Charity Hiring Practices

Q. I come from a corporate background where I hired numerous employees. I’m now looking at moving into the nonprofit world and am appalled by how poorly charities handle the hiring process. I had interviews with two different nonprofit groups that each brought in about 25 candidates for the first round of interviews. One of these groups, the local office of a national charity, never told the candidates who had been selected. Another organization breached confidentiality by sending a generic, e-mail rejection letter to about 100 people –complete with each applicant’s full name and e-mail address. Why don’t charities understand they are losing potential donors and volunteers when they mishandle the hiring process?

A. “Give yourself a gold star for your own professional procedures and open your eyes to the way the rest of the world operates,” says Lois Lindauer, a recruiter in Boston who works with nonprofit clients. Budget restrictions and understaffing can often result in less-than-ideal recruiting practices at many for-profit as well as nonprofit employers, she says. Nonetheless, she says, there is no excuse for breaching confidentiality, ever. To protect yourself, she says, “If your spirit is undaunted and you are still interested in pursuing a position in the nonprofit sector, I suggest you add a bold ‘confidential’ on your cover letter.”

At the root of the problems you’ve encountered is the fact that many nonprofit organizations, especially smaller ones, do not have a designated human-resources manager, so the recruitment task often goes to someone with little knowledge of hiring etiquette, explains Laura Gassner Otting, president of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, in Newton, Mass., which offers consulting services to both nonprofit job seekers and charities. To be sure that you aren’t treated poorly in the future, take some initiative, she advises.

“Unless the job announcement specifically demands that no phone calls be made,” she says, “you should pick up the phone to follow up on your application.”

Also, when you have completed the interview process — assuming you got that far — you should ask about the next steps of the process, so that you will have an idea of when you’ll learn the verdict.

As for employers, she suggests they should be realistic about their capacity to conduct a large search process. If the group doesn’t have the staff members to devote to the task, hiring a recruiter or consultant may provide needed help. If, however, the charity does have the capacity to handle the search itself, Ms. Otting suggests setting up a system to oversee the likely flood of résumés. Begin with two form letters, one for candidates to be interviewed and the other for those not qualified.

“Having a system in place early on will alleviate the strain of rushing out late responses and help the organization focus on the candidates that have promise,” she says. “This good communication should be carried throughout the process, keeping candidates informed of their status, lest you lose them to someone else, or turn off someone who could have been a future hire, volunteer, or donor.”

Q. I am an associate director of development at a nonprofit organization, but I would ultimately like to work as a philanthropic adviser. What is the best way to make the transition from fund raising and how can I prepare for this change over the next two years?

A. The first thing you should know is that securing a job as a philanthropy adviser is not easy and is likely to take longer than two years, says Penny Fujiko Willgerodt, vice president of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, in New York. Your experience in fund raising will be helpful as it will demonstrate an understanding of the nonprofit field, she notes, but having grant-making experience is usually considered a requirement in the field you hope to enter. So she recommends that you first try to make a move into the grant-making world. To shift gears, she says, start building your professional network. “Foundation contacts and donor friends can keep their eyes and ears open,” Ms. Willgerodt says. They may also be able to suggest when you need further education to reach your goals, and what kind.

She also suggests contacting your local regional association of grant makers to learn if they offer any public workshops on careers in philanthropy. Visit the Giving Forum’s Regional Association Locator to find the association nearest you.

To help you make contacts, you might also consider joining professional groups that are focused on philanthropy. For instance, membership in the National Committee on Planned Giving is open to individuals whose work or interests include developing, marketing, or administering charitable planned gifts. Your fund-raising background would probably qualify you.

King McGlaughon, professor of philanthropic studies at the American College, in Bryn Mawr, Penn., recommends learning as much as possible over the next two years about the tools of the trade.

“As an associate director of development, I assume that you’ve had significant experience in annual and major-gift fund raising,” he says. “But in order to present yourself as a competent philanthropic adviser in an increasingly crowded field, you will also need experience and knowledge of major planned-gift vehicles and planned-giving strategies beyond current gifts, such as deferred and multigenerational gifts.” Educational courses may help you prepare. American College, for instance, offers a graduate-level chartered adviser in philanthropy certification.

For more information, check out the resources offered by the Baltimore Giving Project, an organization devoted to increasing philanthropic giving in the Baltimore area. Its Web site includes “The Art of Charitable Planning,” a free report available for download. The National Center for Family Philanthropy also offers information on becoming an adviser: Click on “Advisor’s Role” on the left-hand side of the Web site’s front page and you will be led to numerous free resources.

Q. I recently graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in business, and I’m currently working in the contracts and grants office of my university. I’m seeking further education –either a degree or a certificate program –that would prepare me for a career in fund raising. What programs are currently available and how are those programs regarded in the field?

A. You are certainly starting out on the right track, says John D. Sellars, senior vice president for institutional advancement at Syracuse University. Getting a bachelor’s degree in business is good preparation for a job in fund raising, he says, and the experience you’re getting in the contracts and grants office provides you with background that potential employers may find attractive. Mr. Sellars also recommends that you list on your résumé any work experience in sales or volunteer work in fund raising, as those things will help you stand out. Certainly getting an advanced degree is always a good idea, especially as you move up in the profession, but Mr. Sellars says that the degree does not necessarily need to be in philanthropy.

“I have people in my office with advanced degrees in education, business, public administration, communications, and divinity,” he says. “Whatever specialized education you’ll need for working in a particular development office will most likely be provided to you on the job.”

If you do decide to go for an advanced degree in philanthropy, you’ll want to read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s special issue on graduate nonprofit-management programs, available in January, which will offer some insight into the variety of programs available. In the meantime, visit the comprehensive guide to graduate, continuing education, and noncredit offerings compiled by a Seton Hall University researcher, Roseanne M. Mirabella. Click on “nonprofit management education research” to access the listings.

When choosing a program, look for one that relies on faculty members with extensive work experience in fund raising, because their contacts outside academe may eventually help you land a job, says Steven DiSalvo, executive vice president of Junior Achievement of New York, who has also run capital campaigns for both Fordham University, in New York, and Fairfield University, in Connecticut.

As for certificate and continuing-education programs, many professional associations offer such courses, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. (See this previous Philanthropy Careers article on the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential.) The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, in Indianapolis, offers a certificate in fund-raising management through its Fund Raising School. The center also sponsors a five-day seminar on fund-raising basics offered in several cities throughout the country that could provide you with a solid foundation. Also, the Certified Fund Raising Executive International Web site can direct you to information about other continuing-education classes as well as a comprehensive list of books about entering the fund-raising profession.

Ultimately, while certificate programs and advanced degrees may provide you with formal training, on-the-job experience can be your most valuable asset, says Teri Rukenbrod, senior vice president of development at the Children’s Miracle Network, in Salt Lake City. She says that her organization has a few entry-level positions in which college graduates manage small-scale projects and work alongside experienced fund raisers, who act as mentors.

“They develop their skills,” she says, “and when opportunities for greater responsibility become available, they are more than ready to step into those roles.”

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