ProInspire Blog

Teja Padma (2010 Fellow) pursuing her passion for international development

2012-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

By Teja Padma (2010 Fellow)

Nearly a year and a half ago, I left Mercer Consulting to join the Business Planning & Strategy team as a ProInspire Fellow at FHI 360, (formerly known as Family Health International). I learned more in the one year that I spent at FHI 360 than in the nearly three years that I spent at Mercer. Having the unique opportunity to work on a strategy team and interact closely with senior leadership and multiple departments taught me a tremendous amount about being successful in an organization, not just a nonprofit. I learned that soft skills, such as being able to adapt to change and learning how to be collaborative, are critical in any organization that brings together individuals with multiple agendas who need to work together towards a common goal. Some of the projects that I worked on during my fellowship year included spearheading an unprecedented landscape analysis across 15 global health and development areas by leading a 4-person research team. I also had the opportunity to interview Directors from different parts of the organization to design a partnership management toolkit and equip our staff members with the guidance and tools to effectively engage public and private partners. I was especially excited to work with a couple of our country offices in Africa by guiding them through their strategic business plans during my fellowship year.

The ProInspire Fellows program was instrumental in contributing to my personal and professional growth during my fellowship as I developed friendships with other Fellows who understood both the rewarding and challenging aspects of my role at FHI 360. Being able to reflect with others on the challenges I faced helped me maintain my morale and enthusiasm at work, especially when I had a difficult period transitioning from the private to the nonprofit sector. I also found it inspiring to meet peers who shared my passion for making an impact in the social sector. I always looked forward to ProInspire trainings and coaching calls as these aspects of the program allowed me to learn from nonprofit leaders and kept me in check in terms of my professional and personal goals.

After completing my fellowship, I’ve been fortunate to continue working with FHI 360 and have stayed active with the Fellows community. I loved meeting the current class of Fellows, two of which have joined the Business Planning & Strategy team at FHI 360! Since I became a ProInspire Fellow, I have built a strong network of international development professionals, received admission to business school, and now I’m excited to pursue short-term opportunities abroad working for a local nonprofit or startup before going to business school in the Fall.

Introducing 2011 ProInspire Fellow: Meaghan Casey

2012-01-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Name: Meaghan Casey
Hometown: Bristol, CT
Organization: FHI 360
Previous Employer: Dynamics Research Corporation

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I decided to switch into the nonprofit sector because I would like my career path to continuously challenge me to develop as an evolving, thoughtful and reflective person who is kind to others and myself. It was not a perfect decision; one lucky day, I stumbled upon a quote that illustrates the complex mix of reservations, sentiment, and inspiration I felt in making the switch: "If you come here to help me, you're wasting your time. If you come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." -Lilla Watson, Australian Aborigine.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am a Business Planning and Strategy Analyst at FHI 360, a global development non-profit.

Today, my morning began with a phone call to one of our sixty country offices, this one in Zambia, to discuss an important foundation client. The conversation was one of more than twenty interviews that will collectively inform FHI 360’s strategy to grow funding that focuses on low-cost, innovative solutions to global development problems.

In the afternoon, I switched gears to another task entirely; as the Country Strategic Planning Project Manager, I am charged with developing and maintaining the work plan for a strategic initiative that supports country-owned, country-driven business planning efforts. Today, I incorporated updates from key stakeholders to track our progress to-date in transitioning strategic planning duties to the country office.

Where did you work prior to making the switch?
I began my career as a Senior Consultant at Dynamics Research Corporation, where I worked to strengthen the financial systems at the Transportation Security Administration and led a business process re-engineering effort for agricultural imports at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
My professional background is in management consulting, and my areas of expertise include training development and delivery, strategic planning, business-process re-engineering, and project management.

What are you involved in outside of work?
I definitely derive energy from finding and pursuing projects about which I am passionate.

Last year, a social enterprise, Journeys for Change, asked me to develop a business plan to determine the feasibility of a 7-day site-visit in India to educate and encourage impact investments in social enterprises.

I serve on the leadership team for DC+Acumen in order to raise funds and awareness for Acumen Fund as well as to promote social enterprise dialogue in the greater DC area.

When I find a free Tuesday evening, which seems hard these days(!), I really enjoy volunteering at Women for Women International, a nonprofit that empowers women in nine conflict and post-conflict countries worldwide.

I also enjoy creating functional (and sometimes funky) pottery, gardening in the Ledroit Park community garden, and commuting around the city by bike – it’s freeing to avoid waiting for a metro or bus!

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
One leadership experience that is very close to my heart is my time as co-Captain of the Women’s Varsity Ski Team at Brown University. My team taught me the value of a positive group environment and the importance of leveraging individual strengths.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
Diane Keaton!

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Positive, curious, passionate.

What is your favorite book?
I thought that following books were beautiful to read: Immortality by Milan Kundera, Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Where else have you lived?
So far, I have lived in Bristol, CT; West Dover, VT; Providence, RI; Prague, Czech Republic; and Washington, DC.

ProInspire is accepting applications for our 2012 Fellowship!

2012-01-19T18:33:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to announce that we are now accepting applications for the 2012 ProInspire Fellowship! This year we will have two classes of Fellows in Washington D.C. - Spring Fellows starting in April and Fall Fellows starting in August.

We are looking for outstanding young business professionals who want to have a life changing experience - spending one year using their skills working for a leading nonprofit. We need your help to find the most talented young business professionals with passion for social impact in the country!

You can help by doing these three things:
1. Forward this email to friends, colleagues, alumni networks, professional groups, and more. We need to spread the word to find the absolute best!
2. Update your status on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter: Interested in transitioning to the nonprofit sector? Apply to be a @ProInspire Fellow! (Due 2/8) http://bit.ly/A46zRC
3. Recommend a nonprofit that may be interested in hiring a ProInspire Fellow. Our Fellows bring a passion for social impact and skills in analysis, finance, marketing, project management, and strategy.
Sincerely,

Monisha Kapila
Founder and CEO

ProInspire is building the next generation of nonprofit leaders by expanding the talent pipeline, developing professionals, and increasing diversity in the sector. We are passionate about accelerating social impact and being catalysts of outstanding performance.

Our flagship program, the ProInspire Fellowship, recruits top business professionals with 2-5 years of business experience who want to use their skills for social impact and to invest in a growing community of ProInspire fellows. Fellows spend one year working in an analytical or strategic role at a nonprofit organization. After the Fellowship, Fellows engage with our community of alumni to continue investing in the sector.

This highly competitive program offers targeted positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth. Previous ProInspire Fellows come from across the U.S. with experience at Bain, Credit Suisse, General Mills, J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, Parthenon Capital, and other leading companies. Fellows work with top nonprofits based in the Washington D.C. area.

Learn More
- Check out our video: http://www.proinspire.org/#video
- Join us for an information call: http://proinspire2012infocalls.eventbrite.com/
- “Like” us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ProInspire) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/#!/proinspire) to get updates
- Read what others are saying about us: http://www.proinspire.org/about-us/news-media/

Program Overview
The Fellowship program runs for 12 months, with start dates in April 2012 and August 2012. Hiring partners include organizations focused on community development, education, international development, health, microfinance, social investing, and youth development. Roles for 2011 ProInspire Fellows included:
ACCION International: Impact Investing Analyst
Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy: Marketing Manager
City First Enterprises: Program Manager

Fellows participate in a 2-day Orientation, a mandatory Fellows retreat, monthly workshops, coaching, and leadership development projects. Fellows also receive career/graduate school support. After the program, Fellows stay in the social sector, find other career opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $42,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.

Selection Criteria
ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on the selection criteria and needs of hiring organizations. Successful candidates will have:
- A minimum of two years of business experience by August 2012
- Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
- Humility and eagerness to learn
- Demonstrated initiative, self-direction and a “can-do” attitude
- Adaptability in ambiguous situations and demonstrated ability to learn quickly
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
- Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the program

To Apply
Candidates applying for April 1st start dates or priority consideration for the August start dates should submit their resume and cover letter through our website by Wednesday, February 8th, 2012. Apply online at http://www.proinspire.org/fellows/apply/.

ProInspire Profiled by Shoestring Venture

2011-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Monisha Kapila and ProInspire were recently profiled by Shoestring Venture, a resource for entrepreneurs seeking to build effective startups. Read on to learn more about Monisha's experience getting ProInspire started:

On February 26, 2009 I launched ProInspire, with the mission of building the next generation of nonprofit leaders by expanding the talent pipeline, developing professionals, and increasing diversity. The idea for ProInspire stemmed from my own experiences and a call to action to address leadership challenges in the nonprofit sector.
Where It Began
My passion to launch ProInspire stemmed from my own experiences and challenges facing the nonprofit sector. I started my career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen. I always wanted to do work focused on social impact, but thought I would get some business skills first and then move into the nonprofit sector.
When I was ready to make the switch after two years of consulting, I found it was really challenging to find opportunities because 1) nonprofits weren’t looking for people with my background and 2) I did not have a network in the sector. Eventually I was able to find an opportunity with CARE India – writing the business plan for a sustainable program to support micro-entrepreneurs. It was a fantastic experience – CARE needed someone who had experience writing business plans (which I did from my consulting days), and I had the opportunity to learn about working for a nonprofit.
After CARE, I returned to the US and joined the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a nonprofit using business approaches to inner city economic development. Then I went to Harvard Business School to get my MBA, spent time learning about social enterprise, and worked on projects with the Clinton Foundation and Citigroup’s Microfinance Group. After graduation, I was selected as a HBS Leadership Fellow with ACCION International, a leader in microfinance. As a Fellow, I helped ACCION launch their micro-insurance program and partnerships with corporations, including Visa International.
Read more...

Introducing 2011 ProInspire Fellow: Brint Markle

2011-12-06T21:22:00.000-08:00

Name: Brint Markle
Hometown: Philadelphia
Organization: Small Enterprise Assistance Funds
Previous Employer: Bain & Company

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I decided to switch to the nonprofit sector this year for two main reasons: 1) I wanted to take on greater leadership responsibility through a new experience 2) I have always had a strong passion for impact investing influenced by prior experiences working for a microfinance institution in Chile and a social venture fund in Nicaragua. After three great years at Bain & Company, I wanted to see how I could apply the skills I had built in the private sector to a hybrid for-profit/non-profit environment.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am a Business Development Project Manager at Small Enterprise Assistance Funds. Each day is definitely unique. My key projects include launching a $100M global frontier market fund, SEAF’s largest fund in its ~20 year history, and leading our 5 year strategic plan effort.

Where did you work prior to making the switch?
Bain & Company in the Atlanta, Zurich, Spain, and Munich offices.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
My professional background covers strategy consulting, entrepreneurship, and impact investing. As a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, I built expertise across private equity, healthcare, IT, telecom, consumer products, and pro-bono consulting. Prior to consulting I held two impact investing internships in Latin America. As an entrepreneur, I founded Rival Magazine, the first joint publication between Duke-UNC. The publication focuses on deepening connections and collaboration between both institutions.

What are you involved in outside of work?
Outside of work I serve as Chairman of the Advisory Board of Rival Magazine. I am also active in the Duke Alumni community. Having just moved to DC, I am looking for ways to get involved in the local Latino community as I used to volunteer for the Latin American Association in Atlanta and loved that experience. I am also an avid backcountry skier and love mountain sports. During the winter you can find me chasing powder wherever I can find it – this year will be my first trip to Alaska with some of my best friends from the US/Switzerland!

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
At Bain, I co-founded our first global development initiative focused on supporting social entrepreneurs in emerging markets. The experience taught me the importance of combining grassroots momentum with top-down, decisive leadership – I also learned how to make a persuasive business case for expanding social impact efforts of major corporations.

At Duke, my two primary leadership experiences were serving as Co-Captain of the Duke Water Polo team and founding Rival Magazine. Both of these experiences taught me about leading with passion, working collaboratively with many different types of people, and creating a sense of family and commitment in an organization.

Who do you look to as a leader in your respective field, and why?
Two names jump to mind: Rich Sheridan of SEAF and Ben Powell of Agora Partnerships. I think both are true innovators in the field. Specifically, Rich is helping SEAF broaden its investor base to attract socially minded commercial capital. As the sector grows to some ~$500B in the next decade (according to JP Morgan), it will be increasingly critical to build relationships with large scale financial institutions that want to do good and Rich knows how to do this.

Ben is committed to unleashing the power of entrepreneurs in the developing world as a force for good. He has created a holistic impact investing model at Agora Partnerships that combines human potential and financial capital to produce positive social and economic impact in Central America. Agora is a real innovator and I especially like how they have engaged foreign and domestic business school students to support their mission – I think it is a great way to attract talent into the impact investing sector.

What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?
Hmm…my blog/website repertoire is a bit thin but here are a few for starters: Social Edge, Next Billion, TED, CNN, WSJ. I’m mostly old fashioned though (I prefer books/magazines). On the magazine side, I read the Economist, Mental Floss, Entrepreneur, and Powder Magazine. Last two books I read were Social Business by Muhammad Yunus and the Ledge by Jim Davidson.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does this mean to you and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?
I think lack of diversity at the senior executive level of non-profits is certainly concerning. I’ve read about some of the issues regarding the disconnect between expressed value of diversity in the sector and action to attract it. I think non-profit leaders need to realize there is real urgency to improve hiring processes and professional development efforts that attract a diverse population or they will miss out on a lot of great talent.

Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years?
5 years – Still exploring the world!
10 years – Founding my own global social enterprise and starting a family
20 years – Hopefully by this point a serial social entrepreneur, teacher, mentor

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
Aureleon Decroux – World Champion freeride skier.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Optimistic/energetic, down to earth, and thankful

If you won $20 million dollars in the lottery and had to donate it to a social organization - which one would it be, and why?
Calvert Foundation, they are rethinking the way foundations create positive social change all over the world. Earning a financial return for investors while lifting families out of poverty is a pretty cool thing.

What are you some of the myths surrounding working in the nonprofit sector that have been debunked by your experience?
Myth 1: Business and social good can’t coexist. Every day, we see socially minded businesses doing great things for society and non-profits acting like social businesses.
Myth 2: Non-profits don’t like to make money. I’ve learned how important it is to create positive financial returns to ensure sustainability.
Myth 3: Non-profits just staff volunteers – The non-profits I have had the fortune of working with have all been extremely professional with fairly generous pay structures.

What is your dream career if money was not an option?
Professional backcountry/free ride skier.

Where do you hang out in the D (DC), M (Maryland) and V (Virginia)?
I just moved to the area two months ago so still finding the hot spots, but definitely spend most of my time around Logan Circle and downtown.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
My favorite books are Miracle in the Andes and Life Entrepreneurs. Regarding the former, I love incredible stories of survival. When people are pushed to the brink, you see their true, unconquerable human spirit, which I find inspiring. Regarding the latter, Life Entrepreneurs was written by one of my closest mentors, Christopher Gergen. It is an incredible book that shows how people can use the principles of entrepreneurship to lead lives full of purpose and meaning. I’ve probably read it half a dozen times and learn something new with each read.

Where else have you lived?
US: Philadelphia, Atlanta, Durham
Abroad: Granada, Spain; Santiago, Chile; Zurich, Switzerland

WOW and Thank You!

2011-11-09T21:20:00.001-08:00

When we decided to participate in Give to the Max, I had no idea what to expect. ProInspire has never done a fundraising campaign in our organization’s three year history. Well, the results far exceeded our expectations! We raised more than $15,000 from 200+ donors in 24 hours!! ProInspire ranked #12 out of 1285 participating organizations in the competition for Most Donors, getting us the $2,500 prize: http://give2max.razoo.com/p/2011topdonors.

It was an exhilarating day for the entire ProInspire team – our staff, Fellows (2009, 2010, 2011), Board of Directors, and community – to see the generosity of individuals from near and far who stepped up to support us. We have sincere gratitude for your donations, words of encouragement, and requests for support from your networks.

You made an investment in us, and we will use that investment to grow the next generation of nonprofit leaders. I am re-inspired to the mission of ProInspire. For that I say WOW and thank you!

Give to the Max - Invest in ProInspire to invest in a better world

2011-11-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

I launched ProInspire in 2009 with a simple idea – help nonprofits get the talent they need so they can address society’s greatest problems. Since then, ProInspire has grown from an idea to a solution for nonprofits who need great talent to achieve their missions. We work with organizations that are addressing urgent issues to improve our world – from the Latin American Youth Center which provides critical youth development programs in Washington D.C., to the GAVI Alliance which brings life saving vaccines to children around the world.

The work we are doing is critical to the future of the nonprofit sector AND our world. But fundraising to develop talent and leaders is not easy. Let’s be honest – it feels much more tangible to donate to an organization that is directly helping children or providing vaccines. But we know that in order to get broad scale change, we need to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders who will address society’s greatest problems.

Donate $10 TODAY to support ProInspire as part of Give to the Max, a 24-hour giving contest in which nonprofits with the most donations will receive additional cash awards from Razoo: http://www.razoo.com/story/Proinspire.

Invest in ProInspire to invest in a better world.

Support ProInspire on Give to the Max Day!

2011-11-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

On November 9th ProInspire will be participating in Give to the Max, a one-day fundraising event that will unite local Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC communities to support nonprofits serving the area. There will be more than $100,000 in cash awards available for local nonprofits who generate the most in donations, and those that attract the most individual donors. And we want to win!

Will you support us?

What exactly is Give to the Max Day?
Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington is a day for individuals to come together to raise as much money as possible for area nonprofits in 24 hours, starting at midnight (12:00 AM) on November 9 through midnight (12:00 AM) on November 10. By engaging thousands of people to support their favorite charities in one day, Give to the Max Day is trying to break the national record for the best online giving metropolitan region event, showcasing the Greater Washington region's strong community.

How can you help?

I'm so happy you asked! We're working hard to address the nonprofit leadership deficit, and we could use your support next Wednesday to raise the funds we need to expand our program. Here's what you can do:

Sign up to be on our email list via our homepage.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Pledge your support on November 9th on this page and then spread the word! Be sure to tell your family and friends why you believe in our work and why they should give too.

See you online next week!

Chavez Schools: A Public Charter Success Story

2011-10-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Written by 2011 Fellow, Camiel Irving

This post is part of a series on our hiring partners which highlights the work they are doing in the community.

Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy is one of the oldest Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) is The District of Columbia. The system is comprised of four schools, two middle schools and two high schools, each serving a broad and diverse student population from all areas of the city. Boasting almost perfect college acceptance rates and a unique Public Policy-themed curriculum, Chavez Schools is a public charter success story. While "school choice" remains a controversial concept in DC and across the country, Chavez makes a strong case for the urban charter school.

DC, Chavez, and the Public Charter System
Charter Schools emerged in America in the early 1990s from the philosophy that traditional public schools were not one-size-fits-all-students. At that time in DC, it seemed as if traditional public schools weren't a fit at all for students from urban, lower-income communities, as these students continuously underperformed. It was this observation that prompted then DCPS vice principal Irasema Salcido to open Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School in 1998. Chavez was a part of the pioneer class of public charter schools in Washington, DC.

Salcido envisioned a place where students from the most underserved communities could get the support necessary to gain acceptance into college and succeed once there. Although many students came to Chavez far behind in reading and math, Salcido stayed strong in her commitment, pushing the students and holding them to the highest standard of achievement. Her dedication paid off--in 2002 every student in from the first graduating class was accepted into college. Over the last ten years, the small charter school has grown into a network with campuses in the historic neighborhoods of Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, and Parkside.

