Author Archives: jcravens

About jcravens

Jayne Cravens is an internationally-recognized trainer, researcher and consultant. Her work is focused on communications, volunteer involvement, community engagement, and management for nonprofits, NGOs, and government initiatives. She is a pioneer regarding the research, promotion and practice of virtual volunteering, including virtual teams, microvolunteering and crowdsourcing, and she is a veteran manager of various local and international initiatives. Jayne became active online in 1993, and she created one of the first web sites focused on helping to build the capacity of nonprofits to use the Internet. She has been interviewed for and quoted in articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press, as well as for reports by CNN, Deutsche Well, the BBC, and various local radio stations, TV stations and blogs. Resources from her web site, coyotecommunications.com, are frequently cited in reports and articles by a variety of organizations, online and in-print. Women's empowerment and women's full access to employment and education options remains a cross-cutting theme in all of her work. Jayne received her BA in Journalism from Western Kentucky University and her Master's degree in Development Management from Open University in the U.K. A native of Kentucky, she has worked for the United Nations, lived in Germany and Afghanistan, and visited more than 30 countries, many of them by motorcycle. She is currently based near Portland, Oregon in the USA.

Why Work for the United Nations? & What is Working the for UN really like?

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Three years ago, someone on Reddit wrote on the subreddit UNPath, “Why Work for the UN?” Their post said:

What is the appeal? It seems very difficult to even get in at all, regardless of qualifications. So why try? I am studying a field that would probably be perfect for the UN but I’m not sure why it’s actually even appealing or worth trying to get in.

Here’s my reply from then, with some edits for clarity:

A lot of people want to work for the UN because they believe all sorts of myths – UN employees get to travel the world, you get paid a huge salary, you get a special passport, everyone is impressed that you worked at the UN and will want to hire you, etc. In fact, most UN employees don’t travel for work, don’t get a “huge” salary and don’t get that special passport. And some people, including employers back in your home country, view working at the UN as some weird thing – or will say to you, “But you worked at the UN, so why are you now applying for a boring normal job?”

Spoiler alert: a lot of UN work is really boring and normal.

I’m suspicious of anyone who says, “I want to work at the UN” on this subreddit or in a cover letter and leaves it at that. It’s like saying, “I want to work for a mega huge software company.” It doesn’t tell me anything about what work you actually want to do. It sounds like you just want a certain company on your CV. But what kind of WORK is it you want to do?

The nature and atmosphere of work for a UN employee in Bonn, Germany working on government policy recommendations for climate change is nothing like the nature and atmosphere of the head accountant that’s been brought in from abroad to work in the UNICEF office in Afghanistan. They might as well be working on different planets. Most UN jobs are administration – you’re sitting at a desk, not driving orphans to safety.

Why do I like working for the UN as a communication professional or project manager? Because the work feels very much like it matters and is making a difference on a scale far bigger than just in one community. Because I love reading country strategies and program strategies and interviewing a diversity of staff to try to represent their work. Because I love taking photos of the work my colleagues are doing and then sharing those photos in a variety of communications materials. Because I love helping people understand the benefits and impact of development projects, from earthen dams to repaired bridges to work training programs to HIV AIDS education programs to micro loans and on and on and on. Because I love working in multi-cultural environments or in an environment filled with local people staffing most of the posts in a developing country and getting to help build their capacities. And, indeed, the pay is competitive, far more than doing that exact same work for a nonprofit.

My UN job in Bonn, Germany was mostly at a desk. I met a ton of interesting people from all over the world, but I rarely traveled for work. Most of my colleagues didn’t travel for work. My jobs in Afghanistan and Ukraine were spent mostly at a desk, trying to rapidly prepare material for very demanding funders from various foreign governments – in one I had to be taken to work in an armored car and couldn’t leave the work campus except to leave for the day, nor leave my home except with approval. In the other, I could walk to work, go out with colleagues after work, go to street markets and live life like anywhere – except on the days when there were potentially violent protests. But even on “boring” days, the work always, always felt like it mattered. But note: a lot of colleagues, doing very similar work, didn’t feel energized by it – it was just a job.

