Today’s nonprofit sector is growing faster than ever. In fact, Independent Sector reports that nonprofit employment doubled to nearly 10 percent of total U.S. employment in the past 25 years. The report also predicts that by 2010, the nonprofit sector will employ 15 million people. With this growth comes a demand for strong nonprofit talent, as well the opportunity to build a long-term career in the sector.

This article explores a few proven career inroads that provide opportunities for advancement.

Ways In and Up

Nonprofit career options vary widely at the entry level, but the most popular inroad is program work, or positions that provide opportunities to work directly with the constituents served by an organization. Often people enter the sector on the ground-level as a tutor or community advocate. From direct service, people often transition into coordinating aspects of programs, such as managing volunteers, and then eventually managing entire programs. While this is a natural progression within the field of program management, direct service positions can also serve as a springboard to positions in different functional areas within an organization.

“Most people go into nonprofits thinking they are only going into the program arena. But getting involved in development, marketing, or some of the other important functional areas can be a smart idea for those seeking to advance their careers,” said Cassie Scarano, Vice President and Co-Founder of Commongood Careers. One of the inherent challenges to advancing in program work is that there are many positions on the ground-level, but only a limited number of senior management positions. Considering other skills that you can bring to an organization, like fundraising or marketing, in addition to having first-hand experience in direct service, is a great way to create career opportunities within or across organizations. 

Building a Career in Nonprofit Development

Careers in nonprofit development provide ample opportunities for advancement and long-term success. Development is the area of each organization responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including pursuing and obtaining funds from foundations, corporations, individuals, and government sources, as well as managing activities like grant-writing, annual appeals, events and strategic campaigns. “There will always be high need for development professionals. Because of the demand, people in the area of development have lots of opportunities, tend to progress quickly and are often amongst the highest paid in an organization,” Scarano said. 

The area of development is multi-faceted and requires different skills depending on the type of position and organization. Writing is important in development positions related to grant writing, while strong interpersonal skills are necessary for positions focusing on nurturing donor relationships. Some development positions are more research-based while others focus on the logistics of planning special events for the organization. There are also positions that are more general and require the development professional to incorporate many of these skills strategically.

Executive Support as a Strategy for Advancement

An often overlooked entry point for new nonprofit professionals is a role as an executive assistant. “While many people avoid these types of positions because they don’t sound glamorous, they actually provide a huge number of opportunities for advancement and provide access those at the entry level would never have otherwise,” Scarano said. 

An assistant to a high functioning executive is connected to all of the senior leaders, both internal and external, with whom the executive corresponds through reviewing and drafting emails and other correspondence, managing the calendar, and fielding phone calls. Additionally, this position often includes work on special projects that are essential to the organization, such as analyzing data, creating reports, or supporting hiring. Especially in dynamic and fast-paced socially entrepreneurial organizations, something as basic as taking notes at a board meeting or managing an executive’s calls can provide a huge amount of experience and insight into the way nonprofits work. 

Also, the executive assistant position is tremendously constructive to a nonprofit career. “Being impressive in an executive assistant role can be a fast track to advancement,” Scarano said. In fact, many executives treat these roles like fellowship positions, making sure that after a year or so their assistants are ready to move on and up, either within that organization or to another nonprofit. 

The Nonprofit Advantage in the Long Run

When on the fence about deciding whether to enter the social sector or head for the private sector, there are some things to take into account about nonprofit jobs that might make a difference in your decision. For example, working at a nonprofit can help you develop highly transferable soft skills like being able to take on leadership, being flexible, and having strong interpersonal skills. 

Working at a nonprofit can also give you personal experience with things that you might not have access to in larger, private sector organizations. “Generally in nonprofits, especially smaller organizations, you get a broader view of how an organization runs, have more access to strategic decision making, and are challenged to take initiative,” Scarano noted. Senior leadership tends to be younger and the environment more collaborative in nonprofit organizations, thus providing those at the entry level more opportunities to have a hand in the organization’s growth while also providing opportunities to advance within the organization. 

What’s more, today’s trends show that the private and social sectors are converging, so that those who want traditionally private sector benefits with traditionally social sector values have more options. “It’s no longer about deciding if you are either mission-driven or profit-driven,” Scarano said. “Instead, people need to consider where on the continuum they fall and what factors on a whole are most motivating to them.” Today’s socially entrepreneurial nonprofits are able to provide many opportunities to develop strong business skills while at the same time aligning with the personal values of their employees. “Choosing a career path is a harder decision today because the sectors are no longer so black and white,” said Scarano, “but with that challenge come many great career opportunities.”

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

In any field, having a professional mentor can help individuals develop and advance their careers. Mentors are especially important in the nonprofit sector, where structured career development opportunities are not always readily available.

A strong mentoring relationship is built on collaboration and the commitment to the professional development of one or both of its participants. While in the typical mentoring relationship, one participant has more experience, skill, knowledge than the other, many strong mentoring relationships provide an opportunity for both parties to learn from each other through the development of a caring and respectful partnership.

The Growth of Mentoring in the Social Sector

Corporate mentoring programs have long been recognized as an essential strategy for attracting, developing, and retaining top employees.  According to a survey by the American Society for Training and Development, 75% of private sector executives said that mentoring had been critical in helping them reach their current position. 

In the social sector, employee mentoring programs are more unusual.  While some innovative organizations are taking steps to create effective internal programs, other organizations offer external programs that connect mentors and mentees; these programs can be a great option for nonprofits that lack the resources to provide internal programs. 

For example, the Center for Nonprofit Development and the International Mentoring Network Organization have developed their own mentor-matching programs to help connect seasoned nonprofit professionals with professionals earlier in their careers.  The Center for Nonprofit Development focuses on connecting new but high-level nonprofit leaders with other, more experienced nonprofit leaders to help them strategically solve organizational challenges or create carefully developed plans for the future of the mentee’s organization.  The International Mentoring Network Organization applies an “open source” approach to mentoring, giving its members access to interviews with experienced professionals, discussion forums, and a mentor match service. 

Why a Mentor?

There are a number of benefits to building a mentor relationship with a seasoned nonprofit professional, most notably access to new contacts, knowledge, and skills.

“Mentors can do a number of things for your career.  They can help you build your resume, guide you on a project, and help you identify resources, including referring you to other mentors and important people in your field,” said Ken Williams, Director of the New Voices National Fellowship Program and author of the monograph “Mentoring the Next Generation.”

Mentors provide developing nonprofit leaders with the support they might not have access to otherwise.  For example, access to the mentor’s personal network can give emerging leaders a chance to meet important people at a crucial time in their careers and can broaden their range of possible professional opportunities.

The New Voices National Fellowship Program, administered by the Academy for Educational Development, works on leadership development for human rights activists, currently focusing on emerging leaders in the Gulf Coast region.  New Voices requires each fellow participating to have a mentor because of the benefits the organization has seen from these relationships.

“In our program we’ve seen mentors help develop the Fellows’ strategic thinking, connections and contacts, and resources and opportunities.  Having a mentor provides people with an open space in which to raise issues, tackle challenges, and nurture growth,” Williams said. 

Finding a Mentor

A mentor is someone whose knowledge and experience the mentee respects and someone whose wisdom and know-how can support the professional growth and development of the mentee.  Often this is a boss, professor or other nonprofit leader who the mentee has already met, but sometimes a mentor can be someone who is not known to the mentee.  Mentors do not necessarily need to be the most senior person at an organization or within the field; the right mentor depends on what knowledge the mentee hopes to gain. 

“If you don’t have an idea about who to ask to be your mentor, find organizations that work in the area you’re interested in and look to their leaders.  Asking to do something as simple as getting a coffee together can be very successful,” Williams said. 

Another great way to engage a mentor is to collaborate on a project that is of interest to both parties.  “Choose something that supports your potential mentor’s work and ask for some help putting it together,” Williams suggested. “This way, you are both invested in completing a goal together that can lead to a deeper relationship during the process.”

Sustaining Healthy Mentor Relationships

To make the most of a mentoring relationship, start with a formal agreement that outlines the roles and expectations of both participants.  Including details such as when the pair will meet, how frequently and for how long, and what the goals of the relationship are will build a strong foundation for the relationship. 

While the duration and frequency of mentoring meetings varies, most mentoring partners meet or talk once a week for about an hour.  The format and content of these conversations may vary, but typically consist of brainstorming sessions to solve problems, updates and follow-ups on current projects, or more focused discussion of professional development topics.  A mentoring relationship should not be considered an inside track to the top or an opportunity to complain; it is a respectful and professional relationship in which both parties can learn from the experience and each other. 

As the relationship develops, mentees should remember to share their successes with their mentors and make sure the mentor knows how valuable their time and insight is.  Remember that mentoring is about sharing knowledge and expertise in a way that benefits both of the participants and thereby helps to build and strengthen the nonprofit sector as a whole.  As nonprofit professionals develop their leadership skills, it will be important to incorporate best practices into every mentoring relationship. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Finance. Marketing. Facilities Management. These may not be the first words that come to mind when you think about nonprofits, but these are all crucial parts of most nonprofit organizations’ abilities to succeed.

Similar to corporations and small businesses, nonprofits strive to operate with method and within budget. It is especially important for nonprofits to run efficient operations and demonstrate measurable outcomes, because they are accountable to funders, board members, and the government.

What to Expect

In any industry, the operations team is the infrastructure of an organization that works behind the scenes to keep things running. This is especially true in the nonprofit sector, where operations staff support an overall organization in a number of functional areas, including accounting and finance, administration, human resources, information technology, marketing, and office management. Across all of these functional areas is one goal: to make sure an organization is operating efficiently and to its full potential.