Public Policy Education: A Strategy for Change
By definition, an educational entity is classified as a “public charter school” when it is financed by public funds but owned and operated independent of the municipal school system. In practice, a charter school will have a niche or a unique approach to education that defines it and differentiates it from other schools. For some charter schools in DC the claim to fame is simply out-performing DCPS, but at Chavez, however, it is public policy. Through public policy education, Chavez students come to understand the power of their voices and they are prepared to be change agents in their communities and in the world.

Topics in public policy and policy analysis are integrated into Chavez’s curriculum for every grade level in every subject. In middle school, scholars participate in several policy-related field experiences and direct service projects. In high school, scholars are fully immersed in the study of policy issues that effect young people. Every Chavez junior spends three weeks working in a government agency or civic organization as public policy fellow. As a graduation requirement, seniors must write and defend a 15-20 pages policy thesis.

The Chavez Scholar: A Success Story
Founder Irasema Salcido came to America as the daughter of migrant farm workers speaking little English and having few resources. She quickly discovered that a college education was the key to building a promising life in this country, and through Chavez Schools, she shares this notion with scholars whose backgrounds are just as challenging as hers. Many Chavez scholars come from some of the most underserved communities in Washington, DC where it is uncommon to finish high school much less attend college. 100% of the Class of 2011 was accepted into college and they were collectively awarded $1.3Million in Scholarships. Despite great odds, Chavez Schools continues to educate and empower. Its success is evidence that school choice is important, and public charter schools work.

Introducing 2011 ProInspire Fellow: Camiel Irving

2011-10-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Name: Camiel Irving
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Organization: Chavez Public Charter Schools
Previous Employer: 3M

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
At the beginning of my career, I chose the medical device industry because I would be selling products that improved the lives of my clients’ patients. While we did have amazing products that contributed to great outcomes for patients, I quickly discovered that I wasn’t accountable for doing what was best for patients. I was accountable for selling my products, and in my opinion, my product wasn’t always the best choice. Realizing that I am more personally motivated by positive impact than financial gain, I decided to seek opportunities where I was accountable to a mission or value. In short, understanding my motivations inspired my switch to the nonprofit sector.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
We are at the beginning of student recruiting season, so lately I’ve been spending my days preparing for our recruiting events. I am most creative in the morning, so I typically start my day by working on print collateral or writing content for the website. In the late morning, I make any necessary phone calls to community partners, vendors, or feeder schools. If I don’t bring my lunch, I walk over to Barracks Row (8th Street SE) and treat myself to lunch at a local restaurant. Frequenting specific local businesses and speaking to owners and managers is one way I’m building relationships and community partnerships for Chavez Schools. After lunch I usually give myself an hour to prepare for afternoon meetings. This usually includes building a case for ROI, because in true marketing fashion, many of my meetings involve me asking for money to fund the next “big idea!” At the end of the day I travel to another campus to track down a colleague for a verbal follow-up on an email—educators are ALWAYS busy.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
I began my career as a Sales Professional in the Medical Device Industry. Through professional sales I developed a strong skill set in building relationships and identifying the potential hard and soft value in a strategic partnership. I am also comfortable with translating data into stories and using them to sell my ideas both internally and externally.

What are you involved in outside of work?
I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority—an international public service organization for college-educated women. I have recently gotten involved with DC-YEP: Young Education Professionals. True to its name, this organization primarily functions to connect earlier career professionals working in all functions of the education sector, from policy to administration, to teaching.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Charismatic: Even my enemies would have to admit that I could probably sell milk to a cow.
Artsy: While I am a poet, they would likely be referring to my sense of style and hair choices.
Self-Righteous: I prefer “mission-driven,” but now that I can channel my passion into my work, I spend less time on my social media soapboxes.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
My current read is a book on consumer behavior called Unthinking by marketing guru Harry Beckwith. Unthinking examines the factors that influence our purchases. Specifically, he zeroes in on influencers involving our childhoods, ethnicity, and values as Americans. What I am taking from the book so far is that we are influenced by two sets of values: our actual values and the ones we think we should have.

Where else have you lived?
Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore is my hometown; I lived in Raven’s country until I was 18.
Haifa, Israel: I lived in an Israeli youth village for a summer during an advocacy leadership program in high school.
New Orleans, Louisiana: I spent 4 years in NOLA as a college student at Xavier University of Louisiana.
Seal Beach, California: As an intern for 3M, I lived in the OC. Yes, I went to the beach almost everyday!
Kansas City, Missouri: 3M moved me to Kansas City after undergrad, and I traveled all of Kansas and Missouri for three years.
Washington, DC: Here. Now.

“Treat” Yourself

2011-10-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Blog Action Day 2011, which happens to coincide with World Food Day. Being the passionate food advocate that he is, 2010 Inspire Fellow David DeVaughn reflects on his early memories of food.

My parents separated soon after my younger sister was born when I was two years old. Once the legal piece was settled, my mother got custody and my sister and me started a routine of traveling to my dad’s apartment (and later house) every other weekend. Like many children of divorced parents we saw contrasts in our living situations; house vs. apartment, town demographics, even crime rates, but the aspect that I’ve started to remember recently and connect to my interest in food, is the “treat.”

I have no memory of my parents being together and what sorts of meals (probably puréed for me) we ate then, but the kind food they bought after they separated varied widely. The dinners were pretty similar; a baked or sautéed protein, a salad or other vegetable and some sort of starch, usually rice or potatoes. Breakfast at my mom’s house would consist of oatmeal or Kix cereal (with skim milk of course), some fruit and maybe some turkey bacon (still can’t stand it to this day) and on certain Sunday’s, waffles or pancakes. Our dad knew that we wanted the “fun” cereals, so we’d have Corn Pops, Count Cholula, Frosted Flakes, etc., of course with red-cap gallon whole milk, and on weekends, a full breakfast of eggs, toast, and real thick-sliced slab bacon from Virginia (yes, my dad owned a meat slicer). While my mom might have some chips and salsa or popcorn in the kitchen, my dad had soda, candy, snack cakes, ice-cream and other “treats” around at all times.

I put “treat” in quotes in the title and throughout this post, because looking at myself back then and the way many Americans look at “treats” now, I think we’ve lost the meaning of the word. I thought I understood from an early age that calling something a “treat” automatically meant I’d get to experience whatever it was very infrequently. “Treating yourself,” meant exactly that: a once and a while reward. I used to think that my dad would get Hostess products and Hamburger Helper because he wanted to do something special for us, but I’ve started to realize that it was based more on what was on sale at the supermarket, and less on it being a celebration of us being at his house.

I hope as individuals and as a nation that we recognize we’re heading down a dangerous path when food items our grandparents ate on holidays are in our daily rotation and are more convenient/cheaper than healthier foods. I have come to realize that the “treats” taste better and are more satisfying, when they are indulged as actual treats. Let’s strive to frequently reward ourselves with foods that will make us healthier, more energetic and primed for activity. Not ready to take a nap.

Lessons on Leadership in the Nonprofit Sector

2011-10-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

Nonprofits have a bad rep when it comes to professional development and career growth. It’s a source of frustration for many young professionals in the sector. Having experienced their own challenges throughout their careers, Trista Harris and Rosetta Thurman published Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career to help the next generation of nonprofit leaders.

This past weekend they facilitated the Nonprofit Rockstar Leadership Intensive in DC to provide participants with the opportunity to hear from leaders in the sector and reflect on their professional growth.

This three-day event was packed with engaging sessions, interesting speakers, and interactive activities, all organized based on the six segments of their book: Practice Authentic Leadership, Plan for Balance, Develop Valuable Expertise, Establish a Great Personal Brand, Build a Strong Network, and Move On Up

There were three sessions from which I gained the most insight:

Lessons on Authentic Leadership

According to Robert Egger of DC Central Kitchen , we can choose to be one of three nonprofit leaders:

The type with their heads down and singularly focused on getting through “right now” without paying attention to the external environment;
The type who sees what’s coming their way and braces themselves, basically holding on for dear life; or
The type who spends time thinking/reflecting, builds and marches out into the future, embracing what’s coming their way.

Which one do you think he advised us to strive to be?

Lessons on Developing Valuable Expertise

ProInspire’s very own Monisha Kapila lead a discussion on the three most important ways to develop valuable expertise in the sector. Inspired by Lisa Lazarus’ strategy of using famous individuals to demonstrate examples, Monisha told the group to follow the lead of Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey and Phil Jackson.

Channel Will Smith: Develop a versatile skillset because in the nonprofit sector you will be called to do many things and contribute to organizations in many ways.
Channel Oprah Winfrey: Focus on self-awareness and learning because emotional intelligence is critical to your success as a leader.
Channel Phil Jackson: Be a coach because being a good manager is about creating the right environment for success rather than telling people what to do or knowing the right answer.

Lessons on Personal Branding

This is a topic that makes many people uncomfortable. The idea of “packaging” oneself into a brand or a false image is often what comes to mind. However, personal branding is about understanding others’ perception of you and managing your reputation. At the end of the day, you have a brand. Whether you decide to use it to your advantage is up to you.

Consistency - Is what you’re saying about yourself consistent with what is being said by others? This is what makes your brand more credible.
Clarity – Does what you’re saying that you bring to the table make sense? It’s not to your benefit if nobody understands your brand.
Authenticity – Does your brand match who you really are? As Rosetta said during training, there’s nothing worse than finding out that someone you admire is nothing like what you thought they'd be like when you meet him in person.

I think this Dan Schwabel’s quote perfectly states the ultimate benefit for young professionals: “Brand yourself for the career you want, not the job you have.”

Overall the event was a rewarding experience. Not only did I appreciate the content presented, I also enjoyed connecting with the other participants. I look forward to participating in future professional development opportunities organized by Rosetta and Trista.

How to Be a Great Fellow

2011-09-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

Have you ever considered how similar advice for a new job is to advice for a first date? Neither did the 2011 class of Inspire Fellows before Lisa Lazarus sat down to talk to us about what it would take to be successful in our fellowship.

Lisa is no stranger to fellowships. Most recently she was a fellow with Education Pioneers, working with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) in the Office of Extended Education. Even prior to that experience, Lisa successfully navigated several different environments and was gracious enough to share some words of wisdom with us.

Her take: like first dates, new jobs require us to be flexible, be comfortable with ambiguity, communicate effectively and be ourselves.

To illustrate her points, she called on a few examples:

Dominique Dawes

Like Dominique, Lisa says that new jobs require flexibility. Coming from the private sector, many of us are used to more rigid and structured work environments. We must be able to shift as things change, especially since it’s not uncommon that the work we originally set out to complete is not what the deliverable will be several months later.

MacGyver

Though Lisa had never actually seen the show, she pointed out that MacGyver is well known for his ability to be resourceful. She advised us to use our own resources: our supervisors, colleagues, cohort etc. She also advised us to use our curiosity, determination, perseverance and patience.

Barack Obama or RonaldReagan

(depending on your political affiliation)
Her bi-partisan approach for this example was entertaining. The point however was well understood: we need to effectively communicate to be successful. When it comes to written communication Lisa emphasized the importance of taking time to edit. While we might all find that piece of advice elementary, she mentioned that she is often shocked by what she comes across. She also mentioned making messages easy to skim and taking the possibility of a message being read on a blackberry into consideration.

When it comes to verbal communication, she advised us to be extra prepared. She also emphasized raising issues in a way that people are able to hear it, considering that in the nonprofit sector take their work personally due to their passion for what they do. Always provide constructive criticism followed by a Plan A, B and C.

Yourself

Wrapping up her presentation, Lisa pointed out that we must channel ourselves in order to be successful. This includes bringing our passion, knowledge and skill sets to the organization. She advised that we take this opportunity to explore our passions more, discovering what we like and what we want to change. She suggested that we be intentional about how we explore our interests and purposeful about setting goals for our development.

What other similarities do you see between a first date and a new job?

Reflections on the 11th Annual Public Private Partnership Conference

2011-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

Written by 2011 Fellow, Schuyler Woods

Determining compounding returns in an Excel macro is so much easier than determining the solution to unemployment. To think I was under the illusion I was actually shaping future income with my projection models! While my future simulations were solitary work, a recent conference I attended convinced me that the creation of wealth is truly a collaborative and labor-intensive effort. My former duties as an analyst paled in comparison to the road ahead of me as a non-profit professional. Mayor Gray’s words at the 11th Annual Public Private Partnership Conference affirmed this.

The unemployment situation in D.C. is dire, the mayor announced: Wards 7 and 8 report 17% and 25% unemployment respectively. (Bear in mind that the national average hovers around 9%.) Also known as “East of the River,” these areas are faced with limited access to services like health care, economic resources and quality education. Such issues are of particular importance to my fellowship organization, Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF) where providing technical assistance and low-rate financing to small, disadvantaged businesses in these areas serves as its mechanism for change. The services offered by non-profits like WACIF and other attending organizations were desperately needed in this lumbering economy, Mayor Gray emphasized.

Before I could put the mayor’s words into perspective, I shuttled off to a seminar to monetize the story of my organization, noting to link anecdotes to our appeals to investors. For example, I quickly jotted down the success story of Niyyah Electric and how WACIF financing allowed the company to create 5 jobs, 3 of which came from Wards 7 and 8.

Then I attended another seminar on financial analysis and learned some good ratios to apply to my credit memo I was constructing for a paint distributor. Sidenote: a week later I got the project funding approved by the loan committee - another two jobs created!

Finally, I capped off my Public Private Conference participation with a lunch and speech, given by the youthful Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, D. Paul Montiero. Montiero gave a brief background of the Office formerly known as the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs and described how the newly branded office sought to hear the issues and concerns of the public. The goal of the Office is to connect public concerns with the appropriate Federal body to get the job addressed.

I left the conference with a greater sense of the immense amount of community work needing to be accomplished, the tools to chip away at these feats and connections to public and non-profit partners who could affect change together. It was comforting to know that there were so many people committed to improving their communities! Now if I can only construct the perfect proposal this week to fund that new urban self-defense gym…

ProInspire’s Growth Strategy: Defining the Hedgehog

2011-09-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, we decided it was time to develop ProInspire’s growth strategy. I started ProInspire in 2009 with a hypothesis – that one way to address the nonprofit leadership deficit is to expand talent pools in the sector. We launched the Inspire Fellowship to do just that by recruiting young business professionals to work in analyst and strategy roles for leading nonprofits.

The Fellowship has grown over the past three years, and we have achieved some great results:
- Over 700 candidates have applied to be an Inspire Fellow over the past three years
- 30 Fellows have been selected
- 60% of Fellows over the program’s history are persons of color
- 50% of Fellows have stayed on at their organization after the Fellowship ends
- 80% of our nonprofit partners keep their current Fellow or hire a new Fellow each year (and some do both!)

What’s Next for ProInpire?
Now that we have launched our third class of Inspire Fellows, we are confident that our hypothesis makes sense. The Fellowship is an important tool to expand talent pools, skill sets, and diversity in the sector.

We have also broadened our mission to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders because we believe that new talent pools are only one piece towards driving systemic change. We are now focusing on how to grow our impact.

Back in May, we started a process to develop our growth strategy. Lucila Crena, our Program Manager and a 2009 Fellow, and I sat down to think about how to approach the process. We decided to use the Hedgehog Concept from Good to Great as a framework for our strategy.

ProInspire’s Hedgehog
Why did we decide to use the Hedgehog Concept as a framework? Two reasons:

1) As Nikita mentioned, we think very highly of Jim Collins’ work and use his book as part of our training for Inspire Fellows. Applying and testing his framework within ProInspire is simply “practicing what we preach.”

2) Last Fall, I spoke with Michael Brown, Co-Founder and CEO of City Year, at Teach for America’s 25th Anniversary Celebration. I asked Michael how City Year had evolved its focus from being a service program for young people to work in their communities, to wholly focusing on fighting the national dropout crisis. Michael said they spent a lot of time thinking about their Hedgehog, and that is what helped them realize where they should focus.

The Hedgehog Concept asks organizations to identify three things, and then focus where they all meet:

Throughout this summer, we have thought about the three circles and asked these questions of our staff, Board members, Fellows, nonprofit partners, and funders. Here is where we are now in defining our Hedgehog:

We are deeply passionate about...
- Accelerating social impact by providing high quality talent and professional development to the nonprofit sector
- Helping organizations and individuals achieve their potential for social impact
- Leveraging best practices in recruiting, talent development, and adult learning to catalyze outstanding performance

We can be the best in the world at...
- Understanding how young business professionals and business tools can benefit nonprofits in various sectors and across organization of various sizes (they both require adaptation!)
- Providing simple, cost effective talent solutions for nonprofits
- Creating nonprofit opportunities that attract a large pool of diverse candidates

Our economic engine includes...
- Earned income from nonprofit partners
- Grants from funders that support capacity building, leadership development, or diversity in the nonprofit sector
- Individual donations from alumni and the community

The Hedgehog is not a static concept, and we expect to keep refining it as we grow and learn from our experience. However, in thinking about how to grow our impact, this clarity help us understand what we can uniquely do well and allow us to shift our focus to find where we are most needed.

Using our Hedgehog, we are now analyzing needs in the sector to evaluate the most effective ways that ProInspire can grow our impact. Stay tuned for more!

Book Review: Good to Great by Jim Collins

2011-08-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

ProInspire is no stranger to Jim Collins. Good to Great and the Social Sectors: a Monograph to Accompany Good to Great is an introductory read for all Fellows within the first few months in the sector. However after reading the monograph and receiving so many recommendations to read his best seller that inspired it, I finally decided to pick it up.

Conclusion: Good to Great is a must-read for anyone committed to one day leading an organization that truly represents excellence, no matter its tax status.

The book is based on the premise that “good is the enemy of great.” Collins expounds:

We don’t have great schools principally because we have good schools. We don’t have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good – and that is their main problem.

Being curious by nature, Collins was determined to find out the difference between organizatins that are good versus those that are great. He and his research team set out on a “odyssey of curiosity” which started with an analysis of American corporations to decide on a set of eleven that could be considered good-to-great examples and ended with a framework (shown in the image below) that captures the process each company went through to be considered great.

Level 5 Leadership – Collins’ research team found that the first ingredient for greatness was a leader with a “paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.” Unlike many would expect, individuals at the helm of companies considered to be great were not high-profile leaders with some previous claim to fame. The were quite the opposite.

First who… Then what – The second step that great companies took was ensuring that the right people were involved. Beyond simply having the right team, this part of the framework emphasizes having the right people even before deciding where the organization is headed. In a nutshell: “Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people of the bus, and the right people in the right seats – and then figure out where to drive it.”

Confront the Brutal facts – This boils down to facing reality in order to truly make good decisions about the direction of the organization. However, in doing so, Collins’ team found that great organizations also maintained unwavering faith that they would prevail no matter how harsh the reality proved to be.

The Hedgehog Concept – A core component of the framework, the hedgehog concept requires organizations to base their strategy on three dimensions: 1. What you can be best in the world at, 2. What drives your economic engine, and 3. What you are deeply passionate about.

A Culture of Discipline – Collins believes that bureaucracy and hierarchy are only necessary when the wrong people are on the bus. In a culture of discipline the right systems are in place yet there is sufficient freedom for people to deliver results.

Technology Accelerators – Good-to-great companies never use technology as an excuse for their problems nor do they depend on it to propel them forward. Rather, they are thoughtful in their approach and choice in technologies, using it as an accelerator of momentum.

The Flywheel and Doom Loop concept then goes on to explain that companies never make a leap from good-to-great with a magnificent moment or grand program. It comes down to consistently building momentum until there is a breakthrough.

