The Idealist.org Podcasts

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series.

Today’s guest is Heather Calverase, Executive Director of Teach For America’s Newark, New Jersey region where she is responsible for growing sustainable base of financial, community, and district awareness and support including cultivating and stewarding donations, building strong ties with local school districts, and recruiting corps members.

Prior to her position with Teach For America, Heather worked in the business sector, including nearly a decade with Kaplan, best known for its test preparation books and classes.

Amy Potthast chats with Heather about what is appealing about what Heather brings to the nonprofit sector from her business sector experience, as well as her background on educational issues.

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Listen to more shows in this series.

Today's Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Debbie Bower, Executive Director of Senior Resources Inc., a South Carolina nonprofit that provides seniors services, resources, transportation help, and Meals on Wheels so that they can live healthy and independent lives.

Debbie started her career with a Bachelor's degree in recreational therapy and soon found herself working as an activity director at for-profit and nonprofit assisted living facilities throughout the Midwest. When she relocated to South Carolina, she was drawn to the mission and programs of Senior Resources because the organization allowed her to continue to working with seniors, on issues that matter to their lives. She started there as a volunteer administrator and program director and over the course of many years has worked her way up to the Executive Director position.

Amy Potthast and Debbie talk about the skill sets required to lead an organization; the inspiring nature of nonprofit work and the passion it takes to sustain a career in the sector; what it means to make a difference in the lives of other people through your daily work; and Amy's grandfather who contributes his own poems to other seniors through Senior Resources programs.

Today's Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Elizabeth Droscher, Executive Assistant at Phoenix School. Phoenix School is a nonprofit charter high school in Roseburg, Oregon, whose staff works hard to see students realize their potential and to graduate, by offering alternative learning approaches and opportunities to engage in the community.

As the Executive Assistant, Elizabeth supports the school’s director and its Board, writes grants, builds community partnerships, and coordinates events. She’s honed her communications and planning skills on the job in past county government and business work, as well as in the nonprofit sector.

Amy Potthast and Elizabeth chat about the importance of volunteering in the lives of young people, and the ongoing need for professional development to gain new expertise and expand what you’re capable of doing in a job.

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

Today’s Nonprofit Career Month podcast guest is Krista Kelley, Vice President of Development at Adelante Development Center in Albuquerque, one of the largest nonprofits in New Mexico. Adelante offers community-based services for people who are physically or mentally disabled, who have chronic neuromuscular diseases, and who are disabled simply due to the aging process.

Krista has designed and led Adelante’s development department which has included lobbying, government relations, media campaigns, capital campaigns, direct mail campaigns, donor development, planned giving, in-kind donation programs, special events, private foundation, city, state, and federal grants.

Prior to working for Adelante, Krista worked in both domestic and international business development and marketing and in business and operations analysis.

Amy Potthast talks with Krista about developing a new department at a nonprofit, the adjustment to working in a nonprofit after working in a business, and the family-friendly potential of many nonprofits that value work-life balance for their staff members.

Listen to more Nonprofit Career Month podcasts, or subscribe to the Idealist podcast in iTunes.

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector. Today’s guest is Margaret Ambler Salamon, Research Specialist and wearer of many other hats at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Albuqueque, NM. The Center for Nonprofit Excellence is a collaborative effort of the United Way of Central New Mexico and the Albuquerque Community Foundation and aims to strengthen the capacity of the nonprofit sector through building collaborations, educating donors, and increase the effective management of nonprofits. Margaret’s passion for nonprofit organizations began in 2000 with a ten-month term with Public Allies, a national apprenticeship program focused on building young leadership while strengthening communities. Amy Potthast chats with Margaret about her career path, the excellent work that the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Public Allies are doing to strengthen the nonprofit community, and what it's like to work at the hub of many community organizations.

Posted as part of Nonprofit Career Month, featuring the diversity of career opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

Today’s guest is Abby Flottemesch, a mid-career nonprofit professional and Minnesota native who is currently engaged in a job search. Abby recently completed a year-long fellowship in Bogota, Colombia, with Atlas Service Corps where she worked with the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation—a Colombian foundation that provided resources to organizations that worked with disabled individuals and the elderly.

