7 Signs It's Time to Look for a New Fundraising Job

Over the past year, we've worked with several people who have been in job transition--sometimes by choice, many times not. All of those who were job hunting not by choice were highly qualified, seasoned professionals who were actually accomplishing their goals. In some cases, they were even exceeding the expectations set for them.

So we started thinking--what were the signs that things weren't going to end well? Here are seven red flags:

Your goals are moving targets. As you approach achieving what you're told to do, your manager changes the goal or changes the way your accomplishments so far have been measured. You're set up to never achieve closure on your projects.

No one shows an interest in your work. Yes, they'll glance at your reports, and question your tactics every now and then, but on the whole, they don't seem to think what you do matters. "I don't do fundraising" or "fundraising is not my responsibility" are common refrains among your staff and volunteer leaders.

You can't identify a single person that you work with that you trust and feel is a genuine friend. There may be people you like, and people that you sometimes hang out with, but you can't name anyone that you trust to truly have your back. They won't stand up for you if something goes wrong, especially come budget time. They are also people who talk about your friendship, but you know in your heart that if you went away, they would not just go to lunch with you for fun.

Your ideas don't seem to be valued. Every time you bring up a new strategy or idea, your suggestion is "put on the back burner," never to be seen again. New ideas that you manage to implement are not acknowledged as your idea.

Your organization doesn't invest in your advancement. You don't get promoted or get increased pay or recognition even when others do. You've hit a "glass ceiling" of sorts.

You don't feel like you fit in with the organization's culture. Perhaps you did at one time, but for some reason, on a gut level, you don't feel like you do now. Maybe there was a change in leadership on the staff or board side. Maybe there's a change with your peer group. Maybe there's a change in organizational direction. Whatever the reason, you don't feel like you fit in.

Someone's out to get you. Okay, this last one is rare. But sometimes it's obvious that someone important doesn't like you.

If you have several or all of these red flags, take the time to quantify what you've accomplished at that position, and make them as concrete as possible. Brush up that resume and update your LinkedIn and other online profiles. Rev up the networking machine and talk to your personal supporters. Good luck finding the next job which hopefully will give you the respect and recognition that you deserve!

Five Lessons Learned from Flying a Jetpack

Jim Anderson catching some air at Jetpack America

At GoalBusters, we do crazy things sometimes. One of our latest "you did WHAT?" adventures was flying water powered jetpacks at Jetpack America in San Diego, California.

Here are five lessons from flying a jetpack that can be helpful in everyday life.

Small change can make a big difference.
To navigate the jetpack, the adjustments on the control bars are minuscule. A millimeter of movement can result in dramatic changes in altitude and direction. A comparable example from my recent experience: a donor recently committed to the largest major gift in the history of a small nonprofit organization. Years ago, he started tossing quarters into a large bowl, then depositing that money when the bowl filled. That account, essentially his collection of loose change, funded a significant portion of his gift. Literally, small change!

Forward momentum is critical.
One thing the jetpack instructor wants you to do is maintain forward momentum. If you start to hover, you risk an unplanned back flip (which I almost did)! In daily life, it may feel at times that you're "hovering." Piles everywhere, lists that never get completed. Focus on getting one thing done every day--at least one thing is moving forward!

You need a coach that you can understand.
It's one thing to have a coach; it's another thing to have a coach that you'll actually pay attention to. One of the technical challenges of the jetpack is simply hearing the directions from your instructor--the jetpacks are loud and the helmets are not the best fit. While the instructor tries to coach you through adjustments, sometimes it's hard to hear or understand the terminology, or it's hard to get your brain to process the instructions quickly. When you actually do what the instructor wants you to do, things go really well!

Sometimes the greatest obstacle is fear.
I'm not a strong swimmer. Other than swimming pools, where I stick to the shallow end, I would rather look at water than be in it. Open water is scary to me. The jetpack itself wasn't that scary: it was the part about crashing into the water and not being able to surface that scared me. Logically, I knew they were not going to let me drown, but I was still a bit scared. So when I was airborne, I was tense, worrying about crashing, which made it harder for me to adjust, which made me crash. Whenever I remembered to relax and breathe, I had a much better time with the flight. (It also helped to have a very reassuring instructor.) There are other things I'm afraid of that impact my day to day, but if I remember to relax and breathe, using meditation techniques, it usually works out okay. (Except anything with spiders. Can't relax on that.)

