11 Tips for DIY Nonprofit Professional Development

Did you miss today’s live broadcast of Perspectives From the Pipeline on BlogTalkRadio? Whew! On my radio show today, my guests opened a huge can of whoopass on the idea that you can’t get professional development if your job doesn’t pay for it. 170 live listeners and 48 chat room participants joined a great conversation with three leaders from the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network: Naomi Christine Leapheart from Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders, Yesenia Sotelo from YNPN Chicago and Aaron Stiner from YNPN Phoenix. Naomi, Yesenia, and Aaron shared their (very!) different experiences in how they began their journeys into the nonprofit field. We learned how YNPN chapters all over the country are helping young leaders to get the training and leadership skills they need – for free or very low cost. One notable program was the six-week Board Prep Training provided by Philadelphia Young Nonprofit Leaders. We discussed the value of board membership and the importance of listing your involvement with organizations like YNPN on your resume. Each guest also shared a ton of ideas for DIY Nonprofit Professional Development, including:

Find your own mentors. Don’t wait for someone or some organization to “match” you up, use the relationships you already have -”organic mentoring” is the better approach
Your mentors may not be older than you; remember you can learn a lot from your peers as well and you can have more than one mentor for more than one purpose throughout your career
Don’t underestimate the power of reflection – take time to reflect on where you are in your leadership journey right now
Join a board of directors (or four, in Naomi’s case!) and list that experience on your resume
Communicate your leadership involvement with your employer
Be proud of the training you receive from your local YNPN chapter – it’s just as good as what you get at other associations! (And it is very often better, in my oh so humble opinion.)
Become an expert, become the go-to person on a particular topic
Invite yourself to everything (like free nonprofit events and conferences) and make a valuable contribution when you get there – ask a compelling question or make a comment during Q &A – this builds your visibility and reputation
Do a really good job in the position you’re in right now
Ask a lot of questions, don’t be scared to approach people – take advantage of the people around you!
Find your true passion; consider leaving your current job if it’s not the right fit for you and find something that is

If you weren’t able to tune in, you can listen to the archived show here and below!

Additional Resources

Mark your calendars for next week’s show, Wednesday Oct 28, 12pm EST: Real Talk About Race and its Impact on Social Justice Philanthropy with three very special guests!

http://mjwrites.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/end-of-week-links-sfmoma-professional-development-brandeis-backtracks/ End of Week Links: SFMOMA, Professional Development & Brandeis Backtracks «

[...] DIY Professional Development Rosetta Thurman shares 11 ways that leaders in the non-profit world can seek out professional development without waiting around for their organizations to pay for it. My favorite is #10: Ask a lot of questions, don’t be scared to approach people – take advantage of the people around you! Well said. [...]
http://tracymoavero.blogspot.com/ Tracy Moavero

I’d change number 2 to say that you WILL have many mentors throughout your career. I’ve been working for 20 years since college, and I used to think that mentors were supposed to be one really important person. Then I realized that lots of people have mentored me. One person told me about how to get info at the UN. Another told me how to handle fundraising meeting with donors. And so on. No one person has all the answers anyhow, so build relationships with lots of people whose skills and experience you admire. And if you’re feeling shy or like you’re bugging someone, get over it! That’s my only regret — that it took me so long to reach out.

A few other suggestions:
- Read, read, read. That “go to person” advice is really solid. With Twitter and blogs, it’s easy to find great resources to learn an area especially well and to stay on top of changes. You don’t have to know everything, just learn where you can get the best answers.
- Check around for inexpensive trainings. Here in DC, we have SALSA (hotsalsa.org) for affordable trainings on a range of nonprofit skills. DC, NYC, Cleveland, San Francisco and Atlanta have Foundation Center libraries which hold free (and paid) trainings on many aspects of fundraising. They also have cooperating collections all across the country where you can find fundraising materials. (foundationcenter.org) If you see a training somewhere that’s too expensive for you, ask for a lower price. Most places are eager to get participants, so they’re not likely to say no. Or offer to volunteer some time in exchange for having a fee waived. It never hurts to ask.
- Volunteering in non-board capacities is great too. It gets you inside an organization to see how things really work, you make contacts, and you gain experience. It’s also a way to try out a new interest without making the full leap. I have never worked for service nonprofits, but volunteering a few hours a week with kids in a DC shelter gave me insights into how service nonprofits function. That and I had a lot of fun.

Lack of funding is a fact of life in nonprofits, and being resourceful with your own career will also help you be a better nonprofit professional.
http://rosettathurman.com/blog/2009/11/questions-for-emerging-leaders-after-moving-up-whats-next/ » Questions for Emerging Leaders: After Moving Up, What’s Next? Rosetta Thurman

[...] to Drop Our Gang Colors: Ten Leaders Envision the Future of the Nonprofit SectorTracy Moavero on 11 Tips for DIY Nonprofit Professional DevelopmentMillennial Women Disproportionately Influential | Millennial Marketing on Introducing the Nonprofit [...]
http://wisconsin3rdsector.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/diy-professional-development/ DIY Professional Development « Wisconsin 3rd Sector

[...] In her blog, Perspectives from the Pipeline, emerging nonprofit leader Rosetta Thurman gives readers 11 tips for DIY professional development. Her tips are great, universally applicable and easy to use. So we thought instead of piling on, [...]
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[...] literally at your fingertips (hello, Google!). With just a few clicks, I found two blog posts, “11 Tips for DIY Nonprofit Professional Development” by Rosetta Thurman and “Reader Response: Inexpensive Professional Development [...]