Most roles in nonprofit business operations require individuals to work with systems. This could mean working to devise an accounting system that helps departments process their invoices more efficiently, or following existing protocols for ordering supplies or on-boarding new employees. While the specific functional area of a role will dictate what type of systems an individual will be involved with, the ability to quickly understand business challenges and address them systematically is an asset to all operations roles. Generally, individuals who are highly organized, analytical, and adaptive do well in nonprofit business operations roles.

Within business operations, roles vary by functional area. For example, in facilities management, a Facilities Coordinator might be responsible to managing sites where programs are delivered, including the layout, design, equipment, and furniture at the site. An understanding of how physical environment affects an organization’s ability to deliver programs is essential to this type of work. Another example is that of Marketing or Communications Associate, a role that generally requires an individual to support an organization’s fundraising and constituency building efforts.

Roles within nonprofit business operations not only vary by functional area, but also by level of experience. In general, job titles with “coordinator” or “associate” are entry-level, and typically entail supporting the back-office administration. “Manager” level positions focus on two areas: 1) developing solutions and systems in a given functional area, and 2) managing the staff that implement these systems. Typically, the most senior operations role is Chief Operations Officer (COO), who oversees all back-office functions for an organization and works closely with the CEO or Executive Director to provide strategic and organizational leadership.

A few examples of opportunities in business operations include:

Human Resources Manager

Director of School Operations

Director of Finance and Administration

Director of Operations

Senior Marketing Manager

Director of Marketing and Communications

Job Outlook

As more and more nonprofits adapt entrepreneurial philosophies of operating efficiently while scaling their programs, career opportunities in business operations are on the rise. Unlike nonprofit roles that typically require at least 3-5 years of experience to get in the door, such as development or program management, there are a number of entry-level opportunities in business operations.

Professional experience in operations is largely transferable across industries. Individuals with experience in nonprofit business operations can generally transition into similar roles in other sectors. Industries that are particularly operations-intensive include manufacturing, transportation, banking, financial services, retail, telecommunications, and health care. However, operations roles exist in almost all companies and organizations. For individuals with nonprofit business operations, their experience and skills are valued greatly by small businesses, start-ups, or other organizations that operate in resource-constrained environments.

For those seeking to transition from other industries into the nonprofit sector, opportunities in business operations often provide a bridge. The skills and experience gained in these roles can be some of the most transferable from the corporate to the nonprofit sector, and often prove to be exceptionally rewarding to sector-switchers looking to apply their operational skills in a socially driven setting.

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

So it’s your senior year and campus is buzzing. Everywhere you turn there’s a career fair.  Recruiters have blown into town and they’re interviewing everyone in their path.  Your roommates are mulling over offers from Fortune 500 companies and even friends in your community service club are comparing sign-on bonuses. You, however, have never pictured yourself working for a paycheck in a huge corporation. You envision a career spent working towards a bottom line measured by social gains. The nonprofit sector is calling you. The pressure is on to get a job.  Graduation is around the corner, student loan bills are on their way, and the last thing you want to do is move back home with your parents. 

If this sounds familiar, then welcome to the crossroads of your real world responsibilities and your “change the world” sensibilities.  Though the challenge seems daunting, you can land an amazing job in the nonprofit sector with the right strategy and techniques.

Step 1: Know What Moves You

A good place to start is to focus on the social cause or mission that excites you. What issues do you feel strongly about?  Whether it’s the environment, immigrant rights, or education reform, it may take some digging to find the roots of your social consciousness, but this effort is essential before diving into your job search.

Next, think about the characteristics of your dream job. Ask yourself about your ideal organizational culture (e.g. collaborative, entrepreneurial, or results-oriented.) Picture your day-to-day responsibilities. Do you want to be out in the community running programs? Or do you prefer to work behind-the-scenes in an office? Through this exercise, you will develop a detailed understanding of yourself and what you want. This will best prepare you to target the right organizations and opportunities.

Step 2: Know What’s Out There

Unlike corporations that may plan well ahead of their hiring needs and have the resources to recruit on campus, nonprofits recruit when staffing needs arise. Breaking into the nonprofit sector, you most likely will not have the luxury of setting up on-campus interviews or landing that dream job without stepping foot off campus. You’ll need to be proactive to find what opportunities are out there.

Begin by putting those research skills to work!  Find the organizations that inspire you. A great launch pad is idealist.org, a web site with information about over 75,000 nonprofits.  Also, Guidestar provides more in-depth organizational information, such as budgets, staff, and funders. Finally, familiarize yourself with the issues impacting the sector; publications like Stanford Social Innovation Review, Nonprofit Times, Philanthropy News Digest, and Fast Company’s Social Capitalist Award offer a window into what’s buzzworthy in the sector.

Based on this research, create a target list of 5-10 organizations that interest you.  Scour their web sites and find the job descriptions for their entry-level positions.  This way, you can determine exactly what they’re looking for in these positions and tailor your application accordingly. 

Step 3: Get to Work!

Now that you’ve done your homework on yourself and the sector, it’s time to figure out how to put this knowledge. There are a number of nonprofit roles for recent graduates. Some examples of titles that may be good matches include:

• Program Associate or Coordinator
• Project Coordinator
• Special Projects Assistant
• Executive Assistant
• Business or Program Analyst

In addition to entry-level positions, there are a number of other ways to gain tremendous experience in the nonprofit sector, including:

• Service Programs – Public service programs offer amazing (and often paid!) opportunities to get your feet wet and gain incredible experience in your field of interest. Some of the nation’s largest service programs include Americorps, Teach For America, CityYear, and AVODAH.
• Fellowships – Similar to service programs, fellowships provide recent graduates with the opportunities to gain experience over a relative short amount of time, typically a year or less. Some popular fellowships are offered by Youth Service Oppportunities Program, American Jewish World Service, CORO, and New Sector Alliance.
• Volunteering – Volunteering is a tried and true way to get your foot in the door, as well as network with nonprofit staff and hiring managers. From your list of 5-10 target organizations, research what volunteer opportunities they offer and sign up. Also, scour the idealist.org, Hands On Network, and Volunteer Match for interesting fundraising event volunteer opportunities.

Though challenging, making the jump from school to the nonprofit sector may be easier than you think.  A strategy based in defining your interests, researching organizations, and pursuing the right opportunities can result in a promising start to a fulfilling career in the nonprofit sector.  You may not be changing the world tomorrow, but you’ll be on your way to making a big impact, one footprint at a time. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Nonprofit career fairs can be an excellent opportunity to learn about job opportunities and meet staff from hiring organizations. However, jobseekers should do some preparation before attending any career fair to ensure that they make a good impression!

By the end of 2008, Commongood Careers will have participated in over one hundred career fairs across the country. To date, we have met thousands of nonprofit jobseekers, some who have impressed us and others who have left us underwhelmed.  Based on this experience, we’ve prepared a set of tips to help jobseekers gain valuable information, make important connections, and create positive impressions with hiring organizations at career fairs.

1. Prepare a scouting report: Before arriving at a career fair, set aside some time to visit the web site of the career organizer. Idealist.org, a nonprofit resource that organizes a national series of career fairs, lists the names and web sites of every organization that attends their fairs. For organizations that interest you, read the mission statements and learn about their programs. Jot down some notes and prepare one or two questions if you’d like to hear more about a given nonprofit.

According to Meg Busse, Director of Nonprofit Career Transitions Program at Idealist.org, there are a number of ways jobseekers can prepare in advance.

“Just as you’d never walk into an interview without researching the organization, don’t show up at a career fair without having reviewed the list of organizations in attendance and selected a few to research more in-depth. Conduct an Internet search to find out who is on staff at any organization that interests you, and check to see if you have any personal connections.”

2. Visit your short list: After you research what organizations will be at the career fair, prioritize your list of favorite organizations and make visiting those organizations your top priority. This will save you time and keep you focused. Being focused at a career fair communicates confidence and direction. Aimlessly meandering around a room reflects confusion and self-doubt.

Do not plan on papering the career fair with your resume. Bring only a couple of resumes for a few select organizations. This will help you bring a focused attitude. If you know you are already planning to apply to an opening posted on one of your targeted employer’s web sites, craft your resume to match the qualifications of the position and bring it along (but don’t forget to also apply as instructed in the job description; you don’t want your application to get lost in all the paper of a career fair!).

3. “To thine own self, be true”: When visiting an employer booth, a representative may ask you about your career interests. Be prepared to give a thoughtful answer. You don’t have to know exactly what your career goals are, but be prepared to articulate your interests. Take stock of your values and motivations, and use this information to craft a personal “elevator pitch” in advance. Because hiring decisions are rarely made on the spot at a nonprofit career, working on a fluid personal pitch at a career fair can prepare you for actual in-person interviews.

4. Be confident … but check your ego at the door: An approach that will surely derail your credibility with an organization at a career fair is to be overconfident about your skills and experiences. Employers want to meet competent jobseekers who are interested in making a contribution and being team players, not those who are egocentric and arrogant. 

To make a great first impression, start off by maintaining a positive, enthusiastic attitude. Smiling, making eye contact and projecting genuine excitement will not only demonstrate your interest, but will also communicate soft skills like friendliness and approachability.

