Minneapolis

Last night was long, the next few days might be even longer. Officials say that on top of the four to seven (depending on where you look) people already confirmed dead, many of the 20 to 30 people still missing may very well be bridge collapse victims, too. And it could take three days or more to pull apart the smashed cars and concrete and mangled metal to find them.

I was lucky: I was grabbing a drink with some coworkers, my boyfriend was at work, most of my friends called or texted I'm-OK! messages within an hour or two. And - thank God - I got my parents on the phone before they flipped on the news and had heart attacks.

But it's still weird. There's this sort of eerie feeling floating around, and everyone's telling their close-call stories around the water cooler. It was a freak accident, and there's nothing anyone can do to undo what happened - and or even to do at this point. The Twin Cities Red Cross is asking for donations of blood and money; other than that, the area is blocked off and recovery workers are doing their best to fend extra people off.

Please keep Minneapolis in your thoughts.

Master the master's

I know it seems early, but I can't help but think about grad school lately. And really, it's not that early. In a year, I'll be done with my VISTA service (which means I need a plan). In five months or less, grad school applications will be due (which means I have to work on them.). In two months, I should have aced the GRE (which means one thing: studying). That puts me at today, which implies I should definitely be thinking.

Grad school is not a no-brainer for me. There's a chance I won't go now, or ever. You can easily work in the nonprofit industry without a master's, and you could very well do it for your whole life. But I don’t want to hit any walls, to really really really want to design or tweak or run a program and find myself unqualified…and cause a two-year delay in the process.

There are many master’s degrees applicable to nonprofits; it’s up to you what you want: general or specific, intense or a little more relaxed, business, management, programming, issues.

Check out some of your options at Idealist.org. Public affairs, public policy, international relations or development, urban planning, public health (where I’m leaning), social work, education? It’s up to you.

All hands on deck

Interning and volunteering at nonprofits in the past, I learned well the all-hands-on-deck phenomenon when something big's gotta happen, and it's no one in particular's job to get it done. Or it's just not a one-woman job and totally doesn't fall under anyone else's job description.

Surprise! It happens when you're a bona fide employee, too.

Today at MIHV, three of us spent the entire (and I mean entire) day printing, copying, renumbering, collating, binding, FedExing and stressing out about six copies of a 770-page report worth a good couple million bucks from USAID for our child survival project in Tanzania.

All I kept thinking: "Man, we need some INTERNS!" And then I realized it wasn't very long ago at all that I was an intern myself, cursing the grunt work under my breath. But when I really think about it, I - across the board - had amazing internship experiences. Never, when I was slaving away stuffing envelopes for the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, for example, was I doing it alone. Along the assembly line were other interns, program managers, researchers, department heads, the organization's directors.

In nonprofits, it comes down to one thing: It has to get done, no matter whose job it is. And if you just keep thinking about how the little crap-work fits into the bigger picture (helping children and mothers in East Africa), it makes it a lot better. All-hands-on-deck situations also give you a break from your day-to-day routine and a chance to bond with your coworkers. Sure, sometimes that means speeding through downtown to get stuff bound/ordered/packed/shipped before the final FedEx cutoff so your report is sitting on some important person's desk when he or she walks in in the morning, but oh well. At the very least it's a rush.

The secret to world peace? T-shirts.

I've tried to define "social entrepreneurship" in dictionary-esque fashion - and I've failed miserably. Luckily I found a 16-year-old who defines it by example.

I'm not even going to attempt to summarize this for you because it's that cool. Hint: It helps the environment, workers and world politics, and it's called T-shirts might solve Middle East peace. Enjoy!

Someone needs a time out

We love hearing nonprofit success stories - they're often what makes the long-hours-tiny-pay thing worth it - but there's bad stuff out there, too. And I hate to be a downer, but it's important to think about. So we never do it, of course.

One of the perks of being a nonprofit is the tax breaks, but that doesn't mean they're totally off the hook. A government accountability group says nonprofits - 55,000 of them - skipped out on more than $1 billion in employment and other taxes. Even worse: More than a thousand of the groups were recipients of federal grants, totaling $14 billion.

The most common cheating?
"...inflated valuation of non-cash donations, charities that are established primarily to benefit a single donor, abusive donor-advised-fund arrangements, the blurring of the line between tax-exempt and commercial activities, excessive compensation, and improper political activities."

The first day

You know it's a good first day when you're back home, taking your heels off in your apartment at 2pm. Whew. But, you know, that's really all the time it took for me to realize I made the perfect choice by doing VISTA and especially by choosing to do it at Minnesota International Health Volunteers.

