicles.net
venuschronicles@aol.com

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Americans retain optimism in recession

Americans remain broadly optimistic about their economic prospects in the middle of the most severe recession since World War Two, according to a survey released on Thursday.

The Pew Economic Mobility Project found that despite dismal economic conditions and decades of widening income inequality, Americans still widely believe in the “American Dream”: the idea that success is determined by one’s willingness to work hard, not the circumstances of one’s birth or other external forces.

The nationwide survey of 2,119 adults found that:

* 79 percent said it is still possible to get ahead in the current economy;

* 72 percent said they believed they will personally be better off 10 years from now;

* 74 percent said they were at least somewhat in control of their economic situation, but only 43 percent said that other people were in control;

* 71 percent said personal ambition was a more important determinant of success than external conditions.

But the survey also reflected the worsening economy: only 32 percent rated their own personal circumstances as “excellent” or “good,” down from 52 percent in 2006.

“There is a strong and a uniquely American optimism which is persisting even in the face of these very, very trying times,” said John Morton, the managing director of economic policy at the Pew Charitable Trusts, the nonprofit organization that sponsored the survey, which has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

That optimism is somewhat at odds with the group’s 2008 report, which found that parents’ income is strongly linked to one’s chances to succeed.

Some 39 percent of those surveyed said that it is common in America to be born poor and become rich, when in fact only 6 percent of Americans born to parents in the poorest fifth of the population end up in the richest fifth.

Most did not believe that the chances of success are tied to parents’ income when in fact a strong link does exist, the group said.

The survey, conducted between January 27 and February 8, also found widespread skepticism toward government efforts to reduce inequality. Some 46 percent said the government does more to hurt than help people’s efforts to move up the economic ladder.

But specific government policies got a better reception.

A majority of respondents backed making college affordable, reducing healthcare costs, making retirement savings easier and improving early childhood education — all efforts that President Barack Obama has proposed in his first months in office.

Source:Rueters

NPR Interviews Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity Knocks, the premier national nonprofit job board, held a successful Career Conference located at the Loudermilk Conference Center on February, 24, 2009. The Career Conference drew more than 200 attendees for a day of workshops to help job seekers in nonprofit career development strategies and job-seeking skills.

NPR was on site to cover the conference and interviewed Karen Beavor, President & CEO of Opportunity Knocks, and Joe Folan, E-Commerce Director for Opportunity Knocks, on how the recession is drawing the unemployed to seek their next jobs in the Nonprofit Sector.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Opportunity Knocks will be hosting a second OK Career Conference on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Loudermilk Center in Atlanta, GA.

Characteristics of Nonprofits That are Staying Afloat Despite the Recession

A small study of nonprofits in the Northwest by Retriever Development Counsel revealed several telling characteristics of nonprofits that seem to be surviving the recession relatively intact:

Those nonprofits with diversified funding, good management, and “learning cultures” seem to be coping much better than others.

Successful nonprofits appear to be putting more focus on development activities, particularly donor relations, including cultivation of major donors.

Participants in the study suggested that it is particularly important for:

Board members to actively take part in fundraising, cultivating relationships, and being ambassadors for the cause.

Nonprofit leaders to set a tone of calmness, communicate clearly regarding decisions, priorities, and organizational goals. They need to be very visible and involved with individual donor fundraising

That good internal communication among the organization’s team members is key to survival in this economic environment.

The researchers said that the successful groups are not necessarily those with the biggest budgets or the ones that had a great fundraising year in 2008. Rather the hallmarks of viable nonprofits include:

Diversified revenue streams and varied ways for donors to give.

Engaged leadership.

Investment in development staff, resources, and activities.

Proactive planning…looking to do more, not less.

Organizations that were seeing a decline in fundraising blamed the economy, not internal flaws; and generally focused on only short-term solutions such as cost containment, staff and program reduction, or dipping into reserves or credit lines.

These results coincide nicely with the tips laid out by Kim Klein recently in the “Grassroots Fundraising Journal” that we reported recently.

The recession is providing a an opportunity to observe what nonprofits should and should not do to survive future crises. We hope the studies and surveys keep coming.

Source: About.com

Wealthiest donors gave less in 2007

While donors making $200,000 to $5 million a year increased their giving from 2005 to 2007, the wealthiest donors in the U.S. gave less, a new study says.

Among those making $5 million or more a year, giving dropped to $855,200 a year from $995,192, says a study of high-net-worth donors by Bank of America and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The study defines high-net-worth donors as those who make $200,000 a year or more, or have net worth of at least $1 million, or both.

Overall, more than 97 percent of high-net-worth givers donated to charity in 2007, compared to the 70 percent of the general population.

Wealthy donors gave the largest share of their 2007 donations, 21.7 percent, to education, followed by donations to foundations or other giving vehicles, which received 16.5 percent of gifts.