Finally, listen actively and make a connection with the organization’s representative. According to Kasey Gagnon, Recruitment and Events Manager at Commongood Careers, passively listening to an organization’s pitch can translate to disinterest. ”It is very obvious to an organization representative when you have tuned-out and only want to talk about yourself and your experiences. Listen actively by asking a few brief questions that are relevant to the information that the representative is telling you. Having nothing constructive to add to the conversation can make the interaction go south very quickly. We want to know that you have understood what we have told you. If you are able to connect the information back to why you may be interested in our work, we will be impressed.”

5. Mingle with your peers: Representatives from organizations are not the only people at career fairs who are valuable sources of information. Because career fairs attract attendees with a diversity of backgrounds and experiences, chances are there are peers in the room who could be helpful in your search. Strike up conversations with fellow jobseekers and practice your elevator pitch some more. Be friendly and welcome other jobseekers into your conversation with the organization’s representative. However, if the table is crowded, be respectful and don’t jump into conversations already going on.

6.  Manage the clock: Organizations have a lot of people to meet during the course of a career fair. Being aware of this simple fact can help a jobseeker not overstay his/her welcome at an organization’s table.

“Just as attendees are anxious to get information and then move on to the next organization on their short list, staff members who are manning tables have a lot to manage. It’s not the time to go into your life story. Get the information, ask a brief but relevant question and then move on,” says Jocelyn Sherman, Commongood Careers’ Director of Recruitment and Partnerships.

Therefore, limit your time spent at a table to only a few minutes. Quality of time spent at a table trumps quantity of time. A short, smart, positive conversation will be most memorable.

7. Take advantage of career fair programming: Along with providing organizations a venue to recruit talent, many career fairs have informational programs for jobseekers scheduled into the day’s events. These programs may include panel discussions or tutorials on topics like effective resume writing. In addition to gaining information that will help in your job search, these programs provide opportunities to network in a smaller, more focused setting.

8. Remember names and follow up: When meeting an organization that interests you, do your best to remember the name of the representatives you meet. When appropriate, ask the representative for a business card. Then, write a note on the back of the card to help you remember them. Thank them by name on the spot, and follow up with an email with 24 hours. If you have any remaining questions, an email is a great avenue through which to ask them. Initiating this contact with an organization will help solidify you as a thoughtful and strong candidate in their memory. 

Smajl Cengic, Director of Career and Alumni Services at Year Up, agrees that follow-up is key.  “The most important phrase for a jobseeker who approaches our table at a career fair is relationship building.  If our recruiters walk away from the fair remembering something about a candidate, that person is much more likely to continue a relationship with Year Up.  The strongest candidates we meet engage us in real conversations and then follow up with an email referencing the conversation after the fair.”

Conclusion

There is much more to career fairs than just showing up. Effectively working the room at a career fair requires knowing details about the organizations in attendance, as well as being able to talk about yourself and your interests with humility, confidence, and enthusiasm. Being mindful of these tips will help you stand out among all the other attendees. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Nonprofit employees are known for their dedication to their jobs, devotion to their organization’s missions and passions for their careers.  In the study The Voices of Nonprofit Talent Survey in 2008, Commongood Careers found that 84 percent of nonprofit jobseekers saw work as part of their identities, not just a way to make a living.  While this level of commitment is a driving factor when it comes to working for social change, it also can be a factor in the ability for nonprofit professionals to find a healthy balance between their work life and personal life. 

As the demand for leaders in nonprofits is rapidly increasing, concerns about work-life balance are becoming more important to younger professionals.  In the study Ready to Lead? Next Generation Leaders Speak Out, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and its partners reported that two of the top five reasons potential nonprofit leaders surveyed were wary of rising to executive positions were related to the belief that they would have to sacrifice work-life balance to be a director.  Additionally, the study’s focus group participants frequently said that being an executive director means making compromises in personal life they are not willing to make. 

Simple Steps to Balance the Work-Life Scale

With today’s expectations and norms for work, especially in the social sector, many with nonprofit careers recognize that these things may be more easily said than done.  To address this challenge, here are some simple ideas that can help those looking to balance the work-life scales:

Keep a log of a week’s worth of time.  Writing down every activity in which you participate in one week can help pinpoint opportunities to maximize your time, as well as weed out extraneous or the needlessly time-consuming activities. 

Learn to say no.  The important thing about saying “no” is being honest with yourself about the activities to which you say “yes.” Remember that saying no can help you do more and better of what you already have on your plate; saying yes to too much not only impacts current projects, but can add a level of stress not worth taking on. In addition, turning down requests to do everything can help you better understand the capabilities of your colleagues, and what they are able to take on themselves.  If you are concerned that saying no is too much of a hassle or is going to produce a conflict you want to avoid, complimenting the person or group’s effort while saying that you’re unable to commit at this time helps to soften the blow and can keep you in good standing with your co-workers.

Communicate clearly.  Mistakes happen, but mistakes that arise from rushed communication are especially frustrating because they can be easily avoided.  Taking the time to communicate as clearly and succinctly as possible can help you avoid the time-consuming mistakes that sometimes come from miscommunications.  Clear communication can mean you are more efficient at work and give you more time for yourself. 

Take advantage of what your organization has to offer.  The best methods of striking a comfortable work-life balance are often readily available at the workplace.  Find out if your organization offers flex time or allows you to work from home.  Or explore the option of a “4 x 10,” essentially compressing your work-week to a four-day week by working ten hours a day.  And yes, use your vacation time and know how much paid and unpaid leave you have available to you. 

Additionally, the message of the importance of work-life balance needs to come from the top. One of the best things current nonprofit managers and leaders can do to attract these new leaders is set an example of positive work-life balance.  Avoiding sending e-mails at all hours, staying in the office far into the night, and keeping weekends relatively work-free are simple ways to communicate that working to help others does not mean unacceptable personal sacrifice. 

Work-life Balance as an Organizational Value: DonorsChoose.org’s Story

DonorsChoose.org is known for helping teachers fund educational projects by providing an online platform that gives donors the flexibility to choose projects to support.  What may be news is that it also applies that flexibility to the organization’s approach to work-life balance.  The organization’s culture puts an emphasis on a healthy work-life balance by encouraging employees to use their alloted vacation time, maximize their individual work time, and work on a schedule that fits with each individual’s home and work life. 

“We still work hard enough that sometimes our work load is pretty immense, but in our employee survey, flexibility of work hours was one area that scored highly.  Our employees told us how much they appreciate the flexibility of their work time,” said Charles Best, Executive Director of DonorsChoose.org

Since there are a number of parents on staff, the organization is flexible about when employees can arrive and leave.  “One of our workers makes time to take his kids to school every day and so comes in more around 9:30 or 10:00, while some of the moms on our team make an effort to walk out of the office doors at 5:00 or 5:30 to be with their kids when they’re awake,” Best said.  By being flexible to these kinds of approaches, working at DonorsChoose.org encourages healthy family life in addition to a dedicated work life.

In addition to offering flexible hours, DonorsChoose.org offers five weeks of paid vacation at every level of employment. “We encourage people to take their vacation time, and unlike some law or consulting firms that state a policy but don’t stick to it, there is an organizational expectation and allowance for our team to take that time,” Best said. 

Additionally, the organization encourages employees to evaluate their work if they feel that they have too much on their plate. “There is a standing offer between managers and their direct reports that if someone is feeling overwhelmed their manager will run a prioritization exercise to maybe eliminate some items from the bottom of the priority list or prune down a task list to what has to get done,” Best said.  The organization is committed to helping its team work at its best and one of those ways is through promoting a healthy work-life balance. 

Balancing as Best You Can

Even if your organization does not offer all of these benefits, it pays to take a look at what they do offer and see how you can best take advantage of it.  Additionally, stay aware of the other things you can do to make your work life and home life as balanced as possible.  Taking stock of the important things you do during the day and remembering to take on only the tasks you know you have time for can increase your performance and productivity at work and make your home life happier too.  Dedicated people with nonprofit careers may have put their home lives aside in the past, but as new leaders look for positive examples to encourage them to direct nonprofits, paying attention to the balance of your work and life may be one of the most important things you can do for the health of both your career and the social sector.  Finding the right work-life balance can help you do a better job, create more impact while also giving the social sector a boost in attracting the best talent that will continue to make a difference. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

By the end of any job search, receiving the perfect employment offer can be a welcome and rewarding experience.  However, sometimes you will receive a job offer that is not the right fit for you. This article will suggest some ways to turn down a job offer with grace and professionalism.

Before the Offer

Being prepared to respond to a job offer requires a clear idea of what constitutes the right match in a job opportunity. You need to know what your ideal job looks like before you get to the offer stage.

“Doing a thorough self-awareness inventory up front can help you avoid having to turn down a less than perfect offer later in the process,” said Katie Pakenham, Service Manager and Director of Candidate Experience at Commongood Careers. 

It is important to make sure you are asking the right questions throughout the process, particularly about those aspects of a position that could be deal-breakers. “Candidates should think about the hours, amount of travel, and benefits they want before pursuing a position,” said Allyson Biegeleisen, Director of Client Services at Commongood Careers.  “They need to make sure that they absolutely understand what the organization would expect in these areas if they were hired into that position.”

At any stage in the process, if you realize that you would never take the position if it were offered to you, no matter what the offer looked like, respectfully withdraw from the process before an offer is made. Organizations will invest a great deal of time in assessing your candidacy, interviewing you, and checking references; if you knew well before the offer that you would not accept the position, they will feel frustrated and perceive that time as wasted. 

Declining a Job Offer Gracefully

Remember that turning down a job offer is about maintaining, not closing, a relationship. Declining an offer gracefully can make a world of difference to your reputation and can improve your network. On the other hand, turning down a job offer in a disrespectful or unprofessional manner can do serious harm to both. 

