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Volunteering and your career

Read more about volunteering as an entry point to a nonprofit career in Chapter 5, "Becoming a Stronger Candidate," in our Idealist Guides to Nonprofit Careers for First-Time Job Seekers and for Sector Swtichers.

Career benefits of volunteering

Nonprofit hiring managers identify volunteer experience as highly valuable in job candidates and a great way to transition into nonprofit work.

While volunteering may not always lead directly to a position with the organization you're volunteering with, you will reap benefits from your experience, including:

  • Expanded networks, both personal and professional. People already working in your target field are great sources of information about job openings, affinity organizations, and people you should meet. You can approach your volunteer supervisor to serve as a job reference for you.
  • New and transferable skills. Volunteering will help you develop new job skills as well as apply current skills in new ways. For example a mid-career professional who has worked in concert promotions can volunteer for a nonprofit and use their promotions skills to benefit fundraising and other mission-based events. A college student accustomed to researching for school can serve research an issue or demographic for a nonprofit.
  • Career exploration. Volunteering allows you to try on different organizations, roles, issues, etc. (see the five lenses framework without job-hopping. Note that volunteering isn't the same as being on staff, but volunteering can expose you to the work of organizations in a deeper way than job shadows, informational interviewing, and other experiences.
  • Track record of work on a specific cause. Nonprofits value dedication to their issue area. By turning your values into action, you will demonstrate to hiring managers that you are committed to — and educated about — their issues of social and environmental concern.
  • Read more about how volunteering can benefit your career in our Volunteer Resource Center.

Volunteerism resources on Idealist

  • Volunteer Resource Center
    Your starting place for learning more about and finding great volunteer opportunities around the globe—whether you're looking to get involved in your own neighborhood or thousands of miles (or kilometers) away.
  • Volunteer Management Resource Center
    Volunteer management professionals do challenging and rewarding work and we here at Idealist are committed to supporting you with resources, tools, and networking opportunities. Check out the sections in this resource center for current research, best practices, tools, and ideas.