The Nonprofit Job Cycle framework is something I developed and have implemented in my career to guide me in the inevitable uncertainty. Part of the cycle relies on the Menninger Morale Curve and it is my pleasure to share this wildly useful but not very widely known piece of academic literature. These tools combined have shaped my perspective and ultimately increased my satisfaction in the sector.
A series of jobs creates a mission-driven career. The journey can be fraught with burnout and unmet expectations. Alternatively, the journey can be purposeful and satisfactory. So, how can you achieve the later?
First, recognize that your deep care for making a better world is an essential element of your formula for finding the right job. Define your vision for the world no matter how grand or granular, this northstar will guide you.
Secondly, understand the unique nature of mission-driven work. What can one pragmatically accomplish with these specific variables at this specific time? How will my work advance this cause that is inextricably connected to all other causes? Dr. Walt Menninger’s study of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers helps us understand job satisfaction and as a trained psychiatrist he emphasizes the role change plays. Change, good or bad, challenges our adaptive systems and either reaffirms or requires us to renegotiate our identity. I had a chance meeting with Walt at an informal gathering in Topeka, KS. I was recently returned from my Peace Corps service and trying to make sense of what, if anything, I had accomplished with the last two years of my life. This happenstance encounter couldn’t have come at a better time and helped me position/reposition myself in every job thereafter.
Here’s a quick explanation of the Menninger Morale Curve and a longer explanation is here. There are four observed changes to cope with the transition.
To visualize the four stages, see that the initial morale is high (arrival), once realities of the task set in morale plummets (engagement), morale returns to a higher level after you have accepted the realities including environment, culture and actual tasks of completing your assignment (acceptance), and finally, morale is dependent on you as to whether or not you will complete the assignment with positive or negative morale (reentry). The key is to not lose sight of your initial motivation and goals after learning the realities of the work. This is where the work of personal discovery of identifying your northstar, values and worldview return to the forefront.
After understanding your northstar and the Menninger Morale Curve, it is time to engage with the job cycle. Below find descriptions of each phase along with podcasts and articles that can help you master each phase.
Notice the cycle doesn’t end with securing the first job offer. Like good design, this process is iterative. When speaking of mid-life career transitions, Judy Schoenberg, co-founder of EvolveMe and career coach, said, “You can’t google your way out of this. You need a systematic way.” This job cycle creates a system that will ensure you land the job that builds your ideal career path.
Let’s go into more detail on each step…
1. Vision and Values: What are your values and worldview and how do you want to use your life to realize them? What matters most to you in this world…that children go to bed safe and satiated? That our environment is protected? That local libraries thrive? That corporate money is out of politics? That AI doesn’t harm humanity? Which areas do you return to every time you think of how you want the world to change? Do the work of finding your northstar.
2. Wants and Needs: Putting your northstar into context today. Which type of role, organization and in which location will your ideal job be? What are your non-negotiables? What is the salary range? This isn’t about making compromises, this is about identifying your true wants and needs.
Networking: You will benefit from networking throughout the job cycle. It is especially important to start or increase your networking efforts once you have your wants and needs defined.
I owe much of my career to networking. Make no mistake, benefits of networking are earned. The backbone of being recruited or recommended for positions is the integrity behind the work that a person is known for doing. Think of networking as matchmaking. The mutual connection pairs people whose wants and needs align in the right time. At the risk of oversimplifying or diminishing valuable personal connections, let me briefly share how networking has been a catalyst for my 20 year nonprofit career.
My first nonprofit job was on the heels of working in electoral politics. A campaign volunteer recommended me to his wife who was the Executive Director of a local nonprofit. I was recruited into my next role by a connection I made through Assoication of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). In my next job search I relied on the endorsement of a friend of a friend to feel confident taking an offer. From there I followed a former supervisor to a new organization. My latest transition was the product of a peer at Philanthropic Planning Group of Greater New York (PPGGNY) recommending me to a search firm that reached out to my peer about an open role.
One of our podcast guests, David Sherman said, “if you don’t have a network, build one.“ I’d like to reiterate his message and remind you that the description of the connections and networking above, were not driven by introductions from my parents or a privileged network. They were born of my willingness to seek the company of like-minded people who always began as strangers. So yes, go to the book talk, alumni association event, professional association meeting, volunteer in your community, young professionals group gathering, and training sessions that will prepare you for the career you want.
3. Edit: Use what you’ve learned in networking to recalibrate your ideal job and personal brand. Review your wants and needs, which parts need updating before you apply. Is your personal brand too broad/vague or too narrow/specific? Create your ideal job description include mission, location, organization size, salary range, and any other details that matter to you.
The next three steps are exciting because during these steps you will be receiving regular feedback from potential employers. If you find that you consistently get stuck in one of the next three phases (e.g. applying but not getting interviews, getting interviews but not offers, getting offers but you don’t want them) change your approach. Get input from friends or hire a coach, do something that changes your inputs to achieve new results.
4. Apply: The edit phase yields an ideal job description and organization. Begin applying to roles and organizations that align with your ideal job description. Applications to nonprofit organizations should always include a personal connection to the mission but don’t make the mistake of spending precious space fan-girling the organization or worse, telling the organization what they do.
5. Interview: How can you put your best foot forward and what you can ask to determine if this opportunity and organization is the right fit. We have done several podcasts about interviews. Prepare by reviewing your application to the job description. Be ready with examples especially for the first 3 bullet points of the job description. If there is something on your resume you don’t want to discuss, remove it from your resume–forever. Use the conversation to understand what problem the organization is trying to solve with this position. Ask what success for this role looks like in 30 days and in six months. Ask about the 3-5 year plan or trajectory for the department.
6. Offer: Offers are thrilling and require consideration before saying yes. The offer is the starting point of a negotiation, saying yes or no too quickly may leave the job seeker on the back foot. Lead with gratitude for the opportunity and only negotiate if you are seriously considering the offer. It’s not just salary that you have to leverage in this negotiation, think about vacation time, a flexible work schedule, professional development budget, or tuition reimbursement. Would the organization be willing to consider a sign on or retention bonus? If merit increases are based on a review process, could the review process be accelerated to 6-months instead of 12? I don’t suggest negotiating for the sake of negotiating but if you do appreciate the organization and want the role to work, negotiation can help you find terms that will work for both the organization and you.
7. Reset: This step was born from the Menninger Morale Curve, specifically the acceptance phase. Once the job seeker is in their ideal role it is time to account for changes in landscape and perception. Organizations do their best to create job descriptions that fill the need in the moment and can achieve their vision for the future. Given the new working knowledge of the organization and role, it’s time to reset expectations and goals to align with the assessment of what is achievable in your tenure.
In my professional career and as a volunteer here are some examples of where I landed in the acceptance phase:
Creating a statement like those above in the acceptance phase will allow you to stay focused on what is intrinsically valuable to you. If the demands of the job pull you away from this statement, you have a few choices. First, you can discuss the misalignment with your manager or team. They may buy-in to your vision and remove the barriers. If not, you can follow the new direction and create a new statement for your role in the organization. Finally, you may decide to move to another organization.
8. Thrive Check: Once there is a clear definition of what can be accomplished as defined by the reset stage, on an annual basis you can evaluate your job to see if it remains an important piece of the career you are building. These questions can help you determine if it is time to reconfigure your role or seek another role.
Remember this is a cycle not a summit. As you launch your nonprofit career I hope these tools will help you find the jobs and development opportunities that will build your career.
