Networking for… what?

Uncategorized

Does this statement make you cringe? “Hey! There’s a happy hour networking event in the conference center lobby tonight. Wanna go?” Or does it compel you to extend an invite to your friends? Or does it make you jump up energized and ready to meet new people?

Surprise! No matter what your answer is, you could be a networker.

According to Marissa King who wrote the book, Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection, there are three main types of networks people form:

  • Conveners: Deep, close connections to a smaller group of people who are all friends with each other
  • Brokers: Not quite as deep of connections, but connections among different groups of people
  • Expansionists: Shallower relationships, but with exponentially more people

And I couldn’t help agree with her that networking – professional or personal – was never really about going into big crowds of unknown, strange people and collecting business cards. Networking is about creating authentic connections with other people that you want to know better.

And if you jump at the opportunity to go to that hypothetical happy hour in the conference center lobby, it probably has less to do with whether you are an extrovert or an introvert and more about yourgoals.

Here are three examples to illustrate the point of who might want to go to that hypothetical happy hour:

  • Recent college graduate headed into second year of first full-time career job who wants to move out of nonprofit work with animals and into nonprofit work focused on climate change.
  • Parent who just had third child that doesn’t sleep through the night and really wants to get dressed professionally and talk to other adults about the work that s/he loves!
  • Accomplished professional who is exploring going solo as a consultant and wants to find out what problems people have that s/he could solve at a price they could pay.

Network for Goal

Happy Hours are the quintessential networking event, but networking happens every day in a million different ways. There is every reason to ditch the cliched happy hour and focus in on the kind of people you want to meet and in places where you feel more comfortable.

Sometimes you can even create your own places!

For example, let’s say you need to become a power user of your Salesforce database, but you haven’t found people online talking about the prospect research topics you need to learn the most. You could volunteer to host a Salesforce working group for your association chapter (like Apra) that meets quarterly on topics you need to tackle.

Now the full organizing power of your chapter is available to you. Is this selfish? Heck, no!

If you have the time and talent to offer your association chapter to organize and facilitate meetings, it becomes a win/win, not a win/lose. And it can give you the opportunity to create a convener network as you seek the skills and confidence to move forward in your career.

As an adult, developing close relationships requires more effort over a longer time because the opportunity to interact frequently, such as when attending school together, isn’t as available. To add to this barrier, in the world of prospect research, many times the people we want to connect with are geographically distant.

Creating the group you need and want to be a part of can help to
overcome these barriers. In the Salesforce working group example above, you might find that you become close to a handful of researchers, interacting socially and professionally, and meeting up live at conferences.

If you don’t want to create your own group, you can always join somebody else’s group. The Master Classes and group coaching calls at the Prospect Research Institute provide adult researchers with low pressure opportunities to connect with peers.

At the Institute you can get to know other members through video meetings and on Slack. Meetings are monthly, small, and have guided discussion, making it easy for you to participate. You share common interests and there is an expectation that you will ask for help and share great resources.

If you find yourself benefitting from different networks at the same time, you might be a broker. For example, you might be (a) active in a vendor online forum where you meet peers, (b) volunteer for your association chapter where you meet fellow members from a range of organizations, and (c) attend a course where you interact frequently with other learners.
You may have career goals that have you looking for skill building opportunities or exposure to multiple industry sectors.

Most professionals probably don’t cultivate expansionist networks, but if
you have ideas to share with the world, social media makes huge networks possible. And if you are looking for more exposure, but to the tune of thousands, not millions, you can craft content of interest to the audience you wish to attract and expand your career options considerably.

Convener, Broker, Expansionist – or a Hybrid

As prospect researchers we know all about isolating key criteria to help us identify the best prospects. Same goes with networking. Your goals could be as simple as knowing and talking research with other researchers or as complex as identifying potential mentors so you can move into a specific role, such as prospect management or fundraising analytics, or something in between.

In fact, you probably have multiple and overlapping goals. Networking can help you learn new skills, explore your profession, build confidence, and gain access to career opportunities. Think through and write down your goals, observe and experiment in different places, online and offline, and network your way to professional and social fulfillment!

Additional Resources