Blog Posts

Ready to Take Your Career to the Next Level?

We’re thrilled to introduce Career Services for nonprofit and sector professionals! Whether you’re exploring your next move, refining your résumé, preparing for interviews, or planning your long-term career path. Phil'sJobs Career Services provides personalized guidance, honest feedback, and practical strategies to help you move forward with confidence. And if you ever just need to vent about anyt

October 7, 2025 Read more

Stop Putting People on the Spot!

I’ll admit it: I’ve been guilty of putting someone on the spot. And yes, it strained a relationship. Here’s what happened. An acquaintance mentioned that they wanted to connect with someone at an organization they were interested in. Without thinking it through, I jumped in: “Oh sure, I’ll introduce you.” I quickly fired off an email, copying my contact and the person in question. Within hours, I

September 23, 2025 Read more

Investing in Short-Term Leave: A Strategic Pillar in Employee Satisfaction

We are excited to feature this guest post, by Lacey Kempinski from https://balancedgood.com/ When we think about workplace wellbeing and equity, covering short-term leaves isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But in an ever-changing economy that significantly impacts the nonprofit sector, short-term coverage can improve employee retention, organizational health, and employment equity. When em

September 15, 2025 Read more

7 Questions for a Changemaker with Erin Morantz

We’re excited to dive into our second edition of “7 Questions for a Changemaker” with our dear friend Erin Morantz , VP Advancement & Alumni Engagement at SFU. Erin has spent her career building meaningful philanthropic relationships and driving impact across the nonprofit and education sectors. An SFU alumna, she has held leadership roles in major giving, alumni engagement, and national nonpr

September 8, 2025 Read more

September Reset

Welcome back! Can you believe it’s September already? Summer is basically behind us, though Vancouver always gives us a beautiful September. I only managed one ocean swim this year, but I packed my calendar with Bard on the Beach, Theatre Under the Stars, Arts Club plays, and Opera, and Symphony in the Park. Summer was rich in experiences, even if it wasn’t full of beach days. Still, I never reall

September 1, 2025 Read more

7 Questions for a Changemaker with Rowena Veylan

We’re kicking off our first 7 Questions for a Changemaker with our dear friend Rowena Veylan , founder of the New School of Fundraising . Rowena has spent over two decades in the sector and is now building a space where fundraisers can learn, grow, and challenge the old ways of doing things. She’s thoughtful, values-driven, and one of the most generous people you’ll meet, exactly the kind of chang

August 26, 2025 Read more

4 Ways to Help Your Team Prioritize Goals in Any Work Environment

We are excited to feature this guest post, by Liz Rejman http://www.lizrejman.co Focused, productive teams. Teams prioritizing goals that support the mission of your organization. The community you serve depends on it. But how can you support getting your team on the same page? It won’t happen organically. But it doesn’t have to be hard. It requires a combination of guidance, support, and accounta

August 18, 2025 Read more

New Series Incoming: 7 Questions for a Changemaker - Real Talk from Nonprofit Pros

We talk to nonprofit professionals all the time about fundraising wins, leadership challenges, burnout, weird board dynamics, joyful donor moments, and why we stay in the sector. So I figured, why not share those conversations? ✨ We're launching a new interview series called: "7 Questions for a Changemaker — Real Talk from Nonprofit Pros" Each post features someone working in the nonprofit sector

August 12, 2025 Read more

Success, Privilege, and the Myth of Merit

Yes, I’m going to talk about Patrick Schwarzenegger. People love to hate on nepo babies these days. If you’ve missed the memo, “nepo babies” are the children of celebrities, politicians, and other influential folks who get opportunities, acting roles, jobs, media coverage, largely thanks to their family name or connections. The backlash has been swift, especially when these nepo babies try to defe

August 4, 2025 Read more

Why Candidates Walk Away (and What They Tell Us After)

As recruiters, we see both sides of the hiring process. We know when a candidate drops the ball, shows up late, comes unprepared, or disappears after an interview. But here’s what many organizations overlook: candidates remember everything about their experience with you. And they talk. A clunky or unprofessional hiring process can quietly damage your organization’s reputation. We’ve seen it happe

July 23, 2025 Read more

The Interview Question That Needs to Go!

Full disclosure: This post was inspired by a beauty pageant. No, seriously. My husband, who's Filipino, and like many folks in the Filipino community, enjoys a good pageant; had one on in the background the other night. I wasn’t really watching until he turned to me and said, “What kind of stupid question is that?” The host had just asked the finalists: “Tell us why you don’t deserve to win.” And

July 15, 2025 Read more

The Secret Upside of Being a ‘Training Ground'

In my last blog post, I talked about how competitive the market for fundraisers has become and how organizations often poach from one another. One comment I’ve heard repeatedly, especially from larger shops, is a sense of frustration: “We’re tired of being a training ground.” They invest time and resources into junior fundraisers, only to see them move on after a year or two. And I get it, it can

July 8, 2025 Read more

Why Fundraiser Turnover Isn’t Going Away

I get this question at least once a week: “What’s the market like?” My answer is always some variation of the same theme: not enough fundraisers, too many opportunities, and yes, high turnover. Sometimes the market is busier than other times, but the underlying dynamic hasn’t changed much. The reality is, people aren’t lining up for fundraising jobs. I hear from HR folks in other sectors who get 2

July 3, 2025 Read more

You’re Not Losing Candidates. You’re Taking Too Long!

Hiring in the nonprofit sector is often more complicated than it needs to be. We get it, there are selection committees, packed calendars, people with big jobs and even bigger missions. But if your hiring process is dragging out over weeks (or months), you're likely losing the very candidates you’re trying so hard to attract. We started noticing a big shift in late 2021. Coming out of Covid, every

June 26, 2025 Read more

Why I Won’t Thank a Straight Person for My Existence This Pride

What one “joke” gets wrong about identity, belonging, and why Pride still matters at home, at work, and everywhere in between. Last week, I came across something that made me stop in my tracks. A WhatsApp status that read: “This month, make sure you thank a straight person for your existence!” Yes, really. My daughter saw it too. She showed it to me, wide-eyed: “Woah, I don’t even know what to say

June 17, 2025 Read more