By Jenna Manders, Community Foundation Services Coordinator, Iowa Council of Foundations
Nearly every job description has that final line that we all know and love: “Other Duties as Assigned.” I’ve never been one to enjoy doing the same thing every day. I prefer to look at “other duties” as an opportunity.
After finding my passion in youth philanthropy, I started my journey in the community foundation field as an intern. Fresh out of college, I was eager to begin my full-time role at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. I quickly realized the opportunities I was presented could help shape my career in the community foundation.
Taking on these “other duties” helped me advance to new roles and leadership responsibilities at CFGD. Each new role integrated new responsibilities that were suited for my unique talents. My willingness to take on “other duties” created an opportunity for me to grow, leading me to conference speaking opportunities, skills I used to start my own business, and a deep understanding of the broader community foundation field. I use everything I gained in those roles in my role supporting Iowa community foundations with the Iowa Council of Foundations (another place where there are many “other duties as assigned”!).
Do you perform any “other duties as assigned” tasks at your organization? Human resources, cybersecurity, managing an event space, technology, etc.? If so, we hope you will join us for our Peer Learning Circle: Other Duties as Assigned conversation next Wednesday, May 4 at 10 am to connect with your peers so we can all learn together about the important, nuanced roles we play to help our community foundations succeed!
