Social Entrepreneur blog for the world changers
Heather Carpenter
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Posts by Heather Carpenter
Choosing a Dissertation Topic
Nov 23rd
Someone recently asked me to blog about the process of selecting a dissertation topic.
Selecting a dissertation topic is like choosing a PhD program. You want to select a topic that is the right fit for you. Your topic should be:
The topic that I ended up selecting for my dissertation was the best fit for me because it related to the research studies that I had completed while working in the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research.
In the first semester of my PhD program I completed a literature review, titled: "How to measure the community impact of nonprofit graduate students' service-learning projects." The literature review set the stage for an extensive qualitative research study that I completed during the 2nd year of my PhD program. I interviewed 19 nonprofit organizations to determine the impact and use of master's students' applied projects. After I completed the local study, I wanted to study impact and use of experiential education within nonprofit organizations at a national level.
I originally planned to complete a much more extensive study of experiential education and its impact on the nonprofit community (isn't this always the case with dissertations?!?) but my dissertation committee helped me get back into reality. I honed my dissertation topic into a study that was much more manageable and something that I could complete!
Selecting a dissertation topic is like choosing a PhD program. You want to select a topic that is the right fit for you. Your topic should be:
- Interesting to you
- Manageable (something that you can actually complete)
- Relevant to your field
The topic that I ended up selecting for my dissertation was the best fit for me because it related to the research studies that I had completed while working in the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research.
In the first semester of my PhD program I completed a literature review, titled: "How to measure the community impact of nonprofit graduate students' service-learning projects." The literature review set the stage for an extensive qualitative research study that I completed during the 2nd year of my PhD program. I interviewed 19 nonprofit organizations to determine the impact and use of master's students' applied projects. After I completed the local study, I wanted to study impact and use of experiential education within nonprofit organizations at a national level.
I originally planned to complete a much more extensive study of experiential education and its impact on the nonprofit community (isn't this always the case with dissertations?!?) but my dissertation committee helped me get back into reality. I honed my dissertation topic into a study that was much more manageable and something that I could complete!
I’ll be blogging the 2010 ARNOVA conference
Nov 16th
This week I’ll be blogging at the 2010 Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) annual conference. I am excited about this opportunity to report on the latest research studies and emergent theories in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector.
ARNOVA’s adhoc social media committee (John Ronquillo, Lindsey McDougle, Debra Beck, Taylor Peyton Roberts, and I) have been hard at work this year trying promote social media within ARNOVA. We are opening the door…very slowly, since there is a strong culture of hesitation and concern about social media in the world of academia.
Our social media objectives are to:
- Build awareness of ARNOVA.
- Promote ARNOVA membership and the work of individual sections within ARNOVA.
- Highlight new research articles, briefs, and books by ARNOVA members.
- Market new ARNOVA initiatives.
We should be really called the adhoc marketing committee, because that is what we are really doing. Providing free marketing to the association. 
The adhoc social media committee will be hosting a colloquy to discuss the future direction of ARNOVA’s social media efforts. We’d like to ePlease share with us through twitter, facebook, or by commenting on this blog about how social media has impacted your interactions with ARNOVA. Our goal is to encourage the board to create a permanent social committee to support the work of ARNOVA.
I’ll be blogging the 2010 ARNOVA conference
Nov 16th
This week I'll be blogging the 2010 Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) annual conference. I'll be attending a variety of sessions and reporting on the latest research studies and emergent theories in the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. (Twitter coverage of the conference can be found here)
ARNOVA's adhoc social media committee (John Ronquillo (chair), Lindsey McDougle, Debra Beck, Taylor Peyton Roberts, and I) have been working hard this year trying promote social media within ARNOVA. We are opening the door....very slowly, since there is a strong culture of hesitation and concern about using social media.
Our social media (e.g., facebook, twitter, and linkedin) objectives are to:
The adhoc social media committee will be hosting a colloquy on Thursday morning at 8:15am (Magnolia C) to discuss the latest research on nonprofits' use of social media. We'll also be discussing what we have accomplished thus far by using social media within ARNOVA, and what we hope to accomplish in the future.
We believe that social media will help create a sustainable future for the association and we'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. How did you learn about ARNOVA? Was it through social media? Would you liked to get more involved in ARNOVA?
ARNOVA's adhoc social media committee (John Ronquillo (chair), Lindsey McDougle, Debra Beck, Taylor Peyton Roberts, and I) have been working hard this year trying promote social media within ARNOVA. We are opening the door....very slowly, since there is a strong culture of hesitation and concern about using social media.
Our social media (e.g., facebook, twitter, and linkedin) objectives are to:
- Build awareness of ARNOVA.
