Today's COVID-19 epidemic offers nearly every worker in the philanthropy industry the chance to glimpse life as a mobile professional, experience increased workplace satisfaction and productivity, and engage with modern and inexpensive mobile technologies. Then there is the pure joy of not commuting to work, of never looking for parking, of never having countless interruptions during the work day (not to mention the benefits of avoiding The Vending Machine...p.s. when the hell did they start taking credit cards!).
And for supervisors, it means no more tackling microissues of personal space in the office, administrivia related to who has the bigger window, or the newer desk chair. A frustration reduction smorgasbord.
And after 14 years as a "mobile fundraiser" I've concluded that productivity is almost always enhanced - sometimes orders of magnitudes enhanced - when working, developing and supporting a culture of mobile work. My experience as a veritable remote-work guinea pig has let me test and retest ideas and hypotheses about how to work collaboratively, productively, and with integrity while keeping donors interests front and center. I experiment with locations (at home and outdoors), learn from then pivot away from unproductive habits and try to establish new ones, develop personal productivity routines, experiment with connection technologies, and travel my you-know-what off. I have helped others trying to establish their own remote arrangements and consulted on remote technologies for universities and other non-profits.
My belief in this new era of mobility lead me to MIT's ombudsman, who helped me craft one of MIT's first mobile fundraiser work arrangements. I've since lead fundraising teams at three distinct organizations. I've worked to secured over $100M in individual donations. I've managed and recruited volunteers, engaged faculty and institutional leadership in cultivation and engagement programs across multiple time zones. It lead me to implement mobile and remote productivity technologies at my past three employers. And finally, it lead me to the creation of The Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn to support the connectivity of fellow philanthropy professionals to share best practices and connect while we build a better world.
Over the next few weeks I will be rebooting this blog to offer reflections on how to optimize your time (however finite!) and productivity as a mobile advancement professional. I will offer suggestions for managers, leaders, and fundraisers alike. I'll even take questions from you (send to bradsmithjr@Gmail.com!). My reflections may apply to your situation. Others, not so much. But rest assured the advice will be based on nearly 15 years of experience and hopefully will help you get the most out of this - and potentially - your future career pursuits.
Finally, if there is any advice I can give right now it's this: don't take donor relationships for granted. Connect with them. Engage with them. Offer a thoughtful distraction to the 24-hour news cycle. As they say, "If you want apples tomorrow, plant apple seeds today." Now is your chance to play Janice Appleseed. Get out there, and connect.
See you all again soon. Stay safe everybody.
Onward,
Brad
And for supervisors, it means no more tackling microissues of personal space in the office, administrivia related to who has the bigger window, or the newer desk chair. A frustration reduction smorgasbord.
And after 14 years as a "mobile fundraiser" I've concluded that productivity is almost always enhanced - sometimes orders of magnitudes enhanced - when working, developing and supporting a culture of mobile work. My experience as a veritable remote-work guinea pig has let me test and retest ideas and hypotheses about how to work collaboratively, productively, and with integrity while keeping donors interests front and center. I experiment with locations (at home and outdoors), learn from then pivot away from unproductive habits and try to establish new ones, develop personal productivity routines, experiment with connection technologies, and travel my you-know-what off. I have helped others trying to establish their own remote arrangements and consulted on remote technologies for universities and other non-profits.
My belief in this new era of mobility lead me to MIT's ombudsman, who helped me craft one of MIT's first mobile fundraiser work arrangements. I've since lead fundraising teams at three distinct organizations. I've worked to secured over $100M in individual donations. I've managed and recruited volunteers, engaged faculty and institutional leadership in cultivation and engagement programs across multiple time zones. It lead me to implement mobile and remote productivity technologies at my past three employers. And finally, it lead me to the creation of The Philanthropy Network on LinkedIn to support the connectivity of fellow philanthropy professionals to share best practices and connect while we build a better world.
Over the next few weeks I will be rebooting this blog to offer reflections on how to optimize your time (however finite!) and productivity as a mobile advancement professional. I will offer suggestions for managers, leaders, and fundraisers alike. I'll even take questions from you (send to bradsmithjr@Gmail.com!). My reflections may apply to your situation. Others, not so much. But rest assured the advice will be based on nearly 15 years of experience and hopefully will help you get the most out of this - and potentially - your future career pursuits.
Finally, if there is any advice I can give right now it's this: don't take donor relationships for granted. Connect with them. Engage with them. Offer a thoughtful distraction to the 24-hour news cycle. As they say, "If you want apples tomorrow, plant apple seeds today." Now is your chance to play Janice Appleseed. Get out there, and connect.
See you all again soon. Stay safe everybody.
Onward,
Brad
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