As for it being difficult to get in – I have to say, most of the people I see here wanting a job in the UN don’t offer anything to show any qualifications at all for working at the UN. They seem to think there’s some sort of magical master’s degree or PhD that gets you “in”. Or some magical way to phrase things in a cover letter. And as a person that often was the person who went through a stack of CVs to pick who would get interviewed, it was soooo easy to disregard 80% of applicants, because they so clearly did NOT have anything in their CV that showed they had all – and I mean ALL – of the skills and experience asked for in the job description.

End of my reply on Reddit.

A lot of this could be said for why I prefer working for nonprofits or government agencies, rather than in the private sector: because it feels like the work matters, even if it’s at a desk most days. I like helping a specific community, including the one that’s all around me currently. And the differences between rural Oregon and rural anywhere else aren’t as great as you might think.

Also see:

If you have benefited from this blog or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

Your nonprofit WILL be targeted with misinformation; prepare now.

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a primitive figure, like a petroglyph, shots through a megaphone

Watching misinformation and disinformation related to the fires in Los Angeles spread exactly like wildfire has been a reminder of just how bad things are regarding public relations and truth. Instead of an army of newspapers, local radio stations and TV stations and other credible media ready to debunk it, the media landscape is as decimated as the actual landscape of the area, and lies about government funding and action, spread by the owner of the site formerly known as Twitter and other people with a political agenda. And no amount of fact-based debunking seems to matter.

As someone that’s studied misinformation and disinformation campaigns against governments and cause-based organizations since the 1990s, it’s been as horrifying to watch as people losing their homes. And as I’ve watched, I am reminded that nonprofits, no matter how small, no matter how beloved, need to be thinking about their strategy NOW for if and when they are targeted by misinformation. It doesn’t matter what your nonprofit’s mission or size: it can be a target for misinformation, on a local or even national level. And given the incoming Presidential administration, the power of misinformation should never be under-estimated.

I’ve used the example of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) before: it was a collection of community-based nonprofits and programs all over the USA that advocated for low- and moderate-income families and worked to address neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing and other social issues for low-income people. At its peak, ACORN had more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the USA. But ACORN was targeted by conservative political activists who secretly recorded and released highly-edited videos of interactions with low-level ACORN personnel in several offices, portraying the staff as encouraging criminal behavior. Despite multiple investigations on the federal, state, and county level that found that the released tapes were selectively edited to portray ACORN as negatively as possible and that nothing in the videos warranted criminal charges, the organization was doomed: politicians pounced and the public relations fallout resulted in almost immediate loss of funding from government agencies and from private donors.

Public libraries are another good example of how misinformation campaigns can work: more books were challenged in public libraries and school libraries in 2024 than ever before, according to the American Library Association. The vast majority of that increase came from groups or individuals working on behalf of national efforts trying to censor dozens or hundreds of titles at a time, part of a push across the country by those supporting the incoming Presidential administration to ban certain books based on the unfounded claims that they are inappropriate for children, as well as to defund and close public libraries altogether.

Goodwill is a frequent target of misinformation regarding senior staff salaries – and from what I see on a local level, makes no effort to counter that misinformation, resulting in people choosing not to donate items to their thrift shops nor shop at such. Which is so sad, as Goodwill does amazing work regarding training people to enter or re-enter the workforce (which most people don’t know is their mission).

There are nonprofit theaters, including community theaters, that have mounted a production that has resulted in community protests and a loss of donors, and seemed utterly unprepared for the groundswell of controversy, a groundswell that’s often started by just one person spreading misinformation about the play, and the people protesting often haven’t actually read nor seen the play. But they are loud, organized and committed, and the theater is often left utterly unprepared for the negative attention.

I have an entire blog about how to train staff so that your organization doesn’t become a victim of GOTCHA media?, so I won’t repeat those tips here. But you need to have a plan for what to do when there is even a hint of misinformation starting about your organization.

Misinformation about nonprofits usually targets their budget, what they pay staff, how they have or haven’t helped someone, how they make their programming decisions, how they carry out their work and their plans for the future. Therefore:

  • Make sure your web site is up-to-date regarding all of the above.
  • Your social media needs to regularly updated the public about all of the above.
  • ALL staff, including volunteers, need to be regularly briefed (at least twice a year; once a quarter is better) on all of the above.
  • All staff, including volunteers, need to know what to do if they see or hear misinformation related to your organization.

