Tips for the fundraising professional's job search

I am on day 14 in Los Angeles.

A quick personal note (which I try to stay away from on my fundraising blog): We moved here after years of wanting to be in southern California for the warmer climate, the culture, the food and of course to be able to surf more often!

Being a fundraising professional on a job search in a city where nobody has ever heard of you isn't an easy task. Yet for some amazing reason I have had the chance to interview for some pretty incredible non-profits doing life-changing work in the Los Angeles area.

I wanted to pass along a few tips I do during the job process here. Some of these I realize are just :

Do not be in a hurry.

Get very comfortable with working with recruiting firms, especially ones who don't necessarily show that much respect for fundraising professionals or non-profit professionals as a whole.

Focus on getting in front of those who would actually hire you. This means rocking it through the recruiters.

As with any job, write an eye-opening cover letter specific to the position. Remember that you want to get in front of the person who will actually decide to hire you.

Be early to your interview.

Study the budget before the interview. For fundraisers this is crucial.

Don't promise the world. Focus on your past experiences and successes.

Dress for success.

Have a list of seven professional references that includes folks who you have reported to, who have reported to you, board members and professional contacts.

I think that's a good start!

Thanks for reading!

Job search 101

I hope that anyone reading this will never be laid off or lose their job. I hope that you will only look for a job when you are ready, and that you have a job while looking for your next job. I think that is the best scenario.

This post is for those who for whatever reason are unemployed and are on a search for a job.

I have written some suggestions for actions while unemployed, actions that I myself have taken in the 19 days I have been unemployed. I though that with this blog post I would write about simple actions one can take that will benefit them during the search. A lot of these ideas came from friends of mine in the first day or so of being laid off.

To bring you up to date with my job search, I am currently considering an unofficial job offer. It will be official when I receive the offer letter which I have been told will come later this week. I have two more interviews coming up. I have sent out 19 resumes to date.

Here are some of my suggestions:

Create a list of friends and colleagues who can help get the word out about your job search.  Email them as a group frequently to keep them posted on your search.

Create a "job search" file on your computer or on a disc. In this file keep your resume, a sample of a cover letter you love, a salary history and a list of references.

On my list of references I have seven people, their addresses, phone number and email. As I send a resume package I choose which three would be best for the position I am applying for.

Send your resume as a PDF. A dear friend taught me this, and she also professionally edited my resume. What I do now is create one document that includes everything the employer has asked for, make it a PDF and then send that one PDF document to them. Most folks attach several documents that the employer has to print out which can become quite a task. Having to print just one makes it a lot easier.

Keep tweaking your cover letter. Some of the basics can be kept in each one you send out but make sure every cover letter that you send is very specific to the agency to which you are applying. Give them very clear details as to why you are the one, details that may not be covered in your resume. Remember that they are most likely reading a ton of cover letters. Yours needs to stick out!

Network Network Network. I have been happily surprised by all of the support, ideas and encouragement that I have received from people I am connected with on LinkedIn. Networking with all of these folks has definitely helped me in my search. I have learned a lot from them and been able to pass along ideas to get feedback. If you are not on LinkedIn get on now. If you are on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is up to date and that anything on LinkedIn matches what is on your resume.

Unemployment benefits. I applied for unemployment about 15 minutes after being laid off. I had already researched how to do it as the feeling was in the air that I might be laid off. It takes ten minutes to do and that starts the process. I bring this up because yesterday I was approved, day 19 of being unemployed. So it takes time.

Because of that, have some cash in savings. We all hear, and hear it often. Have an emergency savings account. It will make a HUGE difference when hearing the words that you are being lad off. Having a little cash aside makes the job search a whole lot less stressful. Even just putting in $25 a pay period will make a difference over time.

Stay positive. Grab coffee with people who adore you. Accept the lunch or dinner invite. Keep your inner circle posted and love on yourself.

More to come. Thank you for reading!

Two weeks unemployed

I have been counting the days since I was laid off, mainly as a reminder to myself. The day I was laid off I wasn't thinking about how long I would be unemployed. I figured I didn't want to find any job, that I wanted to find the job. As a good friend put it, I didn't want a "rebound" job.

Two weeks unemployed and I have had some good results:

Two interviews

One interview coming up next week

16 resumes out

Over a dozen lunches/coffees with friends to talk about work

Applied for jobs I would not have even known about or considered had I not been laid off

Started to think about an out-of-the-box job that might include some consulting, some development work and some writing

Applied for jobs in San Diego

Spent great time with a dear friend

Have been reminded how much love and support is out there for me

With much support, am writing awesome cover letters

I'm not sure what the next two weeks will bring. As centered as I am being unemployed and working hard to find a job, I don't want to be here for a long time. I have loved the idea of doing something on my own. A lot of folks are doing consulting, filling in, headhunting,etc. Perhaps I could do something like that?

For the many of you who have supported me, given me an idea, spent time with me, connected with me on LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter or Facebook, helped me with my cover letters or supported me in any other way, thank you. I am deeply grateful. As have been said to me many times, I believe that things happen for a reason and I know that there is an agency out there prime for a big dose of Dan Hanley.

Thank you for reading!

