The slumping economy is forcing many North Texas nonprofits to add staff and shore up their volunteer management processes to accommodate a sharp influx in volunteers.

More and more people who are having trouble finding work are choosing to volunteer as a way to serve their community while also updating skills, building résumés and networking for possible job leads, said Julie Thomas, CEO and president of the Volunteer Center of North Texas. The center acts as a clearinghouse for volunteers in Dallas-Fort Worth by playing matchmaker to thousands of nonprofit organizations and volunteers throughout the area.

To read more go to the Dallas Business Journal at http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/10/26/story2.html

San Francisco’s new ordinance requiring residents and commercial building owners to compost goes into effect today. Since the new law was announced in June, the city has already increaded its composting by 25 percent — a big step in reaching its goal of becoming a “zero waste” city by 2020.

But one stumbling block in these early days of mandatory composting may be the fact that a lot of people simply don’t know what to throw in their new green bins and what to throw in the trash. Or, to put it another way, what rots and what does not rot?

That’s where Youth Radio, an Opportunity Knocks.org, employer has stepped in. Caitlin Grey, the Merv Griffin of compost-themed entertainment, has produced the following video to help you sort through your waste stream.



Additional credit goes to Nate Hadden for editing the video, and Nick Bellizi, Andrea Hill and Fernando Bustos for their on-screen talent. They say it best: “Join us next time on Rot… or… Not!?!”

Source: Youth Radio

Feeling stressed out? Atlanta is the nation’s 17th most stressed out city, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Princess Cruises.

Chicago, Houston, Boston, Los Angeles, San Diego and Denver are the top five most stressed out American cities. Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Cincinnati and Minneapolis are the least stressed out.

The survey shows that even though Americans continue to strive for life balance, which includes juggling work and personal priorities, only about 25 percent of Americans have achieved this goal. However, the survey also shows that there is a prevailing sense of hope, even in today’s tough economic times, with more than 53 percent of respondents saying they believe they will achieve life balance in the next five years.

Financial stress and the poor economy are among the leading causes for life imbalance among Americans, followed closely by their need to lose weight/get fit, according to the survey.

The top-five things Americans do to de-stress at the end of the day are changing their clothes, laying down, kissing their spouse/partner, playing with their pet and reading a book or a magazine.

Stress expert and founder of The Stress Institute, Dr. Kathleen Hall, said learning how to deal with stress is one of the most important things Americans can do to lead more balanced lives.

“Life balance is all about having time for work, relationships, relaxation and fun, but when people are stressed out, it can be hard for them to focus on the priorities that will help get them back in balance,” Hall said in a news release. “Stress can manifest itself in many different forms, both mentally and physically, so it’s important to know how to identify our key stressors and learn to make positive choices that help manage stress every day. A crucial element to maintaining life balance is taking breaks and vacations. Research shows it’s so important to allow yourself time to get away and disconnect from it all so that you can return to your everyday life rejuvenated and ready to deal with challenges head on.”

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle

By Tim Wolfred, Psy. D.
Are you tired, a bit listless? Maybe the demands of the job seem ever more burdensome, or the board seems increasingly dissatisfied, or your retirement clock is ticking. Do you need more than a megavitamin? Even better is this advice from Tim Wolfred, a pioneer and leader in the field of nonprofit executive transitions, on how executives can weigh both the organization’s needs, and the needs of their own heart.

Executive directors don’t have term limits. Although some executives are fired or forced out by boards, most executives make the determination themselves of when and how to leave. Like other life decisions, it takes awhile to come to the decision to leave, or to come to the decision to stay.

So how can you tell if it’s time to leave? Based on research and consulting with hundreds of nonprofit executives struggling with this question, we’ve developed six indicators — each with some follow-up steps — to help you with your thinking process.

Do one or more of these statements resonate with you?

1. I keep returning to this thought: the organization needs to go in a new direction (or to a new level) and I’m not the right person for it.

This is the most common reason given by executive directors who have decided to leave their positions. As just one example, a very successful executive had led a large mental health agency for 25 years. The organization’s quality and success had led to both external and internal pressures to grow even larger, but the executive just knew he wasn’t the person to do it. His working style depended on having his finger on everything, and simply put, he didn’t have any more fingers. When he thought about trying to control and lead a larger organization, he just couldn’t see himself in the picture.

In another instance, an organization knew that its next phase would require instituting a fundraising program that would go beyond the government contracts and foundation grants on which the organization had been built. The executive director, highly talented in multiple ways, just couldn’t get herself behind the idea of major gifts and individual fundraising. She knew it was the right step for the organization, but she wasn’t up to taking that step herself.

If this sounds like you: Start preparing yourself and your organization for your departure. For yourself, have coffee with executives who have left their jobs: you’ll learn how it felt and get ideas about what to do next. For the organization, have a talk with the board leaders about an intentional process of transition. Take pride in the fact that you are leading the organization in a crucial way through a thoughtful and planned departure.