Prior to her Atlas Corps Fellowship, Abby worked for five years in program and fund development in Minneapolis and in Washington, DC, with The Campus Kitchens Project (CKP)—a national, student-powered hunger relief organization connected with the innovative DC Central Kitchen. Abby also served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, organizing community development efforts in Puerto Rico.

Amy Potthast chats with Abby about the important skills required in a fund development role at a nonprofit; her recent Atlas Corps Fellowship, and her job search strategies.

Today’s guest on the Nonprofit Career Month podcast is Arlene Siegel Cogen, a Charitable Gift Planner with The Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) in Portland, OR. At OCF, Arlene’s main focus is individuals, families, professional advisors, and businesses who would like to establish current or testamentary charitable funds or deferred gifts.

Arlene entered her nonprofit career after 20 years of working in the corporate sector. As a Certified Financial Planner, Arlene worked for companies such as West Coast Trust and Allen Trust, Citibank, US Trust and First Union before finding her "dream job" with the Oregon Community Foundation.

Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Arlene about the process of changing careers at mid-life, the crucial role of networking, and finding work that aligns with your financial goals as well as your values.

October is Nonprofit Career Month, a month of activities to promote the diversity of career opportunities in the nation's nonprofit sector. Driven by the collective contributions of the nonprofit community, the campaign dispels common myths about nonprofit work, provides you with entry points to the sector, and allows current and aspiring nonprofit professionals to share expertise.

Launching our Nonprofit Career Month podcast series is a discussion with Mac Bennett who shares his experiences and insights from 30 years of nonprofit leadership. Since March 2005, Mac Bennett has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of the Midlands in Columbia, SC.

Mac studied finance and management at the University of South Carolina, and then blazed a career in public service, first holding a variety of leadership positions with the University of South Carolina and then serving as Executive Director of the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

Bennett is also a founding director of the South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO). Throughout his career, Bennett has been instrumental in efforts to improve training and education for people working in the nonprofit sector.

Idealist's Amy Potthast chats with Mac about making a difference while making a living; how Mac got started as a volunteer in the sector; the variety of ways to serve your community; and Jim Collin's book Good to Great and the Social Sectors.

In this episode of the Idealist.org Podcast, a panel of graduate admissions representatives talk about the graduate admissions application process and financial aid. Recorded during the summer Washington, D.C. Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good hosted by the American University School of Public Affairs.

Hear answers to the following questions (in order):

• How do teaching assistantships work?
• Should I get a second masters?
• What are some of the issues that prospective students be thinking about?
• How do I transition from one area of study to another, eg, biochemistry to policy?
• Do your programs prefer or require professional work experience in your applicants?
• Would volunteer work related to my graduate field of interest count as experience in the application?
• What are some practical tools I should be using right now to pay for grad school?
• If I don't have a 4.0, how does that affect my scholarship eligibility?
• Are the different parts of the application weighed consistently across schools?
• How much time is spent reviewing each application?
• On the personal essay, what should I write about?
• How should I decide between full-time and part-time?
• What do you expect in regards to recommendations for applicants who have been out of school for more than five years?
• What is more important? The name on the recommendation letter or how closely they have worked with you?
• What if you are not working in the specific field that you want to study at grad school?
• Can you talk about a candidate that stood out for you in positive and negative ways?

This episode is an enhanced podcast file that allows you to skip ahead to specific questions within the episode.

Find dates and locations of upcoming Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good

Find more information on Grad School at the Public Service and Graduate Education Resource Center

Check out the original video of the panel discussion.

In this episode, Meg Busse answers some common questions about finding a nonprofit job.  Some of the questions we ask include:

"I hate networking but I hear it’s essential to get a nonprofit job. Where should I start?”
“What are the top skills that nonprofits seek?”
“What's the best way for me to network with nonprofit professionals?” “How can I get an employer to see my value if I don't have a lot of work experience?”
“Should I follow up to see the status of my job application if I haven't heard back?”
“I'm thinking about starting my own nonprofit. Any suggestions?”
“Where are all the jobs?!?”

Jung Fitzpatrick interviews Meg to get some answers to ten of the most common questions we hear from folks who are looking for a nonprofit job these days. And while listening to this podcast will not offer up any golden tickets to finding your ideal job, hopefully you’ll hear at least one new tip that will help you in your search. Or perhaps you’ll listen and get confirmation that you’re doing everything right. Sometimes that reassurance is as much needed in the job search as more advice.

