I can already tell this will be a challenge
By Angela | August 22, 2008
What a week this has been! I have just finished for my first week of my first job. I’ve been through two orientations, travelled to Philadelphia, met lots of new people, and gotten my first real office. The training sessions seem endless.
I moved to the D.C. area last week and am excited about having my own apartment. I already have an area with a desk devoted to my work for Students Serve
Finding the time to do it all while working fulltime with a Big Four consulting firm is another matter. I can already tell that this is going to be a challenge.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 7 Comments »
We Look Like Facebook
By Angela | February 28, 2008
We look like Facebook. When Trey and I met yesterday to go over the website states and web campaign ideas, we both realized that we look like Facebook. Now this was completely unintentional, but I think it’s a good thing. We’re coming up in the web world. Our website visits have skyrocketed and it seems like plenty of people are looking at the application page. I think we should put our rap in a more prominent place. People will definitely get the idea that we’re not your typical nonprofit and that we’re a bunch of college students. Hopefully it also comes across that we’re just joking though. We really care about what we’re doing. So right now we’re taking on Facebook. Watch out, Google. You might be next.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 7 Comments »
Putting the ‘pro’ in Procrastination
By Kaitlyn | February 27, 2008
Spring Break is just around the corner, along with numerous deadlines and papers and midterms. Everyone around here is just trying to get through the next few days until we can finally relax a little bit. I tend to put the “pro” in “procrastination,” and it always comes back to haunt me around this time in the semester. But just two more days and I’ll be on my way to the beach. With plenty of take-home exams and reading to catch up on. I think I’ll enjoy reading your applications far more than some of the reading I have to finish next week.
Topics: Grant Coordinator's Posts | 4 Comments »
I Think I Can
By Angela | February 27, 2008
It’s only Wednesday and I feel like I’m running on fumes. I really don’t like it when people complain about how tired they are. We are all relatively busy people, but we make choices about how we use our time. Right now, though, I’m not just tired, I’m flat out exhausted. The combination of taking tests, interviewing for jobs, doing Students Serve, etc. is wearing me out. Fortunately, Spring Break is only a few days away! I’m not going anywhere, which is absolutely wonderful. I’m planning on some R&R and getting ready for the rest of the semester. A time to recharge is just what I need. I’ll power through until then. think I can, I think I can…
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 2 Comments »
Bringing in the Pros
By Angela | February 26, 2008
I’m bringin in the pros. This week, my primary objective is to get someone on board ot help us with publicity. I’ve found that my current knowledge is insufficient for doing everything we need to get done. Not to mention have the time to do it all. I’m hoping that some one from the local Public Relations society will be willing to do some pro bono work for us. I don’t think it should be too time consuming. Plus, Students Serve is unusual and should be able to elicit media attention without too much work. Someone who has a well-developed Rolodex and industry knowledge could do wonders.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 3 Comments »
How Many Steaks can you Eat?
By Angela | February 21, 2008
How many steaks can you eat? I just got out of my entrepreneur class and a former business executive raised this question. The price you have to pay to earn a Fortune 500 income may not be worth it. Beyond a certain amount, money will not be worth all that much to you after your needs are met. The gain in happiness or living conditions that you get from each additional dollar earned starts to decline after a certain point (diminishing marginal utility in econ speak). Is the pursuit of money bad? I don’t think so. However, making money should not be seen as an end in itself. There is so much more to life than accumulating wealth. Besides, what is the purpose of money if it cannot be used to make you or other people happy?
For everyone out there like myself considering different career paths and life plans, this is important to consider. I’m not asserting that you have to devote your life to service. I’m certainly not. I think that earning money is incredibly important.
Without businesses, the nonprofit and government sectors would not be able to exist. Many people in the nonprofit community often forget this fact and claim to be virtuous because they are “devoting their lives to serving others”. However, they would not be able to do this if it were not from donations made by corporations, individuals who receive their salaries from businesses, or government grants. All of these sources of income are ultimately generated by businesses. So the business sector is enabling nonprofits to survive and most businesses have the primary goal of making money.
Just keep this in mind when forming your career plans. If you end up working for a business, make sure you keep a reasonable perspective on why you want to make money and how much money you want/need to make. On the other hand, if you choose to work for a nonprofit organization, remember that your work is being funded by businesses. Without them, you would not have a job. Neither sector is more virtuous than the other. Frankly, it drives me crazy when nonprofit workers make these claims and that their work is ‘good’. We are all ultimately selfish and only truly concerned about our own well-being. This isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just an underlying characteristics of human beings. Despite what many people believe or try to convey to other people, they make donations or spend hours volunteering because it makes them feel good about themselves. They are able to improve the lives of others and inherent in this ability is a feeling of power and influence. None of us is superior to the rest. We are all flawed and reach short of achieving perfection. The most we can hope for is forgiveness and grace.
Food for thought.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 2 Comments »
Slow Week
By Kaitlyn | February 20, 2008
This week has been moving kind of slowly, but things are getting crossed off my to-do list. It helps that a due date for a paper was pushed back by a week and a half! As the application deadlines for various summer jobs and internships approach, I’m looking forward to reading the applications for summer service projects as they start to filter in. Plus, nothing makes me happier than opening my mailbox and seeing real mail. Sometimes I check it three times in one day. Just in case something shows up. But for real, I’m looking forward to reading what brilliant ideas people have come up with for their summer projects!
Topics: Grant Coordinator's Posts | 4 Comments »
We Need Orphans
By Angela | February 19, 2008
We need orphans. Trey and I met yesterday to discuss the best way to drive traffic to our website and facebook group. The good news is that the traffic has really picked up. The ads we’ve placed on Fastweb and other scholarship sites seem to be working. Now the challenge is how to make this grow even bigger. The more people who visit our site, the more people we will likely have applying for the grants and donating money. So back to the orphans. We need a hook that lures people in. Lots of nonprofits display pictures of devastated refugees, people with disabilities, homeless people, etc. They have a type of heart tug value that we don’t have. Who wouldn’t donate funds to feed the starving orphans? That’s not a hard sell. Somehow, though, providing service grants to college students doesn’t exactly have the same effect. We need to work on this.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 3 Comments »
How Difficult this is for Students
By Angela | February 18, 2008
I’m in the middle of applying for several scholarships and am realizing how difficult the whole process is for students. Filling out the application can be tedious. Frequently, the standards for what a selection committee is looking for are vague. Essentially, it can be a guessing game to see what the judges want to read. I don’t think this is right. Students should feel as if they can be 100% honest and be judged solely on their past accomplishments and future plans. I also don’t like that students are not notified in a timely manner whether or not they will be receiving a grant/honor/scholarship. Students who take the time to write their life story and send in recommendation letters deserve more than this. It is my hope that Students Serve has designed a better process.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 8 Comments »
One Month and Counting
By Angela | February 15, 2008
One month and counting! Our next grant application deadline for students is March 15th, 2008, exactly a month away. We can’t wait to read your applications and learn about all of your ideas. If you have any questions about your project, application, recommendation letters, or anything at all, we would be glad to help. Just give us a call or send an email.
Topics: Executive Director's Posts | 2 Comments »
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