It’s wonderful to be passionate about a cause. It’s good for you and for the world.
Since you are giving-minded, we at iConnectX want to plant a seed. There’s another level of commitment and awareness that’s good for you, for the world, and your career. It’s a commitment to immerse yourself in understanding your cause—the root challenges, overarching trends, and variety of approaches charities take to create social change.
The commitment is to become a Subject Matter Expert in your favorite cause.
What is a Subject Matter Expert?
The prevailing definition of a Subject Matter Expert is: “an individual with a deep understanding of a particular process, function, technology, machine, material or type of equipment.” This definition is widely used in the fields of technology and manufacturing.
In truth, every company or nonprofit in every department across every industry employs at least one Subject Matter Expert, or SME. These are people with deep knowledge in a particular topic. Using that knowledge, they advise teams on decisions and approaches to solving problems.
Why is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) so valuable?
The best Subject Matter Experts display a set of skills that make them invaluable to virtually any organization. The three core skill areas are: collaboration, communication, and the most important: critical thinking.
The above graphic outlines the key skills comprising critical thinking.
With proficiency in analysis, communication (both verbal and written), creativity, open-mindedness, and problem solving, you will be a top candidate for a wide range of jobs and for career advancement.
Keep in mind the need for critical thinkers is global. The World Economic Forum—one of the most recognized and prestigious conveners of leaders in business, government, and social impact—lists critical thinking as the second most important skill to have in the rapidly evolving workplace.
What does it mean to be an SME in a Cause?
If you think in terms of job duties, you showcase yourself as a Subject Matter Expert in a cause by:
- Keeping up on trends and challenges around your cause—such as the root causes of poverty and homelessness in your city.
- Recommending charities that make a significant impact in your community, nationally, and globally—and communicating why they are so effective in what they do.
- Creating awareness among your friends and colleagues about your cause with key facts and insights—like the connection between drug abuse and homelessness.
- Collaborating with your colleagues and as a volunteer to support the work of nonprofit charities focused on your cause.
- Organizing your friends and colleagues to create awareness, take action, and support nonprofits working on your cause—motivating your new team of volunteers by communicating how their actions make an impact.
How do you become a Subject Matter Expert in your Cause?
Everyone’s time is precious, so we suggest setting aside an hour a week (10 to 20 minutes a day) to hone your skills as an SME in your cause. To start, your main activity is research, and you can do it at your desk. Here’s what you can do:
Identify nonprofits in your community and beyond that focus on your cause. You can start with a Google search and also check out the iConnectX Marketplace, where a growing number of nonprofits are showcasing themselves, their work, and their events. Log in and look around.
Gather information straight from nonprofits. Pick 2-4 nonprofits to study. Read the About Us pages on their websites. Sign up for their newsletters, and read at least one blog article per week posted by one or more nonprofits.
Set up Google News Alerts on your cause and the nonprofits you are studying. Each day, you’ll receive articles from nonprofits and news outlets based on the keywords you use. Skim the list of articles and pick at least one to read per week.
Compile and read reports and white papers from think tanks. For more in-depth statistics, analysis, and trends, think tank produce all kinds of resources (from reports to infographics) on every social issue. Many take a specific view, given their politics. The following are independent think tanks that are not affiliated with any particular political perspective.
- Rand Corporation
- Aspen Institute
- Pew Research Center
- McKinsey Global Institute
Read the executive summary of at least one report or white paper per month.
Start sharing information. You’ll find something that moves or motivates you. When that feeling comes on, share! Send out a post on all of your social media platforms—and on the iConnectX Feed.
Brand Yourself as a Subject Matter Expert in Your Cause
In a few months, you’ll be in a position to showcase your newfound knowledge in ways that support charities and advance your career. The following ideas will help you meet career goals by “branding” yourself as a Subject Matter Expert.
Networking: It’s not everyone’s favorite activity. In fact, a lot of us hate networking.
Sharing information and insights about a cause that you care about is an authentic and comfortable way to make connections, whether at a networking event, mingling with colleagues, or on social media.
First off, it’s a great conversation starter. When you meet someone, it’s easy to ask: “What are the causes you care about? I myself am passionate about…” You can go on from there by sharing tidbits of information in “Did you know…” statements or “I’m fascinated that…what do you think?”
On social media, a mutual cause can give you a natural way to connect with a potential coach, mentor, or career advocate across industries. It’s easy to find out if someone is on a board of a nonprofit that focuses on your cause. Most nonprofits post information about their boards in the About Us section of their websites. Don’t be afraid to write a quick message on LinkedIn requesting to add someone on a nonprofit board to your network, making note that you share a common cause.