- Promote ARNOVA membership and the work of individual sections within ARNOVA. (For example, have you seen the Community and Grassroots section's website?)
- Highlight new research articles, briefs, and books by ARNOVA members
- Market new ARNOVA initiatives (for example, the newest initiative is ARNOVA press).
The adhoc social media committee will be hosting a colloquy on Thursday morning at 8:15am (Magnolia C) to discuss the latest research on nonprofits' use of social media. We'll also be discussing what we have accomplished thus far by using social media within ARNOVA, and what we hope to accomplish in the future.
We believe that social media will help create a sustainable future for the association and we'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. How did you learn about ARNOVA? Was it through social media? Would you liked to get more involved in ARNOVA?
Research on the Nonprofit Workforce: Here’s a Brief Overview
Nov 7th
In 2006, American Humanics compiled a comprehensive bibliography about the nonprofit workforce titled, Workforce Issues in the Nonprofit Sector: Generational Leadership Change and Diversity.
Since this bibliography was released, nonprofit organizations have continued to struggle to understand and appreciate human resource management and succession planning practices. Organizations like, Commongood Careers and Nonprofit HR Solutions are now providing human resource and talent management support to many nonprofits across the United States. In addition, new studies have been published about the nonprofit workforce. Here's a brief overview of these studies:
Books about the Nonprofit Workforce and Nonprofit Careers
Since this bibliography was released, nonprofit organizations have continued to struggle to understand and appreciate human resource management and succession planning practices. Organizations like, Commongood Careers and Nonprofit HR Solutions are now providing human resource and talent management support to many nonprofits across the United States. In addition, new studies have been published about the nonprofit workforce. Here's a brief overview of these studies:
Books about the Nonprofit Workforce and Nonprofit Careers
- The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to land a job that makes a difference
- Idealist’s Guide to Nonprofit Careers: For First-time Job Seekers
- How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar
- Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector
- Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Wages in the Nonprofit Sector, Management & Professional, Healthcare and Social Services, Education.
- Nonprofit Almanac, 2008
- Employment in America's Charities - A Profile, 2006
- Work in the Nonprofit Sector, The Nonprofit Sector Research Handbook, 2006.
- Adapting Leading Talent Management Practices to the Nonprofit Sector, Accenture, 2010
- Opportunity Knocks Retention and Vacancy Report, 2008, 2009, 2010
- The nonprofit leadership deficit: A case for more optimism, 2009
- The voice of nonprofit talent: improving recruitment and retention by responding to the needs of nonprofit employees and jobseekers, Commongood Careers, 2008
- Staying Late: Comparing Work Hours in Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2008
- The nonprofit workforce crisis: Real or imagined? Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 2007
- Building leaderful organizations: succession planning for nonprofits, Annie Casey Foundation, 2008
- Next Shift: Beyond the Leadership Crisis, Building Movement Project, 2007
- What works: Developing Successful Multigenerational Leadership, Building Movement Project, 2010
- Working Across the Divide: Job Involvement in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2009
- Ready to lead? Next generation leaders speak out, CompassPoint, 2008
- NP2020: Issues and answers from the next generation, Johnson Center at Grand Valley University, 2008
- Promotions and Incentives in Nonprofit and For-Profit Organizations, 2007
- Worker Motivations, Job Satisfaction, and Loyalty in Public and Nonprofit Social Services, 2006
- A Comparison of the Values and Commitment of Private Sector, Public Sector and Parapublic Sector Employees, 2006
- AFP Compensation and Benefits Study, 2010
- Guidestar Compensation Study, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Opportunity Knocks Wage and Benefits Report, 2010
- CEO Compensation Study, Charity Navigator, 2010
- There are also regional compensation studies (e.g., Northern California, Arizona).
Research on the Nonprofit Workforce: Here’s a Brief Overview
Nov 7th
In 2006, American Humanics compiled a comprehensive bibliography about the nonprofit workforce titled, Workforce Issues in the Nonprofit Sector: Generational Leadership Change and Diversity.
Since this bibliography was released, nonprofit organizations have continued to struggle to understand and appreciate human resource management and succession planning practices. Organizations like, Commongood Careers and Nonprofit HR Solutions are now providing human resource and talent management support to many nonprofits across the United States. In addition, new studies have been published about the nonprofit workforce. Here’s a brief overview of these studies:
Books about the Nonprofit Workforce and Nonprofit Careers
- The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to land a job that makes a difference
- Idealist’s Guide to Nonprofit Careers: For First-time Job Seekers
- How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar
- Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector
General statistics about the nonprofit workforce:
- Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Wages in the Nonprofit Sector, Management & Professional, Healthcare and Social Services, Education.
- Nonprofit Almanac, 2008
- Employment in America’s Charities – A Profile, 2006
- Work in the Nonprofit Sector, The Nonprofit Sector Research Handbook, 2006.