I unexpectedly found Good to Great to be an engaging read, despite being a business book, because of its storytelling style. Collins literally walks the reader through each component of the framework in a way that leaves you feeling like you were present during many of his research team’s meetings. Section by section we become aware of many of the conversations, disagreements, and light bulb moments that occurred over those five years.

With this storytelling style also came a level of transparency that you wouldn’t expect from this type of book. Not only do we hear the way in which many of the conclusions are made, we also learn of findings that Collins’ research team unexpectedly discovered along the way, each of which were added to the end of relevant chapters.

Ultimately, Good to Great is a must-read as it provides unprecedented insight into the dimensions of leading an organization that consistently delivers, demonstrates excellence and can one day be considered great.

7 Lessons from the 2010 Inspire Fellows

2011-08-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

This month we kicked off the third class of Inspire Fellows! We have a fantastic group of individuals joining the nonprofit sector with backgrounds in consulting, banking, private equity, and marketing.

During our Foundations Training, which is provided to everyone at the beginning of their Fellowship, alumni shared some of their lessons, which are useful for anyone moving into the nonprofit sector:

1. Be patient and open minded
Each Fellow shared stories about things that were different from what they expected coming into the nonprofit sector. Teja Padma (2010 Fellow at FHI 360) advised: “Come in to explore. Keep an open mind and be flexible because you will learn a lot.” Maurice Matthews (2010 Fellow at Year Up) suggested tapping into resources through ProInspire, your manager, and books to speed up your learning.

2. Your job scope will change, and that is okay
Many Fellows said that their responsibilities ended up being different from what they discussed during the interview process. Lucila Crena (2009 Fellow at Year Up) shared that she came in thinking she was going to work on Year Up’s expansion to Baltimore. A month after she started, Year Up received a large grant from Venture Philanthropy Partners and Lucila was asked to be project manager. “Your job is to empower your supervisor. Your responsibilities will change, but you will be an asset if you help your manager to be successful.“

3. Be prepared for culture shock
Fellows shared their different experiences with culture shock, working in environments that were fairly different from where they had previously worked. One Fellow said: “We are always changing and it was frightening to see how fast things change.” Another Fellow had a different experience, “I realized we are a large organization and change is slow.”

During Foundations, new Fellows discussed the classic 5 stage culture shock model and what emotions to expect in their transition.

4. Take initiative
Fellows were surprised by how much opportunity and expectation there was on them to take initiative. Maurice Matthews (2010 Fellow at Year Up) said, “You put together an analysis, and your manager asks ‘And what. What do you recommend?’ Don’t be afraid to suggest your ideas and show initiative.”

Fellows also shared how they learned to navigate ambiguous situations by taking initiative. Monisha Kapila (CEO of ProInspire) said, “When I speak with our partners, they always say they love how Fellows take initiative. Even if you don’t know what to do, ask questions, take a stab at something, and then get feedback from your manager to see if you are on track.”

5. Change your definition of success
Fellows discussed how their definition of success has changed, and that it is no longer about just completing a deliverable. David DeVaughn (2010 Fellow at FHI 360) said, “I learned to re-evaluate my definition of success. It is not like you make a presentation and then you are done. Seeing change in systems and processes takes time.” Nick Takamine (2009 Fellow at FHI 360) talked about his work helping create a strategic dashboard. “Getting the organization into the habit of tracking and reviewing it every quarter was a challenging process but very rewarding.”

6. Build relationships
Fellows shared that respecting people throughout the organization was critical to building rapport and getting things done. Kim Hartmann (2010 Fellow at GAVI Alliance) said: “Social change involves a lot of stakeholders. Now incorporating feedback has become second nature to me. I have really started to value people’s opinions and perhaps more surprisingly, they have started to value mine.”

7. Find balance between humility and confidence
A key theme from all the Fellows was to find the balance between humility and confidence. Don’t be lulled into thinking you know how to do something, but be confident that you can figure it out.

Addressing the Nonprofit Leadership Deficit by Utilizing Business Talent

2011-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Over the last several years interest in working in the social sector has soared. President Obama has brought considerable attention to the importance of volunteerism and civic engagement since the beginning of his presidency. Fellowships and post-graduate programs have steadily gained popularity over the last few years with volunteer and service programs like Teach for America, AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps experiencing a stark increase in applications. Even schools across the country, especially MBA programs, are incorporating courses like social entrepreneurship into their curriculum in response to growing interest in the field.

The Nonprofit Leadership Deficit
With this trend, the recruiting and hiring opportunities for nonprofits are tremendous. More importantly, this couldn’t be a more critical time for such an opportunity to arise. In 2006 The Bridgespan Group released a white paper called The Nonprofit’s Leadership Deficit. In it the author Thomas Tierney identified three areas that nonprofits need to address in order to manage this deficit:

1. Invest in leadership capacity
2. Refine management rewards to retain and attract top talent
3. Expand recruiting horizons and foster individual career mobility

The Founding of ProInspire
In 2008 ProInspire’s Founder and CEO, Monisha Kapila, attended an event where Tierney discussed the leadership deficit, which he declares is “the greatest challenge facing nonprofits over the next ten years.” In his white paper he suggested that the nonprofit sector would need to attract and develop 640,000 new senior managers — 2.4 times the number currently employed, a level of demand that current pools of talent would not be able to fill.

It was there that her idea for ProInspire began to take shape. Having had much experience moving back and forth between the for-profit and nonprofit sectors throughout her career, she was very familiar with transitioning. She was often asked how to find opportunities in the nonprofit sector by friends and colleagues. At the same time she often found herself being asked by employers how to find other candidates with her similar business background and skillset.

It was then that she made a connection between these experiences and the leadership deficit Tierney talked about, realizing that it was an industry-wide issue. Naturally, she decided to do something about it.

Click here to finish reading our latest post on the Social Earth blog about how ProInspire is addressing the nonprofit leadership deficit.

Support Save Service's District Day (August 10th)

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Funding for the Corporation for National Community Service is at risk. According to the Save Service campaign:

"American policymakers will consider proposals that could eliminate funding for initiatives like AmeriCorps, RSVP, Senior Corps, Learn & Serve America and the Social Innovation Fund. Without this funding, organizations like Teach For America, Habitat for Humanity, City Year & Jumpstart are at risk of having to drastically reduce their vital services."

Join us in supporting District Day this Wednesday, Augusts 10th. Click here to find out how you can help.

3 Reasons Why Every Young Professional Should Serve on a Nonprofit Board

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Board membership is something that I almost never hear young professionals discuss. If I had to venture a guess why, I’d say that there is a perception held by many that it’s something you do later in your career when you’re older, wiser, more experienced, etc. This, however, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

While I’m sure there are other reasons that keep our generation from pursuing opportunities to serve on boards, there couldn’t possibly be one good enough to explain why we are so poorly represented on nonprofit boards. According to Board Source less than 2% of nonprofit board members are under 30 years old. In contrast, 57% of nonprofit board members are 50 and over.

That’s astonishing to me.

In 2009 I joined the board of the Cultural Academy for Excellence. As a graduate of the program and former volunteer, I was more than excited to take on a leadership position within the organization. Over the last two years I’ve had the opportunity to jump in and get my hands dirty. It has been a great experience thus far, particularly since I joined prior to my shift into a nonprofit career as it has allowed me to gain valuable experience in the sector.

After a recent board meeting, I started thinking about my experience and why more of my peers aren't actively seeking opportunities to volunteer in such a capacity. Here are three reasons why I believe every young professional should serve on a nonprofit board:

1. Develop skills that you may not have the opportunity to develop at your job.

When you join a nonprofit board, it’s likely that you were selected because you have a background or skillset that is needed. That, however, doesn’t always mean that you’ll be forced to engage in activities that you find yourself doing at your day job. You will have the opportunity to select the committees and activities that you want to dedicate your time to, allowing you to develop new skills and utilize other talents you have.

For example: as a management consultant at my last job I discovered how much I enjoyed strategic planning, and it was something I wanted to continue doing wherever possible. Strategic planning is a skillset I now have and seek to develop further. While it’s not one that I can put to use on my new job, I have the opportunity to lead a committee on CAFE’s board developing our strategic plan. It’s a win-win situation.

2. Build your professional network.

Being on a nonprofit board allows you to interact with individuals who likely aren’t in your current professional network. Assuming the board you choose to serve on has a diverse array of professional backgrounds, you will have the opportunity to meet new people (both the members of the board and their network as you interact with them at events). By expanding your network in this way, you’ll discover that you have access to mentors and professional opportunities you otherwise wouldn't.

3. Develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to run a successful organization.

Serving on a board allows you to experience, first-hand, the operations of an organization at a high-level. Whether or not you strive to be a leader of a nonprofit organization, learning about and making decisions on governance, financial/accounting, ethics and legal issues is not something that most of us have the responsibility of doing - or opportunity to do - at our places of employment. It’s an experience that will truly develop your leadership skills and provide you with exposure that you wouldn’t otherwise gain at this stage in your career.

The above reasons are only three of many why you should be serving on a nonprofit board. What’s most important is that you begin to understand that not only is it possible for young professionals to join a board, it is imperative that we start getting a seat at the table. It's the only way we will increase the representation of board members under 30 from an abysmal 2%.

Originally posted on Journeyful Life

2010 Inspire Fellows Graduate, Celebrating a Year of Accomplishments

2011-07-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday evening, ProInspire's second class of Inspire Fellows gathered with family, friends, alumni, board members and partners of the organization to celebrate their accomplishments over the last year. The atmosphere was relaxed, the food was delicious and the drinks were flowing.

After giving everyone some time to mingle, Monisha Kapila, ProInspire's Founder and CEO, kicked off the event. She first took some time to welcome everyone then passed the program on to Lucila, our Program Manager as well as a 2009 alumna, who led the introductions each Fellow. In addition to learning more about the background and future plans of each one, Lucila also announced class superlatives and presented everyone with a yearbook.

Once the graduation event wrapped up, the Fellows along with ProInspire staff and friends headed out to Karaoke where they sang the night away to everything from songs by Journey to Madonna to Babyface. Consensus is that the night was a raging success!

***

ProInspire started three years ago when Monisha attended a Bridgespan Group event about the leadership deficit in the nonprofit sector. From the discussions that were held that day, she eventually decided that she wanted to start an organization that leveraged the skills and passion of business professionals to meet the workforce needs of local nonprofits.

In 2009, the pilot class of Inspire Fellows went through two days of orientation and started their new careers in the nonprofit sector. In 2010, ProInspire grew from five to twelve Fellows. After completing their year in the program, Fellows have moved on to do a myriad of things. Some stay at their organizations, sometimes in a new role. Some pursue careers elsewhere and others go on to grad school.

The success of the last two classes leaves us both excited to see the amazing things our alumni continue to do over time as well as eager to kick-off the year with our 2011 Fellows!

Click here to see more photos from the event!

Group Poem by 2010 Inspire Fellows

2011-06-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Last week was our final training for the 2010 Inspire Fellows. It was a great day to reflect on the year and to appreciate each other. I have learned so much from this class of Fellows and am excited to watch their journeys as leaders in the social sector.

One of the final activities of our training was a group poem. Lucila, our Program Manager, asked each Fellow to write a verse about the year and then we randomly combined the verses into one poem. Here it is:

Group Poem by the 2010 Inspire Fellows
I change, you change, season change
ProInspire exulted, mantel upon my breast

My fellows have inspired me to find my strengths,
But beyond the book they have allowed me
to discover and believe them myself.
Their talent and commitment is infectious.

From the birth of Kush to Maurice's impression
of an 18th century sailor to collage making.
We have grown so much individually and as a group
Here's to future.

We came here as strangers,
We'll leave here as friends.
Now we're off to impact the world,
Best wishes and luck Monisha sends.

In April the fellows went on a retreat
with the newcomer at dinner they offered her a seat.
Watermelon, guac, hamburger, mac and cheese -
all was perfect eat.

We've been through highs and lows
Found solace in our safe haven AND
ignited a flame that will drive
us all onward and upward!

We've engaged in group therapy for an entire year
Now we're all leaders, it is finally clear!

This was a year of purpose, stress and time to explore.
This was a year of strangers to friends,
lessons, and finding the ability to soar.

The Washington Post Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award Ceremony

2011-06-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday May 25th, I attended the 17th annual Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management ceremony co-hosted by The Washington Post and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement. I went to show my support with a group from the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC - www.layc-dc.org), which was selected as a finalist organization. The three other finalist organizations included: Horton’s Kids (www.hortonskids.org), Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (www.woollymammoth.net), and the Prince George’s County Child Resource Center (www.childresource.org).

At the beginning of the ceremony, Glen O'Gilvie, CEO of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, welcomed attendees and presented short films that beautifully captured the work of each of the finalist organizations. Then, a member of the selection committee facilitated a question and answer session with each organization’s Executive Director and Board Chair. I found this session to be particularly interesting because even though the organizations’ missions were very different, the best practices they were using could be applied across a variety of organizational contexts.

Here are a few highlights:

The Latin American Youth Center has strong outcomes measurement and performance management systems and effectively utilizes a dashboard to communicate these outcomes to key stakeholders.

Horton’s Kids does an outstanding job recruiting and retaining volunteers (volunteer base of 500), and manages to keep its expenses low by using free office space on Capitol Hill.

The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company emphasizes the theme of connectivity and has used teambuilding exercises to break down the barriers between the artistic and administrative staff members, which has lead to greater collaboration and engagement among employees.

The Prince George’s County Child Resource Center places high value on diversity within all levels of the organization. To keep staff retention high, management makes special accommodations for staff members who are from other countries, allowing them to take off more time when they take trips to their home countries.

While the LAYC did not win in the end (Horton’s Kids was the 2011 winner), I found the discussion very engaging and learned a great deal from what each of the organizations is doing. As the winner, Horton’s Kids received a $10,000 grant and a scholarship for one manager to attend the Georgetown University Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership’s Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program. The remaining three finalists received honorable mention awards, a $2,500 grant award, and access to TCC Group’s Core Capacity Assessment Tool.

I would highly recommend next year’s event to anyone interested in careers in the nonprofit sector. As someone who plans to pursue nonprofit management, I left the event feeling excited about the impact that nonprofit leaders can have in their communities – and maybe even a little inspired too.

Visit us at MyWorkster Recruit DC event this Thursday

2011-06-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

ProInspire will be at MyWorkster's Recruit DC event this Thursday at George Washington University from 11am-4pm. Stop by to see us there!
http://www.myworkster.com/myworkster/page/eventdetail/1294063579

This event is exclusive to the alumni of these participating Universities:
American University
Arizona State University
College of William & Mary
Emory University
George Mason University
George Washington University
Indiana University
James Madison University
Notre Dame
Pace University
Pepperdine University
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Minnesota
University of Southern California
University of Virginia

It will be held at George Washington University
Charles E. Smith Center
600 22nd Street NW
WashingtonDC 20052

A Lesson From Good to Great

2011-05-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

We must reject the idea –well-intentioned, but dead wrong – that the primary path to greatness in the social sectors is to become “more like a business.”

And with those words Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great and the Social Sectors: a Monograph to Accompany Good to Great, shaped the perspective with which I started my first day at the job.

Having only worked at one company for most of my career (all two and a half years of it…), on many occasions I have caught myself incorrectly associating certain professional experiences to my particular company’s culture vs. Corporate America. These associations, more often than not, were made because my experiences to date have not been diverse enough to give me a broad perspective to form accurate conclusions.

Of course, hindsight is always 20/20. I hardly realize the assumptions that I’m making until someone points them out or until another situation leads me to question a previously held belief. After all, it’s usually an unconscious process.

Making matters even more interesting, I’m now entering into an entirely different world where I’m likely to begin unconsciously making incorrect assumptions about the social sector vs. the private sector. For the most part I’m okay with this as it’s all part of the learning process to form beliefs and have them challenged.

However, the Good to Great monograph points out one particular mindset that I want to remain aware of as I transition: the assumption that the key to success for an organization is to operate like a business. In recounting a dialogue that he had with a CEO, Collins makes the point that great management practices are not solely business concepts.

That’s when it dawned on me: we need a new language. The critical distinction is not between business and social, but between great and good. We need to reject the naïve imposition of the “language of business” on the social sectors, and instead jointly embrace a language of greatness.

I think we can all agree that the environment nonprofits operate in is different from the private sector, therefore so are the expectations (e.g. importance of measuring impact vs. profits). However certain core skills are necessary for success in any great organization, regardless of the sector. Additionally, every great organization needs a diversity of skill sets to best accomplish its objectives.

I recognize that while I have a unique combination of skills to contribute, I don’t bring any “right” answers or “right” ways of doing anything with me. My goal for myself as I transition is to remain conscious of assumptions that I make about my organization and the social sector simply because of differences from my experience in the private sector.

Originally posted on Journeyful Life.

Round 3 applications are now being accepted!

2011-05-05T13:06:00.001-07:00

Due to additional opportunities with our nonprofit partners, we are accepting applications for the Inspire Fellowship as part of Round 3! Please forward widely.

ProInspire is building the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector. Our flagship program, the Inspire Fellowship, recruits outstanding business professionals with 2+ years business experience that want to use their skills for social impact. The highly competitive one-year program offers targeted positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth.

Previous Inspire Fellows come from Bain, Credit Suisse, General Mills, Microsoft, Parthenon Capital, and other leading companies. Fellows work for top nonprofits based in the Washington D.C. area.

Program Overview
The Fellowship program runs for 12 months starting in August 2011. Hiring partners include organizations focused on education, health, international development, microfinance, social investing, and youth development. Roles for 2011 Inspire Fellows include:
• Association for Enterprise Opportunity: Project Manager
• DC Prep Public Charter School: Operations Manager
• EL Haynes Public Charter School: Special Projects Manager
• Family Health International: Business Planning & Strategy Analyst
Additional partners will be listed on our website as they are added.

Fellows participate in a 3-day foundational training, monthly training workshops, coaching, and networking events to support their transition and leadership development. In addition, each Fellow receives support to help them decide future career plans. After the program ends, Fellows typically stay at the hiring organization if a permanent position is offered, find other job opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $42,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.

Selection Criteria
ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on our selection criteria and needs of hiring partners. Each year only 3-5% of candidates are selected as Inspire Fellows. Successful candidates will have:
• 2-5 years experience as a top performer at a top-tier consulting firm, investment bank, private equity firm, or corporation
• Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
• Demonstrated leadership and initiative in personal and professional settings
• Humility and desire to learn
• Experience successfully managing ambiguous situations
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the program

To Apply
Submit your application, cover letter, and resume through our website: http://www.proinspire.org/fellows/apply/. Cover letter and resume should be in pdf format, with the following labels “FirstName_LastName_Cover” and “FirstName_LastName_Resume.” Round 3 deadline is Monday, May 30th. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Tiffany Goh

2011-04-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

Tiffany Goh

Hometown: Port Washington, NY

Organization: ACCION International

Previous Employer: Credit Suisse

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I’ve always had an interest in helping to improve the lives of people who, for reasons beyond their control, do not have access to basic resources and opportunities that the rest of society has. More recently, I’ve had a compelling desire to make a difference in a more impactful way than volunteering allowed, especially as I became more informed about global poverty and sustainable solutions, such as microfinance, to drive international development and enable the poor to participate in the economy. I also felt equipped with the business skill set I had developed at Credit Suisse to more effectively drive social impact. Ultimately, the Inspire Fellows opportunity prompted me to make the switch into nonprofit, as the program offered the opportunity to work with passionate, like-minded peers dedicating their careers to meaningful missions as well as valuable training and support that would help me maximize my value add to building sustainable, self-sufficient societies.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I currently work at ACCION International as an analyst with the Frontier Investments Group, an impact investing fund whose mission is to invest early stage equity in catalytic technologies and disruptive business models that extend the reach and expand the scope of financial inclusion at the base of the economic pyramid. There really is no “typical day” here, as I work in a small team that requires us to wear multiple hats and be flexible to shifting priorities – something that has been challenging but very exciting and rewarding. Broadly speaking, I am focused on exploring fundraising efforts, substantiating our investment strategy through analysis and research, and evaluating investment opportunities.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
Prior to joining ACCION, I worked as an analyst within Credit Suisse’s private equity arm, focused on secondaries investing. Through my professional experiences I have become more knowledgeable about the private equity/venture capital industry and fund management, and developed expertise in financial analysis, evaluating business models and valuing companies across a variety of industries, and making and executing investment decisions based on analysis.

