Deeds over dollars: the corporate roller coaster has left many professionals in its wake. One route out of the chaos: the nonprofit sector

Black Enterprise, Nov, 1995 by Cassandra Hayes

The corporate career roller-coaster has left many professionals in its wake. One route out of the chaos: the nonprofit sector.

Henry Fernandez is like a doting father who's short on time. First, he looks in on some girls reading in one of the donated classrooms of a New London, Conn., school. Next, he's across the hall listening to a group of boys play word games. As he heads out the door, pager and cellular phone in tow, he's intercepted. One of his charges wants him to hear her rap song.

As executive director of L.E.A.P. (Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership), a nonprofit organization, Fernandez guides 700 children, ranging in age from seven to 14, through a year-round, intense educational program. He's helped by 200 full- and part-time staffers. Each summer, Connecticut college students move into eight low-income and disadvantaged neighborhoods. Their mission: to provide daily academic skill-building and mentoring to local children.

Fat corporate salaries and expense accounts couldn't lure the 27-year-old Harvard undergraduate and Yale Law School graduate to the fold. "There's an appreciation given to people who make a lot of money, but here, we value the struggle," he says of L.E.A.P. Fernandez could have opted for the big bucks, "but it would not have been as intellectually challenging as motivating people." Still, the nonprofit sector is not without its rewards; Fernandez earned $32,500 last year--the most money he's ever made.

Just because Greenpeace and the Urban League don't frequent job fairs doesn't mean they're not looking. There are more than I million nonprofit, or not-for-profit, organizations in the U.S. that need capable workers to execute their missions. Despite the altruistic nature of these groups, they're not only for idealists. Corporate and government downsizing have sent many professionals scurrying to the nonprofit arena. Those entering must bring not only a sense of moral leadership but formidable technical and management skills as well. A caveat: Expect long hours, low pay and limited resources. The dearth of African Americans in upper management has also been a stumbling block. But for some, the nonprofit sector is a rewarding and creative career alternative that offers variety, autonomy and flexibility.

As the number of nonprofit groups continues to increase, so will job opportunities. If you've always dreamed of helping the homeless, teaching school in Kenya or working in a museum, there are any number of avenues of entry. They include education, environmental, health and legal services. Foundations, trade associations and many civic, social, religious, fraternal and international organizations fall into the nonprofit category. Arts and cultural centers also qualify.

HARD WORK REAPS HIGH REWARDS

For many, the nonprofit sector gives them the chance to do what they couldn't do in corporate America. With a $3 million budget, Fernandez runs the equivalent of a small-to-midsize firm. He has the authority to determine the direction of the organization. "The for-profit sector would have given me the opportunity to spend and invest other people's money, but not to implement policy," says Fernandez, who interned as a fixed-income researcher at First Boston Corp. while at Harvard.

The training for his job was arduous. Fernandez, who grew up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., plowed a way through various grass-roots and civil rights organizations. Besides serving as a press liaison during the campaign of the first African American mayor of Cambridge, Mass., Ken Reeves, Fernandez also taught school in Zimbabwe.

Organizing community support, developing funding strategies and super-vising personnel, as well as "functioning in the political diaspora of New England politics" fill Fernandez's 12-hour workdays. In addition, he is co-creating a national electronics communications initiative for youth service providers.

In the three years since he co-founded L.E.A.P., the program has grown exponentially. The organization has received over $1 million in government grants, and the rent for their New Haven headquarters is paid by actor Paul Newman.

Those considering the plunge into the nonprofit sector should first decide on the type of organization they and why, advises Ken Roberts, vice president of human resources at the United Way Services, Cleveland, Ohio. "Be clear on what you value and decide if the organization's mission matches yours," he adds. "Burnout can happen, so you need to be employed doing what you love."

Eight years ago, the 47-year-old councilman from Highland Hills, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, recognized that the service industry would experience the most employment growth. In addition, he wanted to "give something back." So after 18 years in human resources management and hitting the glass ceiling in banking and manufacturing, h6 defected. For Roberts--who helped form the village of Highland Hills so that its 2,000 citizens, most of whom are seniors, could benefit from government services--the transition was worth it. "If we can earn and still practice our skills for the benefit of our community, then there's an added value," he says.