You’re early in your career, passionate about the cause you’re working to advance, but sure wish you could climb the career ladder more quickly. Right?
Maybe you want to go from being a Program Assistant to a Program Director. You’d like to make the leap from Special Event Coordinator to Development Director. Or maybe, just maybe, your goal is to lead a nonprofit from the Executive Director’s office.
But how do you get there from here? What steps should you take? What should you be doing right now today to prepare you for those challenges? And how can the way you approach your career lead you to a brighter future?
You’ll find those answers, and so much more in Rosetta Thurman and Trista Harris’ new book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career.
Rosetta and Trista have packed this new book full of smart, easy to digest, actionable recommendations to help advance your career.
You owe it to your future self to pick up a copy of this new book!
Without spoiling too much, here are two key tips they share in the book:
Establish a Great Personal Brand.
Simply, Rosetta and Trista say that your personal brand is, “what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
And they’re right.
Guard your personal brand closely. It’s the greatest asset you’ll ever have. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, how many letters you have behind your name, or where you went to school. If I’m a hiring manager, and I find out you don’t follow through on your commitments, or I can Google you and find links to the wild keg party pics you posted on Facebook, chances are you’ll never get an interview.
Learn How to Raise Money
There’s a natural inclination to shy away from asking for money. You, like the rest of us, probably don’t like to hear “NO” all the time. Maybe you’re afraid that someone will chase you out of their house with a broom stick when you call on them (hint: I’ve actually heard a development officer say this). Or maybe you’re afraid that if you ask a friend or colleague for a contribution for your organization, you’ll damage your relationship.
Rosetta and Trista point out (so appropriately), that if you can get comfortable – and good – at asking for money, you’ll always have a place in the nonprofit sector. In fact, if you’re any good at asking for (and getting) contributions, you’ll most certainly get a seat at the table for important discussions and decisions at your nonprofit. And the more you show your boss that you can raise support for the organization, the more valuable you become.
There are dozens more tips in this book – I’ll share more thoughts in the next week or two.
But until then, get your copy today!