I have officially started the very fun experience of searching for a job! woooo hooo! (just kidding).  A change in plans and a move to Miami has prompted this adventure earlier than anticipated. The World Cup has derailed some of my productivity, but for the most part, job hunting is a full time job.  I am fortunate enough to have met some pretty incredible, talented, wise, and extremely helpful people in my career thus far, and they in turn have further connected me to other helpful individuals, given me pearls of wisdom, guidance, and feedback.  While I have just started on this journey, I am light years ahead of where I would be had I tried to figure it all out by myself.

How has the struggling economy affected corporate dollars and engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR)? At a recent donors forum in Chicago, leaders in the corporate world expressed genuine understanding and a mutual sense of despair.  Foundation and government grants are down, so guess to whom the non-profit community is turning to for money? And why not? Aren’t businesses the ones that are supposed to be making money and driving the stock market? Perhaps, but most for-profit organizations are either not in the clear or simply not in a secure enough financial position to be giving money away. And they are feeling the pressure. As one executive in charge of a company’s $2MM community giving fund said, while the demand from non-profits has skyrocketed and grant submissions have nearly tripled over the year, the company's social funds have not kept pace. On the contrary, funding for community projects has also dropped, if not been eliminated all together. The donor pool is significantly smaller because public sector funding has dwindled and the expectation that the private sector can pick up the slack is simply not reasonable.

I was perusing the online Stanford Social Innovation Review, when I came upon an article written three years ago, but still manages to be at the top of the “most read articles” list.

Evelyn Brooks started her jewelry business in 2004 and despite a difficult economy, has managed to create a contemporary brand that exudes passion and innovation. She spent three years honing her skills and perfecting the trade in her native Peru, before she returned to the United States to open Evelyn Brooks Designs. She has received numerous awards and honorable mentions, including most recently: 2010 Fashion Chamber of Commerce, 2010 Washington Life "Best of Peru," 2009 Entrepreneur on the Rise by Council Magazine, and 2007 Outstanding Artist Achievement Award by Empowered Women International. She was also the Exclusive Jewelry Designer for the 2010 Green Cup  Polo, 2010 Wizards Girls Calendar, 2009 Coprodeli 20th Anniversary Limited Edition bracelet, and 2007-2008 Fashion Fights Poverty Fashion Show, to name a few.

After several business school interviews and conversations with people I’ve recently met, I realized how fortunate I was to have worked at a job I loved, that gave me immense satisfaction on both a personal and professional level. Time and again I have been asked, “I can see that you have found a way to mix what you love with your work, so what do you like to do outside of work?” One hopes that there is more to life than just the day job, but more often than not, people in the non-profit sector are so committed to their cause/organization, they’re often on overdrive – going above and beyond the 9 to 5, combining what they do for “fun” with their work. The line between work life and personal life is becoming increasingly blurred and we see it most often in the non-profit sector. Think evening events/fundraisers, blog postings, campaigns, etc.