What are you involved in outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy being an active volunteer with community service and mentoring opportunities such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. I also stay involved as an alumna of Cornell and as a member of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, participating in recruiting and mentoring initiatives.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
Through past formal and informal roles, I developed a breadth of leadership experience ranging from motivating and supporting a team, to problem solving and creating innovative solutions, to managing and driving a process from start to finish. My leadership experiences provided exposure to all aspects of running a business and an understanding of the viewpoints of various stakeholders, especially with respect to fund management and deal evaluation and execution. Together, my experiences have helped me build a holistic view and approach that has helped me bring more structure and contribute effectively in my current role at ACCION.

What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?
NYMag is a favorite, and I also keep up with CNN, NYTimes and several microfinance and VC/PE blogs – RSS Feeds are great!

What is your dream career if money was not an option?
One of my great passions is to travel the world and experience/understand different cultures and ways of life (and cuisines!), especially in developing countries. In an ideal world with no restraints, my dream career would incorporate such travel in the endeavor to achieve large scale impact to alleviate global poverty. I would love to be out in the field witnessing firsthand the impact of my work.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
I’m currently reading Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus which I received as a gift from the ProInspire winter holiday book exchange!

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Kathleen Sheehan

2011-04-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

Kathleen Sheehan

Hometown: Worcester, MA

Organization: DC Prep

Previous Employer: Federal News Service

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I was just finishing my third year of work at my former employer when I became aware of the ProInspire opportunity. Reflecting on all the time I had spent there -- both calendar-wise and day-in and -out -- I realized that I wanted to be more invested in the mission of my employer. I found this match with DC Prep, a coalition of charters schools dedicated to improving public education and closing the education gap.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am the operations manager of the Middle School campus of DC Preparatory, an amazing charter school in Northeast DC. In this role, there are some tasks that must be performed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. For example, I submit payroll every two weeks, but must keep track of the faculty and staff's schedules to properly account for absences on a daily basis. However, there are always surprises! I am always troubleshooting, whether a student has jammed a pencil down the water fountain and I'm looking for someone to fix it or I'm covering as a test proctor to ensure proper supervision for students during testing.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?

This transition into the education sector is a significant one for me; my background is in media and politics. As senior manager at Federal News Service, an international news wire in DC, I led a team of transcribers, compiling and editing their work as well as navigating and prioritizing our workflow. In this role, I learned a little bit about everything -- from the Nagorno Karabak pipeline to the National Organization for Rare Diseases!

What are you involved in outside of work?

My biggest activity outside of work is leading a volunteer group at So Others Might Eat, a D.C. NGO that provides hot meals, clothing, medical care and much more to the district’s poor and homeless population. I recruit volunteers through the Georgetown alumni club, but it is open to anyone who is interested. We started out going once a month but the volume of interest was so high that we’ve expanded to twice a month. It’s been a great way to meet like-minded people of varied ages and professions among the volunteers and staff at SOME. I have also gotten really good at chopping and scooping scrambled eggs!

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.

The leadership skills I’ve developed in my professional life thus far are serving me well at DC Prep. Though it is a very different working environment than the one I came from, I am finding that the management strategies and organizational systems I grew to understand are applicable here too. For example, in my previous job I used a database that tracked projects, deadlines, and important information about these projects. In my new job I've created a similar workflow management system to help me keep track of all of the pending items I'm juggling at any one time.

Who do you look to as a leader in your respective field, and why?

As a woman interested in management, my role model is Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo. I’m totally blown away by her accomplishments both inside and outside of the workplace. Not only has she broken the glass ceiling by being the first female CEO but she uprooted herself from her home country of India to move to the U.S. -- and this didn’t slow her down. Most significant to me, though, is that she makes her family a huge priority. I’ve heard that she speaks with her mother in India every day! I aspire to excel in all aspects of my life and it’s inspiring to see that, while it may not be easy, it can be achieved.

What are you some of the myths surrounding working in the nonprofit sector that have been debunked by your experience?
I believe that there is a stereotype that nonprofits do not invest in technology, are behind in terms of being “wired.” This is absolutely not the case at DC Prep. Every teacher and administrator receives a laptop and is expected to constantly check their e-mail and respond to requests within 24 hours. The campus has a wireless network that allows everybody to stay on the move without being literally tied down to ethernet cords. I can see the benefits of this investment on their part: It has created an e-mail culture, resulting in a rapid exchange of information and followup as well as increased transparency among faculty and staff.

Where do you hang out in the D (DC), M (Maryland) and V (Virginia)?
It’s hard to believe, but I’ve lived in the D.C. area for seven years now! So I have a lot of favorites. One of my go-to spots is Politics and Prose, a bookstore and coffee shop near Chevy Chase with amazing mint iced tea and frequent readings by local authors. To check out a movie, I love the Uptown old-fashioned movie theater in Cleveland Park -- nothing beats the seats in the balcony! On a Friday evening in the summer, Jazz in the Sculpture Garden is a great activity, especially if there is a pitcher of sangria involved. If I’m in the mood for a burger, I’ll cross state lines for the blue cheese burger au poivre at Ray’s Hell Burger in Rosslyn.

ProInspire April Training Recap

2011-04-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

ProInspire Fellows had an exciting workshop centered around the theme of education on April 7, 2011 at the DC Public Schools Central Office, which is where Inspire Fellow Crystal Moore works everyday. The day started with welcoming our newest Fellow, Nikita Mitchell, who will be joining Fellow Erika White at AEO. After introductions and reflecting on each of our experiences, we had the amazing opportunity to hear Chancellor Kaya Henderson speak about her work at DC Public Schools and Fellows had a chance to ask her questions about career paths and education reform. We learned that it’s going to take outreach to the community, parents, volunteers and more extracurricular activities to increase productivity through shared work and ultimately create an entrepreneurial environment for education reform to flourish.

After hearing Chancellor Henderon speak, we heard from Josh Edelman, who is the Deputy Chief, Office of School Innovation at DC Public Schools. During this session, we learned about the relationships, protocol, processes and strategies that DC Public Schools carries out to meet the needs of each of its schools and communities. Josh also provided good advice for any young professional who is trying to figure out his or her career path: carefully think about choosing a career, which pays the bills, versus following your calling, which is something that you’re happy and excited to do.

Following these inspiring sessions, Fellows worked on developing their “story”, which is helpful in communicating your message and introducing yourself at networking events, meeting new colleagues, preparing for a job interview or applying to graduate schools. After Monisha, Founder and CEO of ProInspire, shared her framework for developing a story, each Fellow took a few minutes to share what they want, what their motivation is and how it relates to who they are.

The day ended with a fantastic and insightful panel of education leaders that included the following panelists:

Marisa Bold –Department of Education

Jimmy Henderson – E.L. Haynes Public Charter

Kate Lewis-LaMonica – CityBridge Foundation

Wendy Scott – DC Prep

John Troy – Education Pioneers DC

Fellow Tiffany Hawkins facilitated a productive panel discussion and Fellows learned more about each panelist’s work at their respective organizations, how they’ve used their graduate degrees and more perspective in the education sector. Combined with excellent Fellow presentations from Reena Sikdar and Crystal Moore, the training turned out to be an inspiring and informative day on education!

Check us out on Unwitting Entrepreneur blog

2011-04-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

Thank you to the Unwitting Entrepreneur blog for featuring us in their Entrepreneur Spotlight. Check out the post at http://www.unwittingentrepreneur.com/2011/04/18/entrepreneur-spotlight-proinspire/

Name: Monisha Kapila

Name of your product/ company: ProInspire

What does your company do/ produce?
ProInspire is a nonprofit that is building the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector by recruiting and training business professionals to work for nonprofits.

Describe your background/ experience before starting your company.
Prior to launching ProInspire, I spent 10 years in the business and nonprofit sectors. Most recently I managed the launch of financial products targeting unbanked customers for Capital One. Prior to Capital One, I was a Harvard Business School Leadership Fellow with ACCION International, a pioneer in the commercial approach to microfinance. I have worked with a number of leading nonprofit organizations throughout my career, including CARE, the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and the Clinton Foundation. I began my career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen.
I have an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA from the University of Michigan.

Where did your business concept come from?
Because I had moved back and forth between businesses and nonprofits throughout my career, I was very familiar with transitioning sectors. Colleagues and friends were always asking me “How can I find an opportunity in the nonprofit sector?” Nonprofits where I worked always asked “Where can we find more people who have similar skills to you?” I knew there was a need for someone to connect supply and demand. The turning point came when I was at a conference where the speaker talked about the “nonprofit leadership deficit”. I realized this was an industry-wide issue and I had to do something about it.

What were some of the steps you took to turn your idea into reality?
While I was working at Capital One, I started to research the challenges nonprofits face in recruiting talent for “business” roles in their organizations. I started by talking to people I knew, then asking who they thought I should talk to. I ended up speaking with over 100 people who helped me understand the needs, challenges and opportunities. I also did the Ladies Who Launch incubator which connected me with other women entrepreneurs and helped me go through a process of crystallizing my idea.

What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered along the way?
I decided to leave Capital One and launch ProInspire in January 2009. This was the bottom of the recession so it presented some unique challenges. It was very difficult to find nonprofits who could afford to hire someone new, much less hire someone from the business world through our program. The silver lining was that the talent pool was fantastic as there were a large number of business professionals looking to make a transition. We ended up partnering with 5 nonprofits in our first class and the results were great. After the first year, we doubled the number of nonprofit partners and continue to grow each year.

The other big challenge we have faced is in getting foundation funding. We charge nonprofits a fee for our work, but it does not cover all the costs so we need to fundraise. This has been much more difficult than I realized and is pushing me to think creatively about our organization’s business model.

What is the best thing about owning your own business?
Because ProInspire is a nonprofit, I don’t own it. The “owners” are the Board of Directors who ensure that our work serves the organization’s mission.
The best thing about running my own organization is doing something I am passionate about, determining the direction I want to pursue, and flexibility around what I do and when I do it.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle for women to overcome in starting their own businesses?
I think the biggest obstacle anyone has to overcome in starting their own business is having the resources in place to get you through the startup phase and periods where you may have irregular income. It took me over one year before I could pay myself a real salary. Some entrepreneurs get things off the ground much faster, but I think it helps to have a cushion in case it takes longer than you expect.

What advice would you give to another woman starting her own venture?
Find something you are passionate about because that will be get you through the long hours, mundane tasks and cash strapped days. Starting my own venture related to something I care deeply about is the best career experience I have had.

LAYC Junior Board Opportunity - Apply TODAY!

2011-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

Interested in serving on a nonprofit board and contributing your skills to support young people in the DC Metro Area? Now, is your chance! The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC, www.layc-dc.org), one of ProInspire's current hiring partners, is recruiting young professionals to apply to be a part of the LAYC Junior Board Steering Committee. The LAYC Junior Board will focus on cultivating new corporate and individual donors, developing professional development and training opportunities for staff, and establishing a base of volunteers for the organization. Applications must be submitted by Monday, April 25th. To receive a copy of the application and learn more about this exciting leadership opportunity, please contact Kevin Bauer (kevin@layc-dc.org) or Jacob Newman (newman@layc-dc.org).

Congratulations to Lisa Hall, Calvert Foundation CEO

2011-03-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

On Monday I was honored to celebrate the appointment of Lisa Hall as President and CEO of Calvert Foundation. Lisa is on ProInspire's Advisory Board and has been a great mentor to me.

Calvert Foundation’s mission is to maximize the flow of capital to disadvantaged communities in order to create a more equitable and sustainable society. Lisa joined Calvert Foundation in 2005, taking on management of a $76 million loan portfolio as Chief Lending Officer. Over the years, she has more than doubled that portfolio to nearly $190 million, while keeping losses under 1.2 percent during one of the most economically challenging periods in our recent history.

During Monday's celebration, Lisa spoke about Calvert Foundation’s history and mission to empower low-income communities by investing in them. Lisa said her own roots as the daughter of a civil rights activist, combined with her 25 years of experience in financial services, similarly place her at the intersection of capital markets and economic justice. Lisa spoke passionately about the need for all of us to do something to address poverty. She challenged everyone to invest 5% of their portfolio in investments that tie to their values. As Lisa said, if everyone does this, we can change the world.

We are excited to see the Calvert Foundation continue to grow its impact under Lisa's leadership!

2011 Inspire Fellowship deadline - this Saturday!

2011-03-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the Round 2 deadline to apply for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship is this Saturday, March 26th! Apply now if you are an outstanding business professional who wants to work for social impact.

We are excited about the great partners lined up for the 2011 program. Great opportunities to drive social innovation!

From Microsoft to Grassroots Business Fund

2011-03-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

This post was written by Inspire Fellow Tony Cappaert for the Next Billion blog. NextBillion.net is a website and blog bringing together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.

There is still time to apply for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship! Our Round 2 deadline is March 18th.

Finding a Match for Social Impact
by Tony Cappaert, Inspire Fellow 2010

Spin back the clock to February last year. I was living in Seattle and working as a program manager at Microsoft. While I enjoyed my work and loved my team, I had an itch that I just couldn't scratch: I wanted to join a non-profit.

I had several volunteer experiences since graduating from MIT in 2008, both through volunteer consulting projects and mentoring new entrepreneurs at a microfinance organization. Through each experience, I became more convinced that I needed to explore a career in small enterprise development. But how to make it happen?

I quickly encountered a roadblock. Every paid, non-profit opportunity I could find was basically in one of two groups:
1. Entry-level positions with no skill requirements
2. Senior-level positions requiring 10+ years of experience

I fell somewhere in the middle. I felt I had solid background in data analysis and project management that could be useful in any work environment, for-profit or non. At the same time, I didn't have 10 years of experience. There seemed to be a mismatch between my skills and the opportunities available in the non-profit sector, and I didn't know how to break in.

That's when I came across ProInspire, an organization building the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector. Its flagship program, the Inspire Fellowship, "recruits outstanding business professionals with 2-5 years of business experience that want to use their skills for social impact." The highly-competitive program offered targeted, one-year positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth. I decided to apply.

After a process of essays and interviews, I was accepted as a 2010 Inspire Fellow and matched with the Grassroots Business Fund (GBF), an impact investment firm that provides financing and technical assistance to entrepreneurs in developing countries. As a Strategic Initiatives Manager at GBF, I have the opportunity to work with some of the most passionate social entrepreneurs on the planet. I leverage my business and project management skills on a daily basis: building models in Excel, developing new technical assistance initiatives, or managing our client supervision process. Best of all, I know that my work is contributing to a social mission greater than the bottom line.

Beyond my 9-5 at GBF, ProInspire has lived up to my expectations, providing constant support during my transition from Microsoft to the nonprofit space. Each month, I meet up with the other fellows for an all-day training on topics ranging from goal setting and project management to career development and leading through influence. I also meet monthly with a career coach to help me through the transition process. The support has been invaluable.

Beyond the formal program activities, growing and learning with the other fellows has been the most rewarding aspect of the fellowship. The transition from one sector to another can be challenging; knowing other people who are going through the same process has made it that much easier. In addition, the instant network of other like-minded, talented young professionals will no doubt prove valuable as I continue to develop in my career.

The Inspire Fellowship and my work at GBF has been an overwhelmingly positive experience so far. And while we're only seven months in, ProInspire is now recruiting the next pool of fellows.

If you or someone you know is an exceptional professional with two to five years of business experience, consider applying for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship. The Round 1 application deadline is Friday, Feb. 25. More information is available at here.

Take the plunge - you won't regret it!

Announcing 2011 Inspire Fellowship Partners

2011-03-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

We are are excited to announce the first set of hiring partners for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship! Additional partners will be announced in the coming weeks:
ACCION International
Association for Enterprise Opportunity
Cesar Chavez Charter Schools
CityFirst Enterprises
DC Prep Public Charter School
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Family Health International
GAVI Alliance
Global Giving
Grassroots Business Fund
Latin American Youth Center
National 4-H Council
Year Up National Capital Region

ProInspire February Training Recap

2011-02-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

ProInspire held its monthly workshop on February 10th, 2011, as a part of the fellowship professional development program. Our workshop was held at the GAVI Alliance Secretariat Washington DC location, where fellow Kimberly Halpin works every day. We discussed how to message your non-profit, attended a lunch with Alice Albright (EVP & COO of Export-Import Bank and former GAVI Alliance Chief Financial & Investment Officer) and overall were immersed in the work of the GAVI Alliance. We ended our day with happy hour at Science Club; the same location as the Wednesday, February 16th Recruiting Happy Hour! Here are some of the highlights:

The Power of a Sentence (hosted by Stevan Miller, Strategic Alliances & Global Partnerships, GAVI Alliance); workshop participants had the opportunity to practice the skill of explaining to the group, in one sentence, what work their non-profit hopes to accomplish. This exercise stressed stripping flowery or insider language, to get at the heart of a non-profit's work. Stevan reiterated that a message means nothing if people don't remember it!

The Future of Innovative Finance (hosted by David Ferreira, Managing Director, Innovative Finance & Head of Washington DC Office, GAVI Alliance); workshop participants had the opportunity to ask David Ferreira questions about the work of the Innovative Finance group and the world of vaccines. Kimberly Halpin also chimed in to give the participants a flavor for the types of things her group does every day.

Lunch with GAVI Alliance Staff (hosted by Alice Albright, EVP & COO of Export-Import Bank and former GAVI Alliance Chief Financial & Investment Officer); those at lunch had the opportunity to hear Alice Albright discuss her work at the Export-Import Bank, which was informative to fellows and GAVI Alliance staff alike!

After lunch, the fellows got into the serious work of discussing Career Pathing in the Non-Profit Sector. The session was led by Lucila Crena of the 2009 class, and imparted integral advice as the fellows have now been working in their non-profits for 5-7 months, and need to start thinking about next steps (Scary!). Fellows David DeVaughn and Tiffany Hawkins were given the opportunity to present to the other fellows on the 2011/12 budget implications for USAID/INGOs and assessment tools and methods used in early childhood settings such as Eagle Academy PCS, respectively.

Inspire Fellowship info call tomorrow, R1 deadline Friday!

2011-02-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Are you interested in learning more about the Inspire Fellowship? Our first round deadline is this Friday, February 25th. Apply now at our website.

Join us this Tuesday for an information call with ProInspire leadership and current Fellows:
Inspire Fellowship Information Call
Tuesday, Feb. 22
9pm EST
RSVP at www.proinspire.org/events/

During the information call, you will hear:
- Overview of the Inspire Fellowship
- Background on our nonprofit partners
- Perspectives from current Fellows
- Q&A

Call information will be shared with registered participants. Learn how you can use your skills for social impact and join our community of changemakers!

