It’s been a minute, but I am so excited to bring you a brand new submission for our Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator series! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. I would love to start sharing your days again so submit your day by filling out the form at the end of this post.

Stephanie’s Bio

Stephanie Krieg, MSHC, CHES, is an advocate for health promotion and communication. She holds a Master’s degree in Health Communication, a Bachelor’s in Health Promotion and Education, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Stephanie has devoted her professional journey to empowering individuals and communities in making well-informed decisions regarding their health. Her expertise is centered around crafting and executing highly effective health promotion strategies, specifically tailored to address diverse public health concerns within the cancer community.

When Stephanie isn’t educating and advocating for the cancer community she can be found spending time with family and friends near some great cheese and even better wine, out on coffee talks with friends, or making memories with the amazing tiny human her and her husband have helped create.

She works at home and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: I wake up at 4 am to kick start my day. I am a part time fitness instructor and have been for 15 years, so I have two dedicated AM classes that I teach at 5 and 6 am. My motto is that there’s nothing a little caffeine, cackles, and CrossFit can’t fix.

I get home at 7 am just in time to get my 11 month old son up and ready for the day. We spend some time cuddling, having breakfast, and watching Sesame Street before one of his grandparents meets us at the house for pick up so I can start my workday.

8:00 am to 10:00 am: I start my workday at 8 am – just me, my computer, and my to-do list. Both my husband and I work from home, so in the mornings we usually get organized together. We review our to-do lists, meeting schedule, and chat about big initiatives. We both work in the public health space, so its nice to bounce ideas off of one another and get a different perspective.

I have both a physical and digital to-do list. My physical one is a list of what I want to get done that day, and my digital one is an excel spreadsheet with my open projects. I leave notes daily on whats been done, what needs doing, and any significant updates/documents linked related to each project. I lead a department of two, plus an intern, and we’ve all adapted to using open project spreadsheets to stay organized and on top of the variety of requests we receive.

I finish this part of my morning reviewing emails to make sure nothing urgent has come up while I start tackling the day.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: The thick of my workday is between 9 am and 2pm. I am most productive in the mornings, so I tend to schedule important meetings and my most comprehensive work during these times.

I have been working outside of a traditional office since 2018 and I find that I focus so much more this way versus an office environment. I check in with my teammates using text/zoom/g-chat/email, and I block focus time on my calendar so I can concentrate on projects. I spend a lot of my time in HubSpot, Canva, and researching ovarian cancer topics for educational campaigns, programs, tools, and educational resources.

As the Communications Director, I also spend a lot of my time in strategy meetings and meetings in general – being looped in across happenings in the organization allows me to strategize early and often about how to communicate our impact and tell our story.

I also use project management tools like Asana to track my time on different initiatives. If something is taking up a significant amount of my time, I work to delegate responsibilities across our team so that we can balance workloads and prioritize a work-life balance.

Speaking of work-life balance – I always block out time for lunch with my husband. Its our connection time in the middle of the day without interruptions from kids, work, or life in general. We will eat or go on a walk around the neighborhood with our dogs.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: After lunch I take a look at the remainder of my to-do list and prioritize. If you work at a nonprofit, you wear a lot of hats and you know that not everything gets done within the time you hoped it would. I reprioritize if needed and connect with my teammates to see if any of them need support with reprioritization.

This is also the time I usually schedule my team one-on-one’s. Its a nice way to wind down the workday checking in with my team about their workloads, follow up on their questions, and support them. I don’t drink coffee after 11am, but I am a snacker, so this is the time I snag a snack and give myself some grace – I’ve been up for a long time!

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: I take the last part of my day to fill out my spreadsheet with important updates, create the next day’s to-do list, catch up on emails, throw in laundry, tidy up, and start dinner.

My husband and I do a divide and conquer before our son gets home at 4 pm so that we can spend the evening uninterrupted with him.

After 4:00 pm: Unless there is something super urgent like a grant request or an event, I am offline at 4 pm. My son is home and I spend my time with him and my husband. We go on a walk, have dinner together and play. My coworkers and boss are all really respectful of my time and its my favorite thing about working where I do.

You can’t pour from an empty cup, and this is the time I take to unwind and make memories.

Thanks for sharing your day, Stephanie!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

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I am so excited to bring you a new submission for our Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator series! This series lets you describe your workday in your own words. Want to be be featured? Keep reading to learn how you can submit your day.