“Performing well in a hiring process anywhere, regardless of whether an offer is given or not, can be a great asset during a job search,” Biegeleisen says.  She has even seen situations where a hiring manager has shared with his or her network a great candidate who declined a job offer. 

When you need to turn down a job offer, make sure you do it promptly; this usually means no later than a week after the offer was extended.  Remember, the organization is hoping and expecting that you will say yes.  If you say no, they will be set back considerably in their search. The sooner they know that they will need to re-invigorate the search, the better for the organization. 

“People sometimes avoid contact when they decide they don’t want the job because they want to avoid conflict,“ said Biegeleisen, “but avoiding saying anything is much more inconveniencing and much less respectful to the organization than communicating your decision.”

Placing a prompt phone call to the person who offered you the position is the best strategy for declining an offer. In addition to being prompt, it is important to communicate your decision in a clear and honest way. You should be prepared to offer an explanation for your decision, but there is no need for lengthy excuses. “You should find a genuine way to tell the organization what you like about the position and the organization. You should make sure the organization knows that its time was well spent and that you were invested in the process until the end,” Pakenham said. 

While a phone conversation with the person who made the offer is the ideal way to communicate your decision, sometimes it is impossible. In this situation, a voicemail or email can be appropriate, but it’s still best to try to follow-up in a phone conversation at a later date. 

After declining an offer, make sure to follow-up with everyone you met with or talked to from the organization. This will be an important part of communicating your appreciation for the time the organization took to pursue your candidacy and can help you to build your personal network. Remember, you never know when one of these people, or one of their colleagues, will be hiring again.  Commongood Careers has seen candidates who declined one job offer be hired by that same organization for a different position at some point in the future.  Just because this offer isn’t the right fit, it doesn’t mean you should close the door.

If you are declining of offer because of salary issues, there are a few things you can do to show that you are still interested in supporting the organization.  For example, you can open your networks to the organization, perhaps suggesting someone you know who might be a good fit for this or other positions. Offering to volunteer some time to the organization also shows your dedication to a common mission and can make the interview process a successful networking experience, despite having to decline the offer. 

Using the “No” as a Learning Experience

Turning down a job offer is never an easy thing to do.  However, knowing exactly what you want in advance and communicating honestly with the hiring organization throughout the job search process can help you avoid ever having to decline an offer. Of course, if turning down the offer is the only option, you should take the time to understand why you had to turn it down and how, in the future, you could be more prepared to recognize that the job was not the right fit prior to receiving an offer.  While difficult, when done with grace and respect, declining a job offer can help you expand your personal network as well as gain valuable skills in communication and insight into your ideal role.

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

If you love to build relationships, share your enthusiasm for a cause, and impact the resources available to a nonprofit, a position in nonprofit fundraising may be right for you.  Also known as development, this is the function responsible for all aspects of raising money, including pursuing and obtaining funds from foundations, corporations, individuals, and government sources through activities such as grant-writing, annual appeals, events and strategic campaigns. 

Because fundraising is essential to the success of an organization’s mission, there are many development jobs available and they are often among the highest-paid positions at a given organization.  In fact, demand for talented development professionals far outpaces the supply, so fundraising and development can be an exciting place to start a nonprofit career with a fast-track to the top. 

A World of Possibilities

Fundraising is one area where a variety of different competencies can be applied in different ways.  For example, strong writing skills are important for writing successful grants and communicating effectively with donors.  Excellent interpersonal skills are necessary for positions focusing on identifying and nurturing donor relationships.  While some development positions are primarily research-based, others focus on the logistics of planning special events for an organization.  There are also positions that are more general and require the development professional to integrate all of these skills. 

At the entry level, positions such as Development Associate, Junior Grant Writer, or Event Coordinator provide great hands-on experience.  These jobs tend to include the basics of development, typically involving planning, writing, editing, and reporting on the progress of grant proposals.  Additionally, development at this level can include tasks like researching and identifying new foundation and government sources of funding compatible with the organization’s programs, maintaining relationships with existing corporate and foundation partners, and helping to develop effective relationships with new supporters. 

From there, the doors open to higher level positions like Development Manager, Major Gifts Officer, and Grants Manager.  This level of position incorporates skills like writing grant proposals and researching foundation sources with more high level tasks like preparing budgets for grant proposals and assisting in developing and cultivating relationships with current donors.  In addition, people in these positions frequently contribute to communication with key foundation donors and track progress of grant projects and other development activities, while providing assistance to the senior development and other leadership staff.

At the top of the career ladder are positions like Director of Development, Vice President of Development, and Chief Development Officer (CDO).  These positions typically require 5 to 10 years of experience in development and demonstrated success raising a significant amount of money to support nonprofits.  People in these high level positions generally work closely with the Chief Executive Officer or Executive Director to develop strategic fundraising plans and provide both the organization’s senior leadership and Board with regular reports on progress toward annual and quarterly revenue goals.  Frequently, these positions include researching potential funding sources, managing strategic partnerships, overseeing the preparation of grant proposals and donor communications, and managing other development staff. 

A Closer Look at Three Fundraising Roles

Grant Writing

If written communication is your strength, grant writing may be the route for you.  Grant writers are organized, attentive to detail, and use concise, persuasive writing to request funding for an organization’s programs.  Most nonprofits rely upon some form of grants to fund either their programs or other operating costs, so the success of a grant writer directly affects the opportunities available to an entire organization. 

The most important part of the grant writing position is understanding the requirements of a grant and being able to succinctly and convincingly reflect how an organization meets those requirements. Strong grant writers use their writing skills to demonstrate the logic behind and outcome of the project, show the impact funds will have, and showcase community support for the project. In addition to being able to write persuasively, grant writers also use skills of research and planning. 

Special Events Manager

Many organizations rely on a series of special events throughout the year to not only raise money for their programs, but also to increase the organization’s visibility and provide opportunities for current and potential donors to interact with the organization.  Events could range from large-scale formal galas with seated dinners and auctions, to golf tournaments, to more intimate breakfast panels, to structured site visits to see the organization’s programs in action.  Most nonprofits have a variety of events that occur at different times each year and serve slightly different purposes or are aimed at different audiences. 

As organizations increase their calendar of events, they often look to bring in a Special Events Coordinator or Manager who is skilled at designing and executing a variety of events.  With exceptional attention to detail, strong vendor management skills, and a flair for entertaining, a good Special Events Manager can be the difference between a great event and a mediocre one, and therefore between an event that raises significant money for an organization and one that doesn’t.  For professionals transitioning from the for-profit sector, a role in special events can be an excellent entry point into nonprofit work, and similarly, developing special events management skills in the nonprofit sector can This role is one that is particularly

Special events management skills are highly transferable between sectors, so these are great roles both for professionals transitioning from the for-profit sector as well as for nonprofit professionals who are considering moving to the for-profit arena.

Major Gifts Officer

Major gifts from individual donors represent a great opportunity for an organization to develop a long-term, connected relationship to a donor that is both highly tailored to that individual’s philanthropic interests and related to the real and immediate needs of the nonprofit.  In addition, contributions from individual donors are generally not tied to very specific requirements or grant cycles, so donations can be more flexible.

Major gifts positions are highly coveted positions within nonprofits and professionals with exceptional interpersonal skills and a strategic orientation tend to be successful in these roles.  Cultivation of individual donors is part art and part science, and many nonprofit professionals really enjoy the relationship management process.  In addition, success in a major gifts position can be a building block to a more senior development position.

A Positive Career Trajectory

A career in nonprofit fundraising offers a variety of opportunities to make a real impact on an organization, as well as the community it serves.  Additionally, the high demand for people with strong skills in development provides job security, quick promotion, and above-average compensation to those who choose to work in this dynamic field.  There are a variety of different roles within the fundraising function, so don’t rule it out just because you think you don’t like asking for money!

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

There are numerous benefits to building a long-term nonprofit career, such as connecting to organizational missions and working in sector that reflects your personal values.  However, there are challenges to sustaining a nonprofit career. Understanding these challenges and taking advantage of opportunities to advance your career are key to a long and successful nonprofit career. 

Understanding the Challenges

Comprehensive research has been done to explore the challenges that nonprofit professionals face in pursuit of strong, rewarding, and stimulating careers.  These studies show that many people who work in the nonprofit sector are not only committed to improving their world, but they are also committed to improving their careers.

CompassPoint’s 2006 Daring to Lead survey found that 90% of executives had participated in professional development of some kind and almost one in five enrolled in a nonprofit management degree or certificate program. In addition, 25% of respondents said they had used an executive coach at least once. 

This dedication to professional development and growth isn’t always matched by appropriate opportunities.  Respondents to Commongood Careers’ survey The Voice of Nonprofit Talent in 2008, for example, said that a “lack of career ladders” was one of their biggest concerns about sustaining a nonprofit career. 

Frequently, nonprofit leaders find that once they have reached a certain level in an organization, there is no further room for growth or promotion so they have to search for a different position position elsewhere in the sector. 

“In the private sector, highly competitive companies often tell employees to ‘move up or move out,’” The Voice of Nonprofit Talent notes, “but in the social sector, individuals are more often finding they must ‘move out to move up.’”

Similarly, the Daring to Lead survey found that almost half (43%) of the executives today reported that they had decided to spend some time in the for-profit sector to reach career development goals or to gain more expertise in management. 