Inspire Fellowship recruiting happy hour this Wednesday

2011-02-14T07:24:00.001-08:00

Are you interested in learning more about the Inspire Fellowship? Do you want to work in an organization where you can use your skills for social impact? Join us this Wednesday for our DC Recruiting Happy Hour!

Inspire Fellowship Recruiting Happy Hour
Wednesday, February 16th at 6pm EST
Science Club: 1136 19th Street, NW, Washington D.C.
RSVP at http://proinspirehappyhour.eventbrite.com

You will have a chance to mingle with the 2010 Inspire Fellows and ProInspire leadership. You can learn about what Fellows are doing at our current partners:
ACCION International
Association for Enterprise Opportunity
DC Preparatory Academy
DC Public Schools
Eagle Academy Public Charter School
Family Health International
GAVI Alliance
Grassroots Business Fund
Latin American Youth Center
Year Up

Don't forget - our first application deadline is February 25th!

ProInspire January Training Recap

2011-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

ProInspire held its monthly workshop on January 13th, 2011, as apart of the fellowship professional development program. We learned about being present and powerful communicators, and ended the day with happy hour at Bar DuPont! Here are some of the highlights:

Using the Storytelling program from the Ariel Group (hosted by Greta Cowan); workshop participants had the opportunity to practice the skill of storytelling. The day started with the CEO and Founder of ProInspire, Monisha Kapila telling a personal story about a trip to India. Fellows then had the opportunity to practice breathing and vocal exercises that are helpful to prepare for presentations, learn best practices and techniques for properly conveying a story, and complete a personal storytelling exercise.

The day concluded with each fellow sharing a 2-3 minute personal story with the group. Utilizing the Ariel Group Formula for Business Storytelling; we first stated the business context, then segued to the story, told the story, stated what we learned, stated what the group could learn, and then connected the business challenge.

As nonprofit sector leaders, it is critically important to be able to relate the “story” of our organizations and the people we serve to stakeholders. The sharing of your story allows others to connect with you, and often establishes a sense of common ground and/or shared experience that goes way beyond any relationship with you in your “role.” This type of connection helps to build trust, a key component of relationship-building and, therefore, a key element of successful leadership.

At the end of the training, all participants received a copy of Leadership Presence – Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate, and Inspire by Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Luba.

Inspire Fellowship information call this Tuesday!

2011-02-06T08:15:00.002-08:00

Are you interested in learning more about the Inspire Fellowship? Learn how you can use your skills for social impact and join our community of changemakers!

Join us this Tuesday for an information call with ProInspire leadership and current Fellows:
Tuesday, Feb. 8
6pm EST
RSVP at www.proinspire.org/events/

During the information call, you will hear:
- Overview of the Inspire Fellowship
- Background on our nonprofit partners
- Perspectives from current Fellows
- Q&A

Call information will be shared with registered participants.

Apply for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship!

2011-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

We are now accepting applications for the 2011 Inspire Fellowship. The first application deadline is February 25th.

ProInspire is building the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector. Our flagship program, the Inspire Fellowship, recruits outstanding business professionals with 2+ years business experience that want to use their skills for social impact. The highly competitive one-year program offers targeted positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth.

Previous Inspire Fellows come from Bain, Credit Suisse, General Mills, Microsoft, Parthenon Capital, and other leading companies. Fellows work with top nonprofits based in the Washington D.C. area.

Learn More
• Check out our video: http://www.proinspire.org/#video
• Meet current Fellows and ProInspire leadership at our Washington D.C. Happy Hour on Wednesday, February 16th from 6-8pm at Science Club (1136 19th Street NW)
• Hear from current Fellows during Information Calls:
Tuesday, February 8th at 6pm EST
Tuesday, February 22ndat 9pm EST
RSVP for these events at www.proinspire.org/events/

Program Overview
The Fellowship program runs for 12 months starting in August 2011. Hiring partners include organizations focused on education, health, international development, microfinance, social investing, and youth development. Roles for 2010 Inspire Fellows included:
• ACCION International: Impact Investing Analyst
• Association for Enterprise Opportunity: Project Manager
• DC Prep Public Charter School: Operations Manager
• Family Health International: Business Planning & Strategy Analyst
• Grassroots Business Fund: Strategic Initiatives Manager
• Year Up: Special Projects Manager

Fellows participate in a 3-day foundational training, monthly training workshops, coaching, and networking events to support their transition and leadership development. In addition, each Fellow receives support to help them decide future career plans. After the program ends, Fellows typically stay at the hiring organization if a permanent position is offered, find other job opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $42,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.

Selection Criteria
ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on our selection criteria and needs of hiring partners. Each year only 3-5% of candidates are selected as Inspire Fellows. Successful candidates will have:
• 2-5 years experience as a top performer at a top-tier consulting firm, investment bank, private equity firm, or corporation
• Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
• Demonstrated leadership and initiative in personal and professional settings
• Humility and desire to learn
• Experience successfully managing ambiguous situations
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the program

To Apply
Submit your application, cover letter, and resume through our website: http://www.proinspire.org/fellows/apply/. Cover letter and resume should be in pdf format, with the following labels “FirstName_LastName_Cover” and “FirstName_LastName_Resume.” Round 1 deadline is Friday, February 25th. We recommend you apply during the earliest round possible as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Reena Sikdar

2011-01-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

Name: Reena Sikdar

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

Organization: Eagle Academy PCS

Former Employer: General Mills

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

I wanted to work for a cause I felt connected to, surrounded by equally passionate people.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?

I work at Eagle Academy Public Charter School as the Project Manager for Organizational Improvement. My boss likes to tell me I'm the "firewoman" in the office - spending all day putting out fires that inevitably come up. In addition to those fires, I do have a variety of projects that changes weekly. Some of these include applying to grants, attending meetings with DC political figures, meeting with parents of our students to understand their needs as our school transitions into a new facility, and keeping track of the school's strategic goals and our progress. But, ask me tomorrow, and that might all have changed!

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?

I come from a sales/analysis background, customer focus and CPG experience. I worked heavily with data and presentation, as well as strategic growth & large customer relations.

What are you involved in outside of work?

I'm new to the DC area and am still trying to wrap my head around all of the opportunities this city has to offer. In the past I have been able to work as a mentor, something I hope to continue here. I have definitely made it a point to be involved with music, my passion outside of the field of education. While not a performer, I love to sing, and DC has already proven to be a great place to find others with the same interest!

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.

From my past experiences, my favorite leadership quality I was able to garner is how to read people in a business setting and achieve what they want while doing it in a way that works best for me. This is what you do in sales day in and day out, work to create a win-win situation, and I have found that this skill and acknowledgement helps in managing my own projects from start to finish.

What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?

I'm absolutely addicted to my Huffpost iPhone app…when I'm bored on the bus or metro, you can bet that's what I'm reading. I also read the Atlantic, Eduwonk, CNN, and of course, E! Online.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?

My favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird – that book stuck with me when I read it in grade school, and I’ve never been able to let go of the lessons it taught me. It has really transcended time and space, it applies so much to our world today.

Where else have you lived?

I hail from the Midwest – grew up in Cincinnati, went to college in Columbus, worked one year in Minneapolis…probably the most boring list of places to live. Embarrassing. But I've finally made it to the East and I'm not going back!

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Crystal Moore

2011-01-21T05:51:00.000-08:00

Name: Crystal Moore
Hometown: Collinsville, MS
Organization: DC Public Schools
Former Employer: Accenture

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

I've always had the desire to transform low-income communities. I majored in business administration and finance during college, thinking that the necessary changes would come from economic efforts alone. However, through my involvement with College Summit as a College Counselor, and Accenture’s skills-based volunteering initiative with KIPP Charter School in DC; I became acutely aware of the dire need for leadership that brings the real-world insights of management and entrepreneurship to bear on social problems in the education sector. I saw how the academic achievement gap manifested itself in the lives of so many of our country’s minority students living in low income areas: kids entering the 5th grade at a 2nd grade reading level, or matriculating to the 8th grade without a solid grasp of multiplication tables.

These experiences made me acutely aware that not every student is presented with the same level of opportunity, and that the achievement gap is not a reflection of student capabilities, but of an education system that’s failing them. Marrying a passion for urban education reform with analytical and problem-solving skills honed in the private sector, my goal is to remove some of the operational barriers that create these circumstances.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?

As a Business Analyst for the Office of Secondary Schools Transformation at DC Public Schools, I am charged with implementing a performance management system to improve the districts effectiveness through a rigorous use of data to regularly assess district and school performance. Currently, I am creating a performance management dashboard that will ensure that all our work is aligned with the district’s goals for central office and school performance.

A typical day generally consists of meetings with team members to gather and analyze data to establish metrics that guide our operations, collaborating with departmental leaders to select critical metrics, implementing professional development for staff for the transition to the performance management environment, and determining how to scale-up the performance management work in a way that will be sustainable for the organization.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?

Prior to my fellowship at DCPS, I spent three years in corporate finance at Accenture. There, I provided financial oversight, value-added analysis and advice to client teams to maximize the profitability of consulting contracts for federal clients. My experiences there were invaluable; I developed sound financial management practices by managing the financials for multiple consulting and outsourcing engagements. After three years with the company; I felt I had developed my skills in a way that would allow me to effectively contribute to the education sector, and I wanted to align these skills with my passion for social responsibility.

What are you involved in outside of work?

Over the past three years, I have been an active volunteer with several organizations in the D.C. and Northern Virginia area including; the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Junior League, and College Summit. In addition, I currently sit on the Board of Directors for Reach Incorporated, an education nonprofit in D.C., and Chair the Young Alumni Board for Xavier University of Louisiana. When I have a few minutes to spare; I take cooking classes at Sur La Table in Arlington, and attend outdoor concerts.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.

Over the course of my career, my leadership experiences have been varied and rich. I have had the opportunity to lead teams in both informal and formal settings. During college, I was elected Student Government Association President. The experience of leading four thousand students through the city’s recovery following Hurricane Katrina, and addressing their problems by collaborating with the school’s administration shaped me into a more optimistic, more mature individual with the confidence to lead in times of crisis with clarity and rationale.

Both at DCPS and at Accenture, I’ve had the opportunity to lead teams without having reporting-line authority over them. These experiences have left me with the understanding that effective leaders share three key components: (1) they know how to provide direction by defining feasible strategies and vision; (2) they have the ability to motivate by affirming their people’s responsibilities and accomplishments and by applying incentives; and (3) they are able to organize and support their teams through efficient work processes and appropriate training.

What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?
I FAITHFULLY read the Huffington Post every morning. Other daily reads include: the White House Blog, Essence, and Things 90s Kids Realize.

Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years?
In the short-term, I want to leverage my corporate finance background and skills honed in graduate school to pursue a management position in a results-oriented urban school district. Within 10 years, I want to start a charter management organization that will establish and manage the first high-performing charter schools in my home state of Mississippi.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Entrepreneurial, Passionate and Charismatic

December 2010 Inspire Fellows Training Recap

2011-01-14T07:32:00.000-08:00

On December 1, 2010, the Fellows had a terrific day of training at Year Up's Washington, DC office. In previous trainings, we reviewed and discussed different themes and concepts found in the overall social sector and applied them to our own current experiences and organizations. During this training session, however, Year Up was the primary focus and we had the opportunity to learn all about the organization, analyze the business model, interview Year Up students and learn about the individual roles, responsibilities and thoughts of Year Up’s leadership and staff.

To learn more about Year Up's business model and approach, Fellows participated in a case study exercise (Harvard Business School style) facilitated by Harvard MBA and Year Up National Capital Region (NCR) Director of Planning and Special Projects, Justin Steele. The Executive Director of Year Up NCR and another HBS alumni, Tynesia Boyea Robinson, was there with us to give us the perspective of one of the protagonists. Since many Fellows are considering a MBA program as a post-fellowship plan, we were excited to delve into the case study approach which so many business schools take advantage of. It proved to be an effective approach to stimulating dialogue around significant elements of the Year Up model, such as: 1) The founder's approach and personal aspirations for the organization; 2) Assets and opportunities for growth of the existing plan; and 3) Potential for effective scaling of program, and 4) Requirements for effective leadership within Year Up's current program model. In addition, participating in this exercise gave Fellows the opportunity to reflect on the differences between a business model for a non-profit organization and a for-profit organization. It was certainly evident that even after only a few months within the non-profit sector, we had already started to shift our thinking to reflect the sector's mission.

December training closed with the first Fellow presentations! As a part of our Fellowship, each Fellow presents an overview of their partner organization, or an overview of an important topic within the social sector and how their organization's program addresses it. Kimberly provided an overview of her organization, Gavi Alliance, while Maurice focused on YearUp's approach to giving constructive feedback. Maurice's presentation addressed many questions and thoughts about manager feedback that came up during our reflection time. During a month that naturally invites reflection and questions regarding expectations, performance and evaluation, "feedback" was the perfect topic for December training.

Achievement First is hiring for Team Data

2011-01-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

Our friends at Achievement First are hiring for a new team focused on data analysis to support strategic decision making. This is a great opportunity for sector switchers with analytical skills and a passion for education! See links to the position descriptions below.

Achievement First is a charter school management organization started in July 2003 by the leaders of Amistad Academy, a high performing charter school in New Haven, CT. A non-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization, Achievement First is creating a network of achievement-gap closing charter schools in Connecticut and New York to bring to scale the dramatic, life changing student achievement results produced at Amistad Academy. Achievement First currently operates 17 schools in both NY and CT. Over the next decade, Achievement First will grow to support 30 schools serving over 11,500 students.

In order to achieve its goals, Achievement First has developed a new team, Team Data, whose objectives are to ensure that both the leadership and teachers at Achievement First and its network of schools have the data, analysis, reports, and skill sets needed to support strategic decision-making and to inform instructional planning. Team Data accomplishes these objectives by supporting and coordinating high-quality data practices in schools, by creating systems to support data collection and data access, by conducting a rigorous analysis of the data to identify
patterns and insights, and by reporting these findings to key constituencies both inside and outside of the organization. For more information about the Achievement First mission, model, our schools and team, please visit our website at www.achievementfirst.org.

Manager of Analysis and Reporting:
http://www.achievementfirst.org/fileadmin/af/home/Get_Involved/Work_at_Achievement_First/Manager_of_Analysis_and_Reporting.pdf

Director of Impact Strategy:
http://www.achievementfirst.org/fileadmin/af/home/Get_Involved/Work_at_Achievement_First/Director_of_Impact_Strategy.pdf

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Teja Padma

2010-12-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

Name: Teja Padma
Hometown: Chino Hills, California
Organization: FHI (formerly known as Family Health International)
Former Employer: Mercer

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

Working in the nonprofit sector has been my lifelong passion and I've always expected that it would be a matter of when, not if, I transition to the sector. I was inspired to make the switch because I value making a positive social impact on society. My personal mission is to promote self-sufficiency among the extreme poor by empowering them through education, health promotion and social entrepreneurship. I'm still trying to figure out which particular path to take, but that's all part of the ProInspire/FHI journey :)

What is your current position, and a typical day like?

My current title at FHI is “Business Planning & Strategy Analyst”. I support the BPS team by helping to carry out a number of strategic initiatives, in particular identifying business opportunities in the global health and development field. A typical day in the office may start off with an 8 am conference call with one of our country offices in Africa to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding with a potential partner. After the call, I may work on managing a landscape analysis project that entails identifying trends, patterns and new areas of health and development for FHI to consider exploring. I may then wrap up the day by identifying and arranging meetings with funders and partners for our senior leadership team in Business Development to attend.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?

I come from a consulting background, as I began my career at Mercer where I was involved in healthcare consulting, managed 8-10 client accounts, and conducted market research and financial analysis for employers in the retail, technology, and public sectors. I have learned to be a quick learner, interact with senior leadership, and adapt to an ever-changing and ambiguous environment as a result of my past experience in healthcare and handling multiple clients.

What are you involved in outside of work?

I recently moved to DC from Los Angeles, and I’m still exploring all that this city has to offer. In the past, I have been involved with mentoring kids, attending community service days, and volunteering my time with a startup international development NGO alongside my regular job. I am looking forward to networking in DC and learning more about development/volunteer work so any tips/advice are appreciated!

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.

In my current role, I am tasked with multiple projects that require very different skill sets—from creating pitch presentations for senior leadership to conducting a research landscape analysis to creating a data collection system. Due to my varied past leadership experiences, I feel confident tackling these projects. As Director of Recruitment for a childhood obesity study in college, I had to create pitches to attract schools, associations, and parents to buy into our study. When I volunteered my time at a startup international development NGO while working at Mercer, I conducted a research analysis on the trends in microfinance. At my previous job, I regularly collected survey data to help clients make decisions that would lead to cost savings for their companies. All of these past experiences required a variety of skills and will help me in my current role at FHI.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?

Friends would describe me as trustworthy, driven, and passionate. I try not to make enemies so I wouldn't know and don't want to find out :)

What is your dream career if money was not an option?

I would be a Chocolate Tester. Just kidding. My dream career would involve working in a developing country with the extreme poor, where I would be able to see the direct impact of my work on a daily basis.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?

I am currently reading “The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time” by Jeffrey Sachs.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Maurice Matthews

2010-12-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

Name: Maurice Matthews
Hometown: Harlem, New York
Organization: Year Up
Former Employer: JP Morgan Chase

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

I was looking for a change of environment. I’ve always had a passion for working with students in the social sector. Coming from an urban environment and working for Harlem Children’s Zone lit a fire underneath me to devote more time and energy into delving into the issues plaguing the urban communities.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?

Every day is so vastly different. But if I had to describe it, it would involve me checking emails from the previous day. I check my calendar to get a sense of how my day will be shaped. In the morning, I will have one or two meetings with various department heads to discuss finance needs for their respective areas. Around lunch time we have a staff meeting that’s centered on issues dealing with our learning communities. After the meeting, I’ll sit with my advisees for about 30-45 minutes to discuss their week and any issues that may have arisen. Around two I’ll probably do work associated with my functional capacity. Whether that’s working on my sites budget, meeting with an architect to work on building out our current office or hosting a conference call with senior leadership to discuss programs that are funded by social investment organizations. I’ll end my day between 6 and 7pm take my laptop home and continue to wrap up small odds and ends in preparation for the next day.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
My background is within Investment Management on both the institutional and private wealth side. My areas of expertise are managing client relationships and investing client assets.

What are you involved in outside of work?
I am involved in Omega Psi Phi fraternity and the North Arlington Mixed Martial Arts Center.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role?
Serving within the Army I served in various capacities leading troops. That experience has prepared in the sense that I have learned how to mobilize and lead through my actions.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does this mean to you and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?
I don’t see this as an issue. There is a quote where I’m from that states,” real recognizes real”. So if the communities you are serving believe that you are not genuine, it will come out in some shape, manner or form. A more pressing factor is whether you can establish that connection to those you chose to serve. That goes across race and gender.

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role?
I would want Denzel Washington to play my lead. The ladies love him and he is a great actor.

Where else have you lived?
I have lived in New York City, Savannah, Ga, Tallahassee, Fl, Columbus, Ga and Baghdad, Iraq.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Tiffany Hawkins

2010-12-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Tiffany Hawkins

Hometown: Fort Washington, MD
Organization: Eagle Academy Public Charter School (EAPCS)
Previous Employer: Accenture

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

All of my past job experiences have been either working directly in the public sector or with public sector clients and I always felt good about the work that I was doing. But even then I still felt as though my direct connection to the overall organization, the mission and the outcomes themselves was not there. Thinking about specific issues that I was passionate about and could talk about for hours I was left with urban education. This has brought me to where I am now, knowing that I want the work that I do to make a lasting impact, even if it’s in just one community to improve the chances that children in urban environments have at receiving a quality education.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am currently working with Eagle Academy Public Charter School (EAPCS) as Project Manager for Growth. My position is primarily focused on improving the use of technology within the organization. My primary project is working with a software application, Powerschool, which is a student information system that allows the school to manage student information in different ways. My current focus with this project is very change management oriented whereby I am training the teaching staff as well as others on the key functions of the software. Another upcoming task will be to analyze the software to fully understand how we are going to utilize its many functions moving forward.

