Here is another submission for our Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Quarantine Edition. Let’s see how everyone else is doing out there adapting.
Kimberly’s Bio:
Kimberly Green is the Community Outreach Manager for PAWS NY. She worked in various marketing roles at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival before starting at PAWS NY in early 2020. Originally from Ohio, Ms. Green has always been a cat person and grew up with cats, dogs, frogs, and hamsters as pets. A passion for giving back to the community and working with animals drew her to the mission of PAWS. She is excited to serve as Community Outreach Manager to help increase awareness of the organization and connect with new partners and supporters. Having moved to NYC in 2004, Ms. Green currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband Michael and their 9-year-old cat Franklin, who enjoys napping in seemingly-uncomfortable positions, scratching chairs, and playing with ribbons.
And this is her typical work day while quarantined:
Before 8:00 a.m. Do you immediately grab your phone when you wake up? Are you taking the dog out? Breakfast with the family? Do you get dressed right away?
I try really hard to do some kind of workout in the morning before diving into work, even if it’s a quick yoga session. A friend of mine hosts an awesome Bootcamp class via video, so I do that once a week. My husband is a bit of a tech geek and we have an Oculus headset, so I’ve been playing around with the new Supernatural workout app a bit too – that workout is no joke!
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m Are you on the computer now or getting the kids set up with their school work? Dressed yet? Zoom meetings with colleagues?
Our day starts at 9:00am, so give or take a half hour, I’m at my computer, cold brew in hand. I like to start off by reading through my feeds, checking emails, and consulting my editorial calendar to determine what I need to do on social media today. I do try to change into “work clothes,” but these days that just means a different pair of “soft pants.”
The mission of PAWS NY is to help New York City residents who are most at-risk of losing their pets due to physical and financial obstacles they face, with particular emphasis on low-income seniors and individuals suffering from illness or disability.
Right now, our in-home volunteer program is on hold, but we’re still providing services to clients, such as pet food deliveries, managing foster care, and coordinating emergency vet care.
We’re also hosting Virtual Volunteer Orientations (to be ready to go when the time is right!) and of course still fundraising, so I still have plenty of things to communicate and work on these days.
10:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m. Are you still on schedule for the day? What systems are you using to stay organized? Is someone else in your house also working from home? How are you getting along? Dressed yet?
The morning is usually when I do my best work, and it’s also when we have our weekly Staff Meeting. We’re a small staff, so we check in once a week, unless there are any larger projects in the works.
Now’s the time I’ll finalize social media for the day, work on our email newsletter, or prep a blog post for the website. I’m also emailing with partners to help coordinate online fundraising events.
We hosted a Virtual Dance Class last month and are hoping to plan a virtual trivia night later this summer.
We’re also an Official Charity Partner for the TCS NYC Marathon – for the first time! – so I’m connecting with our runners and making sure they have all they need to fundraise.
What time is it even? Are you hungry or just bored? Why is 6th grade math so different now? Did your significant other really just say “let’s circle back” on that call? Are you dressed yet?
No kids in this household – just a 9-year-old cat named Franklin who doesn’t start to bother us for his dinner until 4pm – and I definitely understand and admit my day is more chill, which I appreciate!
My husband and I work about 10 feet away from each other, but I’ve gotten pretty good at mentally blocking out his calls…and he’s on a lot of calls. He also works with my best friend, so if I see her, I’ll pop onto the screen (with the cat) to say hi.
I can usually stay on task until lunchtime, when I allow myself one half-hour comedy while I eat and take a break. Right now, I’m re-watching Community, but previous options have included Parks & Rec, Insecure, and Better Things.
Nap Time. What else is there to do? If you got dressed, do you get undressed for your nap?
I just started in this role in late January, so the quarantine gave me plenty of time to really dive deep into the position. I had started to make my way through “The First 100 Days of Your New Nonprofit Marketing Job” e-book when we started to work from home, so I really leaned into that to review and strategize, and take advantage of this time.
It’s harder for me to stay productive in the afternoon, so with the nicer weather, I’ve started allowing some time to read on the roof in the afternoon to clear my head for a bit. Being outside is also great if I need time to brainstorm or strategize.
Now, it’s really time to work. Did you finish everything you needed to do?
In addition to the day-to-day tasks, I’m also working on a couple larger projects at the moment. First, I’m getting started with a plan for our Annual Report, which will be the first time the organization is putting together something official.
Secondly, I’ve been watching a lot of webinars on Instagram strategy, so I’ve been really focused on that platform at the moment: experimenting, planning, designing, and otherwise engaging. I try to spend some time every day working on these two projects, even if it’s just 30 minutes.
Wine O’Clock. White or red? Guess you don’t have to get dressed…
White? Red? Rose? Beer? Seltzer (spiked or regular)? Ice Cream? It all depends on my mood, and if I have a video chat with friends scheduled for the night.
Our team is pretty good about signing off at the end of the day, so it’s been nice to have my evenings free to video chat with friends & family, cook dinner, and yes, watch more TV. I’ve also been taking an American Sign Language class once a week via Zoom (from Sign Language Center in NYC), which is really neat, and sometimes I’ll head up to the roof to read & wine to round out the day.
Thanks for sharing, Kimberly!
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