Mike Cottell ⋅ Glen Head, NY Michael T Cottell Consulting ⋅ 42 years experience

Dear Heather : a start is to go to https://topnonprofits.com/lists/best-nonprofits-on-the-web/
and begin your research. You have been given great advice by the advisors to date and I agree with all of it. Additionally, my thoughts are:
1) Work / life balance will equate with both the culture of the organization and your ability to set some boundaries for yourself. Setting those boundaries will be based on both your personal needs( we are all different) and the knowledge that you are highly marketable and able to move jobs if needed. The power to control your schedule is the freedom to know you are not " locked in" to any particular job.
2) To help you create that sense of empowerment, make a list of your " transferable skills" and " personal traits" that will serve you well in any role. Search the terms on line and you will find endless examples to help you. Now, as David suggested, when you do your research on the organizations, create a point of view of " how you can help them achieve their goals".
3) Advancement and salary, as pointed out by Jo, will be more limited by the fact that non profits have less room to maneuver than the private sector. There is nothing wrong with you asking a question like the following in an interview. " I'm committed to giving this organization 1000% if you hire me. Can you give me an idea of potential career and salary advancement over time as I prove myself"?
4) As you research the type of work you want to do, keep in mind that many big corporations have philanthropic divisions dedicated to advancing their charitable giving and supporting other community driven causes. There could be the " best of both worlds" where you get into a public for profit business and still fulfill your personal passions. Your degree could also open doors within those same organizations in Human Resources -which has multiple areas like people development , change management etc.
Good Luck Heather and thank you for your service to our country.
Best Regards, Mike

Sriram Iyer ⋅ Menlo Park, CA Trantor, Inc. ⋅ 29 years experience

If you would like to have an informational discussion with a couple of people working in the non-profit sector, I can arrange that. Do let me know.

Jeanne Perdue ⋅ Houston, TX Oxy ⋅ 35 years experience

Dear Heather:
If your non-profit organization is a global professional society, such as the Society of Petroleum Engineers, you will get the opportunity to travel to conferences around the world and work with dedicated volunteers who are the nicest folks on the planet, as they give of their precious time to help others in their industry to succeed. You will meet at lot of interesting people, learn all kinds of new technical things, coordinate lots of big events (possibly some early and late hours), and you can work your way up to leadership positions in the organization. It's very fulfilling to see the fruits of your labors, and you will have many, many friends for life.
- Jeanne Perdue, Houston, TX

James Spencer ⋅ Dowell, IL Spencer and Partners LLC ⋅ 23 years experience

That sounds like a wonderful idea. Non-profits can use a great deal of help in promoting themselves. The people who suggest volunteering to get started are 100% correct. In addition, take your volunteering 2 steps further. Once you have found an organization that interests you, is large enough to need a communications person, and you have volunteered network within the organization to find out who or what group makes the hiring decisions and become well acquainted with that hiring person or persons within the group.

Non-profit organizations are made up pf three groups of people; the volunteers/workers, the administration, and the governing board. The number of people in each of those groups is determined by the size of the non-profit. Normally, the only paid positions are jobs within the administration and the Program Director is responsible for hiring workers to fill those jobs. But that is not always the case. I have worked in non-profits where one of the volunteers was the wife of the Program director or related to someone on the board and no hires were made unless that person approved of the choice.

Once you volunteer do some networking to find out how hiring is done in that organization and get to know the people you need to convince how valuable you are. It works much better and is much easier than assuming the people with the correct titles do the hiring.

Scott Goldman ⋅ Sudbury, MA KSQTherapeutics ⋅ 10 years experience

Hi Heather,

As previously noted, "non-profit" cover an awful lot of territory, from tiny local organizations to major international ones serving every sector of the economy. I echo others' advice that you need to figure out what you'd like to accomplish with your time and effort, then look for opportunities in both for- and non-profit in that space. I work for a relatively large non-profit in the biomedical science field and it's been a great experience, but there are pros and cons as with any job. Happy to discuss more if the biomedical sciences are in your plans, so feel free to PM me.

Good luck!

Scott

Jim Jones ⋅ Getzville, NY Fidelis Care ⋅ 35 years experience

Hi Heather. Thank you for your service. You have received great advice. I would add that you should narrow your focus in the not for profit field. As you know not for profit is not a field, rather a descriptor as to how the business is organized. Not for profits cover a range of businesses from children and families to health care. Your best bet is to narrow know your skills, knowledge and abilities to businesses that match your interests and experience. Then conduct informational interviews and set up a network to seek advice from those professionals to answer your questions and be the face behind the professional in the resume.
Good Luck.

