I think I just created a blog on my own web site. This is a test post.
Testing my new blog
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Tag Archives: Jayne
Hire me in 2013 – let me help make your organization even better!
Blunt headline, I know, but it gets the point across: I’m available as a trainer for your organization or conference, or for short-term consulting, for long-term consulting, and, for the perfect opportunity, full-time employment in 2013!
As a consultant, I specialize in training, advising, capacity-building services and strategy development for not-for-profit organizations (NPOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, grass roots organizations, and public sector agencies, including government offices and educational institutions (altogether, these organizations comprise the mission-based sector).
Capacity-building is always central to any training or consulting work I do. Capacity-building means giving people the skills, information and other resources to most effectively and efficiently address the organization’s mission, and to help the organization be attractive to new and continuing support from donors, volunteers, community leaders and the general public. My training and consulting goal is to build the capacities of employees, consultants and volunteers to successfully engage in communications and community involvement efforts long after I have moved on.
My consulting services are detailed here. I can deliver both onsite and online services. Also, I love to travel (especially internationally!).
In 2013, I would love to create or co-create an entire course as a part-time or full-time instructor at a college university within any program training nonprofit managers, social workers, MBA students, aid and humanitarian workers, etc. I am most interested, and, I think, most qualified, to teach courses relating to:
- public relations (basic public relations functions, outreach to particular audiences, crisis communications, how to address misinformation / misunderstandings, how to deal with public criticism, etc.)
- strategic communications (systematic planning and utilization of a variety of information flows, internal and external to an organization or program, to deliver a message and build credibility or a brand)
- cross-platform media and electronic media (using traditional print, synchronous and asynchronous online / digital communications, and emerging digital technologies effectively, and integrating the use of all information flows)
- public speaking
- community engagement (involving community members as volunteers, from program supporters to advisers, and creating ways for the community to see the work of an organization firsthand)
Would I consider giving up the consulting life and working just one job, either as a full-time consultant for a year or a full-time, regular employee? Yes! In that regard, I am looking for opportunities to:
- manage/direct a program at a nonprofit, university or government agency.
or
- direct the marketing, public relations or other communications activities for a major project or program at a nonprofit, university or government agency – a corporation that matches my professional values.
I have a profile at LinkedIn, as well as details on my own web site about my professional activities. I’m also happy to share my CV with you; email me with your request. If you have any specific questions about my profile, feel free to contact me as well. References available upon request as well!
Looking forward to hearing from you! Questions welcomed!
Why Your Organization Probably Doesn’t Need A Facebook Page
An excellent blog: Why Your Company Probably Doesn’t Need A Facebook Page
I completely agree. And I think it’s true for many nonprofits, NGOs, community agenices and other organizations as well.
Shocked? Don’t be. Facebook is a great, appropriate outreach / engagement tool for many organizations – and a complete waste of time for others, as this blog explores.
Consider this: maybe all of your volunteers are on Facebook – but they don’t want to mix their Facebook activities with their volunteering. Offline, I don’t always feel comfortable talking about what I do as a volunteer at work with colleagues, or when I’m socializing with friends – perhaps I feel the same way online.
Having a booth at the local county fair might be a great way to create awareness about whatever issue your nonprofit is concerned with, or as a way to recruit volunteers – and might be a complete waste of time for others.
Same for putting an ad in the local newspaper.
Same for doing a PSA on a local radio station.
Same for putting a billboard up on a highway.
How do you know which outreach or engagement tool is right for your organization? Through knowing your potential audiences, through observing online activities by other organizations similar to your organization or also serving a similar community, and through asking your current clients, donors and volunteers how they heard about your organization and how they do or don’t want to use social media with your organization. Through experimenting. Through trial and error.
That said, if you are on Facebook, and want to use Facebook as a way to learn about effective volunteer / community engagement, about nonprofit / NGO management, about aid and development, or about my work, I would love for you to like my Facebook page. But it’s worth noting that a LOT of my friends haven’t done this, because they don’t like mixing work and fun (and they see their Facebook activities as purely for fun).
And if you are on Twitter, and want to use it for those similar reasons, I would love for you to follow me on Twitter. But, again, a LOT of my friends haven’t done this, because they don’t like mixing work and fun (and they see their Twitter activities as purely for fun).
January 5, 2017 update
I still believe 90% of this blog – and the blogs I link to in this blog. My only change is this: your nonprofit does need a page on Facebook, just to “own” your organization’s online real estate – the name of your organization on Facebook. This will mean people can find you on Facebook – yes, they are probably looking for you, and are angry when they cannot find you – and it will also prevent someone else from creating a page for your organization without your knowledge. But if you aren’t going to publish a status update on Facebook at least once a week, if you aren’t going to mark “like” on every single comment made on your status updates, if you aren’t going to respond to questions and criticisms made on your status updates, then say so: publish a status update that says your organization does not regularly update its Facebook status update, and the best way to know what your organization is up to is… what? Check the web site regularly? Follow you on Twitter instead? Also, publish your email address in that one-and-only status update, and note that it’s the best way to reach you. Finally, set your privacy settings so that no one can post on your Facebook page, and so that if anyone mentions your organization on their own Facebook status update it doesn’t show up on your page.
I need your email address
I cringe when people say I’m a techie. Because I’m not I’m technically-savvy. I know how to use technology for outreach, absolutely, and I’m proud of that ability, but if I get an error message in using software, I’m stuck. Screen projectors regularly stump me – they plug in well to my Mac, usually, but I can never get them to work on IBM Clone PCs.
It’s like saying I’m a motorcycle mechanic because I have ridden more than 12,000 miles on motorcycles. I take those machines many amazing places – but I couldn’t even change a tire on one.
I say this because, in trying to upgrade my operating system on my MacBook, I annihilated my hard drive. And while I back up regularly, I apparently did something wrong two years ago, because it turns out that none of my email from the last two years backed up (I changed my email client two years ago).
All my files, documents, presentations, photos, etc. are safe (whew!), but all of my email from 2010, 2011 and the start of 2012, is gone. That includes my email address book.
So if you emailed me recently, or even in the last six months, and are wondering why I haven’t emailed you back – that’s what’s up. Please email again. If this message is for you, then know my email address – I won’t post it here, so I can keep it away from bots. Otherwise, try this web page (be sure to remove OINKMOO from the address).
I’ve tweeted this, I’ve posted it to my Facebook page, but word isn’t reaching everyone – so here it is, blogged.
And let this be a lesson to you aspiring independent consultants out there: you really are on your own when it comes to IT.
What I wish I’d known two years ago: where my email client (Thunderbird) puts my email on my hard drive (yes, I have some email on the cloud, but I need to access email even when I do NOT have Internet access!).
(there was a guy from MercyCorps who lives in the Portland, Oregon area that I have been trying to get together with for many weeks – if you are out there, PLEASE email me! I can’t remember your name!)