Answers to Readers’ Questions About What to Do When a Donor’s Check Bounces, Fighting the ‘Overqualified’ Label, and More

HOTLINE

By Rebecca Gardyn

The Chronicle’s Philanthropy Careers section asks its readers to submit questions about job hunting, recruiting, and management challenges in the nonprofit world. In our monthly advice column, we respond to some of those inquiries with tips about resources and wisdom from experts in the field.

Q. I am a fund raiser for an arts organization. We recently received a donation check that bounced. We are trying to find the most tactful and appropriate way to write to the donor regarding this sensitive issue. Do you have any suggestions for wording or language, and any other advice to resolve this problem?

A. Before you put pen to paper, take a step back and assume the best-case scenario — that the check was written and sent to you in good faith, says Gary Bernstein, executive director of Wingspan Arts, a New York charity that provides arts-education programs for grade school students. It is very possible that the donor’s bank, or your bank, simply made an error. Or it could be that the donor inadvertently planned poorly in arranging to have the funds available to cover the check.

Either way, the situation could be potentially embarrassing to the donor, so tread cautiously. Sending a letter, no matter how well it is written, is a very impersonal approach that could possibly be read as an accusation, says Mr. Bernstein. The last thing you want to do is alienate a donor who cares about and supports your organization. Instead, have someone within your organization — ideally, someone who knows the individual personally — place a phone call, says Mr. Bernstein. If the donor’s gift is very large, have your board president or another board member make the call, he suggests.

Whoever does the calling should be forthright and give the donor the benefit of the doubt, says Mr. Bernstein. “Mention that you greatly appreciate his or her generous donation but that you were notified by your bank that there was a problem collecting the funds from their bank,” he says. Say something like, “Not to worry, we know these things happen,” and suggest that a quick phone call from the donor to the bank should clear it up so the check can be resubmitted. Or, Mr. Bernstein says, ask whether it might be easier for the donor to supply a credit-card number so that the donation can be charged instead.

However, if the donor is not responsive or becomes hostile during the call, it is probably best to drop the matter, says Mr. Bernstein. “Thank them for their time and just hang up,” he suggests. “I would not recommend a follow-up letter, but I would continue to keep them on your contact list and see what happens over time.”

If the matter is resolved positively — and chances are, it will be — follow up by sending the donor a personal note that reiterates your appreciation of their support and apologizes for any inconvenience, says Mr. Bernstein.

“The bottom line is that, in most cases, bounced checks are honest mistakes that we have all experienced,” he says. “The personal touch should help you get through it successfully and maintain a loyal donor to your organization.”

Q. I succumbed to the voices that said “join corporate America to make enough money to live a good life.” Now, four years into my career as a consultant, I have found nothing but emptiness. But I’m only 26, so it’s not too late to make a drastic career change. I would love to work for a group that does child-protection work, or works on educational or environmental issues. For more than a year, I’ve been looking for such a job, but employers either tell me I’m overqualified or dismiss me as a do-gooder seeking to escape the corporate world. Can you offer me some practical advice?

A. It may well be that employers are dismissing you as “overqualified” because you are unintentionally presenting yourself that way in your résumé, says Karen Alphonse, a senior consultant at ExecSearches.com, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Ms. Alphonse, who specializes in filling nonprofit jobs, says employers tend to call candidates “overqualified” when their résumés include every credential and experience they have ever had, or when it includes information that is slightly, but not directly, relevant to the job being filled.

“If you are applying for a job that requires fund-raising experience, for example, you may want to downplay other related financial skills you have which deal with non-fund-raising activities,” she says. Similarly, you may want to omit your publications, speaking engagements, or travel abroad, particularly if these activities do not match clearly and directly with the skills being sought, she says. “In a few instances, I have advised applicants to exclude an irrelevant master’s degree or doctoral program,” says Ms. Alphonse. “If it does not directly point to your ability to perform a precise role at the organization, less is more.”

However, she cautions, “overqualified” can also sometimes be an employer’s code for “lack of fit.” If your résumé shows very little or no past involvement with charitable organizations, it makes sense that employers would question your sudden desire to join the staff of a charity. The best way to combat their skepticism is to increase your involvement in volunteer and community activities and note that involvement on your résumé, she says. “This will make the point that you are sincerely committed to public-sector work and will diminish, if not eliminate, the prospective employer’s tendency to dismiss your application,” she says.

