The Idealist.org Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

Nonprofit Sector Switching Advice with Steven Pascal-Joiner Jun 23, 2009

Show notes

If you are trying to switch into the nonprofit sector, check out the new Idealist.org Podcast with advice on how to prepare for your interview and land that nonprofit job.Our Career Transitions team has the pleasure of attending lots of events, giving presentations, and otherwise conversing with professionals looking for meaningful work in the nonprofit sector. While they get plenty of unique questions, they also get plenty of frequently-asked questions. Steven Pascal-Joiner recently sat down with his colleague Jung Fitzpatrick to discuss some of the common answers he shares with experienced professionals 'sector switching' into the nonprofit world. They cover:

What are the job prospects for a senior level sector switcher? Would I need to start at a lower level and work up?
I want an upper-level management/leadership role. Where are those jobs?
I have [insert exhaustive list of impressive skills] from decades of work in [insert industry]. Why can't nonprofits see this? or How do I make myself stand-out from the 100's of resumes organizations may receive for a given position particularly if I don't have paid experience in the non-profit sector?
Generally, for-profit positions earn more money than nonprofit positions. Are non-profits less likely to consider candidates with for-profit experience because they expect that the candidate would have to take a significant paycut and therefore not really consider the position?
What may be some red flags in my resume or cover letter if I'm coming from the for-profit sector? How do I address those?
What kind of further education (certificate courses, community workshops) can help me improve my candidacy for nonprofit work?
Is there any other advice or resources that may be helpful to for-profit professionals hoping to transition into nonprofits?

For even more information on how to enter the nonprofit sector, check out our free Idealist.org Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers.

A Pride Month Interview - Lesbian and Gay Perspectives in AmeriCorps and Peace Corps Jun 17, 2009

Show notes

June is Pride Month, so The New Service podcast from Idealist.org is taking a closer look at the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals serving in Peace Corps and AmeriCorps.

Today's guests are lesbian and gay former service corps participants:

Chad Jeremy, a former AmeriCorps NCCC corps member, currently a training specialist with AmeriCorps NCCC in Perry Point, MD. Chad is an officer with National Service GLOBE, an affinity group for LGBT folks involved with national service.
Kate Kuykendall, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (China, 1999-2001); currently a Public Affairs Officer for Peace Corps Los Angeles. Kate's a member of the LGBT Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group.
Martha Tierney, a former Notre Dame AmeriCorps member, currently a program offer for AmeriCorps National at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Martha is also a National Service GLOBE officer.

The New Service podcast host Amy Potthast speaks with them about agency policies affecting LGBT service—including policies around joining the corps with a same-sex partner; the experience of serving as a lesbian or gay corps member; and opportunities to serve on projects that relate to LGBT issues.

Also check out our interivew with one of the only known transgender Returned Peace Corps Volunteers about his service. (Because of scheduling issues, and as a way to maintain his anonymity, we agreed to a written interview with him.)

Finally, if you are an LGBT individual considering Peace Corps service, register for Kate Kuykendall's online information session "Have Rainbow, Will Travel: The LGBT Experience in the Peace Corps" on Saturday, June 20, 2009. She'll introduce Peace Corps service more specifically, and also address issues of special concern to LGBT folks.

Read the transcript.

Past, Present, and Future…The Voices of Girls and Women Jun 09, 2009

Show notes

From our team in Portland, Oregon: Last November, we blogged about a mentorship program taking place in our office where four of the women on our staff would be mentoring a small group of teenage girls. Coordinated by Girls, Inc. of NW Oregon, the Associates Mentoring Program provides opportunities for busy professional women to join forces with girls in crafting a project to explore different career paths, develop new skills, get to know one another, and have fun in the process.Seven months and a ton of work later, we're proud to show off the fruits of their labor: a new podcast! "Past, Present, and Future…The Voices of Girls and Women" explores the diverse and shared perceptions of women and girls, the stories they tell, and the common themes they share. A team of three girls and four Idealists met every other week to create this new podcast, determining the theme, crafting six questions to ask each person, interviewing 17 women and girls who ranged in age from 14 to 61, and doing lots and lots of editing (with the guidance and assistance of our own Amy Potthast, host of The New Service podcasts). The end result? A twenty minute window into unique dreams and goals, stories of perseverance and ambition, and shared hopes and ideals of girls and women today. Special thanks to rock stars Christa, Polina, and Galyna, Girls Inc of NW Oregon, and the many fascinating girls and women who participated in our project!

