How do you go about finding the right development job, at an organization where you can settle in for several years and really start to build meaningful relationships with your donors?
A mentor once suggested that I go where I do my best thinking (in my case, the woods) and sit down with a pen and paper and sketch out these three areas: Purpose/Mission (big picture), Task (small picture), and Environment. For each of these areas, I was to list what I want and don’t want.
In doing this exercise, some of my responses were based on what I’d seen at previous employers. Work cultures that didn’t feel supportive, resistance to change, a lack of community. Some were based on what I thought I might like – a larger organization, more resources.
Armed with this new filter, I started monitoring job postings. I had joined a professional association a few years back and had developed a solid network of fundraising peers to turn to when I saw something promising. There were several times that I did not apply for a position based on what I heard from a former employee. Having this network really helped me be discreet in my search.
Then I found what I thought was the perfect fit. A mission I am passionate about. Genuinely friendly and enthusiastic employees. Nice professional office space. I was smitten. But job searching can be a bit like dating. As you review a person’s qualifications on paper and through first impressions, you can convince yourself that there’s a great fit where there may not be.
In retrospect, I missed a few red flags. My enthusiasm for the new opportunity and my desire to get out of my previous job (always pay more attention to where you’re going, not what you’re leaving behind!) caused me to ignore the incredibly long interview process (my start date was nine months after my first interview). In the conversation about board culture, I glossed over the rolled eyes and coded messages about how the board was making “slow progress” toward a culture of philanthropy. Feeling that “new relationship energy” I even took a small decrease in compensation just to make it work. I was sure I was going to be in this job for the next 10 years.
The first few months were great…and then I started to see behind the curtains. There was a lot of double talk and manipulation. The board was unruly and the Executive Director was not a strong enough leader to manage them effectively or protect the staff from their overstepping ways. And in the end, I only stayed there for about a year, before I could really have an impact on the bottom line.
So what could I have done differently? There are certainly questions that I didn’t ask that may have made me think twice. But everyone is on their best behavior in a job interview, and my questions about culture and resources would probably have been answered in a way that didn’t cause concern.
I think the biggest thing I could have done differently is tried to be more objective. I really wanted the job. Because of that, I heard what I wanted to hear in the interviews.
I actually learned a lot from this experience. Just like you don’t learn much about being a good supervisor when all your direct reports are high performers, you don’t learn much about what you want in those three areas-mission, task, and environment-until you’re in a job that falls short of the mark in at least one of them.
I don’t think there’s a development person out there who hasn’t had a similar experience. It’s not something we really talk about because we don’t want to burn bridges with previous employers. But until we start talking openly and honestly about how to improve dysfunctional nonprofits, the revolving door will continue to revolve.
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| Photo by Loren Kerns at Flickr.com |
In doing this exercise, some of my responses were based on what I’d seen at previous employers. Work cultures that didn’t feel supportive, resistance to change, a lack of community. Some were based on what I thought I might like – a larger organization, more resources.
Armed with this new filter, I started monitoring job postings. I had joined a professional association a few years back and had developed a solid network of fundraising peers to turn to when I saw something promising. There were several times that I did not apply for a position based on what I heard from a former employee. Having this network really helped me be discreet in my search.
Then I found what I thought was the perfect fit. A mission I am passionate about. Genuinely friendly and enthusiastic employees. Nice professional office space. I was smitten. But job searching can be a bit like dating. As you review a person’s qualifications on paper and through first impressions, you can convince yourself that there’s a great fit where there may not be.
In retrospect, I missed a few red flags. My enthusiasm for the new opportunity and my desire to get out of my previous job (always pay more attention to where you’re going, not what you’re leaving behind!) caused me to ignore the incredibly long interview process (my start date was nine months after my first interview). In the conversation about board culture, I glossed over the rolled eyes and coded messages about how the board was making “slow progress” toward a culture of philanthropy. Feeling that “new relationship energy” I even took a small decrease in compensation just to make it work. I was sure I was going to be in this job for the next 10 years.
The first few months were great…and then I started to see behind the curtains. There was a lot of double talk and manipulation. The board was unruly and the Executive Director was not a strong enough leader to manage them effectively or protect the staff from their overstepping ways. And in the end, I only stayed there for about a year, before I could really have an impact on the bottom line.
So what could I have done differently? There are certainly questions that I didn’t ask that may have made me think twice. But everyone is on their best behavior in a job interview, and my questions about culture and resources would probably have been answered in a way that didn’t cause concern.
I think the biggest thing I could have done differently is tried to be more objective. I really wanted the job. Because of that, I heard what I wanted to hear in the interviews.
I actually learned a lot from this experience. Just like you don’t learn much about being a good supervisor when all your direct reports are high performers, you don’t learn much about what you want in those three areas-mission, task, and environment-until you’re in a job that falls short of the mark in at least one of them.
I don’t think there’s a development person out there who hasn’t had a similar experience. It’s not something we really talk about because we don’t want to burn bridges with previous employers. But until we start talking openly and honestly about how to improve dysfunctional nonprofits, the revolving door will continue to revolve.
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