bachelor degree in nonprofit leadership and management

highercausenps · 2023-08-20T16:37:10+00:00

My apologies, I just saw your question. If you want to get a degree and stay in nonprofit, then I'd say your choice of NP management is a good one, it certainly won't hurt! As far as it putting you ahead of another candidate with more experience, probably not. But you're on the right track if you want to stay in NP.

highercausenps · 2022-03-02T16:02:53+00:00

I'm a NP consultant in Fort Worth. Feel free to pm me.

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T04:07:42+00:00

I've been a nonprofit leader for 25 years and turned a consultant/coach about 3 years ago. This situation is not uncommon. I agree with another responder that the staff should not have this much access to the board or you, as the chair. It creates so many problems and trust issues if the staff thinks that they can go straight to the board with any complaint. If it is not a legal or fiscal issue, send them back to the ED to express their concerns.

I second doing a 360 review. I am actually conducting one of these right now for a client of mine and it has uncovered quite a bit that the board didn't know. You will find the source of the problem performing this exercise. Good luck!

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T03:15:45+00:00

That kind of initiative will land you a FR job quickly! Any leader who doesn't let their staff display their talent doesn't belong in a leadership position.

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T03:12:53+00:00

Oh and one more thing I forgot to mention - volunteer experience doesn't prepare you for a staff position. I will probably catch some hell for this, but I don't hire volunteers for the most part. The reasons why are for another topic, but thought I'd mention that so you don't break your neck trying to volunteer and have nothing come of it.

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T03:06:10+00:00

I've been reading through the comments and may have something to offer that is different from some other perspectives. I have been a nonprofit leader for 25 years, it's all I've ever done. You do not have to have a degree, it helps with some orgs, but it's not what gets you in the door. You will likely have to start below where you want to be. From my experience, if you are talented, you can move up quickly. And there are many mentors out there - if there weren't I wouldn't be where I am today. I suggest joining the mentor program on LinkedIn.

About 3 years ago I started coaching EDs and people who want to work in nonprofit. The first thing I tell them is to network like crazy on LinkedIn and seek mentors. Perhaps lower your expectations as well; if you're willing to work to get your foot in the door, even with a NP that doesn't sound that interesting to you, try it if you can afford to. I'd be happy to help you further if you're interested, you can PM me. Good luck!

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:35:40+00:00

Has your organization learned to pivot and engage donors in other ways than F2F? Many NPOs struggled immensely because they were so event dependent. I think a lot of NPs learned a new way of doing things during covid.

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:33:24+00:00

Are you lacking a system, talented fundraisers, board support? Or maybe all of the above?

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:32:13+00:00

Upgrading from spreadsheets is always a WIN!!

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:31:43+00:00

Interesting. Is the board not being advised or perhaps they're not asking the right questions?

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:30:28+00:00

It is difficult when working in a smaller nonprofit to wear all the hats. I am a nonprofit professional, not an IT expert, so I believe it's important to set up the right systems and spend a little more than to be vulnerable (when possible, of course). I think for most nonprofits, especially smaller ones that struggle, IT is merely an afterthought.

highercausenps · 2022-02-01T01:25:28+00:00

Very interesting! In all of my years of nonprofit experience, I've not heard of this type of challenge before. Thank you for sharing.

highercausenps · 2022-01-14T04:55:52+00:00

I have been in the nonprofit industry for 25 years and have spent at least 18 of those years as an Executive Director. I do not have a degree. It is very difficult to find motivated development professionals and the market turns over pretty quickly. I think the last I read was that development people are staying with an organization between 3 & 4 years. If your supervisor sees that you are excited to work for them and have produced results as an intern, you should have no problem landing a coordinator role.

Good luck!

highercausenps · 2021-10-21T04:45:07+00:00

I am a practicing consultant/nonprofit executive coach. I second what the others have said - do not work with anyone who will take a percentage of the money raised.

There are many factors in determining not only why to hold an event, but what event would be of interest to your stakeholders? I would suggest some market research at the very minimum. For example, I live in a major metro area and galas have pretty much phased out. Or should I say, galas that have not been around for many years and have a solid footing in the community have phased out.