Clearly not much happened in the five hours I spent at "work," but it was good.The other VISTA and I sat down with the executive director to talk about the organization and its history and about some of the things she envisions us working on for the next year. Then our supervisor gave us a tour of the office, showed us where things are and what we need and gave us some tips on fun things to check out of our little resource library. For lunch, the staff had a welcome potluck picnic thing in our honor - too cute. Because almost have of the staff are Somali, I got to eat all kinds of different food.

After lunch, all of the VISTAs in the refugee and immigrant resource network (a handful of nonprofits in the Twin Cities that serve immigrant/refugee populations) got together with our VISTA supervisor and VISTA leader to talk logistics - trainings, events, reporting, vacation days. And then it was almost two, and I had strict instructions from my supervisor: "Don't come back!" But I think that was a good sign. :)

Anyway, I promise to stop talking about myself incessantly starting tomorrow. I'm so excited about this new job, but I realize not everyone is as ecstatic as I am. So I'll try to return to the days when I actually told you about what's going on the nonprofit world and how that might affect you.

Can't promise you won't get some personal updates now and then, though.

Go time

It's hard to believe, but I successfully applied and was hired for a job, made some tough decisions, killed two months of summer and went through four days of training.

And now it's go time. Tomorrow marks my official first day - of work, of the real world. As can be expected, I'm a little nervous that I won't live up to the expectations my organization has set for me. But excitement is definitely the prevailing feeling.

To ease those few nerves, though - and to help out anyone else just getting started - I figured I'd check with the experts to see what in the world I'm supposed to do tomorrow morning when I walk into my (!) office, ready to go.

Check out what QuintCareers.com has to say:

Your First Days Working at a New Job: 20 Tips to Help You Make a Great Impression

PSO: Fourth and final day

Whew. It was good, but I'm glad it's over. It's amazing how exhausting it is to get a free trip to Chicago, learn a bunch of stuff and be fed ten times a day.

The last day of orientation was good. A quick discussion of the civil rights and responsibilities of a VISTA, then we chose breakout sessions that fit our positions. I think my job will span a little bit of everything, so picked one...and got my second choice, which, in retrospect, was probably better anyway. It was about resource mobilization, and we more or less talked about asking people for things - money, time, stuff, recognition. I don't think that will be my primary duty, but a nonprofit's a nonprofit, and asking for stuff is always happening somewhere. In the session, I worked for a nonprofit organizing a pancake breakfast as a fundraiser, so naturally, I had to ask a wood carving business for in-kind donations. A little off the wall, but probably helpful.

After that, I took a very official-sounding oath and became a real live AmeriCorps VISTA. Ta-da! Next on the agenda: A LOT of relaxing before it all begins on Monday.

PSO: Day Three

OK, so it went downhill a little today, probably because a) the stuff we talked about wasn't as conducive to hands-on activities (of course that didn't stop them from making us do them), b) it was my third day in a row of being awake in the 7:00am hour, and/or c) going out in Chicago last night was a little more fun than AmeriCorps may have intended. The day went quickly, though, and I'll definitely walk away with a few good-to-know pieces of info.

This morning, we took apart our project plans and really tried to figure out what we'll be doing and how we'll do it. We're being extremely encouraged to seek out any type of training that we might want or need for our VISTA positions or for our professional goals for the future; VISTA has money set aside to award training grants to members. We tried to identify our skills and the areas we need to improve upon and the resources that will help us do that.

We also had a marathon session on culture/organizational culture and entering the workplace, which was so-so. Our organizations and projects are so different that it's difficult to talk about anything specific, but also difficult to generalize about stuff like that. And the hands-on thing? Didn't exactly work. By the last hour of the day, we had completely lost it.

In between parts one and two of that session was a big-group talk about VISTA logistics. Pretty straightforward for the most part: We're not makin' much money, we can't have outside jobs and we can put school loans into forbearance. I did learn one nice thing, though. I'll be reimbursed for moving expenses (security deposit on my apartment, utility hookup, etc.) and mileage moving my stuff from New York. It's not going to change my positioning well below the poverty line, but it should help fill the recent hole in my bank account a little.

Three days down, one to go!

PSO: Day Two

Guess what. Waiting for me at check-in yesterday was - as promised - a size large (even a small would have been too big) gray polo shirt with an embroidered AmeriCorps seal.

The predictable ended there.

Much to my surprise, I've actually had a great time the past two days. Sure, there have been a couple of near-dozes in the middle of sessions, and yes, there are certainly ice breakers. But Cracker-Jack-and-soft-pretzel breaks dot the training sessions and the forced mingling hasn't been too bad. And you know, I think I might be learning some stuff.