Your entire staff, including volunteers, need to be on the lookout for misinformation: a post on an online community, a comment at a church meeting, a reference at a civic group, a comment from a new volunteer, even a comment at a family gathering. If they see it or hear it in a public setting, or from an elected official or community leader or influencer, they need to NOT respond themselves – they need to know who at your organization they need to tell (it’s probably the executive director, the communications manager or their immediate supervisor). If it wasn’t a public comment, there’s no need to say exactly who said it, but do say what was said.

When was the last time you told your entire staff what to do in case they see or hear misinformation? If you don’t have an answer, create a strategy NOW and meeting dates and times. If it was in the last six months or more, it’s overdue to do it again.

When you hear misinformation, the next step may not be to have a meeting next week to discuss what’s happening; it may be to start drafting responses IMMEDIATELY, to be shared online within hours, even minutes. Who is going to be involved in that? Just the Executive Director and communications person? The board president too? Do you have all the contact information you need for these people so this can happen quickly?

If you had a message that needed to spread quickly online, do you have that system ready to go: do you have a board member who will be in charge of calling all board members to tell them to share an urgent social media message? do you have a manager of volunteers or volunteer leaders who will be in charge of contacting certain volunteers to encourage them to share that urgent social media message? Do you have more than one person who knows how to update your web site, in case your communications manager is on vacation?

And here’s the reality: if you are just thinking about this for the first time, right now, as you read this blog, or if you haven’t done anything to prepare yet, then you are already behind schedule. Most of the recommendations above cannot be done quickly without many weeks, even months, of preparation and refreshers. This is an URGENT need your nonprofit needs to address now, no matter its focus.

One more thing: you need a photo of your executive director, and any other staff, with as many elected officials as possible: the mayor, at least one city council member, at least one county representative, your area’s state representative, your area’s state senator, your areas US Representative and, if possible, your US Senators. It makes it more difficult for an elected official to criticize an organization when there is a photo of that person smiling with your staff, particularly at one of your events. See more at Nonprofits: look at local election results & prepare to reach out.

July 2025 update: They matched on Tinder shortly after the November presidential election, shared their mutual disappointment about Donald J. Trump’s victory and agreed to meet for a drink. The date lasted an hour and the man said he barely thought about the date again. Then a video of him appeared on the website of Project Veritas, a right-wing group known for using covert recordings to embarrass political opponents. His date had posed as a politically liberal commercial real estate agent and recent transplant to the capital, but she was actually a Project Veritas operative with a hidden camera. Conservative media and Republicans used the date conversation as supposed evidence that the Biden administration had mishandled funds. (if the link doesn’t work, try this one)

Also see

How to handle online criticism.

Could your organization be deceived by GOTCHA media?

Growing misconceptions about the role of nonprofits in the USA.

Mission-Based Groups Need Use the Web to Show Accountability

Governments cracking down on nonprofits & NGOs.

If you have benefited from this blog or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

Philanthropy is commendable, but…

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., looking thoughtful.

In anticipation of MLK day later this month:

“Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice, which make philanthropy necessary.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

On a related theme: Shifting Philanthropy From Charity to Justice, from the Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Also see my earlier blogs:

Charity isn’t enough.

Volunteering, by itself, isn’t enough to save the world.

Be kind after you read the first draft.

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After a few decades of professional work, I’m getting less circumspect about my experiences. There are things I was afraid to say, or to admit to, 20 years ago, but now feel need to be shared, to help others pursuing a similar career path and to remind some folks in power of some things they should be reminded of. I’m in a good position to share them, per my decades of work and diversity of experiences. This blog is one of many coming from that feeling that it’s time to say it – whatever it is.

Many years ago, I trained as a journalist. I even worked as a professional journalist for a few years. But before graduating from university, I realized I didn’t want to be a journalist. Before I left university, I started working in public relations for a nonprofit, and then I was in charge of publicity for the entire season of my university’s children theater series. We broke attendance records. I loved it. So I’ve done communications work ever since for nonprofits and cause-based programs, except for a few breaks to manage programs and projects for nonprofits or the United Nations.

