Nicole Gustafson
Here is the latest submission for our Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator series. This series lets you describe your workday in your own words.
Nicole’s Bio:
Nicole joined the Jackson Center staff in 2018. She manages the Robert H. Jackson Center’s social media accounts and oversees the production of the quarterly newsletter, press releases, promotional materials, and other communications. She also maintains the Center’s donor/communications database and makes sure the Center staff has all the details for its upcoming programming year. Nicole is a native of Jackson’s hometown of Frewsburg, NY, and an Americorps service alum. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Educational Ministries from Houghton College in 2008 and graduated from SUNY Empire State College with a Master of Arts in Social and Public Policy in December of 2020. In her spare time, Nicole serves as a vestry member at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, walks local 5Ks, and enjoys watching movies with her husband, kids, cat, and dog.
She is working in the office now and this is her typical day:
Before 8:00 am – I walk the dog, feed the cat, and get the kids ready for school and on the bus, while somehow getting myself ready for work. Some days, I don’t know how it all happens, but it does!
8:00 am to 10:00 am –I’m in the office by 8:30am, usually checking my email first thing and checking my list for the day that I’ve made before leaving yesterday.
10:00 am to 12:00 pm – I use both the outlook calendar and a physical day planner. If I don’t write things down, they don’t get done! I usually eat lunch at my desk, but schedule lunch out with friends at least once a month to treat myself and keep my sanity.
12:00pm – 2:00 pm – By now, I’ve usually done bigger projects or more urgent tasks that I keep for the morning since that’s when I have the most energy. I do more post scheduling or planning rather than content creating in the afternoon to give my brain a break.
2:00pm – 4:00 pm – Now is when I have tea if I need it and start getting things together for the next day so I know what’s ahead.
After 4:00 pm – If I’m not monitoring a program, I’m out of the office by 4:30 for second shift at home! I usually check my email and my orgs social media pages at least once during the evening to make sure everything is running smoothly.
Thanks for sharing your day, Nicole!
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