While the share given to foundations fell from 24.7 percent in 2005, arts groups were the biggest losers, receiving only 4.2 percent of gifts from the wealthy, down from the 13.2 percent in 2005.

Entrepreneurs are the most generous wealthy givers, the study says, donating an average of $248,871 a year.

In a distant second, people whose wealth comes from real estate gave an average of $96,773 a year.

More than eight in 10 wealthy donors donate to charity as a way to give back to their communities, the study says, while about two in three want to make a difference in the world.

Wealthy donors expect much from the charities they support, with more than nine in 10 wanting to see sound business practices, and almost as many expecting an “appropriate” amount of donations to be spent on overhead.

Personal benefits and public recognition in return for donations were considered important to only about one in 10 wealthy donors.

For those who stopped giving in 2007, “no longer having a personal connection” to the charity they once supported was the reason cited most often for ending a funding relationship.

Giving appears to be a family affair among the wealthy, the study says, with virtually all respondents saying they learned about philanthropy from their parents, and more than half saying they involve their children in choosing charities to support.

And donors who have children actively involved in grantmaking decisions give on average of almost three times as much as families who do not get input from their kids.

Volunteering has a positive effect on giving, with those giving the most hours also donating the most.

Those who volunteered more than 200 hours a year gave an average of $132,315 in 2007, while people volunteering only one to five hours gave an average of $45,318.

But volunteering overall among the wealthy took a hit in 2007, with only three in four wealthy donors volunteering, compared to nine in 10 who gave their time in 2005.

The new study also found a big increase in donors’ use of legal and financial advisers to help them make charitable decisions.

While the 2006 study found donors relied more on nonprofit personnel and their own peers more than any source for advice, the 2008 study found they relied mainly on accountants, lawyers and financial advisers.

The survey reflects responses from almost 700 high net-worth people from across the country.

Source: PND

College Hiring Falls 22 Percent

Employers expect to hire 22 percent fewer new grads from the college Class of 2009 than they actually hired from the Class of 2008, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

The new projections in NACE’s Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update report override those employers made back in the fall, when hiring projections looked flat.

“Earlier, employers indicated that they expected to keep their new college graduate hiring levels even with last year,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Our current survey shows that college hiring is as affected by the economy as other types of hiring.”

Not surprisingly, the anticipated drop off in hiring was prompted by the deteriorating economic situation.

“More than two-thirds of employers said the economic situation forced them to reevaluate their college hiring plans, and nearly all of those said they have decreased their planned number of hires,” says Mackes.

In the immediate future, the projected drop means a sharp decline in employer activity on campus this spring, with 66 percent of employers responding to the survey reporting plans to lower or eliminate spring hiring.

NACE’s study also ends a string of positive hiring reports for new college graduates dating back to 2004. Students graduating in the early part of the millennium experienced significant drops at the hands of the dot.com bust and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Hiring fell off 36 percent for the Class of 2002 but steadied for the Class of 2003 before rebounding in 2004.

Nor do employers appear to be especially optimistic about the near future. More than 46 percent said they are unsure about their hiring plans for fall 2009, and 17 percent are already reporting that they expect to trim further their college hiring.

About the Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update: The Job Outlook 2009 Spring Update is one of a series of polls that NACE conducts throughout the academic year to update hiring projections for new college graduates. The survey was conducted February 9 through February 28, 2009, among organizations that are NACE members; 174, or 16 percent, responded.

In addition to its Job Outlook surveys, NACE gauges demand for new college graduates through its quarterly Salary Survey report. The Spring issue of Salary Survey, detailing starting salary offers to more than 70 disciplines at the bachelor’s degree level, will be released in April.

www.naceweb.org

Understanding a Unique Breed of Worker: The Temp

A temporary workforce can offer talent managers strategic opportunities as a component of a well-balanced workforce portfolio. They can increase the efficiency and ROI of the hiring process; offer new, cheaper cost centers for workforce planning; and enhance a company’s ability to remain profitable through market cycles.

Maximizing the value of a temporary workforce requires identifying areas of alignment between temp workers’ needs and business goals. Temporary workers come to work with widely varied goals, expectations and needs. How effectively they perform depends on how well talent managers can match their aspirations with their roles in the company.

One Size Does Not Fit All

To maximize the strategic value of a temporary workforce, talent managers must evaluate temporary workers needs’ according to two things: scalability of commitment and diversity of desires.

Scalability of commitment. There is a surprisingly deep scalability of commitment across all segments of the temporary workforce. Temps of every type actively scale their engagement and commitment based on the “match” the job provides to their goals and needs. The same temp can perform with different effectiveness at different jobs. Further, temps have much more freedom to scale commitment than a regular worker because the stakes of any particular job are much lower for them.