James Pearson ⋅ Cumming, GA Retired ⋅ 50 years experience

I agree with the other advisors comments. To add to theirs, depending on where you might want to live or move to, and depending on what other interests you might have, I suggest you look at a variety of professional societies, almost all of which are non-profits. Your Organizational Communication training should be of interest to most of them if they have a position available. Some might even be willing to create a position if they have the budget. I can provide a few society names that I am familiar with.

Jose Roman ⋅ Norfolk, VA Military Resource Center Regent university ⋅ 8 years experience

Hello Heather,

I've worked with a few area local and national non-profits. IF you're not currently volunteering in a non-profit organization at the moment start there. Non-profits like to hire and advance from within the organization.

As a veteran if you're passionate about working with other veterans start with The Mission Continues:

https://www.missioncontinues.org/ or Team Rubicon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvYLUjf2v6M

Two great veteran ran organizations making an impact.

They have local platoons of volunteers that give back in their communities. I also had experience working with Habitat for Humanity. If you have questions feel free to reach out Jroman@regent.edu

Sharon Parker ⋅ Roanoke, TX IBM ⋅ 25 years experience

Heather, thanks for your service to our country! Have you researched info about non-profit careers? If not, you might look at this website: https://www.thebalance.com/nonprofit-jobs-careers-4073770

Good luck!

Emanuel Carpenter ⋅ Alpharetta, GA SDR Master Class ⋅ 20 years experience

Hi Heather - For trends and statistics on the job you want, check out the Department of Labor's website: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm

I would imagine that the trend about the specific job you want will be more relevant than looking up info about not-for-profits. There are tons of organizations, including United Way, CARE, and the Red Cross. There are many lesser-known ones too.

You might want to start connecting with potential bosses on LinkedIn too. When you connect, let them know you are a veteran and would like to pick their brain about future career moves. The business commmunity tends to be very supportive of veterans.

If you decide you want to start your own non-profit, check out the Foundation Center's website for grants. With the right grantwriter, you could be on your way to being the CEO of your own not-for-profit for a cause you care about. Here is the link: http://foundationcenter.org/products/foundation-directory-online

Best of luck.

Jennifer Polhemus ⋅ Santa Monica, CA Precision Research (self-employed) ⋅ 25 years experience

How about choosing an area of nonprofit work & trying to becoming an expert in that aspect?
Check out Nolo Press books & The Center for Nonprofit Management. Follow Kivi Leroux Miller on FB & her email list. And I echo the advice "volunteer, volunteer, volunteer." Best wishes!

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

Heather: volunteering, as others have said, is the key. My wife leveraged her activity in the Officers' Spouses Club for her first non-profit role. Still, there are definite ups and downs to non-profits (although these vary greatly among organizations). I will try to address two very general sides of the coin from my observations. Con: I believe you may find that some non-profits have limited internal advancement because of a combination of low turnover and a desire to minimize overhead. Pro: it is a huge networking opportunity and a self-discovery opportunity; if you are able to take on such a position now then it may lead you to something else in time.

Best of luck.

Nora Anna ⋅ Norwalk, CT Coconino Consulting ⋅ 35 years experience

What sector of the Non-Profit world were you planning to grace? Three words - volunteer - volunteer - volunteer. Do it now while you are studying. Executive Directors only get hired if the Non-Profit Board has some experience with that person. I hope this is helpful! Be well.

Nora

Jo Prabhu ⋅ San Rafael, CA International Services Group ⋅ 20 years experience

Hello Heather, Working for non-profits provide you with enormous connections, exposure and visibility to industry, media, celebrities and networks in your community, unlike any other. The world could be your oyster, so as suggested by David, research organizations that promote your passion and offer to volunteer. Sometimes just showing up at events can break you in. The only down side is that salaries, all the way up, are lower than in the business or for-profit sectors. Good luck!

David Akre ⋅ New York, NY A NYSE listed financial company ⋅ 25 years experience

I'd bet that non-profits are like any other company, they want smart people with initiative that can take on responsibility. So research what company (companies) you want to work for, find out as much about that company as possible, figure out what they need in their current evolution, and then figure out how you can help them get it. Of course you have to reach out to the people that run the company or they'll never know you can help them. Initiative and confidence are the keys.