Tag Archive: nonprofit careers

Executive Director position and Professional Development certificate

Two great opportunities came across my desk, and even though I’m currently keeping it real in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, I had to share.

Executive Director, Take a Hike Youth at Risk Foundation

Deadline: June 30

My friend Michelle is becoming a mother, and her position is open. I have a variety of experiences with Take a Hike as a donor, volunteer and event attendee, and they’ve all been fantastic!

This would be a great opportunity for a younger (in age or career) nonprofit professional looking for challenging but well-supported leadership position.

Read the posting on Charity Village here. They are hoping to hire by mid-July for a mid-August start.

SFU Certificate in Dialogue in Civic Engagement

Deadline: July 10

I completed this certificate in April this year, and also developed online curriculum for the first course in the program. I think this program is highly appropriate for activist and advocates, government employees involved in public engagement, citizen organizers, and private sector employees that have a public role in their work – anyone really with an interest in “strategically addressing issues of public concern.”

The people – faculty, staff, and fellow learners – were diverse, experienced, and encouraging, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the program. I was able to use the techniques and principles immediate in my work and was able to explore possible further career interests in dialogue and civic engagement.

Scholarships are available for selected applicants from nonprofit sectors – don’t let the costs stop you from applying.

Read more here.

Posted June 28, 2010
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Nonprofit career tips by and for UBC students

Along with my colleague Roselynn Verwoord, fellow Next Leaders Network steering committee member, I presented on the topic of careers in the nonprofit sector at the latest University of British Columbia Student Leadership Conference (SLC 2010). As a UBC alum, I’ve presented at this conference before – I really enjoy meeting keen students interested in career development and the nonprofit sector.

The top tip I enjoy sharing with students is how a degree does not define you. You do. I demonstrate this by sharing my main post-university jobs (high school teacher, nonprofit gala event manager, and promoter of student engaged citizenship and community-university engagement) and asking what they think my undergrad degree was in. Chemistry and Biology are generally not the first guesses.

The workshop participants brainstormed different tips and resources related to finding employment in the nonprofit sector. They came up with a pile of suggestions in a really tight period of time – many that were new to me. Learning happens in every direction.

Looking for Jobs and Volunteer Roles

Networking and Mentorship

  • Arts Tri-Mentoring/Engineering Tri-Mentoring
  • Joining Clubs/Student Associations (e.g Emerging Leaders Group)
  • Sharing experience with other volunteers
  • Me Inc. – Commerce Conference (external networking)
  • Parents and family friends
  • Volunteer in residence
  • Professors
  • Friends of friends
  • Mailing Lists/talking to people at fairs
  • Make use of relevant LinkedIn groups (Non Profit & Philanthropic Job Board) and Twitter contacts (via Andrea)
  • Research ideal potential employers and conduct an informational interview (check out a WLU informational interviewing booklet) (via Andrea)

Resumes, Cover Letter and Interviews

  • Research company before interview
  • Career services (for help)
  • Hook for cover letter – be interesting
  • Be specific to job description
  • Be unique, passionate (to certain extent)
  • Interviews –
  • be down to earth
  • practice potential q’s
  • confidence
  • Don’t’ answer questions in conventional way
  • Situation, task, action, result, transfer (technique for answering interview q’s)
  • Reveal your transferable skills
  • Be honest

Learning and Workshops

  • Mentoring Programs
  • Involvement Showcase (CSI)
  • Green Book
  • SLC 2010
  • Google
  • Events UBC Site
  • Career Days
  • Community workshops
  • Company workshops
  • Clubs
  • Go Global (Exchange)
  • Read
  • Community centers/resources
  • Research seminars
  • Research the rules are for the part of the sector in which you’re looking (do you need a specific degree?) (via mjfrombuffalo)

Things NOT to Do

  • Don’t pick something you don’t find interesting
  • Don’t lie about your passion
  • Don’t be inconsistent in your approach (e.g. volunteer work can be just as important as paid work)
  • Don’t have ANY visible content online that’s questionable. Always manage your online personal/professional brand. (via Andrea)
  • Bashing – don’t criticize another organization
  • Don’t name drop
  • No assumptions
  • Don’t ask about wages (to begin with, anyway)
  • Don’t be in it for the money
  • Don’t burn bridges
  • Don’t do it just for the sake of your resume

What a fantastic list! You can find more ideas for young nonprofit professionals in Metro Vancouver here, including common mistakes made by new-to-nonprofit job seekers.

