In our recent blog post, we shared easy ways to refresh your network by documenting your contacts, reviewing your recent engagements with your connections and thinking about your networking goals. Your networking goals should stem from your career goals. What are you hoping to accomplish this year and who in your network can help you achieve it? If you’re looking to change professions or learn more about a different industry, then an informational interview can be a very effective networking tool to accomplish this. 

When Jodi Benenson joined YNPN Boston at its first-ever Knowledge Manager, she found the all-volunteer organization in a position many organizations find themselves in: They knew that data was important, but they didn't know how to strategically collect & use it.

Jodi is now the Director of Research at YNPN Boston and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. She facilitated a Lunch & Learn Oct. 15 about Creating a Data-Positive Culture at Nonprofit Organizations. Here's what we learned:

By: Alyson Weiss, YNPN Boston Communications & Marketing Ambassador | Young Professional Outreach Coordinator & Social Media Specialist at Career Moves – a division of JVS

Does this scenario sound familiar: It’s 4 PM and all of a sudden you realize you haven’t posted anything to your nonprofit’s social media channels. “Hey!” you bellow to your unpaid intern. “Do you have time to find something related to [insert cause here] to post before you go?”