You are the master of your fate (and your outlook calendar)

Two weeks ago I was at a crossroads. I have always prided myself on a semblance of work life balance and feel like I am very effective during the workday. I cross things off my to do list, I don't sit under a mountain of paperwork, I return phone calls (for those of you that are not employed by a foundation, I swear these things are revolutionary). But the last couple weeks were different. My email in box was overflowing (it seemed like every item in there needed about 3 hours of strategic thinking to make a decision), my normally clean office was covered in piles of papers, and I was eating sour cream and cheese chips out of the vending machine for lunch as I was driving to another meeting. The bags under my eyes were making my staff nervous and I think I looked like I was on the edge of a hide under my desk breakdown. So much for balance.

Luckily I have a great coach, who asks common sense questions that I get too busy to ask myself. Her question was "why did I let my schedule get so crazy?". That gentle reminder that my schedule is not the boss of me was all I needed to get back on track. So here are the four things that have given me my sanity back and ensured that my hair does not all fall out:
1) I set aside an hour at the end of each day to clean out my emails and handle all the paper on my desk,
2) I set aside one and a half hour blocks every other day for uninterrupted strategic thinking,
3) I set aside time for lunch each day. I may decide to have a lunch meeting those days but I will always have time to eat, and
4) I am saying no to meetings that I would normally say yes to out of obligation or fear of missing something good.

What do you do to keep your schedule on track?

New Voices- Archana Sridhar

Archana Sridhar is a frequent commenter on New Voices of Philanthropy and I was excited to hear that she was interested in writing a post on what the Obama presidency will mean for philanthropy in communities of color. From Archana:

On Monday, in honor of the National Day of Service, I stood at a table at the local food bank with retirees, grad students, Boy Scouts, and new moms, folding and labeling bags for the upcoming community food drives. Everyone was buzzing over the next day's inauguration and one gentleman even said, "I really feel like things are going to be different." At risk of sounding cliched, my fellow bag-folder was right. Things are going to be different now. The Obama victory ushers in a new era of engagement in philanthropy – particularly among people of color.

I had volunteered a bit with the campaign, made my requisite contributions, and certainly felt happy about Obama's victory. But Tuesday was different. After it was all over, I felt strangely melancholy. I realized that I had sometimes told myself there were things I couldn't do, positions I couldn't hold, people who would look at me as an outsider – all because of my identity, race, name, or whatever other limitation came to mind. The President proved that those limitations are not blockades. He proved that we might have to work extra hard, but we're all Americans, and we all have a shot. In terms of philanthropy, I know that this feeling of unity, of possibility, of "Americanness," will translate to our sector. The South Asian Philanthropy Project capitalizes on this excitement and draws more South Asian Americans (whose families hail from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and other parts of the subcontinent) into the world of philanthropy and volunteerism. My co-founder and I launched a successful blog (please visit and comment!) and have started research on the state of giving among South Asians. We've had many interviews with South Asian philanthropists and nonprofit leaders – demonstrating their generosity of time and spirit. These conversations have shed light on the issues and challenges we face in inspiring South Asians to become more philanthropically and civically engaged, some of which I hope to write about in future posts. If ever there was a time to reach out beyond what is comfortable to draw in new communities, new volunteers, new donors, and new employees in our philanthropic efforts, that time is now.

Archana Sridhar is a graduate of Harvard Law School, a former Fulbright Scholar, and Assistant Dean for Research and Special Projects at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana. She is the co-founder of the South Asian Philanthropy Project.

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New Voices: Paulette Pierre

When I put out the call for writers for New Voices, I was immediately intrigued by Paulette's description of her career path. I am someone who has known since I was eight that I wanted to work in the nonprofit sector and have been moving at a sometimes breakneck spead to reach my goals in the sector ever since then. Paulette's description of taking a leap of faith and moving to the sector in mid-career quite honestly terrified me a little bit and so I knew I needed to hear more. Below is what I hope s the first of many posts by Paulette:

“Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and build your wings on the way down”- Kobi Yamada

When Trista extended an open invitation for her readers to submit reflections on philanthropy from their own perspective, I hesitated—for about a New York minute. What a wonderful opportunity to engage with those in the field and on the ground! While not a veteran program officer or even a policy expert, I do offer the unique perspective of being a mid-career changer, a woman of color and a newbie to the grant making field.