You might also try focusing your job hunt more narrowly. Find out which nonprofit organizations have a history of hiring from the corporate world by consulting the biographies of the key staff members listed on charities’ Web sites or by asking friends and acquaintances if they have contacts at the organization, suggests Ms. Alphonse. “Targeting first those charities that you know have already hired people with for-profit experience may increase your chances of getting an interview,” she says. “Those who have already made the transition from the corporate to the nonprofit sector will better understand your desire to contribute.”

Once you secure an interview and have your foot in the door, keep it there by discussing how your accomplishments, skills, and experiences as a consultant will specifically benefit the organization, says Patricia A. Hvidston, vice president for development and external relations at the College of St. Catherine, in St. Paul, who previously worked as an independent financial consultant as well as in senior positions at several for-profit companies. You might discuss, for instance, how you, with your consulting experience, could lead new programs and practices at the charity. “As an example, current legislation in Congress may require not-for-profits to adhere to Sarbanes-Oxley principles,” says Ms. Hvidston, referring to the 2002 federal statue designed to make companies more accountable. “And even if this doesn’t become law, the trend will likely drive not-for-profits to begin to utilize these tenets. If you can explain to an organization how you would help them make that transition, that would be very impressive.”

Q. I recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international business, and got accepted to a master’s program to study marketing at a business school in Ireland. As part of my degree program, I’ll be working as a marketing adviser for Irish companies, carrying out research and developing marketing plans. I want to pursue a career in marketing for nonprofit organizations, and I’m wondering: Will this master’s degree, with its emphasis on for-profit companies, help or hinder me in my intended nonprofit career?

A. Since you already know that you want to have a career in nonprofit marketing, attaining a master’s degree focusing on for-profit work is not the most direct route to your goal, says Omar Odeh, director of marketing and publications at American University of Beirut, in Lebanon. Given your objective, you might be better off jumping in and taking a job with a charity so that you get some experience, he says.

However, additional education in marketing certainly will not hurt you when you eventually decide to make your move into full-time nonprofit work, adds Mr. Odeh, who previously worked in marketing for several for-profit companies in the United States. Many nonprofit organizations today, he says, require their employees to have a broader understanding of commercial disciplines, such as business development, finance, and organizational behavior, because the strategies used in for-profit and nonprofit marketing are quite similar. In fact, there are arguably more differences between marketing for different types of charities than there are between marketing for for-profit and nonprofit entities, he says.

“All marketers, whether they are working for a for-profit or a nonprofit organization, must know their customer segments, competitors, fundamental market drivers, and core differentiators in order to communicate a compelling story,” he says. “Many essential skills learned in one environment are transferable to a number of different areas. The key is to remain versatile with respect to how you apply your skills and knowledge from one environment to another. Ultimately, it will be up to you to articulate to potential nonprofit employers how you will translate your for-profit skills and experience into ways that will advance their interests.”

The fact that the program in Ireland will add some hands-on international experience to your résumé may also be a selling point with particular nonprofit employers, says Kristin Mannion, the senior client partner in the Washington office of Korn/Ferry International, who specializes in recruiting for nonprofit organizations in the United States and abroad. Indeed, she says, many nonprofit executives today are increasingly looking to hire individuals who mix academic training with a current understanding of global issues that may affect their organizations’ missions.

This is particularly true among charities that conduct or support programs internationally, such as CARE, Unicef, the American Red Cross, and other international development and relief organizations, adds Ms. Mannion.

Meanwhile, during your time abroad, do some research and see if you can find a few nonprofit groups in Ireland that might be interested in forming profit-nonprofit partnerships with one or more of the companies you will be working with, suggests Rozanne Weissman, director of communications and marketing for the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit organization in Washington that promotes energy efficiency. Her organization is currently involved in such a partnership with Procter & Gamble. “If you pitch the idea and it works out,” she says, “you could bring funding or important for-profit relationships to the nonprofit and valuable third-party credibility to the for-profit company — and, at the same time, bolster your résumé for future nonprofit work.”

Got a question about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world? Send it to us at hotline@philanthropy.com.