Retention, Turnover, and Vacancy
- Adapting Leading Talent Management Practices to the Nonprofit Sector, Accenture, 2010
- Opportunity Knocks Retention and Vacancy Report, 2008, 2009, 2010
- The nonprofit leadership deficit: A case for more optimism, 2009
- The voice of nonprofit talent: improving recruitment and retention by responding to the needs of nonprofit employees and jobseekers, Commongood Careers, 2008
- Staying Late: Comparing Work Hours in Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2008
- The nonprofit workforce crisis: Real or imagined? Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, 2007
- Building leaderful organizations: succession planning for nonprofits, Annie Casey Foundation, 2008
- Next Shift: Beyond the Leadership Crisis, Building Movement Project, 2007
Job Motivation in the Nonprofit Sector
- What works: Developing Successful Multigenerational Leadership, Building Movement Project, 2010
- Working Across the Divide: Job Involvement in the Public and Nonprofit Sectors, 2009
- Ready to lead? Next generation leaders speak out, CompassPoint, 2008
- NP2020: Issues and answers from the next generation, Johnson Center at Grand Valley University, 2008
- Promotions and Incentives in Nonprofit and For-Profit Organizations, 2007
- Worker Motivations, Job Satisfaction, and Loyalty in Public and Nonprofit Social Services, 2006
- A Comparison of the Values and Commitment of Private Sector, Public Sector and Parapublic Sector Employees, 2006
Compensation
- AFP Compensation and Benefits Study, 2010
- Guidestar Compensation Study, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
- Opportunity Knocks Wage and Benefits Report, 2010
- CEO Compensation Study, Charity Navigator, 2010
- There are also regional compensation studies (e.g., Northern California, Arizona).
Choosing a Nonprofit Career
Rethinking Leadership
Oct 26th
During the Independent Sector Conference the NGen fellows reported that we (the next generation of nonprofit leaders) have trouble identifying under 40 leaders that are creating social change in the sector. The fellows encouraged us to rethink how we view leaders and leadership.
There are many different ways of viewing leadership and how people create social change. My favorite way of viewing leadership is as a collective process. Leadership is not about one person in an organization making singular decisions; it is about multiple staff members coming together to collectively move the agenda of the organization forward. Yeah, the CEO might be the face of our organizations, but as next geners, we are making things happen behind the scenes, we are making our CEO’s look good.
Additionally, collective means that leadership is happening among many different groups of organizations. Funders are starting to fund these groups of organizations (case in point the Social Innovation Fund from the Corporation for National and Community Service). Even so, this view of societal change needs to be taken a step forward and recognize that leadership flows throughout people, organizations, and communities.
So let’s rethink how we view leadership and how social change is occurring in our sector. I’m really excited that the Next Gen Leadership award went to Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! because he understands collective leadership and his organization is truly creating societal change.
Rethinking Leadership
Oct 26th
During the Independent Sector Conference the NGen fellows reported that we (the next generation of nonprofit leaders) have trouble identifying under 40 leaders that are creating social change in the sector. The fellows encouraged us to rethink how we view leaders and leadership.
There are many different ways of viewing leadership and how people create social change. My favorite way of viewing leadership is as a collective process. Leadership is not about one person in an organization making singular decisions; it is about multiple staff members coming together to collectively move the agenda of the organization forward. Yeah, the CEO might be the face of our organizations, but as next geners, we are making things happen behind the scenes, we are making our CEO’s look good.
Additionally, collective means that leadership is happening among many different groups of organizations. Funders are starting to fund these groups of organizations (case in point the Social Innovation Fund from the Corporation for National and Community Service). Even so, this view of societal change needs to be taken a step forward and recognize that leadership flows throughout people, organizations, and communities.
So let’s rethink how we view leadership and how social change is occurring in our sector. I’m really excited that the Next Gen Leadership award went to Darell Hammond, CEO of KaBOOM! because he understands collective leadership and his organization is truly creating societal change.
Reflections from the Independent Sector Annual Conference
Oct 24th
This past week I had the pleasure of participating in the Independent Sector annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The Independent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I organized the social media team for the NGen portion of the conference. Blog posts from these sessions can be found on the Independent Sector blog.
On the last day of the conference during the NGen debriefing session, Rusty Stahl executive director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and Trish Tchume, Director of Civic Engagement for the Building Movement project had us write down three items that we wanted to take away from the conference.
Here are the three takeaways that I wrote down:
1. Inspiration: I was truly inspired by the speakers throughout the conference and hearing their visions for the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. My inspiration is reflected in the three blog posts that I wrote for the Independent Sector during the conference.