For more career advice, check out our Career Center.

If you are trying to switch into the nonprofit sector, check out the new Idealist.org Podcast with advice on how to prepare for your interview and land that nonprofit job.

Our Career Transitions team has the pleasure of attending lots of events, giving presentations, and otherwise conversing with professionals looking for meaningful work in the nonprofit sector.  While they get plenty of unique questions, they also get plenty of frequently-asked questions.

Steven Pascal-Joiner recently sat down with his colleague Jung Fitzpatrick to discuss some of the common answers he shares with experienced professionals 'sector switching' into the nonprofit world.  They cover:

• What are the job prospects for a senior level sector switcher? Would I need to start at a lower level and work up?
• I want an upper-level management/leadership role. Where are those jobs?
• I have [insert exhaustive list of impressive skills] from decades of work in [insert industry]. Why can't nonprofits see this? or How do I make myself stand-out from the 100's of resumes organizations may receive for a given position particularly if I don't have paid experience in the non-profit sector?
• Generally, for-profit positions earn more money than nonprofit positions. Are non-profits less likely to consider candidates with for-profit experience because they expect that the candidate would have to take a significant paycut and therefore not really consider the position?
• What may be some red flags in my resume or cover letter if I'm coming from the for-profit sector? How do I address those?
• What kind of further education (certificate courses, community workshops) can help me improve my candidacy for nonprofit work?
• Is there any other advice or resources that may be helpful to for-profit professionals hoping to transition into nonprofits?

For even more information on how to enter the nonprofit sector, check out our free Idealist.org Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers.

Are you interested in taking some time to volunteer in another country? Have you already started your search and now you have even more questions? Or do you have no idea where to begin?

In either case, this podcast episode is for you. We collected common questions from attendees at the recent Idealist.org Global Volunteering Fair and our very own Erin Barnhart answers them for us.  Erin oversees the free Idealist.org International Volunteerism Resource Center, which contains tons of resources to help you make an informed decision. In our interview, we cover global volunteering topics like why you may have to pay, where to look for opportunities, how to evaluate an organization, if this is the best way to help and more.

And, of course, if you still have more questions at the end, check out the International Volunteerism Resource Center.

This Idealist.org Careers podcast features an interview with Meg Busse, co-author of the Idealist.org Guide to Nonprofit Careers. The Guide walks job seekers through all the steps of the nonprofit job search, from describing the nonprofit sector and self-assessment to developing a stellar resume and interview skills. The book is available in two versions — for the first-time job seeker, and for the sector-switcher— for free on our website.

Meg Busse is the Coordinator of High School and College Career Transitions at Idealist.org. Along with creating resources, she works with career professionals and guidance counselors to connect students with careers in the nonprofit sector.

Amy Potthast interviews Meg about Chapter Four of the career guide, "Networking." They discuss the value of building relationships to begin and sustain a nonprofit career through volunteering and through informational interviews.

Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps offers young people a chance to affect social change while deepening their commitment to Jewish life by serving for a year at anti-poverty organizations in Chicago, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, DC.

As with other service corps, Avodah's corps members earn a basic stipend. They also live in community with other corps members, and work on group building, negotiation, and conflict resolution. In partnership with the American Jewish World Service, Avodah's alumni find networking, support and training.

Herself an alumna of Avodah, Amy Ravis Furey serves as New York City Program Director for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. After earning her Masters in Social Work from Hunter College with a concentration in community organizing and group work, she served as an organizer for the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and as the Social Justice Coordinator at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Amy is the first Avodah alum to serve on staff as a program director at one of the AVODAH sites.

Idealist's Amy Potthast speaks with Amy Ravis Furey about the influence of Avodah in her career path, and her mission of lifting up youth to change the world. They talk about the role of Jewish social justice teaching, the alumni nework, and the impact Avodah has had in the world and on its corps members.
 
For more information, join Avodah staff on a conference call tonight (11/19) at 9 pm, or on December 2. The deadline to apply for the 2009-10 year is February 6th, 2009.

In this episode Amy Potthast speaks with Nikki Roehling, Associate Director of the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service or CNVS.