2. I’m burned out and I know it.
Some executive directors fantasize about a fire destroying their office. More than one executive director has even confessed to a secret desire to get cancer because “it would be a way out.” In the mornings, the thought of going to work seems like a horrible drag. One minute you hate the funders, the next minute the board, the next minute the staff. Especially that *****ing idiot!

You may be wishing you could leave, but your financial situation means you can’t quit without having another income in place. Test yourself with this question: “If someone offered me a job that looked less stressful but paid the same, would I jump at it?”

If this sounds like you: If you can, take a sabbatical of at least two months. Get outside the situation to allow yourself a different perspective. Use the time to talk with a career counselor about what else you might do. Alarm clock

Find the right person to talk with: perhaps a thoughtful friend, perhaps a therapist, perhaps a nonprofit consultant or coach.

It’s also possible that you may just have to leave. By now, you’ve probably tried many ways to reduce the stress, but none of them have worked well enough or long enough. Your physical and mental health and your personal relationships may be suffering from the stress you are experiencing. Your organization will find its way.

3. I don’t think I’m burned out, but other people think I am.
Many executive directors are often so committed and so busy that they may not realize that they are losing energy and freshness, and that not only are they suffering personally, but that the organization is experiencing the diminishment of their talents. Do you find that you’re not as present at meetings? Less available to others? Are you frequently impatient, or crankier than usual? Do your co-workers ask you if you’re tired, ill, distracted?

If this sounds like you: Reach out to the people in your life who can help you reflect on your situation and who will push you to think it through (not just sympathize). Consider getting an executive coach to help you figure out how to renew yourself, and/or what else you can do. But don’t just try to power through it. This is an organizational matter as well as a personal one: give it the attention it deserves.

Reach out to executives you know who have left their jobs, and ask them how they knew it was time to leave. Ask them what they regret about leaving, and what they don’t regret. Find out what they’re doing now. Their answers will spark new ideas you haven’t thought of.

4. I can’t stand my board anymore . . . and/or, I can’t seem to please the board no matter what I do.
I’m sick of them. Nothing I try works. I feel alienated from them. Why do we have to have boards anyway? Feelings like this often emerge after a couple of years of a slow deterioration of the executive-board relationship. Executives often blame the board for the poor relationship, and it’s hard to know which side is right.

If this sounds like you: Consider this . . . maybe it doesn’t matter who’s right. By now you’ve tried many things that haven’t worked. Maybe both you and the organization will be better off if you go off and start fresh somewhere else with new people.

Alternatively, you can decide just to live with it. Perhaps you have little influence over board recruitment, and you don’t see much hope for the future. Just as some people accept working for a bad boss because they love the work, maybe a bad board is simply the price of having a job you love and work you find important.

Finally, consider making one last big effort to change your relationship with the board. Push for a serious conversation with the board leaders, acknowledging that both you and they feel uncomfortable with the relationship. “Maybe I should be leaving, but I need to hear directly from you what you’re thinking.” Take responsibility for changing the situation; ask yourself, “What can I do differently to change this situation for the better?”

5. My clock is ticking.
For executives who have been on the job 20 years or more, the question naturally arises: is it time for the organization to have me leave, and/or is it time for me to have me leave? Executives with tenures of 10 or more years who are in their early 50’s or older also start to hear a ticking clock. It isn’t always a good idea to leave just because of your age or tenure. There are effective, always-fresh executives who are in their 70’s or even 80’s, or who have been on their jobs 30 or 40 years. But for most people, tenure or age raises the question of a timeline for departure.

If this sounds like you: Ask yourself: Would I contribute more to the cause in another job or role? Is there something else I want to do before I retire or become less vigorous? What can I be doing on the job within the next year to prepare myself for the next phase of my life . . . whether in one year or ten years?

6. Family roles are calling me.
Many executives want to stay on their jobs, but they have family responsibilities that pull at them. Maybe one of your grown children needs you to watch the grandchildren so that she can focus on her own career. Maybe you have a child who needs more attention and time than you’ve been able to give, or a family member who is ill. Perhaps you have an aging parent who needs you to move nearby.

If this sounds like you: Remember that leaving your job or even leaving the workforce isn’t necessarily a permanent decision. Maybe you can leave the workforce for a few years, or move to another state for a few years. One executive returned to her childhood home to be with her mother for the last two years of her mother’s life. She then returned to the city where she had been living, found a new job, and is grateful she made the decision to spend the time with her mother.

Lastly, taking on the executive position in a nonprofit takes a lot of courage and requires a wide range of skills. It also takes courage and smarts to know when to give the reins back to the board as they direct the organization’s next phase. For the good of the cause and the constituents, the wise leader regularly checks for the signs that it’s time to transition to something new.


Source: This article was reprinted with permission from Blue Avocado, an online magazine for nonprofits with practical, timely and fun information. Subscribe free by sending an email to editor@blueavocado.org.

Payless, the ubiquitous low price shoe store, is giving away shoes and needs the help of nonprofits. The “Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids” program aims to deliver more than $1.2 million worth of children’s shoes to families in need this holiday season.

