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All Voices at the Table

It is on us to create diverse women’s philanthropy councils. Now. Women of color are the most underrepresented of all groups on boards. Women of color and women of different generations have voices and perspectives to add regarding how they give and want to be engaged. By including men on our councils, they can leverage their platforms and share their power, making them valuable contributors and allies to grow women’s philanthropy. Wider diversity will help our councils make better decisions and grow philanthropy. This takes attention, intention, asking stakeholders for help, and adapting your model when needed, to be successful.

No, We Are Not Okay

If you are a leader in an organization committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, now is not the time to remain silent. Now is the time to show your colleagues of color that you value them and support them, and that you are committed to playing a leadership role in your organization’s anti-racist work.

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Managing Talent Through Tough Times

After rapidly and successfully adjusting to remote operations, talent managers are now looking ahead to what the advancement team of the future looks like. The following offers insights from talent managers at a variety of organizations for how they are weathering the storm. It offers key considerations for planning, recommendations for best practices, and innovative examples from colleges and universities that respond to our teams’ physical, mental, and emotional needs as we transition to new models. The inspiration of this article was the result of a national advancement talent management leaders convening that was co-facilitated by Yvette Marsh, Executive Director of Talent Management, Louisiana State University Foundation and Angelique Grant, Senior Consultant and Vice President at Aspen Leadership Group.

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Inside Philanthropy: Coming Into Fundraising From Another Profession

Nnontraditional candidates often think their experience and skills are obvious, and as a result, fail to adequately explain how their professional experience makes them qualified to raise money. “A lot of people say, ‘I did sales, so I can do this,’ but you have to connect the dots” more explicitly for organizations hiring fundraisers, Michael Vann, Vice President for Search Management says. “They want their own language repeated back to them,” he says. They want to hear about specific responsibilities a would-be fundraiser held in previous jobs and how that will make the candidate successful in building relationships and securing gifts.

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Inside Philanthropy – Help Wanted: How to Remove Barriers to Hiring Fundraisers From Other Fields

“Unwillingness on the part of the fundraising profession to pay attention to transferable skills has not only diminished the pipeline of talent, but also diminished success in objectives for the profession to become more diverse,” says Ron Schiller of Aspen Leadership Group. “We’re missing out on plenty of people with strong skills and relevant passion who could put those skills to work for something that matters deeply to them.”

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11 Steps to Prepare Yourself to Launch a New Job Search Right Now

The loss of revenue, the increase of unexpected expenses, and for some the decreased value of endowments due to coronavirus have left many nonprofits scrambling to make payroll. Unfortunately, the options to correct the financial challenges may include cutting salaries, furloughing staff, and laying off staff members. Aspen Leadership Group is one of the few search firms in the country offering free career counseling to nonprofit and advancement professionals and we offer 11 tips based on conversations and personal experience to help those affected prepare for their next job search.

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Don’t Unconsciously Overlook Women

The uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic has seemingly brought back an outdated pattern in fundraising that assumes or downplays what women can do, causing fundraisers to hesitate to intentionally engage women stakeholders. We’ve heard from women that they want to be heard, respected, asked for their opinion. When this occurs, they give in many ways.

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Navigating Your Job Search During COVID-19: Advice for Candidates from ALG’s Search Team

ALG’s Search Team interacts with hundreds of advancement professionals each week. Today, these interactions are increasingly focused on navigating careers during an uncertain time. While candidates are concerned about their own positions or about an interrupted career trajectory, they also are developing new skills, deepening relationships with donors, and working in ways that they never imagined. Here is what we are hearing from candidates and recommendations we are sharing with them.

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Aspen Leadership Group (ALG) supports exceptional careers in the nonprofit sector and in philanthropy, recruiting and supporting CEOs, executive directors, chief advancement officers, COOs, CFOs, General Counsels, and other C-suite leaders and helping them recruit and develop diverse, inclusive, and high-performing teams. Our search services and leader-to-leader consulting focus on building teams that strengthen revenue and drive increased
impact.