I have just completed my first year as a program officer at a community foundation. Being a new Foundation staff member is really uncharted territory. There isn’t a handbook that tells you how to be an effective program officer and everyone seems to approach his or her position from a different perspective. I’ve made it my personal mission to try to demystify the foundation field for new foundation staff, prospective foundation staff, grant seekers, and most importantly for myself. In that vein, I have developed 6 pieces of advice for those new to the field that I hope makes your entrance into the foundation field a little less hazy.
- Don’t believe the hype- Positions at foundations are few and far between. There was probably a very talented applicant pool for your position and you must be very intelligent and knowledgeable about the nonprofit sector since you were chosen for your position. With that said I can pretty much guarantee that you are not as smart, funny, or as handsome (or pretty) as nonprofit and foundation staff alike may have you believe. Your program ideas are not suddenly brilliant, you are just sharing these ideas with a captive audience. False flattery is an unfortunate by-product of being in a position where you can make decisions about large amounts of money. You can handle this newfound access to wealth with grace and wisdom or you can act like a lottery winner. Please choose wisely.
- Treat grantees with the respect and reverence that they deserve- You get to spend your days with grantees and possible grantees that are the best and brightest of the nonprofit sector. They would make a lot more money if they used their immense talents working in the for profit sector but they are so passionate about the mission of their organizations that they choose to work for. Count yourself among the lucky few that get to spend most of your workday with passionate, idealistic people.
- Expand your professional network- The best ideas come from having a diverse professional network of people that have different opinions and experiences than you do. Join an affinity group of a different racial group, program area, or geographic interest to learn new approaches to issues that you face in your position.
- Get some support- This may be a circle of friends that you can bounce ideas off of, an affinity group like Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, which is designed to provide support and guidance to people new to the field of philanthropy, or a kickball team, where you can burn off some of the stress of your position. Figure out what kind of support would work the best for you and seek it out. If you can’t find that network of support, create your own.
- Never stop learning- The nonprofits that you interact with depend on your access to best practices in the field to improve their own work. Thoroughly read the reports from previous grantees. Are there lessons learned that might be applicable to other organizations that you are working with? Then share that information, within the limits of confidentiality. Scrupulously read about areas that your foundation makes grants in. Read about cities or states with similar demographics as your foundation’s geographic area. Are there any best practices from other locations that might be useful for the work that your foundation or grantees are doing?
- Extend your hand to those that are interested in the field- When you were thinking about entering the field of philanthropy you either had a wonderful mentor that guided you through the process or you wish that you had. Be that mentor to someone else. There are many students and professionals that just need a few minutes of your time to figure out if the foundation field is a good fit for them. Be open to informational interviews, speaking at sessions about the work of program officers, or being a mentor informally or through a program at your alma mater. You may have also noticed that since you have entered the field you now know about position opening that you never would have heard about when you weren’t in the field. Share those opportunities with your network of people that are interested in starting a career in philanthropy.
Now it’s your turn. What advice would you give to new foundation staff?
9 comments:
Years ago the foundation I worked for at the time -- Edna McConnell Clark Foundation -- was the focus of a Harvard Business School case study. The study examined the difficulty then president Michael Bailin faced in remaking the foundation's approach to grantmaking. When the case was presented at Harvard, Bailin was there and took questions from students afterward. One that stands out was from a soon-to-graduate business major who asked,"I've spent the last several years in business school learning the importance of innovation. Yet, the case that was presented on your foundation shows how change resistant foundations are -- even those that purport to want to do business differently. What could possible appeal to someone like me to go to work for a foundation?" Bailin's response: "We need people like you who know how to implement change. You're the ones who will help change how we do business."
While there isn't a "handbook" for being a program officer, the next best thing is the book, The Insider's Guide to GrantMaking by Joel Orosz. Orosz does a nice job of providing an overview of the mechanics of working at a foundation as well as some of the high- and low-points (some of which touch on your points). It won't speak to how every foundation works, but it's a good jumping-off point.
Like you, I've just finished my first year as a program officer at a foundation, and I've actually begun putting together a handbook for our future hires (since I have a bit of a techie background, I'm calling it the Program Officer HOWTO, after the Linux HOWTOs). I'm attempting to take all of the lessons and "aha!" moments that I have as I learn the ropes and put them in one place so others might have an easier time of it.
One thing I've definitely learned as I interact with other foundations around the community and around the country, however, is that no two foundations are alike. The Program Officer HOWTO that I assemble for my foundation will provide little or no insight into how to do the same job at another foundation; we just approach our grantmaking responsibilities differently.
I'm looking forward to seeing more posts on your blog!
Don
Nice to hear the voices of the next generation of philanthropy leaders.
Your "advice" shouldn't be limited to those new to the field, but to those with 5, 10, and 20 years of experience as well.
I look forward to future posts.
I have worked for two family foundations each with unrelated grant programs, for two years. It's often mind-boggling what I need to learn and speak to. I found this job by talking with one of the foundation trustees at a non-profit organization's social function. My goal since the beginning was to be as open as possible with the grantseekers. Since I used to be a grantseeker, I know how hard their jobs are.
Excellent post and I'm looking forward to reading more!!
I'm another foundation newbie, only 7 months in, and your advice is spot on. Especially your second point.
I was lucky enough to be a fundraiser before taking a position at a foundation, most of the other program staff at my foundation haven't been in the grantees shoes. Some have been at the foundation for almost 30 years.
After a while I think they lose touch with what it is like to be the grantee or potential grantee, so I try and remind them. Great blog :)
Fascinating. I'm on the other side - I've worked in non-profit organizations for the last 20 years. Occasionally I daydream about giving money away instead of always asking.
Thank you Trista for the advice in this post. I have found a wealth of inspiring and helpful information as a result of reading your blog. I am in the process of learning as much as I can about Foundations and Philanthropy, as I intend to make a career change into this field. I don't have a "wonderful mentor" as of yet . . . are you available? Is such a question even feasible? (Forgive me, I'm new to blogging as well - I don't know the rules). Might you be available for an informational interview?
Excellent post. I would add:
Tune in to Foundation Power Hour. Learn about foundation and nonprofit governance and learn to sketch out the power dynamics among staff and the board.
Find out where the bucks stop. Learn about the financial side of the field. Ask where the money comes from and how it is invested. It may intrigue you or it may make you barf.
Enjoy wildlife. Get a field guide to spotting sacred cows in the field. Then shoot them.
Moisturize. Buy some lotion cause you will need thick skin to survive.
Listen up. Talk for 10 percent of the time and listen for 90% of the time. We all talk to much.
Holla back. Defy expectations. Return your damn phone calls and emails to applicants.
Celebrate and laugh once in awhile. You get to meet some of the smartest people who are changing the world.
You lucky dawg.
I thought I should post this reponse here as well, instead of just the email that I sent Nina. I am more than willing to talk to people one on one that are interested in starting a career in philanthropy but I would suggest that people post questions that they have about the field on the comments secton of the blog here because I feel like there is a lot more wisdom from the people that read and interact with this blog than I could ever offer and I would also suggest that people contact their local Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) chapter or the national EPIP organization at www.EPIP.org because they can connect you with an emerging philanthropic professional in your specific area of interest.
Best wishes,
Trista
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