So you want to work in a nonprofit...
Executive Director Sarah Otterstrom balances work in Nicaraguan forests with management duties in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and 1-year-old son. (Kim Williams-Guillen/ Paso Pacífico photo)
Alumna Sarah Otterstrom, founder and executive director of conservation nonprofit Paso Pacífico, shares her insights on money, motherhood and nonmaterial rewards with News Service intern Erin Loury.
Q: What is your job description?
A: As Paso Pacífico's founder and executive director, I'm really responsible for everything. That's from communicating which trees to plant where, which topics to cover in community workshops, and writing letters to donors. My responsibility as executive director is to communicate to my board of directors, and ensure that on the ground all of our work supports our mission and our project goals.
Q: What are the challenges of your job?
A: There is a lot of management and organization involved, like fundraising and developing a board of directors. Passion, expertise and knowledge are critical, but you need other skills, and I'm working on those.
A major weakness of nonprofits is that they are under-funded. It's a paradox: Your mission is not about making money, yet you need money to achieve your mission. It's very challenging. You need a multilayered strategy. (One example is selling carbon offsets from a reforestation project through carbonfund.org.
Q: What's your favorite part of your job?
A: I like having an impact on the lives of people and the life of the forest. I'll go and meet with farmers, and they're happy because they have new trees, or that new wildlife species have returned because of our actions. I like seeing hope for tomorrow.
Q: What skills do you find most valuable in your job?
A:They are both communication skills – working with people and writing.
Q: How does having a Ph.D. help you in your job?
A. Having a Ph.D. is very useful to do what I do because it gives you a lot of credibility, and that is important in trying to start your own organization. I don't think I would be developing the organization the way that I am if I wasn't grounded in science. I also have the networks of scientists, colleagues and friends that I can draw on to ask questions and involve them in projects.
Q: What are some misconceptions about nonprofits?
A: Internationally, the misconception is that foreign nonprofits have a lot of money, and we're trying to dispel that! In the U.S., the misconception is that it's easy to keep a nonprofit going. You always hear about good things, about their mission and what they want to achieve, but very little about the blood, sweat and tears behind the reward.
Q: What advice do you have for anyone interested in breaking into the nonprofit sector?
A: Volunteer or get a job at one to see how they work. You don't have experiences that move you if you're always at home in front of the computer. You have to really get out there and get your hands dirty.
Nonprofits involve a lot of management, and they require a lot of dedication. You're expected to work long hours. It's high cost, but high reward. It's very rewarding to do what you're passionate about.
Q: How do you balance your role as a mother?
A: It is a struggle to reach a balance. First, I am able to bring my child with me on many of my trips. In Nicaragua, it is easy to find experienced child care, and it is a good opportunity for learning.
Second, and most important, is that I have a supportive husband who shares a lot of the child-care duties with me. He has had to make adjustments to his career in order to make it possible for me to pursue this dream.
I am so fortunate. I often also work a lot of nights in order to squeeze in the time for work. I am sure that most people would agree with me, that no job is more rewarding than one's own children.
Q: What inspires you?
A: Rural Nicaraguan women inspire me because they labor day in and day out under very extreme circumstances, yet they are always happy and hopeful. I think, if these women can bear their burden with a smile, we can work toward our mission.