non-profit: Jobs Landed

For the past 19 years, I have resided in Southern California – San Diego to be exact.  When I tell a new acquaintance I relocated to Michigan from San Diego, the inevitable question I hear is “why.”  Other comments follow but I’d rather not repeat them.  My answer is two fold – to be closer to my family who resides in Hillsdale County and for the job opportunity here at Center for Financial Health.

Early on in my career, I realized my passion for helping people.  Working in the San Diego Real Estate market – at the height of the market – helped me to further my passion and find a niche in real estate – Affordable Housing.  Through my efforts of working with new home builders and City housing departments to provide affordable “for-sale” homes to first time home buyers, I began to volunteer with local non-profit housing counseling agencies.  Later on in my career, I took a position with a preeminent non-profit agency in San Diego as the Assistant Vice President of Lending.  During this transition, the housing market started to decline and our focus shifted -- we saw a greater need to help people stay in their homes and prevent foreclosure.

Earlier this year, I attended a national training conference in Phoenix, Arizona.  During the conference, I made a few new friends who reside here in Michigan and we began to talk about the job opportunities available in the non-profit industry and the possibility of me relocating to Michigan to take a position.  From that point on, it was all about networking and selling my passion, knowledge, experience and job skills to the right organization.

Consequently, I found the right fit.  As the Executive Director for Center for Financial Health I am responsible for the overall operations of the organization including locating funding for our efforts in our community as a non-profit.  As a housing counseling agency, we help preserve home ownership by providing counseling and resources to people who may be facing foreclosure.  Simultaneously, we encourage neighborhood revitalization through our first time home buyer and financial literacy education combined with one-on-one counseling. Although the position is sometimes exhausting, I can honestly say I love my job.  I am part of a team who is passionate about our mission to help individuals and families build assets through homeownership.  We make a difference in our community, in peoples lives every day.  There is nothing else I would rather be doing at this point in my life.

Follow me on Twitter @denisedkeiser

MITA is a statewide heavy construction trade association consisting of nearly 600 Michigan companies representing construction disciplines such as road and bridge, sewer and water, utility, railroad, excavation and specialty construction.  As the outreach coordinator, I have the pleasure of working directly with MITA's legislative staff and am tasked with the responsibilities of helping MITA members become more engaged in the legislative process by meeting with their elected officials and corresponding with their elected officials on a consistent basis.  For some MITA members this may be their first interaction with their elected officials and it's important that it goes well, so the dialogue between them can continue in a positive direction.  Legislators encounter hundreds and thousands of people each year, so it’s important that MITA members are adequately prepare for meeting and discussing their issues with their legislator.  I have found that they are the best advocates for themselves and their industry.

I work to develop and implement strategies to focus on the goal of being recognized and respected voice of Michigan’s nonprofit sector. I manage the distribution of MNA messages and manages the promotion and marketing of events, products, and services. I also directly assist in marketing and communication strategies for MNA and affiliate organizations.

As a Systems Analyst at Peckham, I get to work on a variety of fun and challenging technology projects.  With my primary focus on financial systems, I am currently in the evaluation phase of implementing a new workforce management system.  I also have several other interesting projects in the works, including implementing an online portal for employees.  

What makes this job amazing is the organization itself.  Peckham creates positive change in the lives of people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, and I am proud to be able to actively participate in its mission.  The people at Peckham are compassionate, innovative, and fun to work with.  I work in a green (LEED silver-certified) facility that was built not only with the environment in mind, but also with its employees.  It is full of natural light, and it has a fitness center, progressive technology throughout, a cafeteria, outdoor rooftop dining, and a garden.  It even has a peace space, which can be used for meditation or spiritual connection.  The work environment is open and collaborative, and filled with creative energy.  People come up with cool and exciting ideas every day, and we are empowered to run with them.

After serving an Americorps term of service through the Power of We at the Greater Lansing Food Bank, I was able to retain employment, continuing to coordinate volunteers. I've also picked up the task of outreach coordination, IT support, and some design work. I act as a fill in driver for food runs with Food Movers and assist with teaching some classes on gardening for the Garden Project. Food Movers and the Garden Project are both programs of the Greater Lansing Food Bank.