It's a lot of work to make things look easy.
You got to admit--flying the jetpack looks pretty easy, doesn't it? But I was exhausted at the end of a 20 minute flight! This activity is about small muscle "twitch" movements, and way more work than it looks like. So, as is often true in life, things aren't always as easy as they look.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. Jim was incredibly happy with his flight. If you'd like to channel James Bond and try your own flight, go to Jetpack America. (Mention either Jim Anderson or Alice Ferris to get a $50 discount on your first flight.)

And please watch our videos: whoever gets 200 views, gets a free 20 minute flight! And we'd like to go back, so stay tuned for more random lessons....

Manifesto Revisited: Defining Our Core Values

The Holstee Manifesto
http://www.holstee.com/pages/manifesto

On my desk is a frame with the Holstee Manifesto (right). I look at it every day I'm in my office; it's been there for many years now. But even before I was introduced to this document, I created a manifesto of my own.

Years ago, after a particularly frustrating week, I wrote the "GoalBusters Manifesto." We had been doing what a lot of entrepreneurial businesses do in their early days--taking any business that came our way--and I was unhappy. So I decided to write down what we were about.

Jim was chagrined by the initial draft. His reaction was, "Are you sure you want to put this out there?" Some of it, we didn't. With Jim's input, including a very important "Jimism," the manifesto ended up morphing into our philosophy statement, which has appeared on our "about us" page since then.

As our team has grown, however, I started to wonder if this really what we were about. Do our team members have to believe in the same causes we believe in? Does the manifesto still work?

As I discussed various projects with our team, I realized that we have common values:

• We believe in our clients and their causes.
• Fundamentally, the cause always comes first, not personal agendas.
• We treat people with respect and expect others to do the same.
• Being the recipient of a philanthropic gift is a privilege, not a right, and therefore the mission of the organization and the donor's intent must be respected.
• We value loyalty to a cause and to other team members.
• A person's title is less important than a person's contribution to the team.
• Everyone in an organization plays a part in philanthropy.
• We want to make a lasting difference in the culture of an organization and the impact to the community.
• Philanthropy is always about love.

With this in mind, I present the "GoalBusters Manifesto 2.0."

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Our Philosophy (version 2.0)
We work with causes that we personally believe in, because ultimately, we can't fake it. That's also why we work with teams that show mutual respect for one another--because workplaces where people care about each other are generally more productive and more fun to be in.

We work with teams that are passionate--about the cause, about learning, about improving, about making the world a better place--because if you're not committed to your cause, why should anyone else? Charitable organizations must put the mission first, at all times. Personal goals are fine, but not if they conflict with the cause or are put ahead of the needs of the organization.

"Not my job" is not the right answer. Everyone in an organization plays a role in philanthropy: sometimes they just need to be shown where their talents lie.

Fundraising is not about "shoveling coal into a machine." Fundraising is about empowering people to make a lasting impact on their community. It's philanthropy: love of humankind.

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Maybe someday I'll make this all pretty and put it on a coffee mug. For now, it's on the "about us" page. Perhaps it will trigger your own thoughts about what your manifesto is. We look forward to seeing you make a difference.


Thanks to J.C. Patrick and Richard Pirodsky for unintentionally helping me clarify my thoughts. Thanks also to our team, including J.C. Patrick, Annagreta Jacobson, and Elta Foster, for living these values every day. And of course, thanks to Jim Anderson for sticking with this crazy work we call our company. June 13, 2005 was our first day working together, and we never, ever, thought it would last this long or lead to so many interesting connections, challenges, and friendships. Jim, you have done what you set out to do at the end of 2004, "Change minds, change the rules, change lives, change the world." I look forward to more adventures.--Alice