Not only that, but many executives decide that “once is enough” to lead an organization.  Respondents to the Daring to Lead survey cited stress, personnel problems, and the constant need to juggle finances as major deterrents to taking on another leadership role.  With so much to manage, it is hardly surprising that the study also found that the majority of leaders had not identified a successor within their organization. 

Creating Ladders to Leadership

Some organizations are taking steps to address these challenges. As a result of the sector-wide recognition of the impending talent crunch, several new initiatives have been put into action.

The Center for Creative Leadership and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, for example, collaborated to create The Ladders to Leadership Program. This program, launched in May 2008, aims to build the leadership capacity of community-based nonprofit health and health-related organizations serving vulnerable populations, where people are often economically disadvantaged and have limited educational opportunities and inadequate access to health services.

“Nonprofit organizations are a critical part of health care and service delivery in this country. It is important that we work with current leaders to build a pipeline of qualified future CEOs and Executive Directors, so we do not lose the vision and capacity needed to continue to do this work effectively in the future,” said Sallie Petrucci George, Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Offering 270 early- to mid-career professionals access to a 16-month leadership development curriculum, the Ladder to Leadership focuses on helping social sector professionals develop critical leadership skills in order to ensure that the needs of the populations they serve are met in the most effective and efficient manner.

“Fellows will be taught a range of skills from how to build and manage a team to problem-solving and networking,” said Karen Dyer, Director of CCL’s Education and Nonprofit Sector. “We believe this program will have a powerful and lasting impact on individual leaders and their organizations.”

Similar leadership development programs include The United Way of New York City’s Nonprofit Leadership Development Institute, which offers training to entry-level, junior and senior nonprofit leaders in New York City.  Likewise, New Sector Alliance, in addition to offering organizational development services, provides one-on-one career coaching, customized training sessions, and workshops in career development topics like nonprofit management and socially responsible careers.

The Value of Mentor Relationships

Other organizations are working to address different aspects of the leadership challenges facing the field.  For example, the Center for Nonprofit Success found that many current CEOs and Executive Directors had questions about leading their organizations and developing their careers but did not know where to look for support. 

“We developed the mentor program so that nonprofit professionals have help when they need it. Having a mentor can help you grow in your organization, determine strategy, or problem solve. Mentors have experience running their own nonprofits and provide support and answers as well as advice,” said David Johnson, Communications Manager at the Center for Nonprofit Success. 

The program connects current leaders of nonprofits who volunteer to mentor other, often younger or less experienced leaders.  The organization couples the mentor and mentored based on a short questionnaire filled out upon application for the program and then lets the mentoring pair work on their own from there.

The idea of the program is to inspire dialog and mentorship within the sector.  Part of the goal of this program, Johnson said, is to start a trend of mentoring that will support the career development of nonprofit leaders.

A Robust Future for Nonprofit Careers

While there are a number of challenges to building a long-term nonprofit career, the sector is responding.  Thanks to an abundance of research on what it will take to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders and some innovative programs already addressing these challenges, nonprofit professionals have more options for professional development to build and sustain long-term nonprofit careers than ever before.

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

In the social sector, organizational culture can make or break an employee’s ability to succeed at and be satisfied in a role. However, organizational culture is often difficult to assess because its definition relies on many aspects of an organization, some of which are not always easily accessible to prospective employees. This article aims to demystify organizational culture, and suggest some ways that jobseekers can evaluate cultural fit throughout the application and interview process. 

What Factors Define Organizational Culture?

Organization culture is characterized by the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an entire organization. In the nonprofit world, an organization’s culture is closely tied to its mission and programs.  The attributes of an organization’s culture can be tangible, such as dress code or physical work environments, or intangible, such as shared values and definitions of success.  Some factors that define organizational culture are: 

• Mission connect – This involves the level of importance of staff commitment to the organization’s mission.  Additionally, it includes how individual staff members contribute to the advancement of the mission.
• Leadership/management styles – The way that staff is managed and the emphasis on leadership in that organization. This also includes the ways decisions are made and problems are solved, whether collaboratively, individually, or with some combination.
• Reporting structure – The way the organization is arranged in terms of hierarchy.  This could mean a tiered or flat system of reporting.
• Language and communication - The internal language or terms used and understood by staff.  Also, specific terms or key messages the organization uses in external communication, as well as general communication style. 
• Physical work environment – The space that the organization occupies, such as offices, cubicles, or open workspaces, and common areas like reception, a kitchen, or a lunch room.
• Staff diversity – The level of importance of diversity of backgrounds, experiences, or beliefs the organization values. Also, the level of importance that staff share racial, ethnic, or economic backgrounds with the communities the organization serves.
• Interpersonal dynamics – The way staff interact.  Whether the environment is highly structured, intense, impersonal, or collegial, for example. 
• Titles – The importance of staff titles and how titles affect how staff perceive their own role and the roles of others. 
• Traditions and celebrations – This includes how the organization acknowledges personal successes and other milestones.  This can be a range of social rituals institutionalized across the organization.
• Work pace – Whether work is done at a fast, moderate, or leisurely speed.  This also relates to the work/life balance for staff.

Each of these factors plays an important role in shaping the culture of an organization.  Not one of them alone can define an organization’s culture, but instead it is a combination of these factors that make its culture unique.

Prioritizing Your Cultural Preferences

It is a good idea for jobseekers to prioritize aspects of the ideal organizational culture from the outset of their job search.  This will make assessing your compatibility with a specific organization easier.  Not all organizations will have all of the most-desired factors, but many can have a combination of high and mid-priority cultural factors that make it a cultural fit. 

One of the most important steps in assessing cultural fit is to consider what your ideal culture is, suggests Katie Pakenham, Service Manager and Director of Candidate Experience at Commongood Careers.  “When you’re thinking about your dream position, figure out what attracts to you a particular work environment, “ she said, “And really be honest about what your answer is when you’re interviewing.  This way, both the organization’s and the individual’s expectations are clear.”

A good way to start prioritizing what’s important to you in terms of organizational culture is to make a list of the factors of an ideal job.  Using the list above, write down the best possible situation for each factor. Take into account organizational values, your ideal work-life balance, how you like to interact with your co-workers, and other aspects of an organization.  Consider what you know has and has not worked for you in the past and list the ideal characteristics from there. 

A willingness to take the time to explore cultural factors, as well as an emphasis on flexibility when prioritizing these factors, can help jobseekers target what they want most from a work experience. For example, while an organization-wide emphasis on volunteering, available telecommuting options, and opportunities for advancement may be somewhat important to a specific nonprofit jobseeker, collaboration with co-workers may be the primary cultural factor that determines the jobseeker’s continued interest in an organization.  Knowing this from the start can significantly help the jobseeking process in the long run. 

Early Keys to Determining an Organization’s Culture

As is evident from the list of factors above, some aspects of organizational culture are difficult to assess without a good deal of exposure to the organization.  However, there are some methods that can help jobseekers evaluating an organization’s culture before they even set foot in the door.

One of the best and simplest ways to determine an organization’s culture is to “look at the work required, the size and scope of the organization that requires it, and the responsibilities included in the job you’re applying for,” said Pakenham.  Understanding all of the facets of a specific job can help jobseekers get an idea of the cultural expectations and definitions of successful work. 

Another simple place to start researching an organization’s culture is its web site.  Consider how it is built and organized, how recently it was last updated, and what programs or projects it is promoting.  The web site is also useful in providing informational materials.  Look for the organization’s mission statement.  Think about not only what the statement says, but the words and tone it uses in saying it. 

In addition, see if the web site has any employee biographies.  These can help determine the attitude the organization has toward its employees.  Note not only the past experiences and accomplishments of those working at the organization, but assess the formality (or informality) of any photos that accompany the biographies.  The web site may also have a copy of the organization’s annual report which provides valuable facts and statistics about the organization. 

Offline, try to find examples of how cultural aspects are demonstrated in an organization’s materials, such as grants and marketing collateral. If possible, speak with someone with experience with the organization, whether as an employee or in some other capacity.  Ask their opinions about their experiences, always keeping in mind that while one person’s experience is not universal, it can be a valuable piece of information. 

Evaluating Culture at the Interview

While the interview is a chance for an organization to find out about the jobseeker, it also provides the jobseeker with an opportunity to learn about the organization.  This can be the best time to assess organizational culture, especially armed with a set of ideal cultural assets and prior research about the organization. 

One of the easiest things to gauge at an interview is the office space.  On entering the organization’s space, look at the way it is set up, whether the space is open or doors are closed, the décor of the work space and other aesthetic choices.  Interviewees should also keep in mind the way the staff interacts with them and each other.

During the interview, there are some strategic questions jobseekers can ask to help them assess the culture of the organization.  For example, asking about how decisions are made in the organization can give some valuable insight into the structure and management values of that organization. 

The final word, though, has to be the jobseeker’s overall opinion of the culture encountered.  Just as the definition of organizational culture is broad and wide-spanning, so too must be the jobseeker’s assessment of that culture.  An astute and thorough analysis of an organization’s culture can help any jobseeker determine which organization is the right one for a happy and productive employment. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Program management offers focused and dedicated people the chance to plan and implement an organization’s constituent-facing activities in a variety of ways.  With titles ranging from literacy program coordinator to director of enrollment and beyond, no matter the issue that you are most passionate about, program management positions provide the opportunity to meaningfully and directly impact a community.

What to Expect

Just as nonprofits reach out to serve millions of people in millions of different ways, the program management position spans a broad range of responsibilities and opportunities. Nonprofit program managers work closely to carry out an organization’s mission, coordinating objectives, strategies, and goals to manage efficient, well-run projects that have high impact on the communities the programs target.