Kim’s Bio

Kim Scaravelli is an award-winning marketer, content consultant, and author of Making Words Work. As CEO of Trust Communications, she spends her weekdays helping nonprofit organizations accomplish BIG things by harnessing the power of words. The rest of the time, she wrangles a large, unruly family, intervenes in spats between her cat and her dog, and binge-watches baking shows. No shame. You can’t be productive ALL the time.

She works at home and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: I’m a morning person. I naturally wake up between 630am and 7:00am and I wake up filled with energy and optimism. (My husband tells me this is my most annoying personal trait). I have the coffee pot preset so the kitchen already smells like morning. I let my dog, Stevie, out for a pee. Feed my cat, Winnie. And pour that first glorious cup of caffeine! Most days, I grab a quick shower and put on “decent” workday clothes, but I’m not going to lie to you. Sometimes, it’s just a pair of sweatpants paired with a sweater that will pass muster on Zoom calls.

Once I’m presentable to the universe, I pour a second coffee and putter from my kitchen to my office… I should note that my work environment is somewhat unique. I have been a nonprofit consultant, content strategist, and content creator for 20+ years, and I have always been able to work from home. Many years ago, when I had 3 children screaming in my house, I escaped by converting a small building in our backyard into a corporate workspace. It was the best decision I ever made.

My office is about 10 ft x 12 ft. It has a lovely attached deck with two Adirondack chairs, where I can sit on sunny summer days. Inside, there’s a cozy electric fireplace for snowy mornings. And a heat pump that keeps me warm all winter and cool all summer. EVERY item in that space is comfortable and brings me joy.

Colleagues and employees of mine have always worked remotely, so covid had no real impact on the daily set up of my workday. I realize how lucky I am to have this space and I cherish it.

8:00 am to 10:00 am: I start my day checking social media feeds and interacting with folks. Then I pre-schedule posts for the day (I use Buffer for that) and check my email.

This takes me to about 9:00am. From 9:00 to 10:00am is designated content writing time. No more checking social or email! I set a timer and get ‘er done.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: I wear a number of hats during my workday: I am the owner and Chief Content Strategist at Trust Communications and Managing Partner of the Canadian Diversity Initiative. I am also an author with marketing and promotional responsibilities related to my book, Making Words Work (and a new book in the development stage). Calendly is my favourite organizational tool!

I have a “Book a Meeting” option built into my email signatures. This allows clients, prospects, and colleagues to choose meeting times that are convenient for them but also align with my daily schedule. I integrate my personal and business calendars via Calendar on my Mac and my iPhone so there are never overlaps or conflicts. And so I get a reminder of each commitment an hour in advance. A solid calendar app can be your best friend!

My offices are on the East Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) but I work with nonprofits across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. So, my schedule needs to accommodate those who may have started work 4 hours before me AND those whose workdays started 4 hours after mine. On most workdays, my Calendar allows meetings to be scheduled 10:00am – 11:30am and again from 2:00 – 3:30. This provides options for multiple time zones but also limits the time I spend in meetings.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: I ALWAYS stop work at noon for a complete hour. I have a healthy lunch and take my dog for a walk. This is important time because it lets me ponder whatever happened in the morning, let go of any stress that may have accumulated, and re-center myself for a productive afternoon. In the same way that I schedule an uninterrupted hour of content creation time in the morning, I put that one hour timer on again at 1:00pm.

My clients are paying for creativity and innovative thinking and that requires concentration. So I consider those two hours the most important hours of my workday. What I do with the rest of my day can be a bit flexible – but I fiercely protect those two hours.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: Because I have many clients in later time zones, afternoons are commonly meeting times. That said, I try to be done with conversations and project work by 4:00pm.

After 4:00 pm: I have a ritual for the last half hour of my workday:

1. I make notes on client meetings and if there are deliverables, I make sure the deadlines and follow-up activities are on my calendar.

2. I identify at least one thing that I’m proud of about how my day went. I write that on a post it and put it on my keyboard before I leave work. That way, I start the next day with a reminder that I’m doing good work and accomplishing things!

3. I create a to-do list for the next day. My to-do lists always include at least one thing I can complete successfully (because small daily wins are important!). And there are never more than 5 actions on that list. 3 is even better. (because a to-do list that’s unrealistic is depressing – and counterproductive).

4. I go to my social media accounts and interact with followers (because success on social isn’t just about posting – it’s about relationship-building).

