Staffing & Human Resources

Grizzard Communications Group announced that it has hired Karen E. Gleason as group vice president and senior strategist. Gleason will be responsible for leadership on national accounts and developing strategies for multichannel fundraising for a variety of clients.

Blue Avocado and the Tom Battin Awards announced their updated list of the Best Nonprofit Job Sites. This year's Tom Battin Awards winners are:

• Best all-around: Idealist
• Best nonprofit site: Opportunity Knocks
• Best commercial site: Simply Hired
• Best international: Devex

These 12 strategies aren't the only things I'd do to transform my donor-development office. They may not even be the most urgent things I'd do, or even the most important. But they are the things I'd do that I think would have the most lasting impact. They would make the most difference to converting my imaginary donor-development department from the under-funded, misunderstood appendage to the fundraising function that I found on joining the organization into the finely honed, high-
earning core activity that I'd like to leave behind when, in the fullness of time, I move on to pastures new (you have to indulge me a little here, in this fantasy). Anyway, here we go.

Customer relationship marketing agency Merkle has named Steve LaValle executive vice president of client and advisory services. The move underscores the company's emphasis on a consultative, strategically led approach to helping clients build and sustain profitable customer relationships.

LaValle brings more than 24 years of experience in direct marketing and CRM consulting to his new role. Prior to joining Merkle, he spent eight years with IBM, most recently as Global Leader, Business Analytics and Optimization Strategy Services.

Findings from the 2011 national Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey conducted jointly by Nonprofit HR Solutions and the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research (University of San Diego) indicate that 60 percent of the nonprofit organizations in this years survey plan to hire in 2011 even though nearly one quarter of the organizations in this year’s survey trimmed staff in 2010. Findings also revealed that turnover remains low within nonprofit organizations.

According to a new report released by Commongood Careers and Level Playing Field Institute, nonprofit employees perceive that their employers value building diverse and inclusive organizations. However, their employers are doing little to back up that claim.

The report, titled The Voice of Nonprofit Talent: Perceptions of Diversity in the Workplace, is the culmination of a nationwide survey of over 1,600 nonprofit professionals.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has named veteran fundraiser Angela Meyers as RNC Finance Director. Meyers will serve as RNC Finance Director effective Monday, April 17. She joins the RNC from the Republican Governors Association (RGA) where she served as Finance Director since 2009, and was a member of the RGA Finance team since 2005.

Former Ohio Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut has landed at a Boston-based nonprofit organization that helps struggling high school students and working adults.

Jobs for the Future on Monday said Fingerhut was hired as a senior fellow, advising on higher education policies and practices.

Fingerhut in February made plans to resign Sunday after four years as chancellor of the state Board of Regents and leader of the University System of Ohio. He was replaced by former state Attorney General Jim Petro.

Pursuant Ketchum, a full-service fundraising and communications consulting firm, recently announced that Gary Cole was named senior vice president of health care. Cole has more than 20 years of experience in professional fundraising for health-care, higher education and independent schools. He will further expand Pursuant's services into the healthcare market, including medical centers, cancer centers, community hospitals and specialty healthcare facilities, and will provide key counsel on client development campaigns.

Technology is great, but it takes human beings to make the most of it. Ask these questions to make your fundraising efforts successful this year and beyond.