I moved home to Lansing in January 2010, after a few years in and out of the country, post graduating. I worked on farms in New Zealand, Colorado and New Hampshire, I worked construction in Turkey, and as a chef in a tapas restaurant and wine bar in New Hampshire. I found it was time to move back to Lansing and reinvest those skills and experiences into the place that raised me. My desires and demands for a sustainable and just food system, demanded that I invest in my local community and, for better or worse, Lansing is that community. In America, and much of the developed world, we have the luxury of choosing where we want to live, many people do not. I think it's important for us to invest in and improve the places that we may want to leave, to transform them into the places we'd like them to be. It is this sort of thought process  and emotional investment that find me excited to be working with the Greater Lansing Food Bank. Even within the food bank world, the Greater Lansing Food Bank is extremely progressive. We provide many alternatives to the traditional emergency food rations of cans and non-perishables and branch out into food rescue, food contracts with farmers, and gardens support. These programs do multiple things including reducing waste, supporting the local economy, increasing the nutritious food in the system, and securing the longevity of the food system through sustainable approaches of growing food. We are able to cultivate community, connections, food and food security. Most importantly, we are local. We cover the three counties of Greater Lansing and every dollar in from the community, stays in the community.

I moved to Michigan in August 2009 from North Carolina. My boyfriend was accepted into a PhD program at MSU and I was ready for a change, so I decided to move with him. In November 2009,  I took a position with the Power of We AmeriCorps State program at the South Lansing Community Development Association as the Urban Gardens Coordinator. Now in 2011, as the Health Initiatives Coordinator and manager of the South Lansing Community Farmers Market, I enjoy my work helping the community gain access to fresh, locally produced food and teaching nutrition education to both youth and adults. I love working with the many collaborative groups in Lansing, especially the Youth Gardening Coalition and Let's Garden Lansing. I feel fortunate to have a job with opportunities to enjoy Lansing's great outdoors and diverse community.

Prior to working at MITA, I worked in the membership department at CHIME, a non-profit organization in Ann Arbor, MI. After gaining a few years of experience I wanted to take what I had learned at CHIME and continue growing professionally in the non-profit industry. My overall goal was to find a job in the Lansing area to be closer to family and friends, however I was not limiting my job search to the Lansing area.   

Working as a Website Coordinator at MITA includes many different roles. My primary responsibility is to keep MITA's website up-to-date with timely and trustworthy information for our members. I also email news and marketing materials to our membership and the industry through email campaigns. Other responsibilities include keeping our membership database up to date, assisting in grant coordination and maintaining technical operations throughout the organization.

I manage CEDAM's communications (everything from social media, e-newsletters, print newsletters, videos and soon our television show). As a trade association for nonprofits, another large part of my job is working with our members to share resources, best practices, and to ensure that we are meeting their needs.

As an Employment Specialist for Peckham Inc., at Capital Area Michigan Works! I assist people with job searches, job placement assistance, career counseling, community outreach, job club activities and Individual employment plan development. I also work with Individual Training Accounts and On-the-Job-Training services for program participants through federal funding in the Work Investment Act (WIA) and the No Worker Left Behind (NWLB) program. Through these programs I assist program participants in pursing continuing education and training for enhanced job placement and upward mobility.

I coordinate the Partnership in our efforts to develop new Bridge Card programs at Michigan farmers market, to sustain those programs through support and education, and to facilitate and maintain Partnership activities.

I lead the advocacy efforts for the Michigan Nonprofit Association, acting as the collective voice for the nonprofit sector.  I monitor state and federal policies and implement legislative strategies on behalf of the sector. I work closely with lawmakers, media, and the general public in policy-related initiatives that affect nonprofit organizations statewide.

I lead technology courses and camps for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and families. This includes a course I designed myself and am very proud of, called Tech Independence. Its goals are to 1) Improve students' relationship with technology and relieve their dependence on others to solve tech problems and 2) Help students learn how to use computers and the Internet to learn anything more effectively and independently. We're going through a trial run now and it's going very well!