June 2, 2004 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Q. I’ve spent 15 years as an executive in the nonprofit field, but my last two positions each lasted less than a year and ended with resignations. I find myself back in fund raising again — in an entry-level position. How can I overcome my recent rocky job history and parlay my credentials into a job more suited to my experience level?
A. The best advice is to shine brightly in your current position, even if you feel like it’s beneath you, says Barbara Roberts, dean of institutional advancement at Marymount College, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. “In my more than 15 years in nonprofit advancement services, I have found that while some fund-raising positions may be considered entry level, none can ever be deemed low level or dispensable,” she says. “All fund-raising posts require professional skill sets, and whether your title is ‘development officer, ‘ ‘external relations manager’ or ‘assistant director, ‘ you are operating at a high level that dictates that you bring all your talents, creativity, and experience to the tasks at hand.”
To create a positive track record of achievement in your new position — which may lead to a promotion — Ms. Roberts urges you to embrace your job and seek ways to apply your experience. “Assume additional responsibilities, by not only willingly volunteering for extra assignments, but by demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit and creating opportunities for donor cultivation and possible revenue generation,” she says. “Good supervisors appreciate and reward those fund-raising staff members who actively ‘think out of the box.’”
For more on finding ways to get motivated on the job, check out Love the Work You’re With: Find the Job You Always Wanted Without Leaving the One You Have, by Richard C. Whiteley (Owl Books, 2002, $14). Along the same lines, you’ll find advice and tips at a Web site associated with the book Love It, Don’t Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans (Berrett-Koehler, 2003, $17.95). (You can download the first three chapters of the book free on the Web site.) If you do decide to seek a different job, check out this previous edition of Hotline that discussed how to overcome problematic references from past employers.
Got a question about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world? Send it to us at hotline@philanthropy.com.