A typical day generally consists of many discussions with our IT Team to ensure that student information is being updated appropriately, researching the different ways in which other school districts and charter schools are using Powerschool and helping staff retrieve the information they need from the system in a timely manner.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
Prior to switching to the nonprofit sector I was a Management Consultant working with government clients on ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations within the Supply Chain Management space (i.e. Materials Management). In this role, I was primarily responsible for understanding the current business processes and working with a team to design the future business processes within the context of the new software application.

What are you involved in outside of work?
Prior to moving back to DC I was involved in different school related volunteer programs in the Philadelphia area which ranged from organizing back-to-school supply drives and participating in day long school beautification projects, one of which resulted in a beautiful Harlem Renaissance inspired mural which was created with the help of 2nd and 3rd graders. I look forward to getting involved in similar activities in and around DC.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
In my past role I was responsible for specific team deliverables from start to finish and thus had to manage my portion of the work effectively while ensuring that it fit in with the other work being completed by other team members. The responsibility for managing something from beginning to end will be one of the most helpful past experiences that I will use going forward in my current role.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?

I think that either group would probably say – competitive, practical, and caring.

What are you some of the myths surrounding working in the nonprofit sector that have been

debunked by your experience?
My experience thus far has shown me that not all organizations operate with the just the bare essentials. There are nonprofits that continuously invest in their organization on many levels, whether it’s through professional development opportunities, expanding technology infrastructure, general business operations as well as many other areas.

Where else have you lived?
Shortly after graduating college I moved to Philadelphia for a change of pace. Going to school locally at the University of Maryland really increased my desire to experience another city. Philadelphia is a great city, but for me nothing comes close to everything that the DC area has to offer.

Fellowship with Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO)

2010-11-30T17:52:00.000-08:00

We are recruiting for a 6 month Fellowship with the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) in Washington D.C. Please share this posting with your networks.

About ProInspire
ProInspire is a 501(c)3 building the next generation of leaders for the nonprofit sector. Our flagship program, the Inspire Fellowship, recruits outstanding business professionals with 2+ years business experience that want to use their skills for social impact. The Fellowship offers targeted positions with leading nonprofits, monthly trainings with a cohort of peers, a coach, and a network to support career growth. The AEO Fellow would train alongside current Fellows and receive similar benefits.

About AEO
The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO) is a national membership organization and the voice of microenterprise development in the United States. For nearly two decades, AEO and its hundreds of member organizations have helped more than two million entrepreneurs support themselves and their families and contribute to their communities through business ownership. AEO strives to foster greater understanding of the importance of strong and effective microenterprise initiatives to the U.S. economy, and to increase capacity of the field to support underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing and establishing businesses. AEO represents the public policy interests of its members and, through its growing network of partners, facilitates interactions among small entrepreneurs and the organizations that seek to help them succeed.

Fellow’s Responsibilities
AEO is in late stage discussions with the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) to develop a capital fund to support collaboration in the US microenterprise industry.

The Fellow will be responsible for completing Phase 1 of the capital fund project:
• Gathering research on state of the US microenterprise industry
• Conducting interviews
• Analyzing financial health and other metrics with NFF counterparts
• Supporting leadership in fundraising for the fund
• Assessing alternative business models for the fund and related service offerings
• Writing a report to be completed for the AEO annual conference in May

Fellow should be comfortable with:
Analysis and research
Project management
Creative thinking
Working in a small, entrepreneurial organization

Fellow will join the 2010 Inspire Fellows class which started in Fall 2010. Fellows participate in monthly workshops, coaching, and networking events to support their transition and leadership development.

Time Commitment
Ideally the Fellow will start in January or February and work for 6-9 months. Longer assignments are available based on the Fellow’s availability.

Compensation
Fellows will receive $40,000 annual salary, pro-rated for the period of the Fellowship. Health benefits will also be provided.

Selection Criteria:
Successful candidates will have
• A minimum of two years of business experience (consulting experience preferred)
• Passion for using business skills to have a positive impact on society
• Strong analytical, problem solving and project management skills
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Humility and desire to learn about the nonprofit sector
• Adaptability in ambiguous situations
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly
• Leadership potential
• Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the Fellowship
Note: Hiring partners do not sponsor work visas.

To Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter in Word format to apply@proinspire.org by Friday, December 17th. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and candidates are advised to apply early.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: David DeVaughn

2010-11-19T06:26:00.000-08:00

David DeVaughn

Hometown: Newton, MA

Organization: Family Health International

Previous Employer: Cambridge Associates

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?

I had reached the point in my career where I knew I could add value to non-profits, and wanted to transfer my passion into action, joining those I admire. While I continued to value working toward preserving and growing endowment values as a Consulting Associate at Cambridge Associates, I wanted to get closer to my enthusiasm for non-profit work. Nick Takamine’s comment in the online Inspire Fellow video that he was “pushed to take ownership of [his] work and of [his] projects in a way that [he] wasn’t used to as a young professional in financial services” is exactly the type of transformation I wanted to experience.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?

I am currently a Business Planning & Strategy Analyst with Family Health International (FHI). A typical day involves working on specific aspects of the strategic initiative I have been assigned to for the fiscal year, including partnering with staff throughout FHI. The initiative I’m assigned to has many players, so I’m able to get great cross-functional exposure to FHI.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?

Before working for FHI, I worked at Cambridge Associates, a consulting firm to non-profits and foundations, where I advised various arts, educational, and other non-profit institutions on their endowments. Through this work, I’m experienced in comparative analysis and have in-depth knowledge of institutional investment funds.

What are you involved in outside of work?

I am not yet involved with any organizations in DC, but have volunteered at a number of public health non-profit organizations and initiatives, including a summer fellowship with the Fitness Forward Foundation in Boston, so I do have some previous non-profit sector exposure.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.

While at Cambridge Associates I was able to work at the same level with many of the consultants I reported to, allowing me to take on an informal leadership role with the client team and in many cases, become the clients’ first point of contact with my firm. This has aided my understanding of the dynamics of projects with multiple players and will hopefully help me with my work at FHI.

What blogs or websites do you read on a daily basis?

I check out CNN, NYTimes, and The Guardian daily.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has reported that 82% of nonprofit CEOs are white. What does this mean to you and other people of color who aspire to leadership roles in the future?

Statistics like this cause me to pause. One would assume that the demographics of those being served by the non-profit sector are not 82% white, so there needs to be a concerted effort to support young professionals of color in the sector striving for leadership roles.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?

Friends: Goofy, Genial, Giver; Enemies: No Comment

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?

Right now: The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier

November Workshop: Project Management

2010-11-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

Since we last came together in October, each fellow has had the opportunity to get better acquainted with their organization and their new roles. We took some time to reflect on the missions of our respective organizations and a clear commonality emerged. Each person felt a strong connection to the mission that his or her respective organizations were working towards and felt like they were definitely in the right place.

The focus of the November workshop was project management and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. For many of the fellows, the process of managing complex projects can feel very overwhelming but being equipped with the knowledge and tools to tackle such projects was very helpful.

As lunch rolled around, we quickly became engaged in a conversation with Tammy Halevy, Senior Vice President, Membership and New Initiatives from Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO). “AEO supports the development of strong and effective U.S. microenterprise initiatives to assist underserved entrepreneurs in starting, stabilizing, and expanding businesses.”

As Tammy Halevy is a fellow sector switcher, she provided some sound advice that can help anyone thinking about making the switch or just contemplating a career shift in general.

Make sure you understand what you DON’T want in your new experience and focus on finding what you DO want (i.e. specific location, certain industry, etc)
Network, Network, Network – it can’t be overstated enough but this provides the opportunity to talk with different people and get various perspectives which can help you better understand your priorities and what you’re looking for

Later in the day, each fellow was able to apply the new project management skills that we learned earlier in the day to plan out one of our current projects. We each developed a preliminary project work plan, defined key tasks, and identified next steps. This will definitely be a great launching point for making progress in our respective projects.

After the workshop, many of the fellows headed over to the “Good to Great in the Social Sector” seminar at the CityBridge Foundation offices in Northwest DC. Check out our event recap here!

Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Seminar Review

2010-11-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday following the Proinspire workshop for this month, many Fellows and alumni attended Good to Great and the Social Sectors: a discussion of what makes an organization Great. This seminar was led by a panel consisting of Schroeder Stribling, Executive Director of N Street Village, and James Mathews, President of Healthy Companies International, and focused on many concepts raised by Jim Collins in his monogram by the same name. The room was full of young and vibrant fellows and leaders from many different organizations, looking to soak up veteran knowledge and gain insight into the nonprofit world.

Stribling spoke first of her experience at N St, tasked with measuring success – a feat much more difficult and open-ended at many nonprofits vs. the private sector. Without a bottom line to quantify, her steps to measure success were as follows:
1. Figure out the problem statement – what is the key issue the organization is working towards?
2. Define the information you need to answer the question & understand the organization’s impact.
3. The data management & mechanics in place need to match the informational inputs you have access to.

Her key challenge, after following these steps, was the lack of benchmark for her particular organizational goal – something that most nonprofits can relate to. In the end, it’s a continued work in progress. Success at a nonprofit cannot be measured by simple metrics alone.

Stribling then spoke of her views on nonprofit leadership, stating that a key difference between the leadership needs at a nonprofit vs. the private sector is the need to make the organization “attractive” – without the allure of a meaty salary, nonprofit leaders are even more accountable for keeping the spirit of the mission alive in the everyday working environment. “Love” for the organization and its people is the key ingredient to getting things done, she says, and has focused her energy in her own work in this way.

Mathews took over and spoke about his work at Healthy Companies Int’l, admitting to us immediately that an organization is never “great” – it is always a journey, a dynamic process (think Circuit City, for example), and that the best way to fuel the ups is to get the right people on the bus. In the book by Jim Collins, he describes the sweet spot when you are able to get passion and skills to mesh into the perfect position, and this is especially important to nonprofits, where firing and turnover can be more costly than keeping on a mediocre performer. All fellows in the room were a part of this process, and undoubtedly felt a bit of accountability for their work at this point!

At the end after a bit of discussion and Q&A, both speakers gave all of us entering the non-profit sector a few tidbits of advice:
• Have your boss ask you one thing that the organization did right and one thing it didn’t do well – everyday. This will hold your boss, yourself, and the entire team accountable for the work you put out daily.
• Connect with the passion at your organization – get attached to something.
• Bring your own ideas to the plate every time – understand your opportunities and the impact you can have.
• When you bring up an opportunity/growth goal for the organization, always bring your own willingness to help address it.
• Ask your manager to define success for you on every project and your entire role.
• Take the job no one wants to do and do it better than anyone else.
• Listen deeply – all great leaders do so.
• Be as adaptable as possible (think about the quick changes the Tiger Woods Foundation had to make!)
• Wonder: What can I do to make my organization great?
• Stay attentive to the distinction between social & private sectors – the differentiation gap will be diminishing in the upcoming years

Thinking about these final pieces of advice and thought starters is a great way for us to stay connected to our missions, power through during the tough times, and succeed in every task we undertake during our fellowship with Proinspire and beyond.

Today is World Pneumonia Day

2010-11-12T07:20:00.000-08:00

Watch this short video about World Pneumonia Day brought to you by GAVI Alliance.

Source

Learn more by visiting the following sites:

Day in the Life of an Inspire Fellows Alum: Nick Takamine

2010-11-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

After a year as an Inspire Fellow with FHI, an international development NGO working in global health and related areas, Nick joined FHI as a Strategy & Analysis Officer. In this role, he is leading the development of a performance metrics framework for the Business Planning & Strategy Group, building business planning capacity in FHI's Rwanda and Zambia offices, and supporting FHI's strategic planning process. Nick also publishes Think: Social Innovation, a blog on social innovation and nonprofit organization design and management.

I recently joined FHI as a Strategy & Analysis Officer and I’m still trying to figure out what my job is. Ok, that’s not quite true; I’m still trying to figure out what it means to be an “officer”. I don’t wear a uniform and I don’t get to carry a firearm…

But title aside (and firearm or not), I am enjoying myself. Here’s what a typical day might look like for me:

7:45 AM – 8:20 AM I commute from DC to Ballston via foot and the Orange Line metro. On the way I tend to review collected content like Twitter feeds and respond to emails on the trusty iPhone. Depending on how I feel, I’ll listen to Social Innovation Conversations, HBR or TED podcasts, or zone out to music.

8:20 AM – 9:00 AM When I get in, I take a bit of time to get organized for the day. I get coffee, respond to emails, review to-dos and plan my work. I’ll dig a little deeper on anything interesting from Twitter and RSS feeds that is related to work, particularly with respect to Rwanda, Zambia or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). My group, Business Planning and Strategy (BPS), builds the capacity of FHI’s country offices to think strategically about the development and sustainability of their portfolios. I will be supporting our Rwanda and Zambia offices in this effort (and will be traveling to Rwanda in January to facilitate a business plan workshop!). BPS also leads the organization’s relationship management system and I will be on the CDC relationship team, helping FHI to be more effective partners with CDC and developing nation governments for work in global health.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Meeting number one. This might be a call with a country office to discuss a draft business plan they have developed with support from BPS. The business plan describes the country office’s vision for their role in support of that country’s public health and development strategy and describes a plan for fulfilling that role. We do calls with the field in the morning so they are not too late in the day for country staff in Africa and Asia.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Unless the day is particularly heavy on meetings, I have a decent amount of time to work on one or another of my projects. In a good two-hour chunk like this I might do some work related to my support of FHI’s strategic planning process. This might include planning for how to facilitate the discussions, synthesizing input, and helping to draft the Strategic Plan. We’ll soon be rolling the Plan out, and I have been developing the related presentations and key messaging, as well as tools to help managers work with their staff to connect their work to the new strategic directions.

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM I try to bring my lunch, but about half of the time—ok, most of the time—I end up picking something up from near the office, especially when there’s a lot going on and grocery shopping and cooking get bumped from my priority list. This is dangerous because I am a sucker for a Chipotle burrito or a Potbelly sandwich—not the healthiest of meals. I eat at my desk and do some work or respond to personal emails and take care of miscellaneous to-dos. Occasionally, I’ll attend a brown bag presentation by FHI staff to better understand the programmatic work we do.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM I try to get some solid work in before having to go to war against the food coma. Another project I might put some time into is the design of work processes for the use of a client relationship management software system. The system has the potential to help FHI capture, store, organize, and ultimately make better decisions with relationship information; but in the end, information management is about people, not technology. I’ll have to help us determine what information we need, which people need to be involved and how, and how information becomes knowledge used to make decisions—and then, secondarily, how the IT system can help.

2:00 PM – 2:15 PM All-out war: coffee run for caffeine infusion and some fresh air.

2:15 PM – 4:00 PM This slot might hold some last minute preparations and an afternoon meeting. I am a member of a working group charged with developing, implementing, and managing a system for measuring and monitoring FHI’s strategic performance. Last year, I helped to define a set of indicators for executive management to review in order to inform strategic decisions, and I led the development and implementation of a dashboard tool and supporting processes. This meeting might be a videoconference with a few working group members from my office in Arlington and executives at headquarters in North Carolina. We are currently revising our Strategic Dashboard based on the recent refresh of strategic priorities.

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM With another block of time free of meetings, I might work on one of my other projects, like the development of an internal white paper that provides guidance for how FHI can engage in public-private partnerships, particularly in-country. This involves research, brainstorming, interviews, deep thinking, and, of course, writing.

5:00 PM My evenings see a mix of activities. I actually find that I work most productively between 6ish and 8ish, so when it’s busy, I can be found in the office. On those days, after a chat in Spanish with the woman who keeps our floor tidy (me falta practica), I might even swim some laps on the way home if I’m feeling ambitious. If it’s not so busy, I’ll try to catch friends at a happy hour or make it home to cook.

My activities vary widely depending on the day, but I’m fortunate that they align so well with what I was looking for in my career transition. In fact, I just pulled out the Inspire Fellows application essay I submitted 18 months ago (!) and I’m astonished by how well my experience has aligned with my goals. The essay began like this:

Although many would not have seen it coming, my recent decision to pursue a career in the non-profit field was deliberate and wholehearted. Indeed, my career track to that point appeared to be heading toward a world of buyouts and bonuses. Those who are close to me, however, knew that I was energized more by the vision of leading a company—of working to build an effective, successful organization—rather than one of orchestrating financial deals…

As it turns out, the two worlds are not, in my eyes, that different after all—at least in the context of my career. When I explain my decision to others, I like to borrow the term “social profit” (as opposed to “non-profit” and in contrast with “for profit”) to describe the sector into which I am transitioning. All along, the basic principle that attracted me to the business world was the challenge of building an organization to achieve a goal. At the bottom line, this goal, for a business, is private wealth. The simple difference for an organization in the third sector is that, instead, the bottom-line goal is social value.

I’m happy to say that I have found what I was looking for in my sector switch: I’m applying my passion to strengthen an organization working for social value, rather than private wealth.

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Laura Stephenson

2010-11-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Laura Stephenson

Hometown: Hillsborough, California
Organization: Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)
Previous Employer: Booz Allen Hamilton

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
I am very passionate about education, and always imagined myself working at a nonprofit focused on youth and education after college. However, during the summer before my senior year, I took business courses at UCBerkeley and saw the value of developing strong business skills. I decided to pursue a job in consulting, and worked as a public sector consultant on Booz Allen’s Strategy and Organization team. During my three years at Booz Allen, I supported projects with five large federal clients, developed valuable analytical and strategic skills, and worked with great people. However, at the end of the day, I still felt a strong desire to work at a nonprofit supporting youth and education. The Inspire Fellows Program has allowed me to make this career transition.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I currently work at the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) as a Special Projects Manager and Board Liaison. Since I work on a diverse array of LAYC initiatives, each day at the youth center is different (which I love)!

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
As I mentioned, my professional background is in public sector consulting. My areas of expertise include strategic planning, communications, and project management.

What are you involved in outside of work?
Outside of work, I serve on the Board of Directors of Young Consultants of DC, and recently wrapped up a pro bono consulting project with Compass DC.

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
My experience serving on the Young Consultants of DC Board, and supporting a Board Development project through Compass have helped me learn how effective nonprofit boards function. These experiences have helped me in my role as the LAYC Board Liaison. Also, my volunteer experiences working with youth have helped me tremendously as well.

Who do you look to as a leader in your respective field, and why?

I recently watched the documentary Waiting for Superman, which sheds light on the challenges facing the education system in the United States. I was really impressed with Geoffrey Canada, a social activist and educator, who founded the Harlem Children’s Zone. Since watching the film, I have spent time reading more about Mr. Canada and consider him a leader in the field of education.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?

Right now I am reading My Life in France, which is all about Julia Child and how she got into cooking while living in France.

Where else have you lived?

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and briefly lived with my family in the suburbs of Chicago. I also lived in Santiago, Chile, and Madrid, Spain while studying abroad in college!

Alum Book Review: How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate your Career

2010-11-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

When I was in 6^th grade, my biggest fear was of wasting my life. I was a strange kid.

