How to crack into the nonprofit sector?

November 30, 2008 2:47 PM

How to crack into the nonprofit sector?

I graduated with a BA in Psych/Soc in 2007 and am now taking classes to complete a certificate in Nonprofit and Voluntary Management. Since graduating, I have been working full-time at a financial company in Toronto, Canada but would prefer to find a job elsewhere.

I have years of volunteer experience (various front-line work at at nursing home, homeless shelter, writing for a social advocacy website). I currently volunteer at two women's centres but have never worked full-time for a nonprofit.

I know the "nonprofit" sector is incredibly varied and I'm not entirely sure what area I'm interested in... but I think it would relate to research, social justice, women's issues or other social services. I have no interest in being a social worker but would rather perform some "behind the scenes" functions.

Hive mind, tell me how to accomplish this! What is the best way to get work at a nonprofit with only a year of unrelated work experience? How did you get started? What are your tips? If you recruit for a nonprofit, what skills qualities do you look for?

A career counsellor suggested I apply for grant writing... how does one get selected for such a job without experience?

posted by cranberrymonger to work & money (14 comments total)

Can you do an internship as a part of your certificate? I've had three forays into the non-profit world: one via a high school job, one via a temp assignment that went to two long term stints and one via an internship at my grad school program. That way you show you know the field (or learn it on the job) and get your foot in the door.
posted by TravellingCari at 3:24 PM on November 30, 2008

Can you do an internship as a part of your certificate? I've had three forays into the non-profit world: one via a high school job, one via a temp assignment that went to two long term stints and one via an internship at my grad school program. That way you show you know the field (or learn it on the job) and get your foot in the door.

Sorry, this is bad advice.

But, your career counselor gave you bad advice too. You sound like you've got to start getting determined about not accepting another volunteer position and start looking for a job and asking for a paycheck. You have managed to do something that is unheard of for people your age: you have accepted a career as a volunteer and made it acceptable. What's more, you've made it acceptable for non-profits to view you as a volunteer and therefore not a candidate for the paid work you so very much desire. You have to start being fearless enough to apply for jobs at these places (if they are where you want to work) and not accept anything less than a paid job (and believe me, they will try to push you into less, given your known work history in the organization).

It starts with you growing up about your career possibilities. Do you really want to be in development fundraising? I am guessing that you want to pursue an MSW and focus on addressing social justice issues. I do agree, learning grant writing is important, but it will put you in a totally different class of work if you pursue it professionally.

Bottom line: start asking for paid work and start only accepting paid work. Your days as a volunteer are over.
posted by parmanparman at 4:31 PM on November 30, 2008

My two suggestions would be:

- volunteer to build personal networks
- demonstrate your value-add (by showing that you know how to write grant applications)

I have worked in the non-profit sector, for an industry association. I got this job by volunteering as a writer for their newsletter. I was then brought on to manage/coordinate a program that was closing down as the funding regime ended. After that, I wrote grant and funding proposals, and then managed those projects.

I was never hired as an employee of the the non-profit. I was always a contractor. For one thing, the non-profit was small, with a limited core budget, and the permanent positions were for key staff only, such as book-keeper/office manager, events coordinator, membership salesperson, and executive director. The membership sales position was eventually eliminated (through attrition), because the base salary did not bring in enough revenue.

My point is that non-profits, if they're run right, are lean organizations. Unless you have a skillset that will make you a good executive director or book-keeper, you're really going to have to demonstrate what value you will add to the organization.

The greatest value-add is bringing in money, in the form of writing grant applications. You don't need to take a course to learn how to do this (I did it without any training).

Do you have an aptitude for writing? Are you patient enough to gather all the details a funding agency needs to fork out some cash?

Most importantly, do you have personal relationships with non-profits that will allow you to get your foot in the door? You can develop these relationships by volunteering, and specifically volunteering to write grant applications.

I was lucky, in that I worked for an entrepreneurial non-profit that was more interested in results (ie, achieving project goals) than in controlling funding. In fact, the org I worked for, disliked grants and project funding from government because it had too many strings attached.

However, many non-profits jealously guard their government and grant contacts. They'll pay you $15/hour to write the grant applications, but will not use the revenue to increase your salary.

Also, ask yourself: where do you want to be in five years? I noticed that non-profits tend to be dominated by one or two strong personalities who treat the non-profit as their personal fiefdom and smother talent.

Choose your organization wisely, and make sure you'll be on track for personal and professional growth.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:46 PM on November 30, 2008

charityvillage.com is one place to look for such jobs in Canada. I've used many of their resources on their site.
posted by carabiner at 4:54 PM on November 30, 2008

Have you checked out Idealist yet? They list a diversity of non-profit jobs and volunteer opportunities. Browse through the different sections- it has a massive amount of information that might help you narrow down what you want to do.

As for grant writing, I'm very interested to hear more about this too. I've been wanting to get certified somehow but it's hard to tell what is and isn't a valuable certification course. . .
posted by Mouse Army at 5:31 PM on November 30, 2008

"You have managed to do something that is unheard of for people your age: you have accepted a career as a volunteer and made it acceptable. What's more, you've made it acceptable for non-profits to view you as a volunteer and therefore not a candidate for the paid work you so very much desire."

