Hotline

By Rebecca Gardyn

Landing a job in events planning

Writing grant proposals that capture a program's 'essence'

How to move up from a local to a national charity

The Chronicle's Philanthropy Careers section asks its readers to submit questions about job hunting, recruiting, and management challenges in the nonprofit world. In our bimonthly advice column, we respond to some of those inquiries with tips about resources and recommendations from experts.

Previous editions of Hotline are available here. Send your questions about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world to hotline@philanthropy.com.

Q. My background is in sales, and I have experience in arranging events for my employers. I'm also bilingual (English and Spanish). I'd like to be an event coordinator for a charity. How do I get started?

A. Planning charity balls and golf tournaments for a living may seem like a fun and glamorous career — and it can be — but being successful at it isn't as easy as it looks.

"Everyone seems to want to get involved in 'special events' lately — it's a very hot job," says Karen Cornell Rosenberg, director of donor relations at the University of the Arts, in Philadelphia, where she coordinates all of the institution's events.

Ms. Rosenberg says she recently advertised a "special events coordinator" position and received résumés from a wide variety of candidates, including former teachers and business executives looking for a career change. "A lot of people think that just because they've thrown a few big parties they can easily transition into being an event planner, but there is so much more that goes into producing a successful event than people realize," she says.

So before you decide to toss your sales job aside, take stock of your current skills to determine if you really have what it takes to be in special events. Ms. Rosenberg urges you to ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you creative? You need to be able to visualize the whole production, from the decorations, food and entertainment, to the flow and timing of your event.

• Can you juggle multiple, detailed tasks easily? "You need to be able to coordinate many different projects simultaneously, without dropping the ball on any of them," says Ms. Rosenberg.

• Are you willing to work lots of weekends and evenings? Few events take place during weekdays.

• Are you organized? "You need to be able to keep orderly files and create a documented paper trail on each event, cataloging the steps you took to build the event," she says.

• Are you personable? You need to be able to get along with everyone you work with — from executives to housekeepers, to security personnel and musicians. "If you are amiable, relaxed, and have a positive attitude, it will be easier to get your job done," says Ms. Rosenberg.

If you feel that event planning is a good fit for you, you should make contact with people who have such jobs, says Marlene Blas, associate director for meetings and events at California Western School of Law, in San Diego. But first, she suggests, narrow your focus and determine where you would like to work. Your Spanish-speaking skills, for example, might make you particularly well suited for a charity that serves or aspires to serve Hispanics. Next, call the organizations that most interest you and see if their event planners might be willing to grant you informational interviews, suggests Ms. Blas. (Your college or graduate-school alumni offices may also be helpful in setting up informational interviews with fellow alumni who are fund raisers.)

Because the event-planning field is constantly changing with new trends and technology, Ms. Blas also encourages you to attend conferences for events specialists and to take classes on managing events. Contact your local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for more information on courses and conferences in your area.

Another great way to get on charities' radar screens is to volunteer, says Jill Alcott, owner of an event planning and fund-raising consulting firm in New York that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations. As you search for a full-time position, also consider taking on part-time or temporary assignments, suggests Ms. Alcott. Some recruiters specialize in placing candidates in temporary and short-term projects at charities across the country.

Lastly, be sure refresh your résumé so that it highlights the skills and experience you already have in arranging events and send it to nonprofit recruiters, says Ms. Alcott. Also, bring copies everywhere you go. "You never know who you are going to meet," she says, "so it is best to always be prepared."

Q. I love pulling together grant proposals, but I often stumble in writing the narrative. The problem is that I'm often brought in through the back door by the charities I help, given only a cursory understanding of the program I am writing about — and, as a result, it is up to the charities' more experienced staff members to capture the essence of their programs. Where and how can I get more in touch with the creative part of this process, so that I can paint a picture for the reader even if I have only limited information?

A. The ability to describe an organization's programs and mission with passion and insight is challenging even for full-time staff members, let alone a freelancer, says Debra Johnson Darling, a fund-raising consultant who writes grant proposals for American charities from her home in La Lécherette, Switzerland.

Start by collecting copies of the organization's recent newsletters, solicitations, and stewardship letters, says Ms. Darling. "Such informational pieces often tell the organization's story in a more realistic and compelling way than the more generic annual report and honor roll of donors," she says.