I even wrote a long, sappy poem about it.

Re-reading that poem in the midst of a recent closet-cleaning exercise brought a bit of chagrin, but also a realization: living intentionally has been the hound at my heels for most of my life. And, in learning to fill the “unforgiving minute,” I’ve learned lots of great tools and some lessons on how to apply them well.

So I admit that I looked at Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris’ new book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career, with cautious curiosity. There are many great books on professional development, and most are helpful as guides to begin thinking about a topic you have never seriously considered. Would it be helpful for someone who has already been proactively crafting their own career? Even more, for someone who has received ProInspire’s monthly trainings and who now delivers some of them in the role of Program Manager?

In a predictable turn for a blog entry, but also with complete sincerity, I have to say that I did find it to be very helpful. How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is neither too basic, nor too lofty – it meets the reader where she or he is. This is because it does two things very well: 1) introducing the reader to a number of helpful tools concisely and 2) explaining how those tools work in the nonprofit sector. That helps at any stage of a nonprofit professional’s career, especially when most available resources were developed within the context of the business world.

So, for example, if you have just begun to explore the world of nonprofits and the fact that you can take charge of your career, this book can help you:

Shape a vision of your own career path through real-life stories of successful professionals
Get acquainted with powerful tools and organizations you should know about
Understand how an organization’s size will affect your work experience
Learn how to volunteer thoughtfully

But, if you are already working in the sector, the book can help you:

Seriously consider new, helpful tips (the book is structured around 50 tips for accelerating your career; despite all the great trainings I’ve received, I had never considered at least 18 of them)
Better understand the nonprofit life and world (Why are conferences so important? How or why should I lead a committee? Why should I join a professional association?)
Think again about those challenging, “common sense” things you should already do...but don’t (like ditching the martyr lifestyle, minding your money, and clearing off your plate)
Remind yourself of why you strive to keep certain things sacred (for me, that included scheduling time to reflect)

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is helpful to such a wide audience, however, because it is not an instruction manual. This book is a pile of precise, valuable tools that the authors put in your hands. You are in charge of your own project and you have to come up with your own plan.

What does that mean?

Here are a few of my thoughts on maximizing the value of reading this book:

Figure out what you are passionate about, and apply the tools to help you refine your thoughts: While Rosetta and Trista give you some tips on career exploration, the book is mostly about career advancement. If you use the tools without knowing what you like to do, you will either do a sloppy job of it because of your lack of enthusiasm or invest heavily in something you don’t really want to do.
Once you are excited about your project, read Chapter 6 (“Planning for Balance”), and put it into action: Rosetta and Trista throw a lot of great advice at you, which will take thoughtful consideration and good execution to yield results. Make sure that you make time for them.
Finally, after reading the book, select the tips you want to implement immediately, this week, this month, etc.: A lot of these tips seem simple, but take thought and concerted effort to execute well. To add to that, many of them involve life choices that you will have to keep making (e.g., always teach, always learn). However you want to prioritize these and in whatever way you are planning to ensure that you continue doing them consistently, have a plan.

I hope you pick up this agile, helpful book. It is readable, full of great stories and maxims, and it will get you energized about becoming the rockstar you want to be. Follow this link to take advantage of a 25-percent discount for our readers only.

Fellow Book Review: How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career

2010-11-02T08:06:00.001-07:00

Since I’m only a month into my Inspire Fellowship placement at a D.C. nonprofit, the opportunity to review How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar is extremely timely. In my new role as Operations Manager of the Middle School campus of D.C. Preparatory Academy, a coalition of charter schools dedicated to closing the education gap, the days fly by toggling from one task to another. Reading this book has given me the opportunity to reflect for a moment on my placement and how I can add the most value to my organization in the months ahead.

In How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris provide specific strategies for advancement in the nonprofit sector. It is punctuated with real-life examples of individuals who have used their strategies and how those strategies enabled them to succeed, which personalizes what might otherwise come off as theoretical.

Since the most compelling vignettes come from the authors’ own backgrounds it’s important to understand their respective journeys. Rosetta Thurman dedicates herself to “empowering a new generation of leaders,” according to her very extensive personal homepage’s subheading, through blogging, coaching and education about best practices in the nonprofit sector. She has built credibility as a co-author of this book by holding multiple leadership positions at various nonprofit organizations as well as obtaining a formal education in the field. Trista Harris, with a similar educational background, currently holds the title of executive director of a community foundation in Minnesota and hosts her own online forum.

As a young female professional working in the nonprofit sector, I believe I am squarely within the intended audience of this book. Certain advice and tips were so relevant to me that I found myself interrupting my reading of the book to follow-up with them! By the time I finished reading the book, I had joined the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, signed up for a leadership seminar and ironed and laid out my clothes for the next morning. The book speaks my language, which you can tell by the title as well as headings like Books You Should Totally Read.

At the same time, though, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar offers helpful strategies for professionals at all rungs on the career ladder. After all, you cannot excel in the nonprofit world without being an excellent employee to start out with. That little voice in the back of my head is always saying things like “take on projects that go outside your comfort zone,” but it’s motivating to be reminded. The guidance they give validated my own instincts about the right way to proceed with regards to networking, professional development and educational opportunities -- and encouraged me to follow up.

The authors employ an uncanny strategy of anticipating questions the reader might have as he or she reads their ideas and strategies. Just as I was saying to myself, oh, but they don’t understand that I’m too busy for this work/life nonsense, Harris and Thurman explain that it could prevent burnout later in one’s career and suggest a strategy for analyzing how efficiently one is using existing available time. In fact, they identify how work/life balance is especially important in the nonprofit sector because of the temptation to become a martyr for a cause. You can’t help anyone if you’re overextended.

Where the book really sets itself apart, though, is in the parts that address unique ways be successful in the nonprofit sector. It would never occur to me to attempt to join a board of directors as such a young professional, but Thurman and Harris encourage individuals interested in advancing to do just this. Since the field of nonprofit management is still growing and the acronym soup can be confusing (MPA, MHS, MAPS, MBA), they helpfully offer advice on which master’s degrees to pursue based on what part of the sector you want to specialize in – whether the financial, the administrative or the policy.

The sections on using new media to enhance one’s career provide unique information about a competency that is accelerating in importance. While I believe myself to be fairly tech-savvy, fluent in Facebook and LinkedIn, creating a blog was never something I considered. But Thurman and Harris both attribute a significant amount of their success to their blogs and encourage young professionals to use them as a way to develop a public voice. Apparently, before Thurman started her blog, people would mistake her for her boss’ secretary! The exposure these forums gave to both she and Harris led to speaking engagements and ultimately consideration for certain job opportunities down the road.

The authors urge readers to actively take charge of their online presence in a way that I believe most people don’t feel they have the agency to do. Whether that means manipulating the hits found when you are Googled or investing in services that track new references to yourself, Thurman and Harris opened my eyes to the fact that I have control over how I appear and it’s up to me to manage how I’m perceived on the Internet.

Since the narrator changes – sometimes Thurman, sometimes Harris, sometimes Thurman and Harris – it can sometimes be difficult to recall who’s telling the story. Consistent use of the third person throughout might have prevented this confusion and allowed the reader to be clear about which accomplishments were associated with which author. However, their use of the first person did personalize their story and bring readers back to who they’re hearing from.

With How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career, Harris and Thurman have written an approachable and well-organized how-to guide for those who are new to the nonprofit world, whether young professionals or sector switchers. The book is available for purchase online for $24.99. Follow this link to take advantage of a 25-percent discount for our readers only.

Get a copy of How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar

2010-11-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that our friend Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris have released their new book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar. The book is designed for nonprofit professionals who want to build meaningful and rewarding careers. You’ll learn how to develop valuable nonprofit experience, build a strong network, establish a strong personal brand, achieve the elusive work/life balance, and move on up in your career. Rosetta spoke with the Inspire Fellows earlier this year and her advice is valuable for all nonprofit professionals.

Look for book reviews this week on our blog from Kathleen Sheehan (Inspire Fellow 2010) and Lucila Crena (Inspire Fellow 2009). Get a 25% discount if you order the book through ProInspire before November 15th. Click here to view more details

Introducing 2010 Inspire Fellow: Erika White

2010-10-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Erika White
Hometown: New Rochelle, New York
Organization: Association for Enterprise Opportunity
Previous Employer: Jones Lang LaSalle

What inspired you to make the switch into the nonprofit sector?
The passion I have for positively impacting the local and global community was the long-term inspiration. Recently, however, I realized that not only did that passion for learning about the sector remain, but I had also developed personality traits and a certain business acumen that would allow me to contribute effectively to the sector as well. It seemed like the ideal time to get into the sector and determine whether or not my passion should be turned into a career or just a philanthropic venture.

What is your current position, and a typical day like?
I am a Project Manager of U.S. Microenterprise Industry Strategy at Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO). Currently, I am working on analyzing the U.S. microenterprise industry (key players, latest innovations, challenges in reaching demand) to determine how AEO can be most relevant in the industry and most effective for our members. With that said, my days have recently consisted of interviewing CEOs of various microenterprise or microenterprise-related organizations, having planned/unplanned brainstorming sessions with my colleagues to share information or to gain advice on project strategies. We are a small team but there is quite a bit going on and a lot of room for creativity, so it's really important to maintain an open flow of communication.

What is your professional background and areas of expertise?
Prior to joining AEO, I was an Analyst with Jones Lang LaSalle's Public Institutions team where I developed strategic alternatives to public sector real estate portfolios to maximize cost efficiency and to achieve organization mission-related goals. My position required me to perform comprehensive market analysis, financial analysis and occasional policy research to support each strategic alternative.

What are you involved in outside of work?
For the past two years I have been playing soccer with WAWSL (Washington Area Women's Soccer League), I am a volunteer with Greater DC Cares and I am a member of African American Real Estate Professionals (AAREP).

Tell us about your past leadership experiences and how they are helping you in your current role.
My past leadership experiences have ranged from official titles of leadership in sports and organizations to taking an unofficial leadership role in situations where a gap existed. It is the latter experiences that I have learned the most from over the years and feel myself drawing from in my current role. On a small team, everyone needs to be a leader and take responsibility for their projects and for contributing effectively to the organization's mission. My previous "official" leadership roles help me to understand the pressures put upon a CEO and the need to have a strong team willing to support you at all times.

If your friends and enemies had to describe you in three words, what would they be?
Trustworthy, Independent, Passionate

Where do you hang out in the D (DC), M (Maryland) and V (Virginia)?
I love the Logan Circle and U Street neighborhoods. There are some great coffee shops for reading, listening to music, talking with friends, or people watching.

What book are you reading right now or what is your favorite book?
I don't have an absolute favorite book but one that is very close and in the front of my mind is Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi.

Introducing…2010 Inspire Fellows

2010-10-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

The 2010 class of Inspire Fellows has hit the ground running at each of their respective organizations in the Washington, DC area. In the coming weeks, we will be featuring interviews with each of the 13 fellows. Hopefully, these interviews will give you more insight into who we are professionally and personally.

So stay tuned...

Natl Community Investment Fund seeks Analyst

2010-10-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

Our friends at the National Community Investment Fund in Chicago are looking for an Analyst. We thought this position would be of interest to our readers.

Date: October 11, 2010
Job Title: Analyst
Reports to: Chief Fund Advisor/CEO
Company: National Community Investment Fund

Position Purpose
Analyst will be responsible for supporting and sourcing of private equity and NMTC deals, doing research on the CDFI banking industry, operations, servicing and administration. As part of our non-profit mission, the person will also help strengthen and build the CDFI banking industry. He/she will support the NCIF team on the following key activities of NCIF:

1. Administration, follow up and reporting of the NCIF investment and NMTC portfolio, managing files;
2. Loan, equity and NMTC operations and funder compliance and reporting;
3. Research on the CDFI Industry and development of NCIF Social Performance MetricsSM
4. Creating a communications and marketing plan; website and collaboration tools
5. Complies with NCIF systems and policies.
6. Other duties as assigned, on a day to day basis.

Qualifications
1. Passion for community development and for improving lives of underserved communities.
2. Undergraduate degree with 2-3 years relevant work experience. Experience of working in Financial Institutions groups, especially banks is preferred.
3. Knowledge and use of collaboration and new technology tools
4. Research orientation, writing skills and detail orientation
5. Strong MS Office skills; knowledge of databases and collaboration tools will be useful.
6. Lives in Chicago or is willing to relocate.

About National Community Investment Fund
National Community Investment Fund (NCIF; www.ncif.org) is a non-profit private equity trust fund set up in 1996 to invest private capital in CDFI banks around the country that have a mission of economic and community development. NCIF pursues its mission through four distinct activities – investing private capital into CDFI banks, helping raise deposits, enabling booking of loans using New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) and industry/capacity building. NCIF is the largest investor of equity in CDFI banks (by numbers) in the country and has provided thought leadership by developing its proprietary Social Performance MetricsSM methodology – a tool that enables investors measure the social and economic development impact of CDFI banks. Total assets under management are approximately $150 million including $128 million of NMTC allocations. Please send a resume and cover letter to snarain@ncif.org

October Workshop: Situational Leadership

2010-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

All thirteen Inspire Fellows came together for the first time on Thursday as all hiring decisions had been made, moves to DC were completed, and everyone had started working for their respective organizations. While some of us had started working at our non-profit organizations back in August, a handful of Fellows started work just this week. For those of us who have been plugged into the non-profit sector for a couple months, it was interesting to hear the newest Fellows’ initial experiences and already be able to offer them advice.

Our October workshop focused on situational leadership and leadership qualities. We were fortunate to have two very different, but complementary, speakers who are both leaders in their field. We had a Q&A session with Angela Perkey, Founder and Executive Director of Students Serve, followed by a presentation by Natasha Barantseva, Investment Officer at Grassroots Business Fund (GBF). Students Serve (www.studentsserve.org) is an organization that “provides funding for college and graduate students to implement service projects”. GBF (www.gbfund.org) “provides investment capital and capacity building to high impact businesses in several developing countries across the globe.” It wasn’t until later in the workshop that the Fellows realized these organizations, while very different in terms of size, reach, and growth goals, complemented each other nicely—Students Serve helps organizations/programs take the first step and GBF invests in businesses to help them take the next step (i.e. a start-up business that has become sustainable and successful but needs an extra boost to become financeable by commercial banks/investors).

After lunch, the Fellows had an excellent discussion regarding leadership qualities. Having worked under a variety of managers with equally-varied management styles, we were able to discuss what makes a good leader, what makes a poor leader, and how to create leadership opportunities for ourselves. Lucila led us through the discussion by offering advice from John Maxwell, leadership-extraordinaire.

After the workshop, the Fellows took the necessary steps and exchanged phone numbers to ensure we would see each other on a more regular basis “outside of class”—all part of the ProInspire experience.

Commongood Careers is hiring a Client Services Manager

2010-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of our strategic partners, Commongood Careers, is hiring a Client Services Manager to work with amazing nonprofit clients! Can you think about anyone who might be a great fit for the role described below?

Who we are looking for:
• Energetic and action-oriented nonprofit professionals with great interpersonal skills looking to work with some of the most interesting and innovative nonprofits in the country
• Experienced at managing multiple projects within an entrepreneurial environment
• Relationship-builder who can provide outstanding customer service

What the job is:
• Managing up to 10 searches at a time for a portfolio of exciting nonprofit clients
• Building and cultivating strong and professional relationships with hiring managers from the client organization
• Serving as a strategic advisor and helping clients to develop effective hiring plans, conduct robust recruitment efforts and select the best candidates to fill their open positions

Why it is cool:
• Working directly with some of the most amazing and innovative nonprofits across the country
• Seeing the impact that hired candidates have within their organizations
• Lots of autonomy combined with collaboration and support

Why Commongood Careers is a great place to work:
• A fast-paced, entrepreneurial, mission-driven organization with a collegial work environment
• Guided by the values of purpose, diversity, respect, innovation, accountability, and fun
• Focused on impact and results
• Nationally recognized as “the place to go for the coolest nonprofit jobs”

How you can help:
• Distribute the attached job posting to all the awesome nonprofit professionals you know
• Put this up on your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter profiles (and join our groups on those sites while you’re there)
• Apply yourself!

Update from Inspire Fellows 2010 Foundations training

2010-08-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

This week we kicked off the 2010 Inspire Fellows program with our Foundations training. We have a dynamic group of Fellows who will be working in analyst and special project roles over the next year. We will be welcoming the 2010 Inspire Fellows at our annual launch party on September 1st in Washington D.C.

During Foundations, Fellows learned about transitioning into the nonprofit sector. Some of the highlights included:
- Culture fit in the nonprofit sector: We talked about the top 10 challenges sector switchers face when moving into the nonprofit sector.
- Good to Great and the Social Sectors: Nick Takamine (Inspire Fellow 2009) led a discussion about the Jim Collins book that features five key principles for great social sector organizations.
- Developing your transition strategy: Lucila Crena (Inspire Fellow 2009) led a session for new Fellows to think about skills they used in their prior roles, what they will need to use in their new roles, and how to get up to speed quickly.

Alumni Panel
Training ended with a panel of 2009 Inspire Fellows sharing their experiences:
What was the best part of being an Inspire Fellow?
- Finding clarity on what I want to do.
- Great fit with the organization and my role.
- The Fellows program and network. I underestimated the culture shift and realized “these people get me.”
- Total immersion in the social sector through job and network broadened my perspective.

What was the most challenging part of being an Inspire Fellow?
- Change in my responsibilities – I came from a very hierarchical environment where I was focused on execution. Now I help strengthen the organization, there is more ambiguity, more project management, and I have to create the structure.
- Learning the inside politics of the organization.
- Balancing the work the organization wanted me to do versus what I wanted to do.

How have you created value at your organization?
- Creating external presentations
- Analysis and financial acumen
- Codifying and creating processes
- Driving forward special projects

Inspire Fellows 2010 - deadline for applications is Monday

2010-06-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

We have extended the deadline for candidates applying to the Inspire Fellows 2010 program. Applications are due on Monday, June 21st at 11:59pm EST. Hopefully having the weekend to apply will help people who just learned about the program. Learn more on our website.

Inspire Fellows 2010 - additional roles

2010-06-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

We are excited to have additional roles added for the Inspire Fellows class of 2010 and will be conducting a second round of selection in June/July. Applications are due June 18th. Please share broadly.

Inspire Fellows are outstanding business professionals with 2+ years business experience that want to use their skills for social impact. This highly competitive one-year program offers top business professionals targeted positions with leading nonprofits, professional development, and a network to support career growth.

Previous Inspire Fellows finalists came from Bain, Booz Allen, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Morgan Stanley, Parthenon Capital, Procter & Gamble, and other leading companies. Fellows work with top nonprofits including the Corporation for Enterprise Development, Family Health International, Global Giving, Rare Conservation, and Year Up. All positions are based in the Washington D.C. area.

Learn More
Hear from Fellows in our video: http://www.proinspire.org/#video
Get the latest updates on our blog: http://proinspire.blogspot.com/

Program Overview
The Fellowship program runs for 12 months starting in August 2010. Fellows are hired by nonprofit organizations that are using innovative approaches to address social problems. Hiring partners include organizations focused on education, international development, social investing, and youth development. Roles for 2010 Inspire Fellows include:
- Corporation for Enterprise Development: Social Enterprise Project Manager
- Family Health International: Business Planning & Strategy Analyst
- Global Giving: Business Intelligence Analyst
- Rare: Special Projects Manager
- Year Up: Special Projects Manager

Fellows participate in a 2-day foundational training, monthly workshops, coaching, and networking events to support their transition and leadership development. In addition, each Fellow receives mentorship and support to help them decide future career plans. After the program ends, Fellows typically stay at the hiring organization if a permanent position is offered, find other job opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $40,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.

