On Human Capital, and Happiness

Last week I was sitting and thinking about human capital, and how our quest to acquire the best (or the most suitable) associates in the work that we do in the public sector can take up inordinate amounts of time. Never mind that the dictates of the generational shifts indicate that people will no longer work in a job for 10-20 years only to retire with a fat pension and a brain full on institutional knowledge. No, most of us in Gen X & Y will shift jobs and maybe even careers every 2 years. It's not about company or field, but about skill sets and how you can apply them to various sectors over the span of a career. Make the most of your time at your current job/make things better ...and leave.

I also began thinking about how sometimes in the nonprofit sector, the employees are the most overlooked part of the whole operation. We add in hundreds of thousands of dollars into grant budgets to hire the most appropriate people to run our projects and our organizations. Once we get them on board, and they fulfill their job functions - what then?

In my limited experience in the nonprofit sector, supervisors have rarely asked me outside of the interview process - what are my life goals, what is my personal vision for my own life, how do I see this job fitting in with my own life path ..... and then helping me be a better employee, a better HUMAN, by checking in on these larger goals.

By and large, nonprofits spend the most amount of money on, add the most capacity with, and achieve their missions through their employees. Why then, is there not a movement for employee happiness? If the asset that you spend the most on, rely on the most is unhappy/unfulfilled/unchallenged/unengaged - how can you say that you are effectively fulfilling your mission?

This is just a question that I am putting out to the world - but I'd love to heard from all of you about what you think about this - how have you felt fulfilled as a part of a nonprofit team, or unfulfilled ....

Dowser.org - Who's solving what, and where

http://dowser.org/

How do you find out who is doing innovative things in social entrepreneurship? Check out Dowser, a site that culls innovation from all ends of the globe and presents it to you. I think it's pretty brilliant, and am certainly learning a few things about how people are solving problems around the globe.

Check it out!

New Workshop - 10 Secrets of Fundraising and Grantwriting

This workshop is for people who want some insiders secrets on fundrasing and grantwriting, what all those training classes will never tell you!

Location: Durham County Main Library, 3rd Floor Conference Room

Date: February 14

Time: 9-10 AM with time after for questions and individualized help

Cost: Free!

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The limit for this training is 15 people - please RSVP or send questions to nonprofittrainingacademy@gmail.com

Abut the trainer:

Avani Parekh-Bhatt has been in the nonprofit sector for over 10 years, and had played various roles - worker, director of development, manager and founder, volunteer - and now she is a consultant providing fundraising, programming, and strategic planning services to nonprofits and small businesses here and abroad.

Her passion is incubating ideas and turning them into thriving organizations. She can be contacted at nonprofittrainingacademy@gmail.com.

Why This Blog, And Why Now?

Friends -

I've spent 10+ years in the non-profit and social entrepreneurship sector, sometimes as a peon, sometimes as a director, and other times as a founder and manager. In all those years, I've had many questions about how things work and how I can make them better. In talking with peers and colleagues, and then setting out on my own as a consultant - I've realized that the only thing holding people back as entrepreneurs either in business or the nonprofit sector is fear. (My own included!)

My goal is to help demystify some of the most "feared" parts of running/starting a nonprofit and small business, based on my experience and that of my most trusted friends and associates. I am presenting opinion, and sometimes my own conjecture and worldview - please feel free to challenge me and to add to this knowledge base with your own thoughts and expertise.

All of us have the ability to either start something of our own, or plug into a movement, an organization, or a business ethic that can make the world a better place. My goal is to start and continue the dialogue that can sustain our momentum towards making things better, one conversation at a time.