Posted February 15, 2010
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A Young Nonprofit Professional’s Guide to Vancouver

Vancouver Skyline

Image Credit: Paul Caputo

New to the Vancouver nonprofit scene?
Young in age or young in career?
Here are some places for you to get yourself started.

  1. Careers
  2. Volunteering
  3. Networking
  4. Professional Development
  5. Learn More About the Sector
  6. Social Media
  7. Mentorship Programs

Got more ideas to add? Great – we’re just getting started! Comment and I’ll plug them into the post.

Careers

Volunteering

Networking

  • Net Tuesdays – a place to meet those interested in social media for social good and learn about current initiatives of local peeps
  • Next Leaders Network – inspired by YNPN in the US, this network includes discounted workshops, newsletters, a private LinkedIn group and social events for the nonprofit sector’s next leaders

Professional Development

Learn More About the Sector (by browsing for free!)

Social Media

Mentorship Programs

Credit: This resource was inspired by Rosetta Thurman’s slideshare about nonprofit professionals in Washington, DC.

Posted August 20, 2009
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3 mistakes of the new-to-nonprofit job seeker

Rosetta Thurman recently wrote an article on the Jobs for Change young professionals section about sabotaging your chances at a great nonprofit job with your cover letter. Her three main points cover the dreaded “Dear Hiring Manager” intro, mixing up the organization name, and finally, not demonstrating any passion. Having conducted a fair number of hiring processes in my current and previous jobs, a few other gems come to mind.

Image Credit: ilco

Business lingo. In both interviews and cover letters, hearing my organization being referred to as a company sends chills up my spine. This may not be offensive to some nonprofit hiring managers, but to stick on the safe side, it’s better to use a term like “organization.” I’ve also been in an interview where the candidate (attempting to move from the private sector to nonprofit) spoke of goals of being a senior VP in 5 years. That’s great and all, but nonprofit senior VP roles are few and far between. Plus, it made her sound corporate, and not in a positive way. Understanding the common use of “ee dee”, or Executive Director, vs the less common CEO is also an important distinction. (I blundered my first nonprofit interview by asking what they meant by “ee dee”. Thankfully, I overcame and still got the job.)

Missing the mission. I want to know that you are a fit for the organization. Memorizing the mission statement is a start, but truly getting “it” could be incredibly important for the organization, depending on the role. As is true for most jobs, skills are only one part of your application–fit is just as or even more important. I usually throw in a ‘toughy’ in an interview that links back to the mission. In my current role where community-campus engagement is important, I often ask candidates why they think it’s important for the university to be engaged with its greater community, and what challenges might arise in doing so. It’s not a question than can easily be prepared for, and the answer can make or break a candidate. Usually, if I can’t find someone with the skills and the mission fit, I wait for someone else to come along who truly is the right person to be on the bus (a la Jim Collins).

Buying into nonprofit myths. If you’re new to the nonprofit sector, talk to friends in the sector, or do some informational interviews. As Rosetta Thurman mentions in a separate post on being clueless in the nonprofit sector:

You can’t be clueless about the nonprofit sector if this is the field you want to work in. There’s more to this line of work than handing out food and bell ringers for the Salvation Army. As a future nonprofit leader, you need to know the unique facets of nonprofits, from their business structures to legal requirements to specific training available. All of the information is out there for you to learn, so there’e no excuse for being a total ditz.

Trust me, no one wants to hire a ditz.

What have you come across in your hiring experience? Or have you made a blunder yourself in a nonprofit application process?

Posted July 2, 2009
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