Yesterday was pretty straight forward. After hours of airport trouble (for an hour-long flight), I got to the hotel near O'Hare and checked in, filled out some paperwork for travel reimbursement and program stuff and settled into the room I'm sharing with another VISTA who'll also be working in the refugee and immigrant resource network that my organization fits under. Dinner was nice - Thanksgiving style - and our single session about the history and mission of VISTA was waaay more interesting than I thought it would be. After a walk around the area and a single margarita, I was ready to crash.

Today, after briefly going over some more VISTA stuff, we dove into poverty - the definition, the causes, the solutions. Theory, theory, theory. But I was shocked that we actually applied it to what we'll be doing! The sessions were discussion- and activity-based, and focused on how the information we're taking in will be helpful for us in our year of service. It really was good.

But the best thing about PSO is definitely the people. It's really quite amazing to sit in a room with 100 people who all want to do - and will be doing - more or less the same thing. Some are middle-class recent college grads. Some are adults who decided to do service after 20-year careers. Some are poor themselves, or have lived a substantial part of their lives in poverty. Some are refugees and immigrants enlisting to help their own communities. There are so many different cultures and backgrounds and walks of life, it's great. The poverty discussions were definitely enriched by this, and by the fact that our interests and passions are similar. I couldn't help but think back to awful college classes where the professor would ask a question and be met with a silent room, group work that was like pulling teeth. But here, when asked a question about poverty, we all jump on it. We can hardly wait to get our assignment before talking with our groups. Call us nerds, but I love it.

Tonight: heading into Chicago for some fun.

Tomorrow: tackling the solid stuff. Our project plans and what in the world we do when we walk into our offices on Monday.

Friday: job-specific training, wrap-up and the infamous swearing-in ceremony. And probably more airport trouble.

Stay tuned!

PSO or bust

Well, my bags are packed and my ETD to the airport is 15 minutes. That's right, it's time for the infamous AmeriCorps VISTA pre-service orientation. I've heard rumors, and let me tell you, they're brutal. (They may or may not involve oversize gray polo shirts and the human knot game.) Anyway, I'm taking my trusty laptop with me and should have internet access, so I'll do my best to keep you feeling like you're at VISTA PSO...for better and for worse.

Oldies but goodies

The baby boomers are gettin' old, and before we know it, they'll be retired. And bored. Volunteerism is a meaningful way for many retirees to keep busy - and it's become trendy, too. But in that, it's come perhaps even more meaningful.

In fact, some retirees decide not to give an hour or an afternoon a week, but to treat their volunteerism as their job.

I have a title, a business card, regular hours, and an office. I report directly to the executive director.

My salary? Zero.

Fulfillment, though? I would guess a lot.

Moving, Part Two

OK, you've got the big stuff taken care of and sort of have a new home. But there are some other things to think about, too - and unless you lucked out big time (I certainly didn't), they're going to have to happen on a budget.

• Buns (or abs, or pecs, or whatever else) of steel. Most of us are used to having a free, state-of-the-art college fitness center at our disposal to pop into in between classes or when everyone's still sleeping on a Sunday morning. In the Real World, between work stress, getting into a routine and, of course, the money factor, often times the gym's the first to go. Don't let it. The freshman 15 can just as well happen when you're in your 20s - and working out is a great way to relieve stress. Shop around for the best deals; lots of gyms have promotions for new members. And your local YMCA is usually a cheaper choice.

• Something to eat. Eating out is great, especially when you're in a new place with a million new restaurants to choose from. But it's not particularly friendly on your gut or your wallet. Learn to cook - at least something. You can get by on a few staples. I'm a newcomer to the coupon-clipping world, and as nerdy as it is, it's totally worth it. Check out stores that double or triple coupons if you really want to nerd out (and get some good deals). Also look for a nearby farmers market for good, healthy, usually inexpensive produce.

• Um, friends? The meeting-people thing is awkward. Always has been, always will be sorry. The best way I've found to do it is to have no shame; chances are a lot of your potential friends are in the same boat and won't mind. Work the networks you already have. Hang out with your coworkers and sort-of friends from home or school and the sixth cousin your grandma keeps insisting you look up. Eventually they'll bring their own friends along for you to meet, and your circle will grow. Also: Don't be afraid of being a Facebook stalker. It's now a completely acceptable social networking tool, so join your new city's network and check out who's there. I've definitely come across high school friends I haven't talked to since graduation who've ended up in the same place I am.
  

Moving in

I'm (sort of) getting settled into my new apartment...and realizing how many not-so-little errandy things have to happen. I've had apartments before, I've lived alone, but those were a) dorm-like and rented through my college, b) collegy and rented with a group of friends and c) sublets or super-short term with a lot of things already set up. But this time, I'm starting with a blank slate.

