Benefits of Working at a Non-profit
When taking the next step or possible career turn to do work within the non-profit sector, one common question arises: what will working at a non-profit do for my career? Asking this question can prove to be very fruitful, as it highlights that non-profit work will not only be a stride in your career, but also a very positive one. This field of work will enable you to pursue a certain topic or field of interest, while also providing you with the environment, space, and support to grow professionally and personally in ways often not experienced in the for-profit sector.
The benefits to working at a non-profit are vast. I hope this list will help you to realize the often-unrealized potential of non-profit work and get you excited to pursue such a vocation.
Ability to work on something that you are extremely passionate about and do societal good in the process. The non-profit sector serves a wide range of societal needs, be it food insecurity, educational resources, financial assistance, environmental activism, and many others. In this way, working for a non-profit within a particular field of interest is a unique opportunity to combine your professional career with your personal passions, while positively contributing to the world around you. Such a role will also enable you to see how tangible action can be taken to better serve communities, whether it be on a local, national, or international level, providing you a lens to take with you moving forward.
Incredible opportunities for collaboration and leadership. Within non-profit organizations, teams tend to be made up of fascinating and engaged co-workers like yourself. Since the nature of non-profit work draws in people who care about their missions, you are likely to work in a dynamic environment with effective and creative peers in order to achieve your shared goals. Not only that, but this collection of peers will help to build a community of collaboration and trust in which you will be encouraged to use your voice and take initiative. These are skills that often take years to develop in other traditional lines of work, but in the non-profit setting you will be able to accelerate this process and refine your teamwork and leadership skills quickly.
A varied experience that will make you a multi-faceted employee. It is often said when working in a non-profit that employees “wear many hats.” This phrase is not only true, but also encompasses a very exciting opportunity for your professional career. When working at a non-profit, fully capitalizing on resources is necessary to be effective. As a result, your skills will be essential in order to help the overall mission of the organization be achieved, not just to fill the requirements of your designated position. Consequently, you will be able to gain experience with a variety of tasks and work styles. Such versatile experiences will give you a diverse background that will serve you well professionally whether you continue in the non-profit sector or pursue another line of work in the future.
I found all of this to be true in my experience working at The DREAM Project in the Dominican Republic. Working in a non-profit offers an exceptional opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. Not only will it show you how to effectively achieve meaningful goals, but it will also make you a valuable and dynamic teammate and leader, with the skills to truly set you up for success in your current role and ongoing professional trajectory. Best of luck to you!
About the Author: Nicole Harrison
Originally from Colorado, Nicole is a 2019 graduate of Elon University. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she pursued double majors in Spanish and International Studies with a Latin American concentration, as well as minors in Human Services and Peace and Conflict Studies. Nicole is passionate about national and international development, with a particular focus on early education and language development. During her collegiate career, she explored these interests domestically through several positions as a teaching assistant at programs and schools in Colorado and North Carolina, various tutoring and mentoring opportunities, as well as an internship for a Colorado non-profit. While at Elon, she conducted undergraduate research over the course of two years in order to examine older sibling perceptions of family roles in bilingual households. Though the majority of her time in college was spent at Elon University, Nicole also studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina in Spring of 2018. It was during this time that she further pursued human rights work, while continuing to develop her Spanish language skills, as she interned for the organization Las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. As a Princeton in Latin America Fellow, she worked with the libraries and literacy programs at The DREAM Project from August 2019 until March 2020. The DREAM Project allowed Nicole to continue her learning and engagement within the fields of education and youth development. Now based in Berkeley, CA, she is working as an Editor at Global Americans.