So You Wanna Be Program Officer?

I have a few pieces of standard advice that I give to friends that are applying to program officer positions, so I thought I'd share the same advice with you, my virtual friends. Program officer positions rarely come open, especially now with so many foundations downsizing, so it is important that you do what you can to stand out.

• Don't ask, don't tell policy for your age- If you are a younger applicant, please take your graduation date off of your resume. Regardless of how much relevant experience you have, many hiring managers will write you off as a youngster if your undergraduate or graduate degree was received after Y2K.
• Work your networks- If you used to nanny for the board chair or you were in Americorps with one of the program assistants, make sure you talk to that person before you apply and mention that they encouraged you to apply in the cover letter. There is nothing that gives you an easier edge than name dropping. It won't get you the job but it will make the HR person that is going through 300 applicants take a second look.
• Know your target- Get to know the culture of the foundation from your previous interactions with them in the community or through a thorough read of the website. Do the grantees fit your values, do you believe in the mission, do you respect the reputation of the other staff? Make sure it is a fit before applying and if it is a fit with your values and experience, explain why in the cover letter.
• Know the job- Is the foundation looking for a generalist that can analyze a variety of nonprofits? Then highlight your analytical skills and expertise across the field. Are they looking for a content expert? Then it's time to put that oceanology degree to work.
• Be timely- If you are interested in a position, don't play hard to get and wait until the last day to apply. Many foundations start screening applications a week or two after the position is posted. They may already have a favorite candidate if you wait until the last minute.
• Don't sell yourself short- Many people see their dream job and don't apply because they are sure that they don't have a chance.  Even if it seems like there will be most experienced applicants, you might just have the mix of education, personality, and experience the foundation is looking for. You miss 100% of the shots you don't make.

What other advice would you give to someone applying for a program officer position?

$20,000 for an Innovative Nonprofit

I'm proud to announce Tom's of Maine “50 States for Good” program, which will celebrate and reward non-profits whose efforts are focused on lasting, positive change. Tom’s of Maine will award $100,000 to five nonprofits from a community fund that will ultimately be directed by a public vote. To launch the “50 States for Good” initiative, Tom’s of Maine has created a virtual hub at www.50statesforgood.com, where applications for participation are available from June 1 through August 30 to all qualifying 501 (c)(3) organizations. After the submission phase, online voting by the public will determine which five projects will receive $20,000 each.

Tom's asked nonprofit bloggers to develop videos advertising the program, you can see my video above. I've managed to squeeze my husband, son, and daughter in the video (hey, if Aaron Spelling can do it, so can I), see if you can find them.

Director of American Indian Studies Position

Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri is seeking nominations for the position of Director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. The School seeks a director who will coordinate the Center's curriculum and program development and will work to recruit and support students. The director will act as a liaison to and develop productive relationships with American Indian communities and constituencies, both local and national. In addition, the successful candidate will pursue philanthropic opportunities to expand the Center’s resources and scope of impact. This exciting opportunity is a senior staff position with the possibility of a non-tenure-track faculty appointment. The School seeks candidates with strong interest and experience in working with American Indian communities and issues.

I'm not a workaholic, I'm just a jerk

I have always prided myself on having a semblance of work-life balance but last week was a prime example of why I do not have it all figured out. As our fiscal year is ending, I realized that I will lose some vacation time because I haven't taken any real time off since I started my job at Headwaters. As I looked at my calendar to figure out when would be a good time for vacation, I realized that I have scheduled commitments throughout the summer and last week was my best chance at some time away. During this time we are also looking a a variety of new funding opportunities, that are especially important now (because of the little global economic meltdown and its impact on our endowment and our nonprofits). So during this relaxing vacation:

• I went into the office to meet with a board committee, participate in a conversation with a consultant about an application we are submitting, and to pick up a pile of files for another grant application,
• Participated in  variety of conference calls,
• Checked email every few hours and responded to about 100 emails,
• Went to a school conference,
• Checked my Twitter-feed endlessly and forwarded interesting links to my staff

This isn't a "woe is me" post, this is a "woe is my staff" post. It has taken me till the sixth day of workaholic craziness to realize that I am being a terrible example to my staff and to my family. For the staff, I am saying that vacation time doesn't really mean time "off" from work, it means an expectation of being connected from another location. I may not mean that, but its what I show by example. It also looks like I don't trust them to make decisions in my absence, which is also not the intention but it sure looks like that. For my family, it means that when I say that I am hanging out with them, I am actually thinking about work and often doing work. There is nothing more exciting to a five year old than watching Mommy check her Twitter feed.

The only good thing about noticing a character flaw is that you have to notice it before you can fix it. Here's to making not working work next time.