Do GooD anD Make MoneY in a NonPRoFit ORGaniZation

Career World, Nov, 2000 by T.J. Wallis

You can find self-fulfilling work when you connect your idealism with employment opportunities. Here's how.

Amber Coffman, 18, first saw homelessness when, at age 8, she visited a shelter where her mother volunteered. Two years later, she decided to help the homeless in her hometown of Glen Burnie, Maryland. Since she couldn't provide lodging, she started making lunches and distributing them on weekends when the community soup kitchens were closed. In 1993 she founded Happy Helpers for the Homeless, which now aids 28,000 homeless people in her area alone and has inspired groups in 48 states to form their own Happy Helpers programs.

Although Jeffrey Rodriguez, 18, lives in a section of Brooklyn, New York, where it's common for kids to join gangs and use drugs, he refuses to let his peers run his life. Instead he joined a leadership club called Aspira (from the Spanish word for "aspire") that does community service in Latino neighborhoods. With a grant from Youth Venture, he started his own business called Latin Artist, putting custom designs on clothing and other objects. This enabled him to start a free art school for neighborhood kids ages 8 to 14 who have no other organized after-school activities. But Jeffrey teaches them more than art. He wants them to learn to do something positive for the community.

At an early age, both Amber and Jeffrey discovered a way to express their idealism in satisfying work. Who knows? These ventures could lead to full-time careers in the nonprofit sector.

What Is a Nonprofit?

The mission of a nonprofit organization is to better the human condition. Working for a nonprofit whose mission you believe in feels good and is satisfying. Legally speaking, a nonprofit organization is any organization that does not engage in profit-making commercial activities, and has been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). "Tax-exempt status" means they do not have to pay taxes on income they earn from fund-raising and similar activities--funds that are needed to run the operations of a nonprofit.

We tend to think of nonprofits as social service organizations, such as the Red Gross, Habitat for Humanity, and similar charities. But nonprofits also include private educational organizations; religious organizations; arts, cultural, historical, and community educational organizations, such as museums, symphonies, and so on. Then there are health organizations, such as hospitals and clinics; advocacy and political groups, such as Greenpeace and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); business, professional, and trade organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Other nonprofit areas are scientific and research organizations; community development organizations; foundations that engage in philanthropic activities; youth leadership and development organizations, such as the Girl Scouts of America; and cooperative utility companies that operate in rural areas.

In their book Jobs and Careers with Nonprofit Organizations, Ron and Caryl Krannich state that there are more than 1 million nonprofit organizations that employ more than 10 million people--7 percent of the total workforce. That is a lot of job opportunities!

What's Different About a Nonprofit?

According to the Krannichs, nonprofits seek individuals "who demonstrate strong communication, public relations, and fund-raising skills." The fact is that the skills and experience required to work in a nonprofit are pretty much the same as in the "for-profit" world. The difference is in the mind-sets. People who seek out work for nonprofit organizations tend to be altruistic. Nonprofits attract people with a strong commitment to an idea or a cause. After all, the goal of the nonprofit is to have a positive impact on the lives of others.

Nonprofit offices tend to be more informal, and workers are likely to work with a high degree of cooperation. Although weekly hours might be slightly longer than the traditional 40, people who believe in their work enjoy what they're doing and are less likely to watch the clock.

Even though nonprofit salaries are less likely to make you wealthy than "for-profit" enterprises, salaries vary. Corporate bigwigs--motivated by a desire to make a difference in people's lives and add purpose to their own--often leave high-pressure positions to enter the nonprofit sector. A recent survey of 246 nonprofit organizations found that the median salary for chief executive officers (CEOs) was $207,990. Thirteen of the 246 CEOs received more than $500,000 in annual compensation. Wages for top executives are increasing in the corporate world, too, and non-profits pay similar wages to attract high-quality leadership.

Nonprofits need accountants, office managers, receptionists, teachers, writers, fund-raisers, Web site designers, public relations people, as well as CEOs-just like commerical businesses. And the list goes on. If it's a job you can do in the corporate sector, it's a job you can do for a nonprofit.