Professional development

The Nonprofit MarCommunity blog is a forum that brings together diverse experiences, expertise, and insights. I suspected that when I turned to our community for book recommendations, I would get a mix of suggestions that would shake up my reading list. I was right. If you’d like to pick up (or download) a new book for… Read More »

Have you ever felt like your workload is a never-ending list of priorities with no end in sight? Have trouble focusing because you’re pulled in too many directions? If your workload keeps de-railing your progress, or if starting on something new just seems impossible, it can begin to feel like things will always be this… Read More »

When you think of the ‘big names’ in nonprofit marketing communications, who comes to mind? Are you drawing a complete blank? Or, are you coming up with the names of consultants vs. people working inside nonprofit organizations? That makes sense. While those of us running businesses must build ‘marketing ourselves’ into our day-to-day work, you’re spending… Read More »

Earlier this summer, at the July #NPMC Twitter chat, participants discussed the importance of digital skills for nonprofit marketing success. It was a popular topic and a lively conversation – as usual! I missed the live chat, but found many ideas and sources of continuing digital marketing skills development in the transcript. In case you also… Read More »

It’s no secret that nonprofit marketers are expected to have a wide range of skills. In today’s digital world, that includes learning and developing digital skills. But with technology evolving so quickly, it can sometimes be hard to keep up. As a nonprofit marketing specialist, I’m already feeling behind. It’s only been five years since… Read More »

Is there a professional development opportunity that you won’t miss? To unearth opportunities and ideas for the community, I asked a group of nonprofit communicators for their ‘must-attend’ professional development events. Here’s how I framed the question: What is your ‘must-attend’ professional development event of the year and why? It can be a major conference… Read More »

Much has been written about how Millenials approach work differently than previous generations. Often they are labeled as a group that “work to live” rather than “live to work” but this generalization is too simplistic. According to Deloitte’s third annual Millennial Survey, this new generation of workers value their careers and want a workplace environment… Read More »

Is productivity important to you? It must be! When time and financial resources are limited, but the need to create and produce is immense (and growing), knowing how to boost/harness your productivity is critical. So how do you boost productivity? I know a large number of amazingly productive communicators, so I asked a few of… Read More »

If you are like most nonprofit communicators, you are used to wearing many different hats while you constantly re-prioritize. Most mornings, I walk in to work and look at my long list of things to do before writing a slightly shorter list of things I will do today. But then a crisis will happen, a… Read More »

Looking for a role in nonprofit marketing communications? Based on my experience, there are common attributes for successful marketing communications professionals in nonprofits. Key skills to have include a demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly both in written and verbal form, solve complex problems, ethical behavior and time management. But in today’s competitive environment… Read More »