I love applying what I learned as a journalist to the work I do with nonprofits – I think it’s why I’m successful at getting media coverage. And I love writing with the purpose of promoting, even explaining, a program or project. For nonprofits, I find such writing easier than a lot of other people, because I believe so much in the fundamental importance of the third sector and the public sector to everyone’s quality of life. That innate motivation makes it easy for me to be motivated to write for most any nonprofit or government mission. I feel great inspiration in why most nonprofits and government programs exists, whether it’s a winterization program or a new musical or a new approach to community meeting facilitation, and I think it shows in what communications products – press release, web pages, social media posts, speeches, video scripts and more – that I make for them.

But writing for causes I immediately find worthy is not without some big challenges. And the biggest for me is the reaction from co-workers or funders reading a draft of something for the first time. The expressed shock of some of them, even suppressed outrage, that things are incorrect or aren’t perfectly clear can be exhausting.

Of course, the first draft is imperfect. Of course, you will need to edit what I’ve written. I knew that going in. Didn’t you?

Very often, the person that asks me to write a press release or slide show presentation or video script has nothing written at all, not even an outline. I have to draw my material for the first draft from talking to them, from researching online, and if I’m lucky, from printed or online material I’ve been able to track down, like a grant proposal. I do my best with what I can find, and when I provide that first draft, I’m not thinking, “Here it is, all perfect and ready to share!” I’m usually thinking, “Here it is, ready for your edits, because I know how much easier it is to edit than to write from scratch!” I expect edits!

One of my least favorite phrases is this: “I don’t know where you got this from”, referring to some graphic or quote I’ve included in my draft. Please note that I’m not AI (artificial intelligence) and I don’t make things up; whatever it is, I found that graphic or quote somewhere, from a different communications project I wasn’t involved with, from a headquarters, from another nonprofit – somewhere credible and reliable. Or, perhaps you explained something, in terms I cannot use, and so I had to interpret them – and it turns out your explanation wasn’t as good as you thought it was.

One of the best ways to know how good of an explainer you are is to explain something to a person, and then ask that person to explain it back to you. And that’s what you are doing when you ask me to write something you need to communicate with others.

In addition, so much of effective communication isn’t just saying something in one particular way, and expecting the reader or listener to understand. Rather, it’s about saying things in multiple ways, and the reader, or listener, gets the meaning from those different ways you have said it and that they have heard it – more than once.

When you get that first draft, don’t panic that it’s not perfect. Instead, think about how much easier it’s going to be to edit this than to try to write it entirely from scratch.

It’s fine to say, “I don’t like this” about a sentence or graphic, but be able to say more about why. Are the words too big? Do you feel like it could be interpreted to be saying something you don’t want said and, if so, what is that something?

It’s fine to say, “I haven’t heard this way of saying it before. Did this come from somewhere else?” I always have the source material for just such an occasion, like when a client thought I had made an inappropriate leap in logic in how I described one of the programs she managed, and I was able to provide the web pages of her affiliate’s headquarters, as well as other affiliates, that used the same descriptions.

Is the way you have been describing something really better than the alternative now being offered? You may be far closer to the subject matter than the person that wrote this press release draft, and that person may be thinking about the audience, people who don’t know as much as you do about the subject, or who may even be hostile about it.

Did the writer have to follow a particular template provided by a funder? Can the writer make the changes you want and still follow the template the funder wants followed?

Did the writer actually do what you wanted and you are now realizing it’s not what you wanted? That’s okay! It seemed like a great idea to adapt that poem or song lyric a certain way, but now that you see what that would look like, it’s okay to say, “I’ve changed my mind.”

Remember that the writer just did the heavy lifting and you now get the far easier role of editing and altering. Thank them for that heavy lifting!

Also see:

What theatre taught me about management & internal communications.

Abilities you need to work in humanitarian development successfully

How to support your online community manager in times of trolling.

Support Your Local Online Discussion Manager!

The delicate, peculiar task of promoting a charity’s gala.

Be careful using Canva – nonprofit graphics are starting to all look the same!

Getting great photos for your nonprofit’s marketing needs takes planning.

When some nonprofit employees & volunteers don’t really understand what the nonprofit is trying to address & why.