Selection Criteria
Typical Inspire Fellows have 2-5 years of work experience at top-tier consulting firms, investment banks, private equity firms, and corporations — and are looking to build a career in the social sector. ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on the selection criteria and needs of hiring organizations. Candidates selected as finalists will travel to Washington D.C. to interview with hiring organizations during the week of July 12th. Successful candidates will have:
- A minimum of two years of business experience by August 2010
- Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
- Humility and desire to learn
- Demonstrated initiative and self-direction
- Adaptable in ambiguous situations
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills
- Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the program
Note: Hiring partners do not sponsor work visas.

To Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter in Word format to apply@proinspire.org by Friday, June 18th. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and candidates are advised to apply early. The timeline for the second round of selection is:
ProInspire phone interviews: June 14 - 25
Hiring Partner phone interviews: June 28 – July 9
In-person interviews: July 12 – 19
Candidates selected as Inspire Fellows will attend foundations training from August 2-3 in Washington D.C. and will start at their organization in August or early September. More details about the selection process are at: http://www.proinspire.org/fellows/apply/.

Volunteer Opportunity with Year Up NCR

2010-05-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Year Up NCR, the ProInspire partner where I work, will be hosting a Mock Interview day on Wednesday, May 26 from 2-4pm for our interns and we are looking for volunteer interviewers. The interns are about two and a half months away from graduation and it is really important that they sharpen their interviewing skills at this time.

Here's a profile of a Year Up intern in San Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAHoGX3ty1U, and a bit more about the program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTht3ZSqcts.

During the session, we will ask volunteers to interview our students and provide them with some feedback that they can use to improve. If you are interested in being an interviewer, please RSVP to Margaret Walkup (mwalkup@yearup.org) by Friday May 21. Please also feel free to share this opportunity with colleagues or friends who might want to learn more about Year Up.

Thank you in advance!

Muhammad Yunus book event this Friday in DC

2010-05-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

This event may be of interest to our readers:
HOOKS bookevents.com presents Dr. Muhammad Yunus
discussing his new book, Building Social Business

Friday, May 14, 2010
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. (Doors open @ 8:00 a.m.)

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Atrium Ballroom
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Metro Accessible: Metro Center and Federal Triangle

Ticket Information
$35 Ticket: General Admission and copy of Building Social Business
$15 Student Ticket (Limited): General Admission only
Visit www.hooksbookevents.com to purchase tickets

Muhammad Yunus, the practical visionary who pioneered microcredit and, with his Grameen Bank, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, has developed a visionary new dimension for capitalism which he calls "social business." By harnessing the energy of profit-making to the objective of fulfilling human needs, social business creates self-supporting, viable commercial enterprises that generate economic growth even as they produce goods and services that make the world a better place.

In this book, Yunus shows how social business has gone from being a theory to an inspiring practice, adopted by leading corporations including BASF, Intel, Danone, Veolia, and Adidas, as well as entrepreneurs and social activists across Asia, South America, Europe, and the United States. He demonstrates how social business transforms lives; offers practical guidance for those who want to create social businesses of their own; explains how public and corporate policies must adapt to make room for the social business model; and shows why social business holds the potential to redeem the failed promise of free-market enterprise.

Sign up for Rosetta Thurman's Personal Branding Boot Camp

2010-05-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

We are excited to let you know that Rosetta Thurman is launching the Personal Branding Boot Camp. This is a training program she designed to help young professionals craft strong personal brands in order to advance their careers. Rosetta led a great session for the Inspire Fellows and Atlas Corps at our February training. Her experience in advising nonprofit professionals on using social media for personal branding is superb and I am sure this will be a very helpful 7-day webinar for anyone looking to propel their career.

Readers of our blog can get 50% off by using the discount code JUSTDOIT! Note: there are a limited number of these discounted tickets and the discount ends May 12.

Sign up for the Personal Branding Boot Camp here

10 Interview Tips for Sector Switchers

2010-04-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

Next week, Inspire Fellows candidates will be coming to Washington D.C. to interview with our 18 nonprofit partners. Based on the experience of our pilot class of Inspire Fellows, we put together a list of tips that can help any sector switcher prepare for interviews in the nonprofit sector:

1. Prepare for the interview
Read the organization’s website to learn about key components of their work. Things to look for include an overview of the mission and programs, the organization’s annual report (mostly relevant for larger nonprofits), and major funders. Also spend time learning about the “industry.” For example, if you are interviewing with an organization in the education sector, research other players and the latest happenings in that space.

2. Demonstrate why you are excited about the organization's mission
“Mission fit” is a key selection criterion for nonprofits. Most people join a nonprofit because they are passionate about the mission, not for compensation, career path, or other factors that are more common in the private sector. Therefore interviewers want to make sure candidates share their passion for the mission, and this can differentiate who ultimately gets an offer. Saying you want to “have an impact" or "give back" will not help you stand out. Make sure you understand the organization’s mission and can talk about why it is important to you. Be sure to tailor your response for each organization you interview with.

3. Avoid the “white knight” mentality
“White knights” are sector switchers who assume that business practices are superior to nonprofit practices, so they can help nonprofits do things better. Saying things like “I want to help nonprofits become more efficient” is a surefire way to turn off nonprofit leaders. Show that you want to listen, learn, and add value where possible. Remember to be humble so you don’t make statements that suggest you are naïve and uninformed.

4. Learn the language used by nonprofits
Some key things to be aware of:
- Nonprofits are referred to as "organizations," not "companies" or "corporations"
- Nonprofits are typically led by either an Executive Director or a CEO (check the organization's website to confirm what title they use)
Read more about language in this blog post by WendyBay Lewis: Switching Sectors - Brush up your Shakespeare

5. Articulate why you want this opportunity
Discuss not only how you can add value (e.g. your analytic strength, organizational skills, etc.), but also what you hope to learn from your time within the organization. It is okay if your career path is still undefined, as long as you show that you are being thoughtful about this transition.

6. Be flexible about the work you will do
Roles at nonprofit organizations are often ambiguous, especially compared to consulting firms, investment banks, and other corporate environments. This can be a great opportunity because you will be able to learn new things and take ownership of your work. It also means that you should be flexible about what projects or work you will ultimately be responsible for. Priorities may change between now and when you start in three months, so don’t get your heart set on a particular project.

7. Don't assume that working at a nonprofit is a 9 to 5 job
Many nonprofit leaders work long hours because they are passionate about the organization’s mission and they must achieve a lot with limited resources. Don’t go into an interview expecting that working for a nonprofit will be an easy job. Our current group of Fellows said they work anywhere from 40 to 60 hours a week, depending on the workload.

8. For direct service organizations, show how being around the recipients energizes you
Many of our nonprofit partners are direct service providers (e.g. charter schools and youth organizations). You will have the opportunity to interact with the recipients of the organization’s work on a regular basis. In this environment, you can see the results of your work on a daily basis, but you may also have to deal with day-to-day challenges facing the organization’s target constituents. Showing that this is something you are excited about will give the organization confidence in your adaptability.

9. Employ a SPARK method when responding to situational questions
Start by describing the Situation, then the Problem, the Actions you took, the Result, and the Knowledge you gained and how you applied the learnings. For example, when someone asks you about a time you worked with little supervision, don't just say "I had to put together a pitch book by myself without an associate." Instead, use the SPARK method:
• Situation: I was the analyst on a large merger deal between two electronics companies.
• Problem: Our office was thinly staffed so I didn't have an associate to guide me, something that is unusual in that situation.
• Actions: I organized the analysis, created work plans, checked in with my VP, and made sure that I had the resources needed to successfully address the situation.
• Result: We were able to finish the deal, which resulted in an acquisition of X, generating Y value.
• Knowledge: I learned how to create a workplan, manage my time, leverage relationships, etc. This has been valuable because I was able to draw on these skills in another situation, which led to xyz result.

10. Learn more about being a sector switcher so you are prepared for the transition
Talk to people who have made a similar transition about what has been rewarding, challenging, and surprising. Check out the following resources:
Five challenges to prepare for in your new nonprofit job
Job search advice for sector switchers

Atlas Corps and IDEO are hiring

2010-04-27T11:43:00.001-07:00

Some interesting opportunities through our network...

ATLAS CORPS
Atlas Service Corps seeks nonprofit leaders from around the world to apply for their 2010-2011 fellowship positions in Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Seattle, WA; Bogota, Colombia; and New Delhi, India. Expenses are paid in this prestigious fellowship program, including a living stipend, health insurance, and training. Applicants must have 3 or more years of experience in the nonprofit sector, a college degree, fluency in English (1 year of experience and Spanish proficiency if applying to volunteer in Colombia), and a commitment to return to their home country after their Fellowship. Candidates from around the world are placed at outstanding host organizations in the U.S. including Ashoka, Asian American LEAD, Grameen Foundation, International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Population Action International. Candidates from the U.S. are placed at organizations in Bogota like Global Humanitaria and Oxfam GB. In addition to volunteering full time at their host organizations, Fellows are enrolled in a management development training program and join a growing network of nonprofit leaders from around the world. For more details about eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit: http://www.atlascorps.org/apply.html and watch a short video about the application process here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx63RKbqoKY. Individuals are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

Atlas Corps Seeks Americans for Fellowship in Bogota
Atlas Corps seeks Americans, and individuals from other countries, to apply for fellowship positions in Bogota, Colombia starting in September. Candidates must be proficient in Spanish and preferably have experience with fundraising or program management. For more information, please visit http://www.atlascorps.org/apply-to-colombia.html

Atlas Corps Hiring Staff in DC and NYC
Atlas Corps is hiring a Development Director in Washington, DC. To learn more, please visit http://www.atlascorps.org/development-director.html. We may also be hiring a New York City Director soon, so stay tuned for more details.

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IDEO
IDEO is opening an office in Mumbai in early 2011 and we're currently trying to fill a number of positions. Please share with friends, colleagues, classmates who might be interested in applying.

The initial hiring plan will include the following roles:
* Human Factors Specialist with a minimum of 3 years of experience
* Interaction Designer with excellent visual design skills and a minimum of 3 years of experience
* Communication Designer with a minimum of 3 years of experience
* Industrial/Product Designer with a minimum of 3 years of experience
* Business Development Lead with strong operational experience (see job description below) and a minimum of 5 years of experience

To read more about the positions and apply, please visit http://www.ideo.com/culture/careers/.

The Business Development position is not yet posted, so if you're interested in that one (description below), please email Natasha directly at ngibson@ideo.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD, IDEO INDIA
At present, IDEO has just over 520 employees worldwide situated in 8 offices globally. IDEO is opening their new office in Mumbai, India in 2011. They are looking to hire talented and passionate designers to work on a range of projects in corporate, social and public sectors. Candidates will come from various fields and will include disciplines such as industrial and product design, interaction design, human factors, business design, communication design, service systems, environments design and more. We are looking to hire 6-8 people between June and December 2010. These people will begin their IDEO career in one of our global locations (US, UK or Shanghai) for a period of approximately 3 months before joining the IDEO-India team in Mumbai.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Business Development Lead will support the efforts of the organization in India, and by extension, Asia-Pacific, to drive the development, client relationship, and project scoping that “make sense” for the IDEO to take on. This entails understanding IDEO’s “sweet spot” in terms of leveraging its greatest assets, while also understanding the commercial dynamics that enable projects to meet both revenue and profitability targets.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES
· Serves as a contributing member of IDEO’s global business development team.
• Collaborate with location leadership team and the design community to develop a compelling offer of IDEO’s business value to new clients through their specific area of need.
• Build strong and sustainable relationships with clients.
• Find and realize new business opportunities for IDEO within the client organization.
• Understand IDEO’s positioning and specific needs within their organization.
• Understand IDEO’s organizational set up for implementation, and how it impacts the project and the Firm.
• Manage client expectations of the project content as it evolves.
• Scope project work tasks, timelines and budgets in collaboration with representatives of the various IDEO disciplines.

KEY SELECTION CRITERIA
· Excellent verbal/written communication skills.
• Fluency in English and Hindi
• A true “customer service” attitude.
• Exemplary time management and organizational skills.
• Experience in navigating Indian business development with entrepreneurial/creative service consultancy or managing a key account.
• University graduate in business, design, or related discipline.
• A minimum of five years proven experience in highly innovative and international business environments.
• Strong financial analysis, negotiation, and organizational skills.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE
· Ideal Industry: Marketing oriented, branding, consumer facing industry
· Current Company: Highly international and innovative product or service company
· Current Position: Depending on the organization, could be Business Development Director, Client Relationship Manager, Product Development Director, Product Marketing Director, Consultant, Designer, or Strategic Planner, amongst other functions

Update from Inspire Fellows April Workshop

2010-04-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

Friday was our April Workshop for the Inspire Fellows program. We had a great training and ended the day with happy hour outside in the beautiful spring weather! Here are some of the highlights:

Fellows’ Presentations
Matt Chou from Living Cities presented about Program Related Investments (PRIs). We learned a lot about how PRIs have been used to prove new markets, like affordable housing. Look for an upcoming blog post by Matt about PRIs.

John Wilson from ACCION International presented about his work in the Frontier Investments Group, a double bottom line investment fund. We had a lively discussion about the tradeoffs between social return and financial return that have to be considered in impact investing.

Lunch with the Fair Chance team
Fair Chance hosted us at their offices for our workshop. We enjoyed lunch with some members of the Fair Chance team – Maria Nagorski (Executive Director), Ebony Ross (Capacity Building Specialist), and Brett Norton (Director of Development). It was interesting to learn about the great work Fair Chance does building capacity of nonprofit organizations that improve the lives of children and youth in Washington, DC’s most underserved communities.

Advocacy and Lobbying
Rachna Choudhry, Manager of Policy and Advocacy for National Partnership for Women & Families, was our guest speaker in the afternoon. Rachna spoke about her role as a nonprofit lobbyist and why “lobbying is not a bad word.” It was an enlightening session, including the following key lessons learned:
- Nonprofits can spend up to 20% of their budget on lobbying
- There are two types of lobbying: 1) Direct lobbying: communicating with legislators about specific legislation, and 2) Indirect lobbying: encouraging constituents to contact Congress (this is common through websites like change.org and moveon.org)
- The lobbying industry is huge - $3.5 billion dollars is spent each year by companies, associations and organizations on employing lobbyists and communications. 300 million emails are sent to Congress each year.
- You can find out who is a registered lobbyist for different bills at www.opensecrets.org
- Legislation is actually frequently written by lobbyists so it’s particularly important for nonprofits to get involved early on in the policy-making process

Rachna shared what she does on a daily basis as a lobbyist:
1. Educate Congress and their staff about the issues her organization cares about
2. Ask them to co-sponsor a bill or offer other support
3. Create a layered approach – build a coalition and use other grassroots strategies to create pressure and raise awareness (these are critical because nonprofits have less resources)
4. Online advocacy – use cool marketing tactics to get people’s support, then go back to Congressional staff to see if they are hearing from their constituents to create a feedback loop
5. Continue maintaining regular relationships with Congressional staff and other advocacy organizations
Rachna also talked about why lobbying is a fun job – she does a lot of strategy and spends most of her time with face-to-face interaction.

Thanks so much to Rachna, Maria, Ebony, and Brett for joining us on Friday!

Accepting round 2 applications for Inspire Fellows

2010-03-26T10:36:00.001-07:00

We are currently in the middle of our selection process for 2010 Inspire Fellows. We received a great pool of applications in Round 1, and select candidates are being invited for phone interviews. Due to an increase in roles from Hiring Partners, we are now opening Round 2 for new applications to be an Inspire Fellow. Applications are due April 7th. Please share broadly.

ProInspire accepting Round 2 applications for 2010 class of Inspire Fellows
Inspire Fellows are outstanding business professionals with 2+ years business experience that want to use their skills for social impact. This highly competitive one-year program offers top business professionals targeted positions with leading nonprofits, professional development, and a network to support career growth.

Previous Inspire Fellows finalists came from American Express, Bain, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Parthenon Capital, and other leading companies. Fellows have worked with top nonprofits including ACCION International, City First Enterprises, Family Health International, Living Cities, and Year Up. All positions are based in the Washington D.C. area.

Learn More
Hear from Fellows in our video: http://www.proinspire.org/#video
Get the latest updates on our blog: http://proinspire.blogspot.com/

Program Overview
The Fellowship program runs from August 2, 2010 to July 29, 2011. Fellows are hired by nonprofit organizations that are using innovative approaches to address social problems. Hiring partners include organizations focused on education, international development, social investing, and youth development. Roles for 2010 Inspire Fellows include:
- Evaluating investment opportunities for a microfinance fund
- Developing the marketing strategy for an education organization
- Supporting the President of an international organization with strategic initiatives
- Launching a community development fund
- Developing and executing strategy to launch a new program for a youth organization

Fellows participate in a 2-day foundational training, monthly workshops, coaching, and networking events to support their transition and leadership development. In addition, each Fellow receives mentorship and support to help them decide future career plans. After the program ends, Fellows typically stay at the hiring organization if a permanent position is offered, find other job opportunities, or attend graduate school. Annual compensation of $40,000 and health benefits are provided by the hiring organization.

Selection Criteria
Typical Inspire Fellows have 2-5 years of work experience at top-tier consulting firms, investment banks, private equity firms, and corporations — and are looking to build a career in the social sector. ProInspire conducts a rigorous selection process based on the selection criteria and needs of hiring organizations. Candidates selected as finalists will travel to Washington D.C. to interview with hiring organizations from May 6-7th. Successful candidates will have:
- A minimum of two years of business experience by August 2010
- Passion for using their business skills to have a positive impact on society
- Humility and desire to learn
- Demonstrated initiative and self-direction
- Adaptable in ambiguous situations
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills
- Outstanding oral and written communication skills
- Willingness to live in Washington D.C. for the program
Note: Hiring partners do not sponsor work visas.

To Apply
Submit your resume and cover letter in Word format to apply@proinspire.org by Wednesday, April 7th. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. More details about the selection process are at: http://www.proinspire.org/fellows/apply/ .

Inspire Fellows 2010 Application Deadline is Monday

2010-03-05T13:21:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that the deadline to apply for the 2010 class of Inspire Fellows is Monday at 11:59pm EST. Spread the word to other people who may be interested in using their business skills for social impact.

More details on the roles for 2010 Fellows are now available on the website. Click on Learn More under each role to find out about the organization and selection criteria.

Less than 1 week to apply and new roles posted

2010-03-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

There is less than one week to apply for the Inspire Fellows 2010 program. Deadline is Monday, March 8th at 11:59pm. Applications are coming in and we are excited to start reviewing them!

Check out the latest list of 2010 roles. We posted three new roles today:
- Bellwether Education Partners, Senior Research Associate
- Teach for America, Manager/Director of Strategy for Human Assets
- Corporation for Enterprise Development, Project Manager for Social Enterprise and Economic Innovation

There are lots of great opportunities for business professionals to use their skills for social impact!

Visit us at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference Career Fair this Sunday

2010-02-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

This weekend is the Social Enterprise Conference at the Harvard Business and Harvard Kennedy Schools in Cambridge, MA. This Conference is always a great place to learn about current innovations and challenges in the social sector.

We will be at the Harvard Social Enterprise Career Fair on Sunday, February 28 from 5-6:30pm. Come visit us there to learn more about exciting opportunities for 2010 Inspire Fellows!