Then I turn off the lights and leave. No working in the evenings. Again… clients are paying me to be mentally ON and that’s not something I can accomplish without downtime and rest!

Thanks for sharing your day, Kim!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

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It’s been a minute since we published a Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator!

Ready to get it going again? Well, we need YOU to make it happen.

How would you answer these questions:

• Do you wake up and exercise or grab a cup of coffee and read the news or something else?
• Do you work from home now or are you in the office?
• What do you do on your commute?
• How many meetings do you typically have?
• What tools do you use to organize your day?
• Do you eat lunch at your desk?
• What hours are you most productive??
• How do you wind down at the end of the day?

Answer these questions and more when you share your day for our Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator blog series. You just have to fill out the form below.

See how others have shared their day here:

• Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Deborah Zuniga Goldberg
• Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Haley Bice
• Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator – Libni Sanjurjo

How You Can Contribute

It’s extremely simple! You just fill out the form below, then send me a picture of you at your desk (or a headshot if you prefer).

Anyone who communicates with supporters of a nonprofit can share their Day in the Life of a Nonprofit Communicator.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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. Want to be be featured? Keep reading to learn how you can submit your day.

Deborah’s Bio:

Deborah is a Bay Area-based nonprofit consultant who helps organizations improve their visibility and impact through ethical storytelling and strategic communications. As a writer, she helps organizations create fresh, compelling content for use across all their communication platforms. As a communications strategist, she develops digital strategies related to storytelling, website development, social media engagement, and messaging. She is passionate about international human rights, refugee and immigrant rights, gender justice, climate justice, racial justice, and youth development. A deep commitment to movement building guides her consulting practice.

She is working from home and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: My two-year-old just learned how to climb out of his crib. I’m woken up at around 6 am when he bursts into the bedroom and enthusiastically shouts, “Wake up time!” Who needs an alarm clock?

8:00 am to 10:00 am: After packing lunches and scrambling out the door for school drop offs, I’m back home and it’s blissfully quiet. After two years of distance learning, school closures, and COVID-related disruptions, I’m grateful every day when both my kids actually make it to school!

I grab my second or third cup of coffee of the day (see toddler wake-up call above) and fire up my laptop.

I’m a nonprofit writer and communications consultant. Most of my clients are social justice organizations in the Bay Area. Today, I’m prepping an email newsletter for one of my main clients and managing social media for a collaborative of communication consultants I’m a part of.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: I eat lunch by 11. I usually cobble together something edible with leftovers I find in the fridge. I’ll also clean up the morning mess and throw in a load of laundry between work sprints.

After eight years of consulting, I’d like to think I’ve mastered remote working, but to be honest, it’s not always easy to stay on task! Another thing about consulting that isn’t my favorite is all the business-related responsibilities that come with being self-employed, but I’ve become better at managing that side of things.

I’ve also become way better at setting my rates. It’s important to know what you’re worth and charge accordingly (and also account for all those taxes).

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: One thing I do love about consulting is the relative lack of meetings! Still, I have the occasional client call via Zoom or phone. If I don’t have a meeting, and it’s nice out, I like to take a walk, go on a bike ride, or run errands.

We moved last year from San Francisco to the island community of Alameda near Oakland. It’s a quieter lifestyle but we love it here. I still can’t believe my luck in being able to walk to the beach in ten minutes.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: I do my best focused writing in the afternoon. Lately, I’ve been writing a lot of blog posts and content for email campaigns. My husband also works from home, but his office is a converted shed in the backyard, so we barely see each other during the day. But sometimes like today, if it’s nice out, I take my laptop into the backyard to get some fresh air and we can take a quick break to catch up.

After 4:00 pm: My workday usually ends around 4ish or so and that’s when I prepare dinner (or call for take out, let’s be honest) and my husband picks up the kids. We eat early, go to bed early, wake up early! It’s just that season of life right now.

If I have time after the kids have gone to sleep, I might do some relaxing self-care ie. catch up on my favorite shows.

Thanks for sharing your day, Deborah!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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.

Haley’s Bio:

Haley received her MA in Business Design and Arts Leadership from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2018. She also has a BA in Art History with a Fine Art minor from St. Cloud State University and an ASc in Graphic Design from Rochester Community and Technical College.

Haley works as the Communications Associate for Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester, MN and she volunteers on the board of Art on the Ave. in Slatterly Park. Along with these positions, she also does freelance graphic design and social media marketing part-time.