Nonprofits: look at local election results & prepare to reach out

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image of a panel discussion or a presentation in front of people at a long desk

An election has happened in the USA and, by now, even tight local elections should have been resolved and winners named. And that means, nonprofits, that you have some relationship building and sustaining to do:

Update your lists of elected officials – city councils, county officials, your state legislative representatives and your US congressional representatives. They don’t take office until January, however, so don’t change the lists prematurely if you have information to send out before the end of the year.

Newly-elected officials should get at least a card of introduction from your nonprofit. An invitation to meet face-to-face would be even better. They need to know who you are and why you matter.

For officials who did not choose to run for re-election, or lost the election, especially if they ever attended any of your events or somehow showed support for your nonprofit. Thank them for their support and consider offering an invitation to continue to be involved with your nonprofit in some way – at least signing up to continue to receive your newsletter. 

Relationship building with elected officials has never been more critical for nonprofits’ to survive. You ignore doing all of the above at great risk to your nonprofits’ future.

If you have benefited from this blog or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

Folks need post-election reassurances from your nonprofit – here’s what to say

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four people standing in a circle, holding hands.

Nonprofits in the USA: there are people among your clients, your donors, your volunteers and employees who are deeply worried right now, per the November 2024 election. You don’t have to get political, but you do need to demonstrate to those you work with and for that your organization has a commitment to respect and inclusion in its work. And your employees in particular need to know you have their back in case they need to start job hunting.

Start by reaffirming your organization’s mission, vision and code of conduct, all of which should be in writing, to employees and volunteers. All of your volunteers should be signing new liability waivers and photo releases at the start of each new year – so why not have an official re-orientation when volunteers arrive to renew their paperwork that reminds them of your organization’s mission, vision and code of conduct? If your organization has a written commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), that should be noted as well. Most of your staff will greatly appreciate the reminder and the demonstrated affirmation.

Post reminders to your organization’s social media about your organization’s mission, vision, code of conduct and commitment to DEI. Don’t just do one post for all of this: create a series of posts. A post once a week, or every other week, would make the point clear to your various audiences.

Make sure you have signage in break rooms and work sites that clients, paid staff and volunteers will see that reminds them of your organization’s mission, vision, code of conduct and commitment to DEI. If you are a part of a national network, your national HQ may have posters already made for this.

One caveat: you may lose a volunteer or some supporters because they disagree with your organization’s values – and never realized it fully until you reminded them of such. They may leave quietly or they may express their displeasure in “finding out” that your organization is so “woke.” The reality is that, if they have this reaction, you haven’t done a good job of making sure that everyone has buy-in to your organization and how it works. Do you really want people interacting with clients and potential clients who are not fully bought into your organization’s mission and culture?

Many of us work for nonprofits where our positions are funded in part, if not entirely, by federal funding that is being targeted for elimination starting July 2025. So, nonprofit executive directors: pay attention to staff morale, respect staff that have started job hunting. Be an enthusiastic and supportive reference for employees applying for other jobs.

Also see:

Nonprofits: be honest with yourself, your staff & the public about how the November 2024 elections may affect you

Governor Bevin & Donald Trump Are Wrong on Community Service Requirements (January 2018)

Trump wants to eliminate national service (February 2018)

Trump’s War on Volunteerism (July 2018)

Trump is trying to eliminate national service – again (March 2019)

time for USA nonprofits to be demanding (January 2018)

A plea to USA nonprofits for the next four years (& beyond) (January 2017)

No excuses: give employees & volunteers all the time they need to vote tomorrow

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A woman holds her ballot up proudly and is standing in front of the ballot drop box where she will drop it. She has a dog on a leash next to her.

Tomorrow, November 5, is election day in the USA. Millions of people have been able to vote early and have already submitted their ballot – as you see me doing in the photo at the right – but millions more could not do that, and the only way they are going to be able to vote is to go to a polling place on election day and probably stand in line for a very long time.

Please don’t limit your employees and volunteers to trying to vote before or after work, or over their lunch hour, if you are in a state requires voting at a polling place. Executive directors: tell your staff to let their managers know what three hour slot they will need for voting during the work day, and have managers tell YOU what three hour slot they will need.

Tell staff this is done on the honor system because OF COURSE you trust your staff to take only the amount of time they actually need to vote and to come back to work when they are finished – they won’t take three hours unless that’s what they actually need. Do NOT require things like a photo of them standing in line waiting to vote.