To capture the essence of a charity's programs, however, you must take the time to conduct comprehensive, in-depth interviews — whether in person, via e-mail, or by phone — with the people you feel can give you the most thorough insight about a charity's goals and the specific project a grant will pay for, she says. Those people may include the executive director, board members, the staff members or volunteers who run the program for which you are seeking money, or all of the above.

It is important, however, when you negotiate any writing assignment that you factor into the terms of your contract and fee structure the time you estimate it will take to gather all this information and conduct the interviews, says Ms. Darling.

"The research phase of grant writing is so critical to successful writing, but often is underrated and underappreciated," she says. "It is therefore up to us to ensure that we have all the information we need."

If at all possible, spend as much time as you can observing the project for which you are writing the proposal, says Lisa Olivas-Cook, a freelance grant-proposal writer and fund-raising consultant in Phoenix. Ask to be taken on a tour of the facilities and to be introduced to some program participants so that you can get a feel for its impact. "I always tell clients, 'When I can see it, I can write it,'" she says.

Once you're in the door, she adds, don't be shy: "When I visit an organization, I bring my best listening skills and I take notes furiously, all the while asking more and more questions. By immersing myself in this way I am usually able to 'get the picture' in my head enough that I can draft the narrative."

In fact, says Alice Kaderlan, a fund-raising consultant at Pyramid Communications, in Seattle, who teaches workshops on proposal writing, one of the biggest problems she sees among grant-proposal writers is their hesitation to ask for more information when they need it.

"Don't be apologetic or afraid of alienating the client," she says. "Just state nicely, but firmly, that you want to write a proposal that will be successful and, as the writer, you know best what information is necessary for you to do that."

Ms. Darling echoes that advice, stressing the need to develop an ongoing discussion with your clients. "Having staff read selected passages along the way for accuracy and nuances is a great way to make sure you are on the right path, rather than waiting until the end and realizing you have not captured what they wanted," she says. "Remember, no one wants you to be more successful than the organization does."

Q. I have a law degree and 20 years of nonprofit experience, with 11 of those years spent in fund raising. I've worked in youth organizations and now am development director at a museum. I want to work for a health organization with national impact. How hard is it to move up from smaller, local nonprofit groups to larger, national ones?

A. Given your credentials and experience, it shouldn't be very difficult for you to move from a small charity to a larger, national one.

"Fund raising for any nonprofit requires the same knowledge, such as developing and implementing strategies, building a team, and working with donors and volunteers," says Donna Hale, senior vice president of income development for the American Cancer Society's Florida Division, in Tampa. In fact, the best fund-raising teams are often those that bring together people with diverse experiences and perspectives, she says. Your challenge, however, will be to demonstrate how transferable your skills and background are.

"No one has had the exact combination of experiences that you've had," she says. "Be prepared to highlight how your unique skill set would help the organization accomplish its mission."

Craig Rocklin, director of major gifts at the American National Red Cross, in Washington, concurs. "From my experience, you use the same process to ask a donor for a $1,000 gift for a small organization as you might for a $10,000 or even $1-million gift for a larger organization," he says.

When he interviews potential staff members from smaller organizations, Mr. Rocklin says, he looks primarily for people who have a solid understanding of fund-raising concepts, have proven results, and who are honest about why they want to make the move to a larger organization. Depending on the focus of your law degree, it sounds like you might make an excellent specialist in planned gifts, he adds.

For some national organizations, however, the fact that you have no prior history working specifically with health-related charities may be a deal-breaker, says Karen Alphonse, a recruiter for nonprofit clients at ExecSearches.com, in Fort Lauderdale. Similarly, if you have few personal contacts within the health field, you may be at a disadvantage.

"Personal connections go a long way toward making you a more appealing candidate," she says.

To that end, Ms. Alphonse suggests that before sending out any résumés, join a few health-related professional organizations and set up meetings with any personal connections you may already have in the health industry.

"This is an excellent strategy for getting to know the field and to build critical relationships before even submitting an application," she says.

Once you're ready to start looking for work, you might consider first applying to the local affiliates of national organizations where your knowledge of the community could be a key strength as a candidate, suggests Ms. Hale: "Once you are on board and have demonstrated your talent, there may be opportunities to move up within the organization, including the national office."