She is working in both the office and at home and this is their typical day:

Before 8:00 am: I get up at my alarm and take my energetic dog for a short walk. I live in a townhome without a fenced in back yard, so he need plenty of walks throughout the day.

8:00 am to 10:00 am: I start my work day between 8 and 8:30, checking emails and looking at the nonprofit’s social media for a little while, just kind of easing into my day. I do have a to-do list that I keep as a sticky note on my desktop, but I don’t typically look at it for the first half hour of the day. I’ll usually leave the projects I’m working on open in InDesign or Word, so when I’m ready I can just switch to those apps on my desktop.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: I will usually get a snack around 10, maybe with some caffeine to keep me going, and make lunch around 11:30. I really enjoy working from home because I can cook a full, healthy meal. I used to bring a boxed lunch to work every day and microwaving food just isn’t as satisfying as cooking it and eating it in my own home.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: I’ll usually get a phone call or an email from my coworkers at some point in the morning and I’ll take some time in the afternoon to respond (unless it was urgent). I can go into the office whenever I need to print anything or communicate something in-person, but otherwise the dev-com team has bi-weekly catch up meetings to keep up to date on projects we’re all working on.

Right at noon, after eating, I take my dog outside again for a longer walk if its nice out (and a shorter one if its not). I’ll also inevitably throughout my day have to stop and fish a tennis ball out from under the couch, because despite having six others, my dog wants that specific one.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: I’ll usually try to finish up anything I was working on in the aforementioned apps from 2-4, but if I don’t finish, I leave the app open for the next day so I know where I left off. Since I do both graphic design and PR communications for a food bank, sometimes my afternoons are spent taking photos or speaking with clients using our services to get stories, as well.

After 4:00 pm: I usually stop at 4 exactly because my dog gets hungry and won’t let me work any later! I used to be the type of person who would work until 4:30 or 5 to get something done, but I’ve gotten much better about setting those boundaries and only working the hours I have set out (since I’m a salaried employee) – and my dog is especially responsible for that.

Thanks for sharing your day, Haley!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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.

Libni’s Bio:

I began practicing journalism in a university newspaper Diálogo while studying for a bachelor’s degree in that discipline at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After graduating in 2002, I did an internship at the newspaper El Nuevo Día. Shortly after, in January 2003, I began to work full-time as a reporter at Agencia EFE, where I covered the three branches of government, especially the Legislature, until 2006. Prior to 2008, I worked as a reporter for El Nuevo Día and as an internal reporter for Univisión Radio (WKAQ).

In that last year, I started working at Primera Hora, until 2017. During that long period, I added new skills to my career as a hard-news journalist, making multimedia reports and managing the website and social networks of the newspaper. I also stood out for working on social and human interest issues.

In addition to my bachelor’s degree, I have a master’s degree in History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean from the Center for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, where I delivered a thesis on the Jewish community in Puerto Rico. I also have a certificate in Social Journalism (distance learning at Periodismo.net) and certification in Conflict Mediation. I’m a former treasurer of the Association of Journalists of Puerto Rico (2008 to 2013).

After Hurricane María, I started to work as Communications Officer for the Puerto Rico Community Foundation, where I’m in charge of social media, web page, advertising, internal communications as publications, emails marketing, and multimedia, and relations with media outlets, among other tasks. For me, Communications are important for nonprofit organizations because help them to execute their mission.

She is working in both the office and at home and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: I like to spend time with myself before starting to work. I cook breakfast and make my coffee while listening to the news on the radio.

After that, I drink the coffee while reading my Christian devotionals and meditate about it. Later, I read the news on my phone and get ready to start my workday.

8:00 am to 10:00 am: At 8:30 a.m. I write a daily to-do list, related to communications plans goals. But it is usual that new tasks appear out of the blue. So, I have to be flexible and work with the new priorities for that day; it helps me avoid stress and be organized.

Before starting with the to-do list, I read and answer emails. On some occasions, I visit organizations’ projects to document them (content, photos, or videos).

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: As I said, I write a daily agenda with priorities. So, for this period of time, I do the most important part of my job for that day as I write or start a project. It is because I’m a morning person.

As a communication officer, I have to deal with many tasks and before finishing some of them, I need to get the input of people in my non-profit and the final approval of a superior. So, I do my part and wait for input and approval, while starting another task related to social media, web page, internal communications, advertising, or public relations.