If your nonprofit won’t do this, if you refuse to do this, then let me be blunt: unfollow this blog, and unfollow me on social media. You don’t deserve my advice on anything.

Webinar: Careers in International Development

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Images, in the style of petroglyphs, of people doing various activities, like writing or construction.

In late August, I had the honor of presenting a live webinar for the Beyond Africa Podcast. You can see a recording of the webinar on YouTube. You can also download the slides I used and see resources I used in the webinar and that I encouraged people to view after the webinar here on my web site.

The webinar opened with a question I have never been asked: why am I doing this? Why am I posting on r/UNPath and other online communities about how to work in international development? As briefly as possible, and among other reasons, because I don’t think there’s equity in who know about and has access to careers in international development, including at the United Nations. You can hear my full answer by listening to the webinar.

Please note that I did this pro bono for this group, but that I usually charge for my consulting, including delivering trainings.

Yes, you CAN get experience for entry level UN positions in your own community

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A frequent lament of people on online groups who want to work for the United Nations is “It’s impossible because there’s no way for me to get the experience needed.”

Bollocks.

I’ve addressed this before in blogs such as

These aforementioned blogs are about how to get expertise that can be applied to UN positions, usually at the P level and above.

But a lot of people want to work at a headquarters or break into UN work at the administrative level. They claim the aforementioned doesn’t apply to them and then, again, say, “It’s impossible for me to get the experience necessary.”

I spent an hour going through G-level positions currently being recruited at some UN agencies. I then made a list of some commonalities in the positions, which I have listed below, stripping out UN-specific references. And as I read through these, it was obvious to me that:

  • If you have been a longish-term leadership volunteer in your community, managing other volunteers, in any project – Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, an NGO that helps refugees, a children’s theater camp, a hospice, a food bank, etc. – you have probably done most of these activities.
  • If you have been a successful Girl Scout leader for more than two years, and been on the board or core organizers of your service unit in that time, you have probably done most of these activities.
  • If you have been a leadership volunteer at a local farmer’s market or artists cooperative for an entire season, you have probably done most of these activities.
  • If you have been on the board of a nonprofit for at least a year, you have probably done most of these activities.

Often it’s how you frame and phrase your responsibilities on your CV and applications as to whether or not you look qualified for a position.

I was part of a hiring committee that hired a guy with extensive hotel management experience for a G level administrative support position: his procurement skills, his experience in dealing with conflict, his organizational skills, his multi-language skills, his client-focused mindset and his experience with international clients were all represented on his CV , explicitly. He was an incredible and perfect fit for the job (he did also have a Master’s degree – I think it was in business).

Job responsibilities that show up on a lot of G-level positions that you can learn through leadership volunteering and through most administrative jobs at nonprofits and local government agencies as well:

  • Schedule internal and external meetings and events, and communicate these dates, or possible dates, to the team/partners.
  • Assist in organizing events, workshops, webinars, launches of publications, seminars, conferences and campaigns.
  • Support the team with planning and implementing of operational activities.
  • Gather relevant and corresponding data (socio-economic, gender, etc.) needed for project development, proposals, reports, presentations, etc.
  • Support activities contributing to the regular communication with project partners to monitor deadlines, commitments made, actions taken, etc.
  • Support in mapping and identifying relevant stakeholders or desired audiences or potential partners.
  • Populate and maintain a database of potential partners, or area NGOs, or area small businesses, or some other needed data set for a project.
  • Review and proofread drafts of reports, drafts of online materials, etc.
  • Closely follow up with other staff, consultants, partner organizations, etc. regarding collaborative projects, data, etc.
  • Review reports developed by others and edit/contribute as needed.
  • Verify the accuracy and validity of research conducted or feedback provided by others.
  • Continuously monitor and collect all data indicators relevant to the project.
  • Provide support in the dissemination and sharing of relevant data and lessons learned.
  • Keep pulse on emerging best practices nationally, regionally, and internationally that relate to the work.
  • Regularly read knowledge networks and communities of practice related to the project/program area.
  • Support program-related knowledge building, management and sharing activities for both external and internal audiences.
  • Assist in preparation of official correspondence to all relevant project partners, HQ, etc.
  • Provide inputs in the development and producing knowledge products, i.e. case studies, success stories, lessons learnt reports, press releases and etc.
  • Contribute to the creation of content for specific stakeholders, including presentation decks, photos videos, programme briefs, webinar/event cards, literature.
  • Monitor online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. regarding mentions of the program and activities by partners/stakeholders.
  • Assist the Project Manager/other staff in preparation of the regular progress reports in line with reporting schedules, as well as any other reports requested by management, donor, government, press and/or other stakeholders/audiences.
  • Support other staff in implementing project M&E activities and providing on-going feedback and technical backstopping.
  • Make logistical arrangements for HQ staff visits and external visitors, preparing briefing kits and background materials.

