Staffing & Human Resources

The man who helped bring "Sesame Street" to a global audience for the past 11 years will take over as president and CEO of NPR, the public radio network announced Sunday. Gary Knell, the longtime president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, will start at NPR on Dec. 1.

Knell, 57, told The Associated Press on Sunday that he wanted to "depoliticize" NPR by highlighting its commitment to hard-hitting local, national and international journalism across multiple platforms.

The growth in nonprofit jobs slowed in 2010 compared with other recent years, according to a new analysis of U.S. labor statistics.

The number of nonprofit jobs grew by just under 1 percent from 2009 to 2010, according to a study of figures in 45 states by the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Civil Society Studies, in Baltimore. Year-to-year nonprofit job totals increased by 1.2 percent in 2009 and 2.6 percent in 2008.

However, nonprofits fared better in 2010 than for-profit companies, which saw a 0.9 percent decrease in jobs last year.

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) has named Antony Bugg-Levine as its new CEO. Bugg-Levine will chart the organization’s course as a leader in social-sector lending and advocate for high-impact philanthropy. His impact investing expertise will inform NFF’s role as a partner to a broad range of organizations that address critical issues and harness compelling opportunities. Bugg-Levine’s selection marks a key moment in NFF’s history as an institution that embraces both traditional and innovative approaches to financing social change. 

Bugg-Levine will assume his role at NFF Oct. 24.

Amid the gloom of the job market, there is a bright spot where openings are up 34 percent over this time last year.

The Colorado Nonprofit Association had 2008 job postings of 3,474. Openings fell by 25 percent, to 2,598, in 2009, but last year rebounded to the 2008 level.

And this year, association president Renny Fagan said, the state's nonprofits are on track to offer 4,000 jobs.

Newport Creative Communications announced that Bob Hoagland, a direct-response veteran, has joined the agency and will spearhead additional expansion and growth of its Washington, D.C.-area office.

Hoagland comes to Newport with more than 30 years of agency experience. During this time, Hoagland launched and grew highly successful fundraising programs for March of Dimes Canada, The Jimmy Fund, Feed the Children, Save the Children, International Child Care, American Red Cross Chapters, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, AARP, HSUS, Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Missionary Oblates of Mary, and others.

Customer relationship agency Merkle has named Will Stansbury as vice president of technology solutions for nonprofit practice. The new addition to Merkle's team of 140 experts in nonprofit marketing and fundraising emphasizes the company's commitment to solving the technological needs of clients who engage with constituents via multiple offline and digital touchpoints. With more than 20 years of technology experience in the nonprofit space, Stansbury was a co-founder of Target Software, which became a Blackbaud company in 2007.

As more and more nonprofits are stepping up training of fundraisers, they are finding low-cost yet effective ways to improve the skills of their staff members.

At Berea College, in Kentucky, for example, Bill Laramee, vice president for alumni and college relations, says a monthlong course he teaches about philanthropy helped train and recruit several fundraisers, including two development officers who now work on Berea’s annual fund. The course, consisting of daily classes, covers the philosophical underpinnings of charity and ethical issues related to fundraising.

Infogroup announced that Gretchen Littlefield has been named to the Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation’s (DMANF) Advisory Council for the 2011-2013 term that begins July 1. Littlefield is the only incoming member from the private sector.

In addition to serving a two year term, Littlefield will become co-chair of DMANF’s Government Affairs Committee. In this capacity, she will serve as an advocate for nonprofits on Capitol Hill and advance the legislative interests of the fundraising community. Littlefield drives the overall management, strategic planning, and growth of Infogroup’s offerings to the nonprofit, political and federal government sectors.

Grizzard Communications Group announced that it has hired Lori Connolly as vice president of research and analytics. Connolly will be responsible for research and analytics strategy development for multichannel fundraising on behalf of a variety of clients.

Michel Roy has been elected as the new general secretary of Caritas, the Catholic Church’s confederation of charitable and development agencies. The 56-year-old Frenchman was voted in by a majority of delegates at the organization’s general assembly in Rome.

Roy has 30 years experience working for Secours Catholique in France. He began by working for the diocesan office in Paris in 1981. He is a father of two children and is an alumnus of the Sorbonne University in Paris, graduating in economics and oriental languages.