Guest post by Heather Carpenter, research associate, The Caster Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research, University of San Diego
It was amazing to have Patrick Corvington, president of the Corporation for National and Community Service as the keynote speaker for the NGen dinner at the Independent Conference. I think it is awesome that we have a high-ranking government official that truly understands the nonprofit sector!! His heartfelt and down to earth speech was truly inspiring. Thanks Patrick for knowing how to speak to your audience!
Patrick provided us advice about how to succeed in our nonprofit/philanthropic careers. He said four simple things:
- Find your passion
- Find what you are good at
- Strive for excellence
- Be clear about the difference or change that you are going to make
I know that most NGens don’t lack passion, in fact we often have too much of it. That is why Patrick said we need to balance our passion with our pragmatism (be practical sometimes) and be willing to hear opinions that are different from our own. We also need to tone down our strategy and focus on results. We need to push ourselves a little further and get out of our comfort zones.
Patrick was just like us fourteen years ago, he said he “grew up” attending the Independent Sector conferences! To think, one of us could be President of the Corporation for National and Community Service someday or maybe even President of the Independent Sector one day. The possibilities are endless!!
So, in the words of Patrick Corvington “live a life that matters”. I certainly am. In fact, I was so inspired by Patrick’s speech last night that I wrote down the changes that I want to make in our society. I want:
- Every American to know what a nonprofit organization is
- People to see working in a nonprofit organization as a viable career option.
- Executive Directors, staff, board members, and volunteers to freely access the amazing tools and resources available to across this sector.