“A great pair of shoes can lift spirits, bolster self esteem and, as we witnessed first-hand when we launched the program last year, bring a huge smile to a child’s face,” said LuAnn Via, CEO of Payless. “We hope to take one concern off parents’ plates for tens of thousands of families this holiday season.”

Partner nonprofits will distribute 77,000 gift coupons good for $15 toward a new pair of children’s shoes, and that can be used through Feb. 28, 2010,.

Nonprofits can apply, until October 30, at paylessgives.com. Core selection criteria includes a mission to serve children and families in the local area, direct access to underprivileged children in local communities, the means to distribute the coupons by Dec. 24, and close proximity to Payless stores.

The campaign will reach needy children through Payless stores located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in 10 Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.

In the five years leading up to the economic doldrums, Georgia foundations posted strong giving and asset increases, a new study says.

Total giving for the 1,470 foundations in the state in 2007 grew 23 percent to over $830 million from $675 million in 2002, says the report from the Foundation Center.

Assets spiked 58 percent over the same five-year period to reach a collective $13.3 billion, and gifts to foundations more than tripled, topping the $1 billion mark for the first time.

The largest share of grant dollars in 2007, almost one in four, were awarded to education groups, followed by health organizations, which received just over two in 10 grant dollars.

More than half the grant money awarded in 2007 funded capital projects, while about three in 10 supported programs.

The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, awarded $95.3 million in grants in 2007, more than any other Georgia funder, and topped the list of assets with $2.7 billion.

The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, came in second in both categories, awarding $74.5 million in grants off $771.7 million in assets.

Source: Philanthropy Journal

One job seeker volunteered at Beth Israel Hospital. Having a sales background with Neiman Marcus in the for-profit world, that skill helped the woman land a job in development.

That story, told by Lois L. Lindauer, principal of Lois L. Lindauer Searches LLC in Boston, shows the value of knowing a personal inventory of skills.

“She knew a strong connection exists between sales and development,” Lindauer said. “Part of handling personal resources while searching for a job means taking an inventory of your skills.”

Personal resources can include handling the time management of schedules and financial juggling while on the search.

With your personal inventory, sharpen the resumé. Take out helping words and put in action terms.

“How much did you raise a certain level in your previous job?” she asked. “How much of an increase occurred during your watch. People don’t want to hear that you’re just part of a team,” she said.

To obtain a sense of your skills, look at the last evaluation sheet from your manager. What were the skills mentioned?

Handling personal resources includes the psychology of evaluating your weekly success rate during the search. Is the level of success only seen in reaching the job or in the stages of getting the job?

“Sometimes we feel we’re making progress by sending 10 resumés a week,” she said. “It’s much better to send one targeted resumé where you’ve made a contact with someone in the organization,” said Susan Egmont, principal of Egmont Associates, a national executive search firm for nonprofits, foundations, and academic centers in Boston.

Part of the psychology of handling personal resources is keeping a set schedule. Egmont related the story of a woman who left her house every day in the morning just to pick up a coffee so she had the sensation of returning to an office.

“Set barriers for your work time,” she said. “If the family knows that you’re working, that can stop them when they ask you to run errands.”

Does a formula exist to decide if you made X amount in the former job, that you need to spend a percent of X per week to fund your search? No guideline exists, according to Egmont. “That varies widely because of the position you seek,” she said. “Also, it could be months before you find a position.”

Investing money has to be evaluated. In some cases, the idea of building skills by investing in either software or classes might help. Maybe training is available on the job, she suggested. Sometimes programs are offered from the state Department of Labor or community colleges. Another cost could be the network allotment you desire when you set up meetings with people for lunch or coffee.

Personal finances have to involve a long-term plan, according to Heather Eddy, president and COO of the Alford Group Executive Search, a sister company of the Alford Group, a full-service recruitment firm for the nonprofit sector in Chicago. “Reports show a job-less recovery,” she said. “That could mean some six-month to one- year job searches.”

Most people Eddy has placed during the past year were sourced out of jobs rather than people who were out of work. “We’re seeing the excellent people still in their jobs,” she said. Make appointments for yourself to meet people as part of your scheduling. “Dedicate a good portion of your time to reaching out,” said Eddy.

View success as the number of contacts you’re making instead of just the interviews. Eddy pointed to the value of a networking luncheon. “You want to meet around four people a week or a combination of interviews with networking opportunities,” she said.

Lindauer called the idea of setting a schedule to manage time similar to the realization that the search is a job.

“Networking means setting a goal to do around three things that advances the search,” she said. “If you know of a position, call someone who has that position who is a friend to ask details about the job description.”

Joining an organization could be part of the networking. Special organizations exist for programming people, research or fundraising and members learn of opportunities. Look at the sites of places you would like to work, Lindauer suggested.

The networking keeps you motivated. “You want to be with people who support your effort,” she said. “That’s one reason to go to meetings besides the information exchange — part of it is to avoid feeling isolated.” NPT

Tom Pope, a New York City-based journalist, writes about management issues.

Source: NPTIMES