Hal Phillips, for example, is the Director of Out of School Time Programs at Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses and works to reach the organization’s goals of providing services that enhance the educational environment for young people and expand their educational experience.
In a typical day, Phillips said he oversees two sites Federated Dorchester runs, making sure that his organization is able to provide safe, quality programs to students.  He makes sure that there are meaningful connections between Federated Dorchester, the students’ homes, and the students’ schools. 

“It helps that the job is challenging,” Phillips said, noting that enthusiasm for and devotion to the mission are two of the most important parts of his job.  “Every day I get up and say ‘How can I make someone smile today and really show them that they mean something to me?’ …It’s very rewarding work,” he said. 

Skills and Qualifications

Because of the mission-specific nature of the position, responsibilities vary from organization to organization.  However, there are some basic skills that nonprofit program managers need to cultivate to be effective and get results.  Strong organizational and time-management skills are a must-have for any aspiring program manager.  With many projects to sustain and many contacts to maintain, being an organized and self-directed person is a necessity.

Keeping in touch with people who have various relationships to the organization is also a large part of the program management position.  Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to be an effective communicator are important.  Related to this is the need for well-developed leadership ability.  All nonprofits need to make sure that the people working within the organization are connected so that they can reach out to the community effectively.  As a program manager, individuals are generally required to have relationships with staff and communicate with internal heads of projects and other office leaders, often collaborating on projects and evaluating programs.

Another, exceptionally important qualification is a demonstrated dedication to the hiring organization’s mission, often shown through other work, nonprofit, or volunteer experience.  Additionally, experience with managing a budget or some knowledge of finances is often desired in the ideal candidate for the program management position. 

In order to better serve a community and make the biggest impact, a nonprofit program manager also ensures that the organization’s activities taking place in the community are supporting that organization’s mission to their best extent.  At Federated Dorchester, for example, Phillips works to “provide necessary services in quantity and quality that make a difference” to the community his organization serves. 

Job Outlook

Leadership and strong management skills are continuously increasing in importance to nonprofits.  As more nonprofits embrace the importance of well-run and efficient organizations, the focus on promoting leadership and management—and compensating it accordingly—has increased in prevalence.  Especially for people with dedication to a certain mission and experience in the field of management, the program management position is a rewarding and readily available option. 

Typically, the program management position requires at least two years of work experience, and generally three to five years of experience is preferred in areas of management or nonprofit administration.  Phillips, for example, said his extensive experience with urban education and with youth prepared him for his position at Federated Dorchester.  “My experience really obligated me to use my skills and services to enhance the lives of those around me,” he said.

Program management offers the opportunity for advancement in the nonprofit world, giving individuals the chance to work closely with a mission they feel passionately about while interacting extensively within an organization and directly with the community they serve.  Self-starters with an enterprising mindset and a drive to make a difference while managing a diverse range of organization-specific tasks will excel in a nonprofit program management position. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Finding a way to break into the nonprofit sector can seem a daunting task for anyone, especially for someone looking to start a career.  You may know that you want to make a difference in a certain area, that you have the right kind of training to take on a specific need in a community, or that you have some innovative ideas to bring to the sector, but may not know where to turn to get the experience many higher level jobs require.  In this article, we give you an inside look at some great organizations hiring at the entry-level to help you kick off your nonprofit career. 

Teach for America

Since its founding in 1990, Teach For America has offered young professionals the opportunity to work in closing the education gap in the United States.  It has reached over 3 million students since its establishment by recruiting young leaders from across America to invest two years in teaching in urban and rural public schools.

Teach For America encourages its teachers or corps members to directly face the complexities that come with instruction in underserved public schools, giving the students access to a quality of education that might have otherwise denied to them.  The organization also encourages its alumni to work to improve the public school system beyond the two year teaching commitment in order to foster long-lasting change in education. 

Right now, Teach For America is growing at a rapid pace and growing with it are staff opportunities, according to Alice Lunsford, Director of External Talent Recruitment at Teach for America.  This means that there are entry level positions both at the national and regional level that immediately give young professionals a chance to see how Teach For America works and make a direct impact in the organization.  Positions as assistants to high level directors and coordinators at the national level are often available.  Additionally Teach For America offers positions in many of its 26 regional offices with opportunities in operations and development at the entry-level.

“[Teach For America] is filled with people who are passionate about their work and working in a smart manner toward measurable goals,” Lunsford said. ”It’s the culture that I think makes it a great place to work, especially coming out of college.”

The organization also encourages employees to map out their own career trajectories and consider their goals for their careers in the future, giving employees a chance to think about where their experience at Teach For America will lead. 

For a full list of Teach for America’s open positions visit:
http://www.teachforamerica.org/careers/index.htm

Jumpstart

Jumpstart is an organization that welcomes entry-level jobseekers dedicated to helping young children develop strong literacy, language, and social skills.  The organization, established in 1993 at Yale University, uses an entrepreneurial, results-oriented approach to foster one-to-one connections between caring adults, known as Corps members, and preschool children.

Jumpstart Corps members are paired with preschool children from low-income backgrounds in the classroom setting and work together on language, literacy, social, and initiative skills for one year. Through this relationship, Jumpstart inspires children to learn, adults to teach, families to get involved and communities to progress together. Jumpstart is working toward the day every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.

Like many other growth oriented nonprofits today, Jumpstart is adding entry-level positions to build support and capacity.  Kerry Connor, Recruitment Manager at Jumpstart, describes the organization as having a “fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment” that strongly encourages professional development.

As part of a commitment to developing careers from within, Jumpstart provides opportunities for those at the entry-level to investigate their areas of interest and expertise.  “Someone might think that they belong in a certain position because of their degree,” said Connor, “but we like to be open minded about it and give people the opportunity to explore different aspects of the organization.”

Connor also noted that Jumpstart values constantly challenging their employees and making sure everyone continues to grow in their position.  “Flexible, adaptable, coachable is really what we look for in our entry-level candidates,” she said. 

With a focus on learning, gaining experience, flexibility and opportunities to advance, Jumpstart is a great place to kick start a career that can really take you places. 

For a full list of Jumpstart’s open positions visit:
http://www.jstart.org/index.php?submenu=employment_opportunities&src=jobs

Calvert Foundation

Calvert Foundation is a nonprofit community investment organization that lends money to nonprofit organizations and social enterprises working to alleviate poverty around the globe.  Using investment strategies to support the development of community housing and facilities, small businesses, and social innovations, Calvert Foundation makes an impact on the lives of people worldwide. 

Since its founding more than 10 years ago, the foundation has used investment capital, instead of conventional philanthropy, to enable nonprofit organizations and social enterprises to make recognizable changes in the communities they serve.  In 2007 alone, Calvert Foundation loaned organizations the funds to rebuild or rehabilitate more than 2,000 houses and has helped create over 1,000 new small businesses. 

Calvert Foundation has many associate positions for young professionals right out of college with the right qualifications, according to Carrie McGarry, Calvert Foundation’s Marketing Manager. 

One entry-level opportunity is Community Sales Associate, a position focused on helping to promote the programs of the foundation by being the first point of contact with the foundation’s investors, donors and partners.  This position provides the opportunity to see the inside of community investing and use that knowledge to move forward in one’s career. 

Another position available for recent graduates or people with little work experience is the Community Investment Partner Associate.  This position offers the chance to be a liaison between Calvert Foundation and its current and prospective partners, ultimately making a difference in developing communities in need. 

On the cutting edge of community investment, Calvert Foundation is a great place to start a career in the nonprofit sector for someone innovative and looking to the newest trends in making an impact on the world. 

For a full list of Calvert Foundation’s open positions visit:
http://www.calvertfoundation.org/about/careers.html

Go Out and Get It

Nonprofit organizations all over the world are growing and are looking for the right people to step in with the best and newest ways to create big change in communities everywhere.  Getting an entry-level position in the nonprofit sector not only gives you the opportunity to do something good for the world, it also gives you a chance to gather new skills, experience new things, and work in a fast-paced, innovative environment. 

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

A socially entrepreneurial organization (SEO) takes the goal of creating social impact to a new level by using innovative methods to organize, manage and measure a venture.  If you’re looking to make high impact in the social change arena and have a new, enterprising plan on how to do it, starting your own SEO could be a great choice for success.  In this article, we give you some tips on how to start a SEO that can survive, thrive, and even change the world. 

The Emerging Field

The idea of social entrepreneurship is not new.  The legacy of social entrepreneurs even reaches back to include historical figures like Florence Nightengale and Theodore Roosevelt. However, the term “social entrepreneur” became much more widespread in the 1980s, and today the movement is picking up more speed than ever. 

“[Today’s social entrepreneurs] have such an opportunity. There are no hard and fast rules.  It’s a whole new kind of hybrid world that brings together the best of both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors,” said Jerr Boschee, Executive Director of The Institute for Social Entrepreneurs and Visiting Professor of the Practice in Social Enterprise at Carnegie Mellon University.

The growth of this movement stems from the realization that “successful social entrepreneurs possess the same competencies as traditional business entrepreneurs, such as the abilities to plan strategically, manage people and programs, and measure results,” said Chaula Kothari, Director of Teach For America’s Social Entrepreneurship Initiative. These skills applied to SEOs create stronger, more sustainable organizations that assess their impact in tangible ways, and with excellent results.

Social Enterprise vs. Social Innovation

In the emerging world of SEOs, there are near limitless options for exploration, but two basic directions from which to approach them.  These are social enterprise and social innovation.  The differences are mostly in emphasis and final execution, although both rely on best practices, measurable results, and a socially-connected bottom line to drive their organizations. 