This week, the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service will gather its program directors in Portland, OR, for a multi-day conference and retreat. CNVS is a national membership association of 200 faith-based domestic and international volunteer programs, some of which are either AmeriCorps-funded, or which offer the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award to its members upon completion of service. It publishes a directory of its programs called The Response Directory in print, and as a searchable directory on its web site, www.cnvs.org.

Nikki and Idealist's Amy Potthast talk about the range of CNVS volunteer and lay mission programs, the Response Directory, international volunteering, self-reflection, and the Eli Segal AmeriCorps Education Award that some of its volunteers are able to earn.



Tune in again next month for the public service careers podcast Faith and Service Pt. 2: Avodah, the Jewish Service Corps.

This episode features Shane Endicott, Founder and C.E.O. of Our United Villages, the organization that runs Portland's environmentally sound The Rebuilding Center. The Rebuilding Center recycles used building and remodeling materials (everything from a door knob to the kitchen sink to church pews to siding) by re-selling them to builders for up to 90 percent less than market value.

The show is guest-hosted by intern Alicia "Lish" Ng, who is leaving the Portland Idealist office for graduate school at the the London School of Oriental and African Studies.  Lish and Shane talk about the value of having such a innovative resource in the community, his early years, what it means to be a community leader, and how The Rebuilding Center will benefit the community as greening becomes ever more mainstream.

Lish, we thank you so much for your sound editing on this year's

Today's guest is Bob Grimm, Director of Research and Policy Development & Senior Counselor to the CEO at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in Washington, DC. He speaks with Idealist.org's Amy Potthast about the study design and outcomes, and about some of the people who have served in AmeriCorps.



Solid evidence now exists to show that participating in a term of service program (like AmeriCorps, Teach For America, and Peace Corps) really is an effective launching-off point for a public service career.  Idealist has long held this belief, and has been formalizing its support of these programs since 2007.

Earlier this year the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) published an eight-year longitudinal study of people who participated in AmeriCorps programs in 1999-2000, as well as of people who considered participating but chose not to during the same year. It turns out that two-thirds of AmeriCorps alumni (including AmeriCorps*NCCC alumni) from that year are currently engaged in nonprofit or government careers -- outnumbering the group who didn't participate in AmeriCorps.

The latest Idealist.org Careers Podcast features Eileen Conoboy, Director of the Office of University Programs at Peace Corps. She speaks with Idealist’s Amy Potthast about Peace Corps and its two graduate school partnership programs, Masters International and Fellows USA. Eileen was a VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) and a Peace Corps Volunteer (Mali, 1995-97) and has served as a Peace Corps Regional Recruiter. She has a Masters degree in International Peace Studies from Trinity College in Ireland.

Peace Corps Volunteers can earn their Masters degree as part of Peace Corps service through the Masters International program. Former Volunteers receive scholarships through the Fellows USA program. Finally, Peace Corps has two pilot programs that serve undergraduate populations on specific campuses. To learn more about Peace Corps’s graduate school partnerships, go to www.peacecorps.gov and click on “Grad School” or come to an Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good, www.idealist.org/gradfairs.

Download the Episode Here (0:40:50) [19MB]

The Peace Corps is a federal US agency that sends thousands of Volunteers abroad each year to over 70 developing countries to perform tasks that the host countries deem critical in fields like public health, education, environmental protection, information technology and more. The Office of University Programs oversees mutually beneficial partnerships between Peace Corps and both graduate and undergraduate institutions. 

Find more grad school resources at www.idealist.org/gradschools

Today’s podcast features Amity Tripp, director of AmeriCorps Alums, a project of Hands On Network. AmeriCorps Alums connects and mobilizes the 400,000 alumni of AmeriCorps programs — national, community service opportunities for people to serve in organizations, agencies, and schools throughout the United States. Amity is the founder of the local Washington, DC, chapter of AmeriCorps Alums, and has been on the staff of Points of Light Foundation (now merged with Hands On Network), and with the DC Commission on Voluntary Action and Service.

Amity talks with Idealist’s Amy Potthast about the role of AmeriCorps members, the long-term benefits of serving in AmeriCorps and achievements of alumni, and the work of AmeriCorps Alums nationally and locally.