Collaborating with your colleagues: If you’re interested in getting to know and/or work with colleagues across your company, ask if they would be interested in advocating or fundraising for your cause. Organize a team to host a fundraiser or an online auction (both of which you can do with iConnectX).
Making an impression on your boss and upper management: As a Subject Matter Expert in a cause, you demonstrate an additional set of attributes and career skills of keen interest to most employers:
- Passion
- Social Consciousness
- Diversity of Interest
- Eagerness and Capacity to Learn
We suggest the following ways to demonstrate these skills and attributes to your boss and upper management, keeping in mind that you know how to navigate the unique culture of your company.
Idea #1: Ask to host a brown bag lunch to discuss your cause. Explain that you will facilitate and invite your manager. Prepare for the lunch by sharing a fact sheet and throwing out three questions to spark discussion.
Idea #2: Ask to organize a giving day in your office for a nonprofit. Connect it with an already-scheduled event at your company, like a holiday party or birthday. All you need are some talking points, a computer, and a donation page link. During the event, ask your colleagues to give online. A volunteer coordinator or fundraiser at the nonprofit will be happy to help.
Idea #3: Ask to take a “volunteer” vacation. Request a few days off to undertake a project for a nonprofit, such as building a house, organizing a food drive, or training for a charity marathon. The nonprofits that you have researched will post a schedule of volunteer events, or they will employ a volunteer coordinator who can work with you to design a project.
Citing your cause-related expertise on your resume: Your volunteer work and your cause-related knowledge will help you stand out, if you are looking for a new job or asking for a promotion. Be clear that your activity is as a volunteer, but treat the work as work.
If you have a summary of experience at the top of your resume, include your emerging expertise in social change. Here’s an example of a bullet you can use:
- Committed to addressing homelessness by creating awareness online and volunteering with a local homeless shelter.
As you build a proficiency in your cause, always keep in mind the following: one of the best ways to demonstrate you are a Subject Matter Expert in your cause is to fundraise!
Fundraising requires three key skills that fall under the umbrella of critical thinking:
Communication: Whether through video, photos, or stories, you demonstrate your ability to communicate when you can motivate others to give to an important cause.
Creativity: There are so many different ways to fundraise for a cause, especially with digital fundraising tools. From dares (like the ALS ice bucket challenge) to creating a virtual event, you can demonstrate your ability to catch people’s attention in ways that catch attention, motivate playfulness, and showcase the importance of your cause.
Project Management: Any fundraising effort—whether a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign or an online auction–is a project that requires all the aspects of effective oversight—from setting goals, formulating time-lines, and monitoring results.
Fundraising is also an important activity for your career, because you can demonstrate success by many different indicators beyond the amount of money raised. Those additional indicators include the number of people you reach, the number of people who respond in some way, and the number of likes you get on a social post.
From following charities in the Marketplace to organizing an online auction to setting up a peer-to-peer fundraiser, iConnectX can help you become a Subject Matter Expert in your cause. Log in and explore iConnectX!
We’re here to help you to make the most of #GivingTuesday, no matter what resources you have available. Get in touch with us for a toolkit and/or support to use iConnectX as part of #GivingTuesday activities.
Whether you’re a dedicated fundraiser for a charity or an individual with a giving mindset, you probably know about #GivingTuesday. The first Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become a key day on the fundraising calendar, or as stated by the original organizers at givingtuesday.org:
#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement…a new global ritual based on joy and hope.
Over the period of six years that #GivingTuesday has existed—from 2012 to 2018—more than $1 billion has been raised for nonprofits across the world, and momentum continues to build. Most fundraising experts are predicting another year of growth, with the potential of as much as $500 million donated this year to nonprofits, large and small.
For charities, #GivingTuesday presents an opportunity and a challenge. The end of the year is a such a crucial time for charitable giving, so #GivingTuesday can feel like a distraction for overloaded fundraising staff. The other challenge can be the competition; thousands of nonprofits will be using every channel available to them to raise funds. How does a small or mid-size charity break through the noise?
At the same time, there is ever-increasing awareness and changes in giving behavior as a result of #GivingTuesday that can help nonprofits raise funds, find friends, and promote their mission. This year presents a particularly strong opportunity given the calendar. Giving Tuesday falls on December 3rd, which makes it the perfect day to launch end-of-year giving.
We at iConnectX suggest that there are a variety of ways to leverage the phenomenon of #GivingTuesday in way that enhances all-important year-end giving and that activate your most loyal supporters.
For giving-minded individuals—like the professionals who are part of the iConnectX community—#GivingTuesday is a wonderful opportunity to advocate and fundraise for the charity or charities that you care about most.
