IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY: AN INSIDE LOOK AT NPOs
NPOs are a world unto themselves, with their own philosophy, language, and way of doing things. For true believers, working for a nonprofit is not just a job or career; it's a passion, a mission. They're making a statement. They're all about improving the quality of life (cleaning up the environment), ending disease (finding a cure for AIDS), advocating a cause (ending apartheid, wiping out illiteracy), and more.
Success for PMOs is measured in dollars; for NPOs, it s accomplishing a goal or achieving a purpose. No wonder the two don't understand each other. The key to success in an NPO is total dedication to an ideal. That's a far cry from devoting practically all your waking hours to making affordable widgets-and a pile of dough.
Fast Facts about Nonprofits
There are plenty of nonprofits from which to choose. Consider these compelling facts culled from the Independent Sector, a research organization based in Washington, DC:
- More than 1 million nonprofit organizations operate in the United States. Between 1977 and the present, nonprofits' share of total employment increased from 8.5 percent (8.8 million) to 10.4 percent (14.4 million).
- NPOs depend more on highly educated workers than do PMOs.
- More than half of total full- and part-time employment in NPOs is in the professional and executive/managerial occupational groups.
- Nearly 90 percent of all full-time jobs in NPOs fall under five broad occupational groups; professional specialty administrative support, managerial and administrative, service, and technical and related support.
Below are the top nonprofit organizations, ranked by number of people employed:
- Health services
- Nursing
- Hospitals and personal-care facilities
- Outpatient-care and allied services
- Educational/research
- Private elementary and secondary schools
- Private colleges and universities
- Other (libraries, correspondence schools, and educational ser vices)
- Noncommercial educational, scientific, and research organizaTions
- Religious organizations
- Social and legal services
- Individual and family services
- Job training and related services
- Child day-care services
- Residential-care services
- Civic, social, and fraternal organizations
- Arts and culture
- Radio and TV broadcasting
- Producers and entertainers
- Orchestras
- Museums
- Botanical and zoological gardens
- Foundations
Unfortunately, NPOs don't keep track of the number of volunteers they hire for paying jobs. I've heard countless stories of a volunteer winding up with a paying job through sheer accident. The more turned on they were by the work, the more committed they became.
Five or six hours of volunteer time escalated to 10, 15, and 20 hours. Within a year's time, the volunteer was in a full-time salaried position.
NPOs like to promote from within. If a position opens up and you happen to be a well-liked, self-motivated workaholic warrior, you stand an excellent chance of being offered a job. There are no guarantees, but the odds are excellent.
There are other pluses to volunteering. Uppermost, it's a great way to find out how an NPO works. If you're willing to roll up your sleeves and pitch in, you can sample a smorgasbord of jobs-from addressing envelopes to cold-call fund raising to writing grants. Think of volunteering as an apprenticeship. Many nonprofits work volunteers harder than staffers. Understaffed nonprofits will jump at the chance to exploit your talents.
Before you even consider a paying job with an NPO, find out if you enjoy working there. Check out the people, bureaucracy, politics, and culture. Like PMOs, each nonprofit has its own culture. As a rule, small underfunded NPOs tend to be more aggressive, open-minded, and less bureaucratic than sprawling international ones. If you're a hyperkinetic dynamo, you can bolt through the ranks quickly. The best way to earn star status is by writing a brilliant grant that captures a few million dollars.
You may find that you love the cause, but are not impressed with the organization. Next move: Check out another NPO promoting the same cause.
Lastly, whether you move on or stay on to land a paying job; volunteering plugs you into a vast network of leads and contacts.
A UNIVERSE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO CHOOSE FROM
Finding the NPO that matches the cause you're passionate about isn't difficult. There is no shortage of NPOs and you don't have to look far to find them. The choices range from giants like the YMCA or YWCA, March of Dimes, CARE, and American Lung Association to prestigious advocacy groups such as the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the National Audubon Society. There are also headline-grabbing feisty organizations like the well-publicized Amnesty International of the USA, the worldwide organization protecting human rights, as well as hundreds of grassroots projects. If you enjoy working with teenagers, there's the Boys and Girls Club of America. About 1450 local chapters operate throughout the United States, serving 1.83 million youngsters, ages 6 to 18. If drug prevention is a pet cause, look to Phoenix House, Daytop Village, or a similar organization.
That's for starters. Once you do some homework, you'll discover it's easier than you think to match cause and NPO. You get the idea. Practically every cause has an NPO serving it.
There are even national services that will do your homework for you and match you to a suitable NPO. Two such respected organizations are the Volunteers of America and the Points of Light Foundation in Washington, DC. One of the largest human services agencies, Volunteers of America (founded in 1896) offers a raft of programs for children, families, the elderly, criminals, alcohol and drug abusers, and people with mental and physical disabilities.
'Points of Light' was created during the Bush administration to tackle social problems. Its network of volunteer centers throughout the United States helps communities mobilize people for charitable service.
Additionally, most large cities have volunteer referral centers, which are actually clearinghouses that match people to nonprofit organizations. Finally, check the yellow, white, and blue pages of your telephone directory. Under the heading "Volunteer," you'll find a variety of federal, state, and city agencies.
NONPROFITS AREN'T PERFECT
A last word. No matter how noble the cause, NPOs, like PMOs, aren't perfect. They're run by fallible humans. Start out separating the organization from its cause and you won't be disillusioned. Whether it's a tiny save-the-world NPO run by former hippies who think Woodstock was cosmic or a sprawling mega-agency headed by straight-laced, clean-shaven former government bureaucrats, expect in-fighting, foot-dragging, and backstabbing. Politics are part of the organizational game.
