Why Choose the Non-Profit Sector?

Here’s why I think young people should choose a career in this sector: every night, I’ve got a great reason to wake up the next morning and go to work.

From the first time I heard it, I’ve liked the term “Future Leaders in Philanthropy.” As the Chairman of Changing Our World, Inc., a fundraising and philanthropy consulting firm, I hire FLiP’s each year. Some are straight out of college, others have two years or more of experience under their belts. In my time in this profession, I’ve been pleased to see fundraising and grantmaking become much more common career choices. People at the beginnings of their careers are terrific, because they can adapt, learn, and grow into new situations. Developing the best young talent has been a passion of Changing Our World since the founding of the company six years ago. Part of the job of our senior staff has always been to show people straight out of college, or who have only ‘been in the world’ for a few years, why the nonprofit sector is an ideal place to begin their careers.

So, why is it the most ideal place? The obvious, and most often discussed, reason is that a career in fundraising and/or grantmaking allows you to have a greater and more widely reaching impact than in almost any other field.

To be at the top of this field you must show up every day and put your best foot forward, because at the end of the day you will have to answer the question, “How much money did you raise for [insert your hospital, church, school, library, so on] today?”  In other words, what have you done to change the world?

Every day at Changing Our World we ask our junior staff, who are as young as 22 and 23, to take their most professional presentation, sales, and financial skills into the offices of the top business leaders of this country, which is something that would never be expected of their peers in the private sector. We work with the wealthiest and most powerful Americans and connect them with the problems of the world that need to be solved. 

At the end of the day, being a skilled fundraiser or grantmaker is one of the most difficult positions to hold at a not-for-profit organization. You must grasp the financials, the motivation of your donors, and the mission of the organization. The vital work done by your organization is made possible through your efforts.

From a personal perspective, this job is eternally inspiring. I heard a story recently from one of our Directors. A middle aged man made a $100,000 gift to his high school to provide scholarships for entering freshmen. Though he was capable, the man rarely committed to six-figure gifts because it meant that he would be stretched financially. Our Director, a 26–year-old who has been with Changing Our World for three years, asked this man the reason why he would choose to challenge himself in this way. The man explained his reasoning in the simplest terms: It made him feel good.

Sure, you won’t hear those sentiments expressed every day, but a career in the non-profit sector will definitely give you the chance to influence the course of our society by helping to touch the lives of the people we serve. This sector can present one of the most challenging and rewarding career paths available. And in the future, fundraisers and grantmakers will need to be better informed and more connected than ever before.  I look forward to seeing the effect that the FLiP’s have on our sector as they move into management positions and set the new tone.

So, what is your reason for getting up and going to work every morning?

Comments

[Rob Johnston]

I agree. For me, working for a mission provides rewards beyond the check. Increasingly many of my baby boomer peers are exploring how they might also fit in this world of mission-focused work. They too, can be the future leaders in philanthropy, even if they will not hold the roles as long as the new graduates FLiP serves.

For more information on what Pace University is doing to serve people moving from business to nonprofits, see our http://2Nonprofits.org/ site.

[SusanCD]

For job-seekers, there's a quick rundown of helpful websites by Katrina Wilhelm at www.onphilanthropy.com. Also, some future leaders have added their own suggestions for good sites to check out.

[Tom W.]

Why choose the nonprofit sector? Ask Bill Gates and Warren Buffett - spent their lives building fortunes till they were ready to really do something....
Read this:
http://www.onphilanthropy.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6605