Here’s a question for all the for-profit folks out there: Have you ever felt the longing to do something of real substance with your life? Something that would bring about true social change? A force stronger than yourself driving you inexorably toward a life of fulfillment? I did and I have never looked back. Two years ago I embarked on a journey into philanthropy that has been both exhilarating and frustrating. I left my job on the trading floor of a commodities exchange after two decades. The environment was toxic to say the least. I knew I wanted something more out of my life and if I had to devote another 20-plus years to the work force, it would be doing something I was passionate about. So I increased my volunteering and this led to a return to school to learn more about philanthropy. It was while I was pursuing my graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management and Philanthropy that I got my current internship (who ever said internships are only for 20-somethings?). Yes, it was a huge risk to take giving up a comfortable salary to exist on a stipend. But I believed it was a greater risk to my long-term happiness NOT to take the chance.

I am now on my third grant cycle with a local foundation and words can’t express how much I love this job! I am fortunate to be surrounded by such a strong supportive staff that guide and mentor me each and every day. It’s been great in that from day one, I hit the ground running (no fetching coffee and filing here). I had my own docket of proposals, I do my own site visits and write-ups and present before our board of directors. But the most gratifying part of my day is the interaction with my grantees. I want to learn and understand their needs and how we can work together for the common good.

I will be chronicling the good and the bad (and there have been many of each). For what it’s worth I will also offer a few tips—resources and guides which have made my transition a little easier. I hope you will enjoy the ride as much as I have.

Paulette Pierre

Program Officer Intern at the Field Foundation of Illinois and currently pursuing her MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a concentration in Public Service and Sociology).

Today a Black Leader becomes THE leader

A few weeks ago I had the honor of participating in a conversation with other African American leaders in the Twin Cities about what the Obama wins means for Black leadership. All of the participants had been hired by nonprofits in the last year or so and in Minnesota, there are so few African Americans leading nonprofit organizations that it really was a newsworthy occasion.

It was a reflective conversation on the societal impact of Martin Luther King's dream being fulfilled and what it means for us to be able to look our children in the eye and tell them that if they work hard anything is possible (and really mean it). While I enjoyed the conversation, I yearn for the day when 5 African American nonprofit leaders being hired in the same year isn't news. I look forward to a time when Obama isn't seen as just a symbol of hope for African Americans but as a sign of fulfilled promise for ALL Americans.

I, like many others, will shed a few tears today because of the visible reminder that we have come so far. I will remember those that worked so hard to make sure that African Americans could vote and didn't live to see the day when it all came full circle. I will make sure that my children see every moment and know that their parents had a small part in breaking down the thickest glass ceiling around.

Then I'm going to put away the party hats and get back to work because the country needs more than self-congratulating. We need universal health care, a thriving economy, and an education system that ensures that many more are qualified for the highest office in the land. Barack Obama can't do those things alone, luckily he is humble enough and an experienced enough organizer to know that without reading my blog post:) He has launched Organizing for America to harness your energy and to make sure that real change happens. I hope you answer the call with me.

Michelle Obama: First Lady!

The following post is from Scott Rooks, who answered my call for writers for New Voices of Philanthropy.. Scott is a nonprofit consultant who writes at Grantfundingonline.com. From Scott:

“It was the best of times , it was the worst of times...” as Charles Dickens declared in his 19th century classic “The Tale of Two Cities”. Never has that opening part of the first sentence been so descriptive of a time period, I believe, as it is now in these United States.

I personally like the best of times half of that declaration. It motivates me to know that this may well be one of the most exciting times in our history. We are on the cusp of the inauguration of the first African American President in our short history and I can feel change in the air! No one exemplifies change more then our soon to be First Lady Michelle Obama.

I first heard Michelle speak on Larry King Live back last year sometime and was so excited because she spoke of change but most of all because she was so positive and inspiring. This week Michelle spoke to me, well it seemed that way because she send You Tube a video message for the citizens of our country. She has declared Monday January 19,2009 as a National Day of Service. How appropriate is that! Martin Luther King Day a day we honor the slain civil rights leader who thought and prayed for change. Well he got it in Michelle Obama, his dream come true!

I hope that you have the day off from work and can honor her request by feeding the hungry some good food, helping the homeless by giving out blankets, take some cans of food to the food bank, help sort clothes at a free clothes store or do something at the many other nonprofit's that need a positive lift that only new volunteers can give them.

I expected nothing less of our soon to be First Lady and she delivered right off the bat. What about you are you going to deliver on January 19th? Let us know how you plan to deliver your service to our great nation by posting a comment.

“It was the best of times...” !

Scott Rooks
Helping Nonprofits to Succeed!
http://grantfundingonline.com/blog