No offense to Parmanparman, but I hear that same "Don't work for free" hogwash all the time, normally from people well established in the field giving advice to people just trying to get their foot in the door.

Accepting a volunteer position to get in the door definitely one good way of eventually getting to a career position. It is ideal? No. But what matters is the results.

If contributing value-added work for free for a few months leads to a job in the industry you enjoy is worth it to you, then go for it. If not, then don't do it. In my experience, the only people who don't want others to work for free are those already in the field looking out for their own necks.
posted by Spurious at 5:41 PM on November 30, 2008

I don't agree with parmanparman. Both jobs I've had at nonprofits came through being a volunteer first.
posted by All.star at 5:53 PM on November 30, 2008

If contributing value-added work for free for a few months leads to a job in the industry you enjoy is worth it to you, then go for it. If not, then don't do it. In my experience, the only people who don't want others to work for free are those already in the field looking out for their own necks.


I agree and disagree with Spurious. If the OP is willing to invest in further volunteer work with the true of aim getting with that organization then they should by all means go for it.

I am cynical because I don't want OP to go into fundraising if that's not what he or she wants to do. It would be such a waste of time for OP and the organization to organize a volunteer position in development (following the advice of the career counselor) and then get burned out in a year or so.

I started in non-profits as a broadcaster and have transitioned into fundraiser to discover I love fundraising. But, I have to stress for the OP that it's not for everyone and for every person I meet who enjoys it, I meet two who would rather be doing something else. If the OP is interested in doing fundraising, I would love to help. It is the most enjoyable, fulfilling career move I could have made and I cannot think of anything better than raising funds for the causes I support. I don't want OP to fall into a career they won't love, because if you don't love the job or the cause, you can't do it. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true.
posted by parmanparman at 6:23 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Getting some sort of job for a large non-profit is usually a lot easier than trying to get into a small one, where often the paid staff is tiny, and everyone else is volunteer. The large ones have greater hiring ability, staffing needs, and more entry-level options.

I also disagree that you can't get a job starting out as a volunteer. Say you volunteer in a department of a non-profit, large or small, and are found to be very capable. Say a staffer in that department leaves. You may be a good candidate to go into that role, since you already know it. Now, this isn't to say that they won't bring in an experienced person from outside the organization, but non-profits want to save money, and hiring someone who is already somewhat trained is usually much cheaper than having to completely train a new person.
posted by fructose at 6:24 PM on November 30, 2008

I am the founding director of a non-profit w/ a very small staff. What I look for in the people who come to us is a HUGE amount of vision and passion for the mission. We all do a lot of work that is not really compensated for with a paycheck. I think that working for a non-profit takes someone who is naturally self-propelled, and sees what can be done rather than being asked to do something. The non-profit sector is growing rapidly and is a very interesting model in business development.

I would recommend that you look around at non-profits you find interesting and look at the way the staff is structured. Also, if Toronto has a leadership program which brings together the non-profit/for profit/government sectors, try and get involved with it.
posted by tarantula at 6:37 PM on November 30, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I totally disagree with parmanparman as well.

I work in government now, but in my previous jobs in the nonprofit sector, we generally hired volunteers into permenant positions, assuming they were capable. They knew the organization better than anyone, and needed the least training. And they were often more passionate than full-time staff, having been willing to join and volunteer for free!
posted by waylaid at 8:06 PM on November 30, 2008

I got my dream job in a not-for-profit, which I started 3 weeks ago, by applying for jobs on this website http://www.charityjob.co.uk/

I appreciate this is UK based, which probably isn't that helpful to you, but surely an equivalent exists where you are? I found this site by just Googling for 'charity job'. And then I applied like I would for any other job. Seeing as you have been volunteering for a while, you must have valuable experience, so just like in the for-profit sector, I would advise applying for jobs for which you have the qualifications and experience to do it. Which probably means not management to start with.
Nb. Before I spent the last 7 years working for charities in Eastern Europe for just living expenses, I used to earn a salary about 30% larger than I do now. You may need to accept this principle as well in working for a not-for-profit.
posted by alicegoldie at 4:43 AM on December 1, 2008

I would seek out a ton of informational interviews with organizations that I was interested in. This gives you a foot in the door, as you are a more known commodity, if a job opens up. It also gives you a chance to be candid and get candid answers from people who may not be in the hiring hierarchy. "What is the hardest part about this job? How many hours do you work a week?" This is the best information about how an organization works with a position (like a volunteer administrator) that you will get. Most organizations are "selling" you the job during the interview as much as they are interviewing you for the position.

The field of volunteer administration, in my opinion, struggles every day to be seen as professional. Many outside of the filed consider it to be base level work. This is a gross underestimation of the value of a professional volunteer administrator. This being said, that is how I took the comments above. Value your time and abilities and accept nothing less. Volunteering is great but keep in mind what you'd like to do.
posted by zerobyproxy at 7:26 AM on December 1, 2008

I'd second looking in Idealist.org, I know a lot of people who have used it. The second secret is that besides exhibiting competency, you have to demonstrate that you care about the issue. Don't fake it, and depending on where you apply, they'll try to figure out your concern level in different ways, but it isn't like regular private sector work. You're going to make less money and they want to know why you want to make less money. If you're just mouthing nonsense, they'll know.
posted by history is a weapon at 11:01 AM on December 1, 2008