Quit complaining that “the fix is in” and you can’t get a UN position unless you “know someone on the inside.” I’ve worked for the UN three times, at three different UNDP offices, in three different countries, and I knew NO ONE in those offices that hired me. I’ve been on several UN hiring committees and only one time in all those times was I pressured to hire someone who someone on the hiring committee knew – a practice common in the private sector! (I refused to change my score regarding her interview and qualifications, but she did still get hired somehow). Every other time, we hired the person obviously most qualified.

Get busy taking a hard look at all you have done to date and think about how to better frame it. And if you lack needed skills for the jobs you want, get busy with volunteering or working locally to get them!

Also see:

If you have benefited from this blog or other parts of my web site and would like to support the time that went into researching information, developing material, preparing articles, updating pages, etc. (I receive no funding for this work), here is how you can help. 

The truth about working from home

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A truth bomb from a Facebook group I follow, for people that want to work from home:

I am amazed at the amount of people who believe that work from home means that they can: stay home with their kids, do things around the house, leave the house to run errands, go shopping, etc. My wfh job we got two 15 minutes breaks, no lunch, could only leave our desk around 2 feet - the length of my corded headset and my supervisor literally told us if we were taking more than a FIVE MINUTE bathroom break we were stealing from the company!!! The ones that think they can get away with having their kids screaming in the background are sadly mistaken because customers will call in and complain about you! And the calls are listened to by management at any given time!!

Most work-from-home jobs are customer service jobs, for insurance companies, airlines, subscription TV services, etc., and you don’t work when you want: you have a fixed, strict schedule. And these jobs don’t pay well. The trade-off is, of course, that you get to work from home, but if you think you are going to be doing child care at the same time, think again!

I work from home most of the time, and I don’t have a strict fixed schedule: I work in marketing and press relations for one nonprofit, I manage the online community for another, and I pick up marketing or volunteer management-related gigs here and there. I work from home 90% of the time, and I don’t have a strict schedule: I can walk my dog when I want, for the most part, I can take a break to watch a movie on TCM if I have time in the middle of the day, I can sleep late some days… but I have to work real hours most every day, and I can’t have distractions while I’m working. The deadlines are real. And I have to be available for phone calls and emails from clients. As flexible as my schedule is, there is NO room in it for child care.

The myths around working from home are important to me for three reasons:

There are so many work-from-home scams out there. I have a plate on my web site about What Work-At-Home / Remote Jobs Look Like and how to avoid scams because there are so many scams (and so many people falling for them).

There are so many desperate people in developing countries that believe the myths about working from home, that think it’s work you can do with just a smart phone and you can do whenever you might have some time, that you don’t need a computer or absolutely perfect and fast Internet access. They are among the prime targets for work-from-home scams.

The myths about working from home are similar to myths about virtual volunteering: that volunteering roles online don’t require a schedule (they do – extra time for online volunteering does not magically happen), that the deadlines aren’t strict (they are – if you don’t do an assignment, it often leaves the nonprofit scrambling to get something essential done that they were counting on you for), that you don’t need any skills (you do), etc. Here’s a list of myths about virtual volunteering, from the Virtual Volunteering Wiki.

cover of Virtual Volunteering book with hands raising up various Internet connected devices

There are a LOT of parallels between working online from home and volunteering online from home. My book The Last Virtual Volunteering Guidebook is focused primarily on people who want to engage online volunteers, and covers how to create online roles, and how to properly onboard and support online volunteers during their engagement. If you are a manager of online employees, you might find it helpful. It’s available both as a traditional print publication and as a digital book.

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