Click here to download. (00:21:00)

To learn more about AmeriCorps Alums, go to www.americorpsalums.org. You can also read a longitudinal study released this week about the impact of AmeriCorps alumni.

More Links
AmeriCorps
The Center for Progressive Leadership
The U.S. Public Service Academy

 

In the latest Careers podcast we interview David Schachter, Assistant Dean for Career Services and Experiential Learning at The Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU. David manages Wagner’s career-related support of students and alumni. Originally trained as an actor, David has had more than fifteen years of non-profit staff and volunteer management experience. He has offered training, consulting, and facilitation nationally in the areas of leadership, staff development, supervision, team building, training of the trainer, and career planning.

    In addition, he developed programs and training components that appear in several chapters of The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers. David received the 2006 NACE/Chevron Outstanding Achievement Award for Innovative Programs in Career Services for his partnership with Action Without Borders/Idealist.org on the creation of the Institute on Public Service Careers, a series of two-day professional development trainings designed to educate college career services professionals and year-of-service program staff from across the country on how to increase the visibility and accessibility of public service careers to their students, volunteers, and alumni. David received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from NYU Wagner and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

    Idealist.org's Amy Potthast talks with David about the job search process; the diverse, ill-defined paths to public service careers; the NYU Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service at Wagner; David’s own path, and much, much more.

Click here to download (0:31:51)

Related links:
Wagner
The Fellowship For Emerging Leaders In Public Service
The Idealist.org Career Guide

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This Idealist.org Public Service Careers interview is with Caitlyn Baggott and Emily Kintzer of the Bus Project and its political boot camp, PolitiCorps. The Bus Project has worked since 2001 to mobilize thousands of volunteers and activists around OR, to register new voters, engage new leaders, and inspire grassroots civic action. Its program PolitiCorps is a 10-week intensive bootcamp that brings 24 young people from around the United States for skills training, public policy intensives, and leadership practice. Caitlynn Baggot is a co-founder of the Bus Project and today runs Politicorps. She also designed the Bus. Emily Kintzer was a 2006 PolitiCorps fellow and is now on staff with the Bus Project as PolitiCorps's Recruitment Director. Applications for PolitiCorps are due March 3 and June 6.

Idealist.org's Amy Potthast talks with Caitlyn and Emily about the Bus Project, PolitiCorps, and careers in political campaigning.

Click here to download.

Related Links: PolitiCorps

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The Idealist Public Service Careers podcast features an interview with Lara Galinsky, Vice President of Strategy at Echoing Green. This year Echoing Green is celebrating its 20th anniversary of funding social change through identifying, investing and fostering visionary leaders and their new organizations. Through a two-year program, Echoing Green helps its network of fellows develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems. In its 20 years, Echoing Green has invested $25 million in start up grants to 450 social entrepreneurs and their organizations. To learn more, visit www.echoinggreen.org. Idealist.org's Amy Potthast and Lara talk about risk-taking in social entrepreneurship, how to measure social returns on an investment, common characteristics of the visionaries funded by Echoing Green, and the book Be Bold that she co-authored with Cheryl E. Dorsey on creating a career "with impact." Thanks to Eden Essick for research assistance.

Click here to download this episode.

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The Idealist Public Service Careers Podcast features an interview with Katrina Mathis, the Recruitment Specialist with  AmeriCorps*NCCC. AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is one of three branches of AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps. Since the fall of 2005 AmeriCorps*NCCC teams from all over the U.S. have all contributed to rebuilding the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Idealist.org's Amy Potthast and Katrina talk about the work and roles of NCCC members, their relationships with each other and with the people in the communities where they serve. To find out more, go to www.americorps.gov/nccc.

In the first Idealist Careers Podcast, our own Amy Potthast talks with Chris Asch, co-founder of the U.S. Public Service Academy. Recently featured in Time Magazine, Chris Asch discusses the mission of the USPSA-- the first national civilian university in the United States-- to develop and educate future leaders in public service.

Many young people in the US don't currently consider public service a viable career option. Chris and Amy begin by discussing the challenges that lead to this perspective, then discuss the similarities between this university and military academies. They also touch upon issues of funding, maintaining a diverse student body and the challenges of working with politicians.

More Information on the U.S. Public Service Academy

Fellowships in Public Service

One-Year Service Opportunities

A Time to Serve article in TIME