Diversity of desires. Second, consider the diversity of desires within the temporary workforce. Temps come to their jobs with widely varied goals, needs and expectations. Their reasons for temping, pain points and engagement drivers are broadly diverse. What works for one temp may not work for another. But all temps universally expect companies to understand the role they play in the workforce and to match available jobs with their expectations.
These two trends combine to pose a major dilemma for organizations. If temps’ needs aren’t met, they will disengage from their assignments. But temp workers’ needs and expectations are diverse and varied, making generic solutions ineffective. So recognizing that not all temps are the same, the question becomes: how to match the right position to the right temp?

The first step for talent mangers in solving this dilemma is to understand their companies’ goals for temporary workers. Ask:

Why is the company using a temp rather than a permanent hire?

What is the main strategic benefit expected from deploying a temporary workforce in different parts of the organization?

Is the issue flexibility, to try before you buy, or to uncover new ways of getting work done?

Source: Talent Management

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Zipcar San Francisco Lets Nonprofit Workers Drive Free

To help Bay Area nonprofits weather a significant slump in donations, Zipcar, a national car-sharing network with 250,000 members, has begun letting employees of local charities drive its cars for free, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Although Zipcar has yet to turn a profit after nearly a decade in existence, the company is starting to make money and position itself as a creative social entrepreneurial force in cities with a high “parking-hassle” quotient. In the past year, Zipcar San Francisco has waived fees averaging $70 per day for workers at nonprofits, including the 826 Valencia writing center, Meals on Wheels, and Visual Aid, an arts group that benefits the HIV/AIDS community. In March, Zipcar will lend ten trucks to Friends of the Urban Forest, which will use them to plant trees in city parks and residential neighborhoods.

Andrea Jones, executive director of arts education nonprofit the Imagine Bus Project, said her group is saving $300 a month using Zipcar since it no longer has to pay mileage reimbursements, gasoline, and insurance. “This year with the economy, we especially feel like we are hanging on by the skin of our teeth,” Jones said, “so every little bit we can cut back on is a godsend.”

According to Zipcar San Francisco general manager Michael Uribe, Bay Area Zipcar members, who can use a fleet of seven hundred cars from nearly two hundred locations, have been responsive to the company’s pro bono work because the culture of car-sharing tends to attract people who are concerned with the environment and use online social networks to solve problems. Other cities may soon follow.

“I’ve gotten a few calls from other cities wanting to replicate what we do, from Chicago and Portland,” said Zipcar San Francisco regional marketing manager Austin Marshburn, “so hopefully it will spread across the country.”

May, Meredith. “S.F. Zipcar Lets Charity Workers Drive Free.” San Francisco Chronicle 2/24/09.

Source: PND

ON DEMAND - Getting the Most from your Staff…Talent Planning in an Economic Downturn

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Topic: Getting the Most from your Staff…Talent Planning in an Economic Downturn
Duration: 90 minutes

Summary: This webinar will focus on four key areas of Talent Planning: Talent Needs Assessment; Human Capital Analytics; and Job Analysis and Redesign. The focus will be on how these concepts and techniques can be important tools in today’s economic downturn, which will enable your organization to be prepared to do more with less without effecting service levels.

Participants will learn: By participating in this webinar, participants will gain a thorough understanding of each of the Talent Planning areas including what they mean, why they are important and how to implement and execute each. Specific points that will be covered in each Talent Planning area are:

Talent Needs Assessment

Identification of essential skills, knowledge and abilities

How to conduct a needs assessment

How to create a skills gap analysis

How to develop a plan to close talent gaps

Human Capital Analysis

Difference between measurement, metrics and analytics

How to determine what analytics are needed

How to create your own analytic models or formula

How to use analytics to add value to your organization

Job Analysis and Redesign

Identifying the essential elements of the job

How to conduct a job audit

How to determine the value add tasks

How to design the job so only value add tasks are performed

Who should attend: HR Managers and Departments Operations Management Executive Directors
Course Level: Intermediate
Presenter: Diane Tuccito

Cost: $44.99 - Click here to purchase Getting the Most from your Staff…Talent Planning in an Economic Downturn

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$89.99 - Click here to purchase Getting the Most from your Staff…Talent Planning in an Economic Downturn which includes a copy of the Opportunity Knocks 2010 Wage and Benefits Report (Value $49.95).

Faculty Bio:

Diane Tuccito has over 25 years HR experience and is currently the Director of HR Solutions for Kinetix and provides both strategic and tactical talent solutions to clients. Most recently, Diane was the senior HR Executive at Manhattan Associates and Answerthink. She has a diverse industry background and extensive global experience. Diane has her SPHR, CCP, GRP and MBA.

Diane has been and is an active volunteer and leader for many professional organizations. She is a recipient of the SHRM-Atlanta Life-Time Achievement Award and SHRM Pinnacle Award. Diane also volunteers her time in various job networking groups.