Making a Career Out of Making a Difference

Nonprofit careers are more compelling than you might think

We need your leadership. Social change has always resulted from the caring and courageous acts of many, not the inspiration of a few. We can’t wait for others to address the educational, economic, health, environment, and civic needs of our community – we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.

People can work for positive community and social change in the private, public or nonprofit sector. However, the nonprofit sector is the sector most positioned to work for change. It is through nonprofits, where people come together as “citizens” to solve problems, work for the common good, serve their communities, and advocate for solutions and social change.

Yet, nonprofit organizations are struggling to attract and retain the talent we need to address the many issues facing our society and to empower and mobilize more members of our communities to get engaged.

The nonprofit sector is undergoing a major leadership transition as a generation of leaders moves toward retirement – 640,000 new nonprofit leaders will be needed over the next decade.  And on the front lines, the sector is struggling to attract the diverse young talent that will form that leadership pipeline.

Myth #1: The Nonprofit Sector is small and insignificant

Myth #2: The Nonprofit Sector offers limited career opportunities

Myth #3: The Nonprofit Sector does not have good jobs

Myth #4: The Nonprofit Sector does not pay well

Myth #1: The Nonprofit Sector is small and insignificant

During the past two decades, the nonprofit sector has grown faster than business.

The Nonprofit Sector employs 14 million Americans. More than 1.1 million nonprofit organizations employ 11% of the US workforce. More people work in nonprofits than in construction, utilities, and entertainment, combined. In Milwaukee, where we are headquartered, 76,000 people work in the nonprofit sector, and 240,000 work in nonprofits in the state of Wisconsin.

While 80% of nonprofits have revenues less than $1 million, many have revenues exceeding $10 million and even $100 million. The wide array of nonprofit organizations include hospitals and health care centers, schools, universities and research centers, community organizing, social advocacy, human service and community development organizations, and religious institutions and houses of worship.

Myth #2: The Nonprofit Sector offers limited career opportunities

Nonprofits offer a wide range of job opportunities

The nonprofit sector needs many of the same skill sets that any growing, successful business would need. Nonprofits employ many different kinds of professionals with a variety of educational backgrounds. Beyond performing services, organizing communities, and advocating for social change, nonprofits need a variety of functions and skills to operate effectively:

Managerial, Human Resources, Accounting, Legal, Research and Evaluation, Mass Communications/ Public Relations, Marketing, Graphic Design, Technical Writing, Information Technology, Education (including Adult Education), Social Work, Public Policy/Lobbying

Nonprofit organizations hire people with a variety of educational backgrounds and degrees. One of the fastest growing degrees in the country are nonprofit MBAs. At Public Allies national office alone, we employ people with the following undergraduate and graduate degrees:

Undergraduate Degrees: Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Political Science, English Literature, Music, International Relations, African and African American Studies, Accounting

Graduate Degrees: Nonprofit Management, Organizational Development, Political Science, Liberal Studies, Cultural Anthropology,   Business Administration

Myth #3: The Nonprofit Sector does not have good jobs

Nonprofits offer the kind of work opportunities young people want

Research shows that young people today want jobs that offer challenging, interesting work,  

the chance to help people, and the opportunity to learn new skills. The nonprofit sector offers the kinds of jobs that young people want, and an increasing number competitive pay and benefits.

Nonprofit employees are less likely than private or public sector employees to say that their work is boring, their job is a dead-end with no future, and were more likely to say that they are given a chance to do the things they do best. Compared to public and private sector workers, nonprofit employees are more likely to say that:

1. They took their job for the chance to help the public, make a difference, do something worthwhile, and be proud of their work
2. They can personally see how their contributions help the organization achieve its mission
3. The people they work with are competent, open to new ideas, willing to help other employees learn new skills, and are concerned about achieving the organization’s mission
4. They feel proud about where they work, trust their organization to do the right thing, and characterize their organization as innovative, helpful, fair and trustworthy

While nonprofit organizations can also be challenging, those challenges are not significantly different than the private sector when you compare nonprofits to businesses of the same size. Many smaller nonprofits have limited infrastructure, training and support for employees, and compensation, but so do small businesses. An increasing number of nonprofit organizations are paying more attention to the support and retention of young talent.

#4: The Nonprofit Sector does not pay well

Nonprofits can offer good compensation and benefits

Working for nonprofit organizations does not mean being poor. Unlike the humorous Onion headline “Nonprofit Organization Fights Poverty with Poverty,” many nonprofit organizations provide competitive pay and benefits for many positions.

A recent survey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for example, is illuminating. Milwaukee has a relatively low cost of living and is a city where the average worker earns $41,225 and the average white collar worker earns $51,293. found that the average nonprofit Executive Director earned $90,750 and that the top 10% of Executive Directors earned over $215,301. The average salary for a COO/Deputy Director was $75,587, Director of Development (fundraising) $59,051, CFO/Controller $63,272, Human Resources Manager $57,803, Director of Marketing and Communications $51,480, Program Director $56,846, IT Manager $69,389, and Program Worker (entry level) $35,214. Many nonprofit organizations, including Public Allies, also offer competitive benefits, including generous vacation and leave benefits, health care, matching retirement funds, educational support, and more.