2. Focus: Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service said something during his keynote speech that really stuck with me. He said, "We need to balance our passion with pragmatism." Many younger people in the nonprofit sector are very passionate about their work but are not realistic or focused in how they enact their passions. Patrick's statement made me realize the importance of focusing and narrowing one's passion so that it can be realistically achieved. Let me give you a personal example.
As many of you know I am super passionate about the ENTIRE nonprofit sector. This passion has opened many doors for me but it has also caused me to take on way too many projects beyond my time capacity. Patrick's inspirational speech helped me to think of ways that I can focus and refine my passion into specific areas within the nonprofit sector (that can be accomplished).
3. Action: From now on all the NEW work that I volunteer for, or take on will be related to refined passion/vision for the nonprofit sector and will focus on three distinct areas.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I organized the social media team for the NGen portion of the conference. Blog posts from these sessions can be found on the Independent Sector blog.
On the last day of the conference during the NGen debriefing session, Rusty Stahl executive director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and Trish Tchume, Director of Civic Engagement for the Building Movement project had us write down three items that we wanted to take away from the conference.
Here are the three takeaways that I wrote down:
1. Inspiration: I was truly inspired by the speakers throughout the conference and hearing their visions for the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. My inspiration is reflected in the three blog posts that I wrote for the Independent Sector during the conference.
2. Focus: Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service said something during his keynote speech that really stuck with me. He said, "We need to balance our passion with pragmatism." Many younger people in the nonprofit sector are very passionate about their work but are not realistic or focused in how they enact their passions. Patrick's statement made me realize the importance of focusing and narrowing one's passion so that it can be realistically achieved. Let me give you a personal example.
As many of you know I am super passionate about the ENTIRE nonprofit sector. This passion has opened many doors for me but it has also caused me to take on way too many projects beyond my time capacity. Patrick's inspirational speech helped me to think of ways that I can focus and refine my passion into specific areas within the nonprofit sector (that can be accomplished).
3. Action: From now on all the NEW work that I volunteer for, or take on will be related to refined passion/vision for the nonprofit sector and will focus on three distinct areas.
- Nonprofit Workforce: Everyone would view working in a nonprofit organization as a viable career option.
- Nonprofit Operations & Capacity Building: Executive directors, staff, board members, and volunteers within nonprofit organizations would freely access the amazing capacity-building/operational tools and resources available to them across the sector.
- Nonprofit Education: Nonprofit master's degrees would focus on student AND organizational learning outcomes.
Reflections from the Independent Sector Annual Conference
Oct 24th
This past week I had the pleasure of participating in the Independent Sector annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The Independent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I organized the social media team for the NGen portion of the conference. Blog posts from these sessions can be found on the Independent Sector blog.
On the last day of the conference during the NGen debriefing session, Rusty Stahl executive director of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and Trish Tchume, Director of Civic Engagement for the Building Movement project had us write down three items that we wanted to take away from the conference.
Here are the three takeaways that I wrote down:
1. Inspiration: I was truly inspired by the speakers throughout the conference and hearing their visions for the nonprofit/philanthropic sector. My inspiration is reflected in the three blog posts that I wrote for the Independent Sector during the conference.
2. Focus: Patrick Corvington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service said something during his keynote speech that really stuck with me. He said, “We need to balance our passion with pragmatism.” Many younger people in the nonprofit sector are very passionate about their work but are not realistic or focused in how they enact their passions. Patrick’s statement made me realize the importance of focusing and narrowing one’s passion so that it can be realistically achieved. Let me give you a personal example.
As many of you know I am super passionate about the ENTIRE nonprofit sector. This passion has opened many doors for me but it has also caused me to take on way too many projects beyond my time capacity. Patrick’s inspirational speech helped me to think of ways that I can focus and refine my passion into specific areas within the nonprofit sector (that can be accomplished).
3. Action: From now on all the NEW work that I volunteer for, or take on will be related to refined passion/vision for the nonprofit sector and will focus on three distinct areas.
- Nonprofit Workforce: Everyone would view working in a nonprofit organization as a viable career option.
- Nonprofit Operations & Capacity Building: Executive directors, staff, board members, and volunteers within nonprofit organizations would freely access the amazing capacity-building/operational tools and resources available to them across the sector.
- Nonprofit Education: Nonprofit master’s degrees would focus on student AND organizational learning outcomes.
Blog posts at the Independent Conference
Oct 21st
My blog posts are appearing on the Independent Sector blog this week since I'm organizing the volunteer twitter/blogging squad for the Independent Sector annual conference. 
Be Inspired: An Evening with Patrick Corvington
Be Inspired Part 2: Conversation with NGen Leadership Awardee Darrell Hammond
Conversation with a Sector Leader – Vivian Schiller, Head of NPR
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