Right now, we are working hybrid format: one week at the office and the other one at home. I live alone, so it’s easy for me to concentrate on my work. I enjoy working alone.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: I try to stay on schedule! To communicate with my co-workers, I use all the channels: Teams, WhatsApp, Text Message, emails, Zoom, etc. For this period (PM), I use to calendar meetings because, as I said, I used the morning for the task I need to start to complete.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: I eat snacks around this hour.

After 4:00 pm: Generally, I work with the tasks less demanding before the end of the day, around 3:30 p.m. I also start to think about the agenda for the next day, based on priorities. Sometimes, I answer after-hour phone calls related to journalists or the Foundation Staff.

Thanks for sharing your day, Libni!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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.

Michelle’s Bio:

Acquiring a dog for the first time led to wanting to pay all the valuable lessons back to volunteering at a local human society to being hired as a Grants Writer at DCHS. Much has been learned about the nonprofit fundraising world since.

She is working in the office and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: To sneak in some cuddle time with one of my dogs, I wake up at 6 am. Then, I let her out for her potty break, say hello to Lenny the Guinea Pig who is wheeking by now and wanting to be scooped up for his playtime + breakfast in his play pen, clean Lenny’s cage, feed him his pellets and breakfast salad, and finally can have my breakfast and coffee.

By 8 am, I am dressed, Lenny is back in his cage, and I am out the door to take Rosie Mae out for a walk.

Did I mention that I work at a humane society?

8:00 am to 10:00 am: At around 9 am, I am at work, looking at the to-do list I prepared the previous day. Before my daily 9:30 am morning check-in meeting with team members, I go grab my Office Dog from their kennel, stopping along the way to check-in with co-workers. I chat with my department until 10 am.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: Before lunch, I go full steam ahead, in trying to get the usual everyday tasks done so that I can spend the afternoon on projects that require more thought and careful attention. Outlook reminds me of the tasks I need to get done on a regular basis, or my handwritten to-do list. I organize the stories and photos I receive, to use them later as content for social media and other donor communications.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: When routine tasks have been crossed off my list, then it’s time for lunch. Lunch is made even more enjoyable with an energizing walk with the canine officemate!

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: After lunch, I focus my energy on projects that require research or a little extra thought.

After 4:00 pm: By the end of the day, most things are usually completed. Before heading home, I’ll look at my to-do list, cross things off and then rewrite a new one for tomorrow, a new day, a new clean slate.

Thanks for sharing your day, Michelle!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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.

Emily’s Bio:

Emily is the Fund Development Coordinator for Wisconsin Youth Company, a nonprofit that works to engage children in opportunities to be their best selves and help them thrive beyond the school day.

Emily is a Chicago native, born and raised, but now lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, dog, and two cats. She received her BA in Theater with a concentration in Theater for Young Audiences from Northwestern University.

Before moving to Madison, Emily was the Associate Development Director for Mudlark Theater were she also wrote, directed, and taught for after school and summer camp programs.

In her spare time, Emily love to bake, make, and create. She has never met a craft project she didn’t like and loves playing board and role-playing games with family and friends.

She is working at home and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: The days starts at 6am. After my alarm goes off, it is a mad dash of feeding our two cats, back up stairs to get ready for the day, then taking the dog out for her morning walk.

Then it’s coffee or tea and half an hour to sit and read for fun (if I don’t make time for it it just won’t happen.) I’m currently re-reading “Sabriel” by Garth Nix.

I usually have oatmeal or some toast with fruit and then make my way to my workspace with a cup of hot coffee to start work at 8!

8:00 am to 10:00 am: I take the morning to check emails, gather my thoughts, and put dedicated time into community outreach and donor prospect research. To help me keep track of my time I like setting timers on my phone.

To get better at interacting and using different social media (especially LinkedIn) I’ve taken to putting on a timer for 15-20 minutes and trying to post a meaningful comment on as many posts as I can. My rule is that I only interact if I am genuinely drawn to the content.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: I am very reliant on my notebook and rainbow of colorful pens. If I don’t write something down I can often lose track of it or forget about it easily. For some things, like monthly reports or follow-up with donors I like to add a reminder into my calendar. I used to be all about the physical paper calendar as well, but have since switched to all virtual calendaring. Personally I use Google, but all of my work events and tasks are through Microsoft, so I often wind up inviting myself to any important events that take place outside of my normal work hours.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: Monday-Thursday are the days that I often have meetings in the afternoons. I try to reserve Fridays and not schedule anything so that I can really dedicate some mental space to getting solid work done.