With this in mind, we have few suggestions on ways to develop a #GivingTuesday campaign—for fundraising teams or for giving-minded people— with multiple benefits to charities and long-term returns.
1. Promote awareness and love
#GivingTuesday doesn’t have to focus on securing donations. Rather, you can use it as an opportunity to raise awareness about your cause. That awareness can lead into your end-of-year giving activities.
So consider a simple request of your most loyal supporters: ask them to follow and like your charity on all the social media channels they use (including iConnectX). Even better, ask them to share why they care about your charity.
It’s an easy lift for fundraising staff, board members, and volunteer fundraisers. Simply prepare two or three short emails and a few social media posts that your cause ambassadors can cut, paste, and personalize.
Better yet, if you have photos of your volunteers in action, or your clients, distribute them to your board members and supporters (both volunteers and contributors). Ask them to include the photo with a social post.
Lastly, create your own hashtag to share. One simple idea is to use is a #love hashtag, like #lovethehomeless or #love[your organization]. You can link the hashtag to the rest of your end-of-year fundraising activities.
2. Educate
In the same vein as creating awareness, you can use #GivingTuesday to educate your audience—starting with your existing base of volunteers, board members, staff, and other ambassadors—about what your charity does and why.
It’s simple as coming up with five facts about your cause, your charity, and the impact it has. You can then share on all forms of social media and ask friends and supporters to do the same. It’s a great opportunity to simply draw potential supporters to your website for more information.
Ideally, you would send new supporters to a page where you can capture email addresses. You can create a simple dedicated landing page, or send them to your About Us page. Just make sure to create a form to collect emails. The people who respond are likely primed to give as part of your year-end fundraising activities.
3. Promote a “sneak preview” of what’s to come
You may have a holiday of end-of-year event—a fundraising drive, an auction, a party—in the works. You don’t have to have all the details at hand by December 3rd… but you can use the day to provide a sneak preview of what’s to come.
Again, the set-up is simple, and it’s a great way to engage your board and loyal supporters. Provide them with a sneak preview email and social post to share on #GivingTuesday. Then request that they let friends and colleagues know something special is around the corner.
If you have the time and resources, you can have fun creating a short sneak preview video. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be a message from a volunteer, a board member, your Director of Development, or CEO. Create a short script and grab your phone. Voila! You have your own trailer to share on #GivingTuesday.
4. Deploy your volunteers and board members
You may not realize that you have a dedicated fundraising team that can organize a series of #GivingTuesday events. Your board and most dedicated volunteers can plan and execute #GivingTuesday on your behalf.
What they need is a few ideas to spark their imagination. So come up with a list of your most dedicated ambassadors and ask them to organize a series of small events, online or in person. Five ideas are more than enough to get them excited.
To keep in line with your messaging, provide them with a short version of your mission statement, a logo, and a hashtag. Then let them take charge!
5. Collaborate with us at iConnectX
At iConnectX, we provide a multitude of ways you can create a #GivingTuesday event or campaign, all in one place and with a minimum of effort. What can you do?
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- Set up a mini website to share information and raise awareness. Our staff is available to you to help. You can then gain access to a new audience of giving-minded professionals.
- Set up an online fundraiser or deploy your most loyal supporters to do it. There’s a simple mechanism for setting up online fundraisers. You can create one just for #GivingTuesday or for end-of-year giving. It’s also a place where you can send your board, volunteers, and donors to do the same.
- Introduce your supporters to a new way of giving: iBridge. This is a truly unique way for professionals to give back to the charities they care about.
We have set up a way for professionals to offer up their time as coaches in support of a charity or charities. A professional sets an hourly “price” for coaching services, and when someone buys that time, the funds go to the charity or charities.
We’re building a cadre of experts across industries, so this is a compelling offer that helps up-and-coming professionals build career skills while supporting worthy causes.
- Organize and set up an online auction. This can seem labor-intensive, but an online auction doesn’t have to be. You can offer five to ten services that your volunteers provide, from coaching to knitting lessons to reorganizing that messy closet.
- Promote an upcoming event.If you are hosting a holiday or end-of-year fundraiser, iConnectX can help you organize and promote it. We offer a ticketing service, as well as support in communicating with attendees.
There are a multitude of benefits for any of the activities we suggest. They can help you:
- Excite and engage long-time supporters.
- Motivate less active board members or those who are hesitant to ask for money.
- Recruit new volunteers.
- Promote your cause.
- Prime likely supporters for end-of-year giving.
- Enhance what you already have planned for #GivingTuesday and end-of-year fundraising.