Of course the main thing in your head when moving is the apartment. You're not going to forget to sign the lease and pay the deposit. But here are some other biggies to keep in mind:

• Changing your address. Head to the P.O. to get your mail forwarded to your new pad, or do it online for a buck.
• Banking. Check and see whether there's a branch of your bank in your new area, and if so, call them and update your account information and figure out where the closest ATMs are, how to set up direct deposits, how to use their online system and bill pay, etc. If you need to switch banks to one in your new area, ask around, see which has the most convenient locations and get everything set up before you start working.
• Utilities. Do this one early so you don't end up moving in in the dark. Check with your landlord or management company; some take care of setting up electric for you, and most require that you use a specific company. Check out promotions for new customers on cable and internet. And think about the phone thing: Do you really need a land line, or will your cell do?
• Prescriptions. If you're taking any medications, make sure you know what you need to do to get them and where to do it. If you're changing health insurance with a new job, make sure you've got some extra meds for the in-between, figuring-out phase. You may even need to have your prescriptions rewritten by a different provider, so leave time to schedule appointments.

Tomorrow we'll talk Part Two: The Not-Quite-So-Biggies.

Changing gears...in reverse!

My last post was about switching gears, from the nonprofit sector to the for-profit one. This one's about changing gears, too, but in the other direction.

Check out this article called (great title) Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector: Shifting Focus from Bottom Line to a Better World to see how the switch can work the other way, too. It's geared toward people further along in their careers and can definitely serve as a general how-that-could-work overview - but you can also apply some of its advice to your current position. Most people don't major in Nonprofit Stuff in college, and a lot of majors are geared in some way or another toward raking in the dough. From those majors come a ton of the people now chugging away at nonprofits.

Some of the article's tips, adapted for the present:

• Pick a cause, any cause. Example: So you like technology. You majored in something techy. You figured you'd work for a techy company and make lots of money. But now that it seems real, the idea just ain't hackin' it. Think about what else you can do with your tech love. Look for nonprofit organizations that aim to lessen the digital divide by developing innovative technologies, ways to increase access to technology and technology training programs that help all people get on the technology boat. Lesson: Decide what you love, and share it.

• Find an angle. Nonprofits come in a hundred shapes and sizes, and you have to pick the one that fits you. Assess your skills and interests. Would you be more fulfilled doing hands-on, direct service? Or would you prefer big-picture management or policy work? Do you want to be involved in programming, advertising, finances, fundraising? Think about what you have training and experience in (straight-up public relations) and how that could translate to the nonprofit world (doing PR for a community organization).

• Get the scoop on the businessy stuff. Sometimes people who aren't familiar with the nonprofit sector don't realize that most organizations operate in much they same way as their for-profit counterparts. They just don't do it for the money. But the same positions still exist, and the same skills still apply. There are CEOs and CFOs and accountants and analysts and consultants and communications professionals at nonprofits, too, and though their missions are very different, these positions are similar to those at for-profit companies, making for an easy transition.
  

Changing gears

As nice as it would be to dive headfirst into changing the world through nonprofits and never come up for air, as we know, sh*t happens. The salary might not hack it, the hours might not be great, you might just need a change of pace (but of course you'll volunteer in your spare time, right?). Good news is that the nonprofit industry is a good place to start - no matter where you'll end up.

Check out this advice for transitioning into the for-profit world. You'll see that, though a great place to start (and to stay), nonprofit doesn't mean dead end.

Omaha: Jazzing it up

There's nothing like a random road trip - hence why I woke up this morning in a hotel room in Omaha, Nebraska...for no real reason aside from the need to road trip.

There was definitely no planning involved, but Layne and I (see yesterday's post for our amazing watermelon swan) discovered that we got here just in time for the Omaha Riverfront Jazz and Blues Festival. A popular event, organizers could definitely pocket a good chunk of change from ticket sales. Instead? After taking out a little for operating costs, they use all of the proceeds for scholarships - because technically, they are a nonprofit organization.

Sure, you can feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Or you can crank out some music that will serve the greater good.

Happy 4th!

It's a holiday, so I'm giving you permission to relax. Don't worry so much about the nonprofit world today. Hang out with friends and family, grill something.

Or, if you're really creative like my friend Layne and me...

Have the happiest of fourths of Julys!

eBay line up

Did you spend Friday standing in line for an iPhone? (It's OK, you can admit it.) If you happened to be as the SoHo Apple Store, you were behind a very worthy #1.

Nonprofit organization Keep A Child Alive - which fights childhood AIDS in Africa - lined up Tuesday at 7 a.m. to get an iPhone to auction off on eBay, proceeds of course going to charity, the whole thing ideally stirring up some positive PR.

KCA's taking the eBay thing to another level, too. They're grabbing donations from Jimmy Kimmel Live, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Rachel Ray, Six Flags and Netflix.

Move over Britney's bra. There's better stuff on eBay.