How my Professional Training in Nonprofit Management Acceleration Changed My Life…

HOW MY PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT ACCELERATION WITH THE NIRMALA CHELLARAMS’ CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENUERSHIP SKILLS, UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, CHANGED MY LIFE…

-Nwamaka Osu.       

My experience at the professional training in nonprofit management acceleration with the Nirmala Chellarams’ Centre for Entrepreneurship Skills, University of Lagos was nothing short of amazing and mind blowing, all thanks to SI4DEV for the great opportunity and sponsoring my participation.

Asides becoming more aware about my purpose and the direction in which my life is headed, here are a few useful tips that make a successful nonprofit organization that I learnt and wish to share with us:

1. Build Your Board As Soon As You Can
2. Be Patient
3. Co-Creation Requires More Care And Attention
4. Cultivate Self-Awareness
5. Be Curious
6. Consider How Your Past Informs Your Future
7. Be open to new opportunities
8. Get yourself a mentor
9. Don’t let fear hold you back
10. Volunteer, inside or outside of your organization
11. Attend professional conferences
12. Expand your network of nonprofit professionals
13. Develop hard skills
14. Identify leadership opportunities that meet your needs
15. Learn how to lead an organization
16. Volunteer, inside or outside of your organization
17. Seek out both formal and informal professional development opportunities
18. Think “big
19. Move up by moving on
20. Learn to use the right terminologies and speak the right language.

The SOAR Model Analysis: This, unlike the SWOT and PEST analysis is more of an appreciative inquiry and is an acronym for:

• S: Strengths; what can we build on? Here, you make a list of the things that you’re proud of as an Organization, what makes you unique, how your strengths have yielded results and what you can build on.
• O: Opportunities; what are our stakeholders asking for? Here, you explore the opportunities made available to you by external forces and trends and how you can reframe challenges to be seen as exciting opportunities.
• A: Aspirations; What do we care deeply about? Here, you explore your values and aspirations to express what you’re really passionate about. Strategic initiatives (programs, projects and processes) that would support your aspirations.
• R: Results; How do we know we’re succeeding? Here, you consider your strengths, opportunities and aspirations and what meaningful measures would indicate that you’re on track to achieving your goals.

Overall, the training was very insightful and really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I hadn’t considered about the nonprofit making sector. It also provided me with the opportunity to meet likeminded people who are doing very great exploits and making huge impact in their little corners. The training has really challenged me to think and dream big and I am really grateful to SI4DEV for the opportunity to be a part of the training.