Great question, Ike! Are you looking specifically for best practices information or financial resources? Thanks!

Hello Erin,
I am looking for some volunteer opportunities and Best practices for HR or volunteer management.
Please , throw some light on these.

Thanks for your post, Vandana! You may want to check out our resource centers for these two fields: the Nonprofit Human Resources Center (http://www.idealist.org/hrp/index.html) and the Volunteer Management Resource Center (http://www.idealist.org/en/vmrc/index.html) Also, to search for volunteer opportunities on Idealist, you might want to start here: http://www.idealist.org/if/as/vol. Hope this helps!

Erin

Good day.

First and foremost, I'd like to underline how great this entire site is. It's conforting on many levels to see that there is so much positive energy being invested in building a better world.

I am writing because I find myself in a situation which, I am certain, I am not alone in, but have a rather difficult time finding a way out. I am a young professional. I graduated in 2006 with a B.Sc. in Business. Since then, I have searched long and hard for NPO's who might need someone with my finance/marketing/international trade background but, so far, have knocked my head hard against positions that required Master's degrees. Consequently, I have found myself limited to working for big brokers and, though it certainly looks nice on a resume, I cannot help but feel the strain between corporate values and my own. I have held two positions working for brokers in the past year and a half, but I find myself unable to play along with those values and sooner or later I drop out of there.

Is there any way that I might get my foot in the door with an NPO so that I may grow within such organizations? All in all, it usually seems as though they are either looking for volunteers or Master's graduates, with nothing in between. This is where it begins to be frustrating and I start to wonder how on Earth I will follow this path which suits my values but which does not seem to have any need for me.

How do I get my foot in the door?

Please help?

Hi Huby,

The good news is that there is definitely a need for your skills in the nonprofit sector. However, the bad news is that it might take some time. In our work with nonprofit hiring managers, we’ve found that an overwhelming majority of them recruit from their volunteers and interns, or candidates who come with a personal referral. This speaks to the need for a new nonprofit hire to be able to hit the ground running, fit well with the organization, and have a demonstrated passion for the mission and the work. You may be able to do all of the above, but unless either the organization knows you or someone who knows the organization knows you…you’re still an unknown quantity. Networking (volunteering, intentional interning, informational interviews, networking events, etc.) is key in the nonprofit sector (and everywhere else!) to finding a job.

Regarding positions requiring a graduate degree, I’d suggest you look more at entry-level positions as a great way to get your foot in the door and show organizations the value you’ll bring. Since you’re a recent graduate without much nonprofit experience, you should focus your job search on entry-level positions, and find time to work in other ways to show your commitment to the sector and/or the organization, like volunteering or interning. Volunteering and interning will help you gain skills and experience, find organizations that you enjoy working with, show your passion for an issue area, and get to know people in the sector. If there is a particular organization you’d like to work with, this could be a great opportunity to approach them, propose a project, and make sure that your skills are being put to good use. Volunteering and interning are definitely not synonymous with “free labor” anymore! For more information on skilled volunteering and intentional interning, this section of the Volunteer Management Resource Center will provide a good overview, albeit from an organizational point of view: http://www.idealist.org/en/vmrc/resources/boardskilled.html#skilled

While it may be difficult to break into the sector, being able to find a combination of passion, paycheck, and purpose makes it all worth it!

Huby, Meg has some excellent comments. What kind of job do you want? Is it realistic? I'd think about asking some of the folks in those jobs how they got there, what is their background. What was their first job? (In other words, start to connect and also research.) Often I find that new grads overestimate the kind of opportunities that are available to them in npos. Internships and other fabulous experiences may set someone up to think that their first job will be similar. Frequently internship includes a lot of "cherry picking" of assignments, the interesting things that eager volunteers will do, not necessarily the everyday slog that employees get to do!

Think outside the box, what kind of organizations are you looking at? Do they need your combination of skills? Marketing is huge for non-profits, it is often merged with fundraising. (Which can include analysis similar to financial analysis for proposals etc.) Are you applying for the right jobs?

Good luck

Pandora

The HR Council for the Voluntary and Non-profit Sector (HR Council) recently relaunched their website, www.hrcouncil.ca. The site is home to the popular HR Toolkit, a comprehensive online resource designed to help managers, employees and board members better understand, address and manage issues relating to HR in voluntary and non-profit organizations.

Whether you're looking for guidance on the hiring process, information about employment legislation or sample HR policies to download, the HR Toolkit's intuitive navigation, plain language and integrated tools and templates make it easy to find what you're looking for.

Check out the HR Toolkit at http://www.hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/home.cfm

Hi there,
There are many people who are interested in working within the Nonprofit arena. But do you know how to discern which organization is a healthy one and would be able to sustain you? Is there a particular "industry" within nonprofits you want to work for? Do you know what the term "nonprofit" means vs. tax-exempt or charity?

Because I am asked these questions so very often, I'm offering some teleseminars on "Navigating Nonprofits." They are complimentary and my desire is to familiarize individuals with the baseline understanding of what it is you are getting yourself into. What is the reality of the nonprofit leader? What about the board? How does that work?

They are posted in the events section. I also have nonprofit resource links on my resource page. I wish you all well in our joint ventures to make this world a better place.
Warmly,
Kayte Connelly CCP
www.bestprincipledsolutions.com
kayte@bestprincipledsolutions.com

Erin,

I am pleased to learn more about this topic.
I would like to know if you have any recommendations in regard to a nom profit HR and Volunteer management policy?
Please let me know.
Samuel watulatsu,
fdncuganda@yahoo.com

Hi, my new employer has around 12 employees and about 4 different categories of employees, Perm. FT, Perm PT, Perm seasonal, Temporary (not through a staffing agencies). My questions is how long can someone stay categorized as Temporary?and can you be termed seasonal and stay on the payroll 365 days?