Wendy Hayes
Welcome to the latest installment in our series on the “Day in the Life” of nonprofit communicators, where we ask you to describe your day in your own words.
We’d love to feature YOU in this series! Don’t be shy – tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
Wendy Hayes is the Communications Coordinator for the Adoption Council of Ontario, a non-profit that provides support, community, and awareness for the adoption community. It has grown several programs with the vision of every child in Ontario having a family forever. The often complex and unique needs of this community are a constant challenge when forming messages and creating content. As the sole communications staff, it’s Wendy’s responsibility to develop communications strategies and campaigns and execute them.
Though her education and background is in film and television, she landed a communications job early in her career and has grown very fond of the work. Now she is doing some certificate programs to hone her field developed skills. In addition to her work at the Adoption Council of Ontario, she is a member of the Children in Limbo Task Force and volunteers with as an Instagram Officer for S.E.E.D.S. Wendy also blogs occasionally, you can find her online on her website: hayesw.com, and on Twitter and Instagram at @_wendyhayes
And this is her typical day:
Before 8:00 a.m. – I usually do a quick yoga practice in the morning, get my meals for the day together and pack my fitness clothes if I have something going on that night.
On the commute, I’ll check social (for work, personal and volunteer) or read. I never leave without giving my partner a kiss goodbye (usually they are still sleeping).
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m – This is usually my daily task time. I’ll check emails, spend some time on social, read and curate content, and update my to-do list for the day.
On Monday’s I’m usually looking at my campaign schedule and what I need to accomplish that week.
I usually have breakfast at the office, and that’s typically a smoothie.
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Meetings might fall here or in the afternoon. I am pretty diligent about taking my breaks and doing that outside as often as I can.
I am also the in-house tech support and can often be found helping co-workers out with tech related issues.
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Lunch is usually spent with co-workers, in a space we can all fit.
I am pretty good about packing something delicious and nutritious, but if not I am usually getting a bowl from Fresh, or treating myself to A & W.
Lunch always feels a bit disruptive for me and I find it a difficult time to settle back into work!
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Afternoon is usually when I will plan to get a big chunk of creative done or a report.
If I sit down and plug into my music I can get pretty focused and sometimes work through my break.
This type of work will usually involve graphics, major website updates, campaign planning and/or content writing.
After 4:00 p.m. – We host webinars fairly frequently, so I might be doing this in the evening. If not, it’s usually filled with fitness activities of errands.
I try and cook a healthy dinner and do some meal prep for the next day.
I do my best to strike a work-life balance, but I will usually check out notifications from social in the evenings if they pop up.
Thanks for sharing your day, Wendy!
Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro.