Starting a social enterprise “is not all that different from starting a business,” said Boschee.  A social enterprise is generally a venture whose ultimate purpose is social good and that advances and supports its social mission through a revenue generating mechanism guided by entrepreneurial principles.  It does not rely on fundraising or other more traditional nonprofit areas of revenue. 

Social enterprises take many forms and are becoming more and more prevalent.  Hot Bread Kitchen, for example, is a bakery that promotes independence and growth for immigrant women by creating professional opportunities for immigrant women as bakers.  The bakery sells various breads and rolls and then uses the profits to pay a competitive wage to its workers, as well as encourage its employees to start their own businesses.

Social innovators, on the other hand, start new organizations with the idea of systemic change that they use to create a sustainable organization. This can lead to organizations with better practices, more efficient management, and higher impact.  While sometimes social innovators take an existing nonprofit and begin thinking in new ways to come up with systemic changes, Boschee said, much social innovation starts from scratch. 

Social innovators fill a societal need not already addressed or take a new approach to meeting a need that is currently insufficiently addressed.  For example, the Education for Democracy Foundation is a cooperative effort between Polish and American pro-democratic educators to promote knowledge of democracy and provide skills for civic activity in a democratic state.  The organization gathers groups of between 10-15 volunteers, mainly made up of teachers, who are taught how to address both specific democratic issues as well as broader civic participation concerns in a training that takes the course of a year.

“The idea isn’t to adhere slavishly to either a social innovation or social enterprise model,” Boschee continued.  “The real challenge is to discover which one of them is the best approach for meeting a specific social need.”

Five Steps to Starting Your Own SEO

As a starting point, here are five concrete steps to help you plan to launch a socially entrepreneurial organization:

1) Clarify your objectives — Consider the ultimate goal of this SEO.  What social need will it meet and how will it meet it?  They should be issues that you are passionate about and that you really believe in.

2) Find a balance — Always keep in mind that the success of your SEO relies on a balance between sustainable social change endeavors and sustainable business practices.  What balance will make your organization most successful? 

3) Research the field — Learn from the people who have come before you and don’t limit yourself in the scope of your research.  See how other organizations and businesses, whether public or private, have used innovative methods.  Try to learn from their mistakes.  Make contacts and consider partnerships if it is appropriate.  (For a unique conversation about failed social ventures, look at a recent discussion on Social Edge)

4) Understand your market — It is essential to have a good understanding of the market for your product or service if you hope to make an impact.  Know who you will be serving and what they really need.  Always make sure what you are providing is something that the people you will be serving need. 

5) Know your numbers — Understand at least the basics of managing the finances your organization will be working with.  An ambitious vision for your organization will certainly get you somewhere, but if you don’t have a clear understanding of what makes your organization work financially, you won’t be able to plan strategically or make complete decisions.  (For a comprehensive list of FAQs about nonprofit finance management visit CompassPoint’s Nonprofit Genie)

Some Expert Advice

Starting your own SEO has some solid steps, but it also takes much more than simply following any single process.  Kothari and Boschee both say there are a few things that transcend the basic how-to of starting a SEO.

“If you plan to start your own organization, you need to be absolutely committed to and happy with what you are doing,” Kothari commented.  “If you’re not happy to take on the challenges that come with starting your own organization, you will not do a good job of helping others.”

Boschee agreed, saying “don’t do it unless it is literally the most exciting thing in your life.” A passion for the mission and the work of an organization is what makes it most successful. 

“However, be candid with yourself if the results are not really there,” Boschee added.  There is an important balance between passion for continuing a mission and understanding when to move on from a venture. 

Ultimately, today’s social entrepreneurs have the opportunity to take advantage of the exciting changes in the nonprofit sector.  They have the chance to be innovative and make a difference in the world in a way that is promising and fresh.  “Social entrepreneurs look at social need with a new set of lenses,” Boschee said. “There are no rules for today’s social entrepreneurs.  They can be the trailblazers.”

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Like in any field, nonprofits have their own language that helps them define who they are and what they do.  As a newcomer, it can be hard to understand the nonprofit vernacular, but there’s no need to cue the horrifying flashbacks to sixth grade English vocabulary lists.  In this article, we’ll get you started with some of the words that leading nonprofits use to describe their work. 

Cross-functional: Spanning various specialized areas of focus within an organization.  For example, having job responsibilities that include managing programs, people and finances.

Data-driven: Taking factual, measurable points and using them to focus programs, missions and future development.  Being data-driven is one of the most important building blocks of a results-oriented, outcomes-based organization.

Development: The staff positions responsible for all aspects of fundraising, including pursuing and obtaining funds from foundations, corporations, individuals, and government sources through activities such as grant-writing, annual appeals, events and strategic campaigns.

Dynamic: The state of being fluid and open to constant change. Dynamic organizations are able to quickly respond to opportunities and remain flexible in response to rapidly changing realities.

Executive Director: Generally, the most senior executive leader in an organization.  This title can be interchangeable with CEO or President and sometimes includes a combination of these titles.  This person generally has wide-ranging responsibilities including fundraising, strategic planning, financial operations, and program management. 

Fast-paced: Although sometimes a relative term based on an organization’s subjective definition, in general it refers to an organization that works as quickly as possible to leverage all opportunities presented to it, often being highly responsive to their donors and constituents. 

Foundation: Generally a grant-making organization focused on serving the common welfare.  It is worth noting, however, that some organizations use the term “foundation” in their name even though they do not engage in the grant-making process.

Gap: An observed disparity between groups of people that are defined by factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, ability, or socioeconomic status.  For example, academic performance gap, developmental variance or digital divide.

Mission statement: A statement that describes an organization’s fundamental purpose and reason for being.  Many organizations will also include descriptions of the populations they serve, the nature of their programming, and their guiding values.  In comparison, a vision statement is an articulation of what the ideal future will look like when an organization has fulfilled its mission.

Mission-driven: Propelled and focused by the idea that every activity is guided by or follows logically from the organization’s mission.

Nonprofit finance & accounting: Although similar in many regards to the private sector, the focus and rules of nonprofit finance and accounting are somewhat distinct.  This includes different rules and regulations about where revenue comes from and specific restrictions placed on how it can be used.  For a more in depth discussion visit: http://www.allianceonline.org/FAQ/financial_management/what_are_differences.faq

Nonprofit: An organization operated for the public benefit that has been designated by the IRS as exempt from certain forms of taxation.  It belongs to the social sector or third sector, because it is not part of government (public sector) or business (private sector).  The term is generally interchangeable with non-profit and not-for-profit, despite sector debate about the nuances of the terms.  For more discussion visit: http://www.idealist.org/if/idealist/en/FAQ/QuestionViewer/default?section=01&item=09

Operations: In general, this refers to the activities of an organization used for the regular and continued ability to provide its service or to work toward its goal.  This can include general administrative tasks, human resources, and project management.

Organizational capacity: The ability for a group to perform or produce a desired output.  Capacity is built when an organization increases the number of people on its team, the skills that those people possess, the financial resources available for strategic investments, and the efficiencies and capabilities of its systems and infrastructure.

Organizational culture: The essential nature and overall “feel” of an organization and its team.  Culture can be determined and shaped by many factors, including leadership styles, demographics of team members, physical work environments, languages, procedures, routines, underlying assumptions, expectations, and definitions of success.

Social enterprise: A venture whose ultimate purpose is social good and advances and supports its social mission through a revenue generating mechanism guided by entrepreneurial principles.

Social entrepreneur: A person who recognizes a social problem and uses innovative, entrepreneurial methods to create, manage and measure a venture for social change.

Strategic plan: A forward-looking and ongoing process of organizational planning based on trends and analysis of internal and external data.  This work plan helps to lead an organization to fulfill its mission and vision more effectively. 

Sustainable: The ability for an organization to be viable in the future and to continue to be able to provide its services in the most effective way.

Venture philanthropy: The practice in which donors use principles usually associated with venture capitalists to improve the performance of a nonprofit organization or social enterprise. This generally involves providing a combination of funding and expertise, engaging directly with the nonprofit leadership, committing to long-term funding relationships, and monitoring performance. 

Learn More

The nonprofit vocabulary is an important tool to have when looking to get into the sector.  Look to see how your favorite organizations use these terms and keep them in mind when reading nonprofit job descriptions.  You’ll be speaking the language of nonprofits like a professional in no time.  If you want more detail on these and other terms, please visit:

• The Nonprofit Good Practice Guide: A searchable index of thousands of nonprofit terms, many linked to other useful articles and resources. 
• Guidestar Glossary: A list of mainly finance-related nonprofit terms. 
• Foundation Center Glossary Directory: Answers to frequently asked nonprofit questions and links to several more specific glossaries.
• The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers: A comprehensive source of information about careers in the nonprofit sector in a downloadable PDF format.

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

What place does a Master of Business Administration have in the nonprofit sector?  You may be surprised to know that the skills you learn when pursuing your MBA can be important in many nonprofit jobs.  What’s more, an increasing number of nonprofits are recognizing the valuable skills and competencies that MBAs bring to an organization.  In the following article, we will profile two organizations who leverage MBA grads and then conclude with some advice about how to make the connection work.

Profile #1: Nonprofit Finance Fund
MBAs Positively Impact Programs and Culture

Catherine Gill, the Director of Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) in New England, believes that hiring MBAs into nonprofits creates a valuable win-win scenario. NFF, one of the largest Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI’s) in the country, delivers financial and advisory services to community-based nonprofits of all kinds.

