The NonProfit Times - October 15, 2008 - (Page 26)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Tough Economy Coasting on the downturn highway BY FAYE DRESNER egardless of what presidential candidates, housing experts, or political pundits are saying, most of us know that times are hard right now. And some of us are being directly affected. In the nonprofit sector, demand for services increases when the going gets tough. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to job security for nonprofit professionals. Sometimes organizations tighten their budgets and often that means letting people go. So how do we cope with the current economic downturn and maintain our professional sanity at the same time? Below are some strategies you can pull out and dust off when your professional life gets unpredictable. Learning to adapt to change is an essential skill.The tools can be employed any time you feel your work situation is uncertain. And let’s face it, change has become the norm these days. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, most people will be in their jobs only approximately four years. While change can be unsettling, it is also an enormous opportunity to reposition or re-edu- R cate yourself and shift directions. Recently, an outplacement consultant said that corporations are more prone to hire people who have been through a downsizing and landed on their feet than those who have been in the same position for many years. Why? According to her, it’s because businesses recognize that change is now a constant, and they are better off looking for people who are equipped to handle it and come out intact on the other side. So whether you are considering a career change or just in a situation that feels a bit unsteady, here are some ideas for managing successfully whatever you’re faced with: • Address those things you actually have control over, like keeping your resumé up to date, maintaining your professional network, or doing an inventory of your skills and talents. Ruminating on things you have no control over is a fast way to drive yourself crazy and create a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Easier said than done you say? Make a list of all those things you can impact or do, tape it to your office wall, and then focus your attention and effort on those things. It takes discipline but it is achievable. • Stay in the moment. As cliché as it sounds, its good advice. It will keep you from doing a lot of negative forecasting, something to which some of us automatically seem to resort. Does this sound familiar? “If I lose this job/contract, I may not be able to get something else and after three months I won't have any more savings and, I won't be able to pay my bills, and, and, etc.” And let’s face it, change has become the norm these days While it is just as likely that an outcome will be positive, most of us seem to jump automatically to the negative when attempting to predict the future. Isn’t it just as likely, your situation could have a positive outcome? Staying in the moment not only builds your energy but it helps you stay tuned in to potential opportunities. So how do you do that you ask? Every time you catch yourself heading down the road to doom and gloom, say “NO”out loud and bring your mind back to the present. Go back to #1 -- your list of things you have control over -- take a walk, call a friend, do anything but allow yourself to drown in negative thought. • Do pro bono or volunteer work that interests you and helps you build skills, expands your network, and can put you in a position to learn about work you're unfamiliar with. Sometimes when my business is slow, I do pro bono work at nonprofits where I might not otherwise have sought a paying contract. It has, on occasion, led to future work and always helps me enhance my knowledge and expertise. • Give yourself a break.There are days when the anxiety or gloominess might get the best of you. Don’t beat yourself up. On the contrary, treat yourself to whatever generally makes you feel better. After being downsized and trying to figure out what to do next, there are days when you just don’t have the energy to present yourself best self to potential employers or colleagues. So, don't do it. Call a friend or go for a long run or take a long nap and relish the fact that even though you are scared or down, you have the flexibility and the time to take good care of myself. • Make a contingency plan. Even if you never have to use it, having a plan creates a sense of security. Keep your resumé, your skills and your network updated and current.You don't have to go overboard; a small amount of preparation can instill a real sense of calm in uncertain times. NPT Faye Dresner is the founder of Dresner Consulting, LLC.Her Web site is www.dresnerconsulting.com. Her email is dresner@dresnerconsulting.com. This is reprinted with the permission of Opportunity Knocks at www.opportunityknocks.org Designed to provide coverage for a wide range of Non-profit and For profit Social Service Agencies. COMMENTARY Continued from page 25 Adoption & Foster Care Placement Agencies Substance Abuse Programs Mental Health Counseling Centers Residential Care Facilities Domestic Violence Shelters Developmentally Disabled Programs and many more COVERAGES Professional Liability Physical & Sexual Abuse General Liability Property Auto D & O Liability Excess Liability www.nipc.com lems. Such groups will more than likely have duct tape on their industrial carpeting and water stains on their ceilings.They will not be able to draft clever, eye-catching libertying brochures or grant proposals. They will not have sophisticated accounting systems, or be able to lay out a schedule of measurable outcomes. They will not speak the language of the social sciences, but more often than not, the language of sin and spiritual redemption. They will not be staffed by well-paid credentialed experts, but by volunteers whose chief credential is that they themselves have managed to overcome the problem they are now helping others to confront. No matter what the group’s formal charter states, it will minister to whatever needs present at the door, even if it means being accused of inefficiency or mission drift. For each person is treated not as an inadequately self-aware bundle of pathologies, but rather as a unique individual, a citizen possessed of a soul, demanding a respectful, humane response to the entire person. This approach turns completely on its head the still-entrenched orthodoxy of progressive philanthropy. Indeed, it looks suspiciously like charity -- the antiquated, discredited approach, which nonetheless, honored and ministered personally to the individual before it. By funding more concrete, immediate, community-based efforts of the sort described by Tocqueville,however,it would be possible to make modest headway against social ills.It would also contribute to a much loftier purpose, the revival of civic engagement and democratic self-governance in America, perhaps thereby helping to insure the survival of our democratic republic. But to appreciate the importance of that goal, it is necessary to transcend the narrow, scientific knowledge of the ungodly bright. It requires instead a kind of prudence or wisdom that aims at an attainable good, while accepting and working with, rather than trying to see through, the bewildering variety of human needs. It thus fully respects and helps to preserve democratic citizenship and human dignity. This would be the philanthropy, not of the ungodly bright, but rather of the godly wise. NPT William A. Schambra is the director of Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal. This essay is part of Amy Kass’s edited volume Giving Well, Doing Good: Readings for Thoughtful Philanthropists (Indiana University Press, January 2008). OCTOBER 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com http://www.dresnerconsulting.com http://www.dresnerconsulting.com http://www.opportunityknocks.org http://www.opportunityknocks.org http://www.nipc.com http://www.nipc.com http://www.nptimes.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NonProfit Times - October 15, 2008

The NonProfit Times - October 15, 2008 Wall Street Meltdown Charities Hope To Rev Giving When To Say 'Thanks' Contents Paul Newman: It Was Always His 'Own' Safe Donations Uneven Performance Answering Donors' Questions Business Briefs Going Back To School Doesn't Require A Classroom Anymore Webinars Bring Professional Training To The Office Should The Ungodly Bright Lead Philanthropy? The Tough Economy Calendar NPT Jobs Resource Directory

The NonProfit Times - October 15, 2008

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