I also find it hard to be creative when I have a million meetings with little 15-20 minute gaps in-between. I need that mental space to let my mind wander to think about all the possibilities and creative solutions to a given problem.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: I will sometimes take a 20 minute power nap at 3pm. If I can’t fit in a nap, then coffee is a must.

I like spending the last 30 minutes of the day to sort of review what happened and jot down any important action steps for the next day, or send off a few emails I may need to follow up on.

After 4:00 pm: I try to end my work day around 4/4:30, but usually it ends at 4:45 when the alarm to feed the cats goes off (this is a necessity because otherwise the hours between 2pm-5pm would be an utter anarchy of caterwauling.)

After work ends, I take the dog out for a walk. I usually try to get in some form of a creative outlet at the end of the day – drawing, reading, playing music, etc.

Thanks for sharing your day, Emily!

Want to be featured in this series? Tell us what you do in a typical day as a nonprofit communications pro by filling out the form below.

Can’t see the form? Try this.

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.

Veronica’s Bio:

My name is Veronica Brown and I am the Communications and Advancement Specialist for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, IL. I get to interact with some incredible, religiously-vowed women on a daily basis. I help run their social media platforms, assist with annual appeals, and develop blog posts and e-newsletters.

After graduating from Lutheran High school, I moved to Edwardsville, IL to complete my undergraduate degree at SIUE. Upon graduation, I moved back to Springfield, purchased a house and began my career in nonprofit communications. I’ve worked in non-profits that were tiny (think two staff members) and HUGE (think international scope) and have always loved the atmosphere that working for a nonprofit provided.

In 2017 I became a step-mother, wife, and dog-owner all on the same day Now my husband and I spend most our time playing getting beat at Guess Who, Uno, and Candyland while the dogs try and sneak treats from their big (human) sister. We are also big anime and manga fans and dream of one day visiting Japan in-person.

She is working in the office now and this is her typical day:

Before 8:00 am: The alarms start to go off at 5:10am in our house. My husband and I actually work for the same nonprofit, so we commute together. We feed the dogs, throw our lunches together, and head to work by 7am.

8:00 am to 10:00 am: I’m usually the first one here in the Communications department, so I spend my first hour checking emails, making a new to -do list, checking my RSS feed, and eating breakfast at my desk.

Today is our weekly team meeting, so I am prepping a short list of things I want to go over together. We’re wrapping up our current Spring Appeal and I’d love to get a nice Thank You video filmed for our donors.

10:00 am to 12:00 pm: A quick walk around the block was just what I needed to refocus and dive in to a couple of action items from our team meeting. Luckily, the sisters have an ice cream social planned in the courtyard this afternoon so it’s the perfect opportunity to get a video filmed!

I spend time working in Canva to prep graphics for our social media posts. (Nonprofit Tip: Canva offers nonprofits discounts for their Pro account!)

World Blood Donor Day is coming up soon so I work on a simple video to post with information on where and how people can donate blood.

12:00pm – 2:00 pm: After a quick 30-minute lunch at home to let the dogs out, I’m back at my desk. I like to use the afternoons to really put my head down and focus on busting through my to-do list. First up today is prepping a blog post and email for our weekly e-newsletter. Microsoft Teams makes it easy to send quick chats, ideas, and links to my supervisor as we tackle the blog post together.

Luckily, I set myself a task reminder in Outlook to head to the courtyard to take the video. The sisters loved participating and we got it done in less than 20 minutes. I hand the file off to my coworker to work his editing magic.

2:00pm – 4:00 pm: Now that the e-newsletter is prepped and scheduled to send tomorrow, I feel like I can slow down a bit for the afternoon. I usually make another cup of coffee around 3:00 to get an energy boost for after work.

I settle in for a webinar replay that’s been on my list for two, ok…three, months and sip my coffee while taking notes.

I end the day by following up on any last minute emails, organizing my desk, and telling my office plants & coworkers to have a good night.

After 4:00 pm: Getting off at 3:30 makes going in at 7am totally worth it! We usually have a few errands to run and then come home to walk the dogs (depending on the weather) and have dinner together. I like to go over our schedule/plan together for the next day and then spend the rest of the night relaxing together.

Thanks for sharing your day, Veronica!

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