Questions with Stefanie Faucher of Death Penalty Focus Jun 02, 2009

Show notes

This podcast is the first in a new series called "Questions With" in which we feature leaders in the social sector discussing their work and professional journeys.The death penalty has been the subject of an ongoing debate across the United States for many decades. In recent years, some states have completed abolished the practice while others continue. In this episode Douglas Coulter interviews Stefanie Faucher about her anti-death penalty work and her role as the Program Director at Death Penalty Focus, an organization that advocates for the abolition of capital punishment.

Cross Sector Relationships, Corporate Responsibility and Citizen Service: An Interview with Alan Khazei and Shannon Schuyler May 19, 2009

Show notes

Corporate social responsibility and citizen service are increasingly becoming two sides of the same coin, as more business-sector employees and clients demand opportunities to improve their communities as part of their workplace culture. Exemplifying the beneficial opportunities of cross-sector alliances is the new national partnership between the nonprofit Be The Change, Inc., and the business network Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). Today's guests on The New Service podcast from Idealist.og are Be the Change, Inc's Alan Khazei and PwC's Shannon Schuyler.Alan Khazei is the founder and CEO of Be the Change, Inc, the lead organizer of the Service Nation campaign that has galvanized support throughout the country for passage of the Kennedy Serve America Act. Alan is Co-Founder & former CEO of City Year, the youth service corps that helped to inspire the development of AmeriCorps. Shannon Schuyler is the Managing Director responsible for PwC's U.S. Corporate Responsibility. As such she is responsible for fostering meaningful partnerships with national non-profits, including a new national relationship with Be the Change, Inc. The collaboration between Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Be the Change Inc is aimed at inspiring a new era of voluntary citizen service. PwC will also serve as a Lead Sponsor for ServiceNation's participation in the upcoming National Conference on Volunteering and Service. Amy Potthast spoke with Alan and Shannon about their evolving partnership, about how corporate responsibility strengthens communities, and about how groups can — and must — come together across sectors to solve our most pressing social problems.

Graduate Education: Financial Aid Myths, Ins and Outs May 04, 2009

Show notes

Idealist.org's Jung Fitzpatrick talks with Regina Garner, the Director of Student Financial Services for the Monterey Institute of International Studies, to dispel some common myths that working professionals have about qualifying for financial aid and to learn more about the ins and outs of financial aid for graduate education. Whether you're thinking about graduate school–or are already on your way–this podcast helps answer many questions about the financial aid process. Topics include the basics of how financial aid is determined, the role of The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 in debt forgiveness and loan repayment as well as other issues for professionals transitioning to graduate school. If you have more questions about graduate school, check out our free Public Service Graduate Education Resource Center, which in addition to articles on financing your graduate education, includes information on preparing for, applying to and alternatives to graduate school. You can also post questions to our Graduate Education Forum! Also be sure to check out the upcoming Graduate Degree Fairs for the Public Good this summer in Washington D.C. and New York City and this fall in 16 cities in the United States and Canada.

Nonprofit and Volunteer Resources: Laura Norvig and Jason Scott from the Resource Center Apr 17, 2009

Show notes

The Resource Center, a website of the Corporation for National and Community Service, is the repository of over 8,000 nodes of training tools, publications, and effective practices to support volunteer programs, nonprofits, and people involved with the AmeriCorps family of programs. The Resource Center–free and accessible to all audience–boasts a 3,000-item lending library as well as a calendar of events of interest to national service programs and nonprofits. The guests on this New Service podcast are Laura Norvig, the Resource Center's librarian, and Jason Scott, the Training Officer and eLearning Specialist at the Corporation for National and Community Service. Laura has been with the Resource Center for nearly a decade, manages acquisitions and operations for the Resource Center library, and oversees the taxonomy for the Resource Center website. She follows trends in blogging and collaborative media as well as serves as the "voice" of the Resource Center on social media sites. Jason is responsible for providing tools, training and information online to national service programs and nonprofits interested in service and volunteering. He has worked for an AmeriCorps State program and started out at CNCS as an AmeriCorps Recruiter before beginning his work in the Office of Leadership Development and Training. He also served as a VISTA in 1999 then as a VISTA Leader in 2000. Amy Potthast talks with Laura and Jason about how you can access, benefit from, and contribute to the Resource Center. Also check out sister websites VISTA Campus (free login required) and EnCorps. Learn more about national service and the Resource Center on The New Service blog from Idealist.org.

