Four Ways To Set Yourself Up For Success in a Nonprofit Career
February 22, 2023 | Written by Branden Waggoner
Working for a nonprofit organization is just one of many paths that you can choose for your career. Nonprofit work is often meaningful and fulfilling, and a career in the nonprofit world allows you to devote yourself to a group of individuals or a cause that you care about. But how do you get started and pursue a career in the nonprofit sector? Here are four ways to gain experience and prepare to enter the nonprofit world!
Passion and Research
Working for a nonprofit can be challenging, but also impactful and rewarding. A joy of the nonprofit space is having the opportunity to devote yourself to empowering individuals or bolstering a significant cause, so employers frequently seek candidates who have interest and even passion in their organization’s mission. We recommend reflecting on what groups of people or social causes are important to you. Once you identify areas that resonate with you and would be fulfilling to dedicate your energy to, research nonprofits, local and national, to see what kind of work exists in those areas. A few good tools for researching nonprofits include: BBB Nonprofit Organizations and Charity Navigator.
Look for Entry-Level Experience
Once you identify missions that interest you, you can focus on gaining experience. Internships, co-ops, and part-time positions are valuable tools for gaining experience in the nonprofit field and learning about roles that are a good fit for you. Securing an entry-level position and getting your foot in the door with any nonprofit is a great next step in your pursuit of a nonprofit career. Many job hiring sites such as Indeed and Handshake have special filters where you can only see nonprofit work, and even more specifically you can filter down to entry-level positions!
Connect!
Networking is essential, even in the nonprofit world. Knowing people and making connections can help you discover new opportunities with nonprofit organizations. Some good ways to make these connections are by volunteering at local nonprofits, following and interacting on nonprofit organizations' social media channels or websites, and even just reaching out and introducing yourself! If you are located in the Greater Cincinnati Area, we recommend the publications Movers and Makers and their “Datebook”, which is a guide for community events, fundraisers, and more! If you do not live in the Cincinnati area, we recommend finding a similar resource to find opportunities to make connections in your community.
Build Your Skills
Everyone knows that having skills will help you in your career, but we want to get more specific. “Hard skills” refer to the distinct knowledge that you need for a job, such as coding, drafting, web design, or competency with a certain program or software. On the other hand, “soft skills” refer to traits and qualities, like communication, emotional intelligence, empathy, collaboration, and leadership. Soft skills are sometimes overlooked, but especially in the nonprofit world, skills like these are essential. So take time to pursue opportunities to build up soft skills by practicing and consuming content on how to improve! We are proud that the youth who participate in Magnified Giving’s Youth Philanthropy Program and Camp Give learn essential soft skills like empathy, advocacy, collaboration, leadership, and more. Look for similar hands-on programs and activities to develop your own soft skills!
The nonprofit world is an fulfilling and ever-changing landscape, and there are many paths to success. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, but we hope these tips help you take the next steps!