New Voice-Allyson Reaves

As a part of New Voices of Philanthropy's series of articles from other new voices on Philanthropy, I bring you part three of Allyson Reaves' blogs on philanthropy fellowships. Part one can be found here and part two can be found here. From Allyson:

All Aboard the Philanthroship!!!

So we chatted last week about exploring fellowships as opportunities for intense learning and experience gathering. I’m hoping that this week, we can chat more about how to identify the right philanthroship (my corny attempt for a new Webster addition: a fellowship and or internship in philanthropy), how to prepare your boss and organization, and how to make the absolute best of your time as a fellow.

Finding a Philanthroship
• Don’t restrict yourself to just fellowships. I used to think that after I graduated, internships were off my radar. Not so! There are a significant number of respectable internships that pay well and lead to phenomenal job opportunities.
• Google it!! I used every combination that interested me: fellowship + art, fellowship + international, internship + paid, fellowship + Brazil…..(yep….there are some in Rio!)
• Constantly tune into opportunities listed in philanthropy-related publications.

Selecting a Fellowship
• One of my priorities is that the philanthroship pays well. That way, my income can be used as leverage when negotiating my salary for the next job.
• Try to shoot for a fellowship that lasts for a year. That way, you become very famililar with the host organization’s network, it’s main area of programming, and colleagues.
• Find a philanthroship that suits your talents. Also, try to get your hands involved in as many different kinds of projects as possible. That way, you have a tremendous amount of experience condensed into just 1 year of work.

Planning a Philanthroship
• Pursue a philanthroship when you are comfortable with being between jobs. The host organization just may ask you to stay on.
• If your current employing organization wants to keep you as a staff member while you are away, be sure to draw up a contract that outlines expected duties, insurance, continued benefits, accumulated vacation time, and payscale.

After the Philanthroship
• If you conducted research and compiled a useful paper, try to get it published. Circulating the work you completed in your philanthroship could lead to your next big career move.
• Keep in touch with EVERYONE who helped you....people you interviewed in your research, lecturers, other philanthroshippers, etc. Even sending a quick thank-you to everyone after your philanthroship builds what will become a frequently used bridge.

You can read more from Alyson at her blog.

Today’s Chat: If you’ve got some tips, ideas, or other suggestions about how to make the absolute best of your philanthroship, let us know!