Volunteer Abroad: Your Questions Answered by Erin Barnhart Apr 07, 2009

Show notes

Are you interested in taking some time to volunteer in another country? Have you already started your search and now you have even more questions? Or do you have no idea where to begin? In either case, this podcast episode is for you. We collected common questions from attendees at the recent Idealist.org Global Volunteering Fair and our very own Erin Barnhart answers them for us. Erin oversees the free Idealist.org International Volunteerism Resource Center, which contains tons of resources to help you make an informed decision. In our interview, we cover global volunteering topics like why you may have to pay, where to look for opportunities, how to evaluate an organization, if this is the best way to help and more. And, of course, if you still have more questions at the end, check out the International Volunteerism Resource Center.

AmeriCorps for Legal Experts: Equal Justice Works's Cole McMahon and Marty Costello Mar 23, 2009

Show notes

In 2009, hundreds of emerging legal experts across the United States will offer assistance in helping people who face mortgage foreclosure and other problems through the Equal Justice Works 2009 Summer AmeriCorps program and the one-year AmeriCorps Legal Fellows program. Every year in this country, four out of five low-income people in need of legal assistance are denied services because of overwhelming case loads at legal services offices and a dire shortage of attorneys who can help them. Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps plays a crucial role in closing the gap between the supply and demand of legal assistance. AmeriCorps attorneys secure affordable housing, lost wages, orders of protection, health care, public benefits, adoption services, and education for low-income and underserved communities. Our guests on this Idealist.org podcast are Marty Costello, Program Manager, and Cole McMahon, Senior Program Manager, from Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps. They join Idealist's Amy Potthast to talk about the Summer Corps, a 300-hour AmeriCorps Education Award program for law school students, as well as its one-year, full-time AmeriCorps Legal Fellows program. The Equal Justice Works 2009 Summer Corps application opens today Wednesday, March 18 and closes on Wednesday, April 1; this summer's corps will commit to providing assistance to those individuals and families facing mortgage foreclosure and will set aside Summer Corps positions for 1L and 2L law students working on eligible mortgage foreclosure-related issues. See a list of host sites and learn how to apply.In exchange for a minimum of 300 hours of service, summer AmeriCorps members earn a $1,000 AmeriCorps Education Award that can be used to pay current educational expenses or qualified student loans. They also gain first-hand experience and legal skills in areas such as client intake, representation, legal research and writing. In 2008, 333 Summer Corps members provided direct legal services to 18,395 low-income individuals. For more information on last year's program, download the Equal Justice Works 2008 Summer Corps Summary of Accomplishments. Equal Justice Works blog is part of the Idealist Grad School Blog Project.

The Musical Peace Corps: Kiff Gallagher's Music National Service Initiative Mar 09, 2009

Show notes

Kiff Gallagher is founder of Peacelabs Music and the Music National Service Initiative (MNSI). In 2008, The Aspen Institute named MNSI's MusicianCorps — a developing AmeriCorps-type program that will enable musicians to serve in low-income schools — one of the top ten public policy proposals that would strengthen the United States.

According to The Aspen Institute:

Music reaches youth. … Music education develops habits of self-directed learning that drive lifelong success, and it can inspire community cohesiveness and service. Yet, most schools are experiencing significant cutbacks. Particularly effective at reaching disengaged youth, music can be an effective vehicle for a public service corps that meets social and civic goals.

The MNSI project has recently received $500K from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to pilot a 10-month fellowship program in the Bay Area. After a summer training institute, Fellows would take up their service in public schools, engaging in these kinds of activities. The program is set to launch its first cohort in August 2009.

Idealist's Amy Potthast talks with Kiff Gallagher about the need for music and arts education in the schools, about his role in developing the national service legislation that shaped AmeriCorps in 1993, and the future of the Music National Service Initiative.

Also check out this story on NPR.

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