Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words.
Jennifer Peifer has worked in nonprofit communications for close to 20 years. She is currently the Director of Communications at The Governor’s Prevention Partnership, an organization that connects organizations, communities, and families to prevent substance abuse, underage drinking, and violence among youth. Her responsibilities include the creation and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy, management of all web-based media, writing, editing, and designing marketing collateral materials, and acting as liaison to the media. In her free time she enjoys being outdoors, cooking and reading – always reading!
This is her typical Monday:
Before 8:00 a.m. – I make it a point to eat a quiet breakfast and just enjoy the silence, taking these precious few minutes of alone time to just be.
I’m not one to check email before work unless there is something really important that I am aware of ahead of time. Otherwise, it will all be waiting for me when I get to the office.
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m – Check email to determine if there are any urgent needs that will bump up on my to-do list to first priority.
Skim the local paper online to note any articles about the issues we are currently following, and also to see if any of our funders are in the news.
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Check in with my Graphic Designer/Communications Coordinator to see what’s on for the day.
Make sure any social media posts are completed and posted. Check responses/likes/etc.
Make sure we’re on track with any pending projects and deadlines.
Work on projects.
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Usually eat lunch at noon at my desk. Catch up on personal email and other things before clocking back in at 1 pm.
Resume what I was working on prior to lunch. Sometime I just work through lunch if a project needs more attention.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m – I try to schedule any meetings for later in the afternoon. They usually involve team projects and updates.
I must have coffee at 3 pm!
After 4:00 p.m – I check my to-do list for the next day, make sure I’m on track and not letting anything slip through the cracks. I usually have upwards of 10 – 15 specific items on my weekly list that need attention.
In addition, I am continuously working on longer term projects and measure progress on those as well.
My work day ends at 5 pm unless there is an event.
Once I am home I start dinner, maybe take a walk with my husband and recap our days. I leave the office behind until 8:30 the following day!
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
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