Posted 7/24/21
As a nonprofit professional who has successfully made a career transition from the for-profit sector, (and the road was not without a few bumps along the way), I often receive questions regarding how I changed careers and what was my experience. To many, the nonprofit world is unique, and they wonder if a change would work for them. This has been especially true more recently as the COVID pandemic seems to have given people a chance to reevaluate their careers and consider a change. My particular experience was not due to the pandemic, but another difficult time, the Great Recession (2008-2009), which gave me the opportunity to make a move. I was fortunate to land a temporary position and eventually became full-time as a fundraising manager with the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.
There are some differences between the for-profit and nonprofit, and it depends on each individual whether it will work or not. I can only speculate on the myriad of reasons for choosing either the business or nonprofit career path, but I can share some unanticipated observations from a person with a business background. Some were based on differences in the laws governing operations, and others based on the motivation of wanting to help those in need.
If asked, I would identify the following as initial questions requiring an open-mind and willingness to learn a different way of operating to fit nonprofit organizations:
First, before I touch upon the unanticipated observations within nonprofit organizations, one would be the choice between doing good work and making more money. (While there are many who have found profitability and personal satisfaction in the business world, the focus here is on those considering a change to the nonprofit for more personal fulfillment). In essence, are you willing to accept the possibility of less money for a sense of satisfaction related to doing good work? This is a very personal decision so it would be difficult to advise either way. Compensation in either type of organization can run the gamut, however, for the purposes of this blog, it can be somewhat of a surprise if you receive a lower than expected salary offer from the nonprofit, when your personal profitability is more important. Again, it is a personal decision as I have seen so many working in the nonprofit completely happy with long-term careers, while others from the for-profit had different expectations and returned to business. (There is no intended judgement either way, it is a personal preference). There is no doubt that the mission can provide true fulfillment and work satisfaction, while those coming from business may appreciate the ability to make more money. I have met several in business who have found both. My goal is to alert those considering the move to take a long personal look at the decision between working for a great cause or for personal profitability.
Another adjustment, especially regarding my situation, is the belief that sales skills and experience translate well to fundraising. I will touch upon this point several times throughout this blog because the responsibilities are similar, but not the same. I have seen some sales people make the adjustments and thrive in fundraising, whereas there have also been others who returned to sales because they could not make the proper adjustments, or achieve long-term donor relationships. Please check out the entries in the “Fundraising Strategies” category (in the above menu) for more information.
One other adjustment that I will mention here (although there are several more), involves working with volunteers. This is very different from working with paid staff members. How much can you ask volunteers to do, giving of their own time? How motivated are they to do a good job? How do you ask or teach them to promote and raise funds for the mission, or get them engaged in fundraising? Every organization is grateful for volunteers as they have a positive impact on the bottom line and mission, but how do you work with them if you have never done it before? The subject of volunteers will surface in other entries, but for now, there are few direct business skills that translate to volunteer management, so it requires some adjustments for those moving from the for-profit. (I was fortunate enough to learn from some quality volunteer managers).