An MBA herself, Gill believes that, “MBAs bring hard skills like financial know-how to NFF, but that’s not all.  They also bring a really sharp understanding of teams and how to access resources that aren’t always obvious. The MBA degree is incredibly broad and teaches people how to approach problems from different angles.”

In addition to offering business savvy, MBAs can impact an organization’s culture in positive ways. “As a result of having MBAs on staff, our culture is more operational and streamlined. There’s an organization-wide emphasis on efficiency. Our culture values processes and understands how they can help us more efficiently fulfill our social mission.”

Gill describes that one of the biggest draws for MBAs at NFF is the intellectual stimulation of the work. The advisors and analysts at NFF deal with complex business problems on a daily basis, ranging from working with organizations to secure funding for large-scale capital projects to helping nonprofits understand the impact of their finances on program outcomes. According to Gill, the sophisticated nature of this work requires “people with good degrees and strong educational backgrounds who understand the value of the work we do.”

Profile #2: Center for Effective Philanthropy
MBAs Bring Outstanding Analytical Skills

Kevin Bolduc is Vice President of Assessment Tools at Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP), a nonprofit that provides management and governance tools to define, assess, and improve foundation performance. Overseeing the design of new tools and the refinement of CEP’s suite of current assessment offerings, he depends on the analytical expertise of the MBAs on his team.

“The MBAs on our staff help round out our core competencies. Some staff bring a deep understanding of philanthropy to our work, while others possess research design expertise. The MBAs on staff complement that institutional knowledge with razor sharp quantitative and analytical skills, as well as performance assessment experience,” says Bolduc.

Bringing a sophisticated appreciation of analysis to understanding foundation performance is just one asset of having MBAs on staff. Kevin also explained that being able to quickly understand their clients is a critical piece of their work, which he finds MBAs are prepared to do. “We focus on the largest philanthropic funders… sophisticated and complex organizations that face unique challenges. MBAs possess the ability to develop strong relationships and communicate with these organizations more effectively about their program performance.”

Additionally, MBAs are prepared for internal organizational change and growth. Bolduc says that “the MBAs on staff help us maintain and develop processes and structures that allow us to grow quickly. They understand that a nonprofit is more than just running programs; it’s also about management, leadership, and scalability.”

Bolduc believes that more and more nonprofit opportunities are opening up to MBAs, largely because of the growth of the field of social entrepreneurship. “MBA skill-sets are more relevant than ever. Looking at social problems through an analytical lens is becoming the norm for nonprofits, particularly as foundations and nonprofits hold themselves more accountable for producing quantifiable results. MBAs bring a complementary skill-set to those taking more traditional paths into the sector, and together these skills build a stronger and more accountable social sector.”

Getting There: How to Connect with Nonprofits

Despite the fact that MBAs are more and more desired in the nonprofit field, it can be hard to make a connection with the right organization.  Nonprofit career fairs, sometimes organized by student social enterprise clubs, can be a great place to start looking.  However, because most nonprofits cannot afford to participate in on-campus recruiting programs, many MBAs need to actively pursue nonprofit opportunities themselves.

Organizations such as Net Impact, Idealist, Craigslist and StartingBloc are strong places to look for opportunities as they provide a broad range of entry points to the nonprofit sector and promote a wide scope of organizations.

Another place to think about getting experience and connections is through an internship or similar program.  While there are fewer formalized programs that offer nonprofit internships as compared with their for-profit counterparts, there are some opportunities, such as those through New Sector Alliance, Education Pioneers, and REDF’s Farber Internships.  If finding a formal internship is not an option, nonprofits also engage MBA students early through programs like Wharton’s Nonprofit Board Leadership Program, which places MBA students on local nonprofit boards.

Looking for More?

There are many helpful resources when you are considering getting an MBA and what to do with an MBA in the nonprofit sector once you have one.  Here are a few useful links to send you on your way to a career with an MBA that makes a difference:

• Idealist Graduate School Fairs: A multi-city, annual, free event created to help people considering graduate education as a way to improve their skills and advance their nonprofit careers.
• Harvard Business School Guide to Careers in the Nonprofit Sector: A print resource MBAs interested in entering the nonprofit sector as full-time managers, board members, or volunteers.
• MBA-Nonprofit Connection: A wealth of information and services with the goal bringing MBA skills and energy to the nonprofit sector while bringing new job opportunities to the business school community.
• Net Impact’s Career Center: A site that gives you the opportunity to read about other people who have gotten socially responsible jobs in business; or you can become a member search through job and internship listings yourself.

This article was written by Commongood Careers and is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

For more information about nonprofit and socially entrepreneurial careers, visit Commongood Careers at http://www.cgcareers.org.

Let’s face it. Not all interview questions are created equally, and some are more challenging to answer than others. However, most hiring managers are not out to stump or trick candidates in their interview questions. Rather, the majority of interviewers approach the process as an opportunity to gain the information they need to evaluate if a candidate is the right match.

In a nonprofit interview, candidates are expected to do more than talk about their professional skills. Nonprofit hiring managers rely on interviews to explore a candidate’s soft skills and potential cultural fit with the organization. This information is uncovered through the content of a candidate’s answer, as well as the candidate’s ability to understand the question, think critically about an answer, and communicate that answer effectively, confidently and articulately.

This article discusses some of the toughest yet most effective questions from actual nonprofit interviews, and suggests strategies for how to communicate the best possible answers to these questions.

Why are you interested in this position with this organization?

While this question may seem rather innocent and basic, the open ended nature of the question makes it difficult to answer well.

With this type of question, hiring managers are generally looking to evaluate a candidate’s specific connection to the organization’s mission, as well as skill fit with the particular role. Speak with passion from a personal place about your connection to the position and organization. Then, get specific about this connection, using examples from your past experience. If you are unable to talk specifically about your fit with the role and organization, the hiring manager may question your interest, as well as how much you thought about your interest prior to the interview.

Avoid answers that are completely focused on you e.g. “this would be a really good move in my career path” or “I’m really good at accounting.” An organization wants to know what excites you about the work that they do. Use this opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge about the role and organization, and what you like about both.

If you were in this position, how would you do [specific responsibility of the job]?

This question may seem difficult to answer because it depends on theoretical information. Since you are not in the position already, you may not have first-hand knowledge of how to perform the duty being inquired about. However, in most cases, hiring managers are looking to how a candidate answers this type of question. They want to assess if you are well-researched about the position and able to address a theoretical question with real-life examples and knowledge.

To prepare for this type of question, do your homework. Research as much as you can about the specific position at the organization where you are interviewing, as well as comparable positions at similar organizations. Become as familiar as you can with specific duties and responsibilities, specifically if the position will require you to take on tasks you have never before done.

A larger part of successfully answering this question is also demonstrating your capacity to approach projects in a strategic and organized manner.  Make sure that your answer also demonstrates an effective prioritization of the many facets of the role.  So, you could state what you perceive to be the most important aspects of that function, and then address how you would exceed set goals along those lines, for example specific strategies you would implement or partnerships you would form. You can also use this opportunity to discuss similar experiences you’ve had in past positions, and how you successfully approached those responsibilities and challenges.

Talk about one of your weaknesses and how you have addressed this weakness in the workplace.

Organizations often ask about a candidate’s weaknesses for three reasons. The first is to evaluate how a candidate talks about his/her weaknesses and is able to position them in a positive light. The second is to hear how a candidate has addressed his/her weaknesses in real-life situations.  The third, especially true in the nonprofit sector, is to assess the candidate’s self-awareness and sense of humility (overly egotistic candidates do not see themselves as having any weaknesses).

A strong answer to this type of question communicates that a candidate is self-aware, able to think critically about his/her own personality, and is focused on growth experiences. A pitfall of this type of question is to come off sounding “cliché” (e.g. “My greatest weakness is working too hard.”) Having real-life examples prepared in advance will help your answer sound genuine, as well as demonstrate to the interviewer that you are able to be reflective about your own personality and characteristics in the workplace. Another way to respond to this question is to share an example of when a supervisor provided constructive feedback, and how you used that feedback to grow in your role.  Overall, your goal is to reframe the issue away from “weaknesses” and toward “professional development opportunities” of which you are already aware and actively working to ameliorate.

What requirements of this position do you think are the most important?

The answer to this type of question reveals how familiar a candidate is with the general requirements of a job, as well as how aligned a candidate is with the organization’s priorities for this role. This question is considered difficult because it requires the candidate to ascertain from the job description and other cues what requirements are most valued by the organization for the position.

To prepare for this type of question, read the job description at a high level and think about the top 3-5 competencies communicated in the description. For example, does the job description communicate that the organization wants a strategic thinker? Someone who can roll up their sleeves? Or is the priority on being able to forge relationships with constituents? By identifying these competencies in advance, you will be better prepared to talk to the importance of these requirements during the interview.

Please describe the most complicated or challenging situation you’ve been in related to race, class, or gender.

For many nonprofits, diversity is a core value. This is especially true for organizations that serve a specific population, and believe that their staff needs to be able to relate to the experiences of the people they serve. For these reasons, questions that explore a candidate’s experience with issues of race, class, or gender sometimes come up in a nonprofit interview.

This type of question can be difficult for candidates for a few reasons. First of all, candidates don’t want to come across as biased or prejudiced in any way. Issues related to diversity can also be highly personal, and a candidate may be caught off guard by this type of question. Finally, for candidates that have not been in this type of situation, it can be diff