Cover letter example

 I am in day 12 of being unemployed and hoping to get in front of more possible job options this week. I have written many cover letters to date and have gotten some great feedback. With this post I would like to share one that I have used in the hopes that I can make my cover letters stronger. I would be thrilled to get your feedback, either in a comment or emailed to me at fundraisingdan@gmail.com

This cover letter has a generic Employer and I took out the name of the agency.

 

Dear Employer:

I am ecstatic to apply for the position of Executive Director.

My experience from several non-profit Director of Development positions, hotel sales positions as well as time in the US Navy and work with many diverse communities have brought me to a place in which I thrive in building relationships throughout many communities and believe that I excel in relationship building and partnership building.

I read position details and qualifications and have experience in all of the categories. I have worked with several Boards of Directors and have had great success in working with specific board members in becoming more active within the mission. I have managed staff and teams from three to seventeen people and have always succeeded in helping create a work environment that is positive and productive. I excel in the entire fundraising category and am in bliss when building relationships that become the core of a fundraising plan. I have written budgets, cut spending and can work closely with a team to look at a five-year or more budget plan. I also thrive in community relations and have worked in several diverse communities. I believe that collaboration is one of the keys to successful relationship building and fundraising.

I am a proven fundraiser and have many good relationships in the Boulder area. I have had success in creating and supporting a more positive and productive workplace. This would be my first Executive Director position and I feel I could bring a lot to____ from all of my past experiences. My personality is one that allows me to be just as comfortable speaking with clients as I am at a Chamber event, with a major donor or at the state capitol.

I bring a history of non-profit successes, community building, engagement with diverse communities and a personality and attitude that remains positive and energetic in any situation. I have spent most of my life working in human rights and trying to make the world a better place for all living beings. Working with ____ would be the perfect match.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

Dan Hanley

fundraisingdan@gmail.com

Thank you for reading!

Actively seeking employment

For those who are reading my blog for the first time: Having been recently laid off, I decided to stop writing about fundraising and to write about the process of being unemployed. It's a new experience for me and my hope is to help others who might have to go through this process some day.

Day 10. It's a beautiful in Lakewood, Colorado and being that it is a Sunday I am only going to spend a little time on the job search today.

I have realized that it is important to create boundaries around the job search. It's sort of like working from home. At 5pm, your day is done and it's family time. In the past ten days since I was laid off I have not done well with boundaries. I have worked on my job search anywhere from 4:30am through 11pm at night. In the past couple of days I have gotten better at the search and with boundaries and this is how:

During the week I get up early just as I would if I were going to work. I respond to emails, look at all of the job posting sites I have bookmarked and tweak some cover letters.

If I work on the job search during the weekend I have specific goals and specific amounts of time.

If I am going out for coffee or lunch with a friend or a colleague, I dress as if I am going to meet a donor. Not a full suit and tie, but business casual for sure (which I might ad in the Denver area is probably a little more casual than on the east coast).

I have a more clear idea of what I want in my next job. Not necessarily who I want to work with/for rather what the benefit package, including salary, looks like. As I am looking in Denver and San Diego, I have different thoughts for each place, knowing that the cost of living is higher in San Diego. 

In our social life, I have decided not to make my being laid off the main story of what is talked about. With my inner circle it can be, especially when I feel I need more emotional support. Yet out and about I am trying to focus on everyday life and remembering how awesome of a life I have, employed or not.

More to come. I am very grateful that you are reading my blog posts. My email is fundraisingdan@gmail.com I would love your feedback, especially if you have been unemployed or are hiring!

Getting laid off

At 46, I realize that I have been beyond fortunate in employment. I have loved my jobs, never been unemployed and rarely had to look for a job. Usually I would get a call from an organization interested in me and go from from there.

This past week I was laid off. In my professional life I am a fundraiser, a Director of Development. I had rocked it for almost two years at our local opera company. Loved my job. After a very tough year in fundraising my boss decided that cutting back would begin with me.

I wasn't surprised. Life had become dark at work in the past couple of weeks. A lot of closed door meetings and no communication at all.

When my boss called me down to his office and I walked in to see him and our Human Resources guy, I was honestly relieved. He told me his story of why, my HR guy gave me some paperwork and I headed back to my office. Tears were shed by some of my peers. I was grateful for their kindness and support, and for helping me move out of my office!

So I guess you can take this blog post as a resume, as part of my job search.

In the last couple days I have applied for seven jobs, had one interview and have another interview tomorrow. I keep tweeking my resume and continually working on cover letters that do a great introduction of who I am and what I can bring to an organization.  I have been on LinkedIn, Indeed.com, Colorado Association of Non-Profits, Idealist.org, several arts websites, Andrew Hudson's job list and have followed up on leads from many friends.

I have seen a couple of jobs that excite me. Is this the time to start looking at an Executive Director position? Perhaps it's finally that time and opportunity to move to San Diego? Become a consultant? As my friends and professional colleagues continue to remind me, the possibilities are endless.

It's Sunday so I am going to take the rest of the day off and enjoy my family and friends. Thank you for reading this and I would be grateful for any leads or suggestions. My twitter name is @FundraiserDan and my LinkedIn account under Dan Hanley in the Greater Denver area (I couldn't figure out how to link it here!).