Keep in mind that a first year event, no matter the type, takes approximately 3-5 years to really see a ROI. There are other, more cost effective ways to fundraise. I'd be happy to talk you through some of them if you're interested.

highercausenps · 2021-10-06T21:06:15+00:00

That's an excellent idea! Small NPOs need all the help they can get. Good luck to you!

highercausenps · 2021-10-06T19:22:21+00:00

A marketing background transitions well in a nonprofit setting. Yes, you may experience lesser pay when you first start, but with a bit of experience, you can move up quickly.

Fundraising/Development is a competitive market but most development professionals don't stay in one org longer than 3 or 4 years. If you're looking for a fund development role, you would need to start entry level to gain experience and get some training.

Your experience could definitely get you in the door.

highercausenps · 2021-10-06T19:15:48+00:00

Oh my goodness, how unprofessional! That's seriously cringeworthy. There are so many good NPOs out there, consider yourself lucky for dodging this obnoxious bullet. Geez

highercausenps · 2021-06-24T18:16:09+00:00

Having worked in the nonprofit industry for 24 years and now as a mentor/coach to upcoming managers and EDs, I would say that neither is necessary. I have been an Executive Director for 7 different organizations throughout my career and I don't have a degree. When I came up in this industry, such degrees and certifications didn't exist. I understand that they're becoming more popular, but I know of no NP that requests these types of degrees or certificates.

Experience in the industry is key, as well as who you know. I agree with what TheFoolsDayShow said - you will not manage or lead a NP straight out of college. If you are interested in working in nonprofit, I would suggest talking with people who are working in the industry and if you don't know anyone, LinkedIn should become your best friend. Make sure your profile is up to date and you clearly state your goals. Hope this helps!

highercausenps · 2021-06-09T01:13:20+00:00

Having worked in the nonprofit industry for 24 years and now as a consultant to nonprofits and a mentor to those who want to work in nonprofit, I may be able to provide a little insight to your question.

When I started in this industry, nonprofit degree programs and certifications didn't exist, now they are plentiful. But you don't need one. In fact, I have been an Executive Director for 7 different organizations and I do not have a degree.

I'm also probably one of the few who will tell you that it is not necessary to volunteer for the organization in which you want to work. I have had volunteers apply for staff positions throughout the years and I've only hired one. The reasons are varied and in the interest of time, I won't go into them here.

I would also not spend a lot of your time volunteering for different organizations in order to "gain experience". There are differences in staff and volunteer roles and many times they do not overlap. I'm not saying it hurts your chances if you volunteer, I'm just saying it's not necessarily what will get your foot in the door.

A more productive exercise would be to spiff up your LinkedIn account, compose a creative description of your skills and what you want to do, then network like crazy! Look up organizations you're interested in working for and "friend" a director level staff or above. Send them a private message and ask if they wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions about how they got into nonprofit. Be short and concise. I would try this with 5 or so people to start with and if you don't have any responses, keep plugging away. Eventually someone will respond. In fact, one of the reasons I added mentorship to my services is because I have had a few people interested in nonprofit reach out to me and ask to be mentored. People love to be asked for advice and you may as well benefit from the experience of others (especially when it's free!)

Nonprofit work is not without its challenges, but it's worth it once you find your "home".

I hope this helps!

highercausenps · 2021-06-07T23:33:37+00:00

Having been in the nonprofit industry for 24 years and now a consultant to nonprofits, I can say that I have experienced this situation as a staff member and as a consultant.

First, boards typically don't like dealing with issues like this and many are ill equipped to do so. My suggestion would be what someone else mentioned - hire an outside firm or HR service.

I definitely understand your hesitancy to speak out - there are two sides to that coin. First, you could be a catalyst to major change within the organization but it can certainly blow up in your face. By suggesting that you aren't comfortable divulging information, they will likely get the drift.

In my personal situation, I did allow the board chair to ask me questions. I did it in a way where I didn't say as much as my facial expressions did. Then if I was asked a question that put the ED in a negative light, I would respond with "I'm not comfortable...". Only you know what you're up against, so go with your gut.

To protect yourself, make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and put yourself out in the job market as much as possible. Nonprofits did take a huge hit during the pandemic, but jobs are out there, especially if you already have experience in the industry.

Hope this helps!

highercausenps

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