Want to Find a Job in Nonprofit Program Management? Try These Volunteer Opportunities

Joining the nonprofit sector is a great way to find a career with meaning. But what if you’re a sector switcher, or just don’t have the experience you need to find the job you want?

It’s an age-old problem that consistently plagues job seekers, and prevents them from being able to share transferable skills and knowledge to a social good organization. Luckily, nonprofits often value a variety of experiences and skillsets, recognizing that two of the most important things to have on your resume are a genuine interest in a particular cause area and a willingness to learn as you go. If we only ever hired folks with the same experience on their applications, how would we grow as organizations, develop collaborative teams, or train the next generation of social-impact leaders?

Previous experience with volunteering is just one of the ways hiring managers gauge heart and interest on an applicant’s resume. If you’ve spent time selflessly supporting a certain mission, then they can bet you’ll bring that same passion to a paid position.

Today, we’re focusing on one career path that you can follow at most organizations, which is program management. To develop relevant experience without having a paid position on your resume, check out some of the volunteer opportunities we’ve rounded up below:

Why find a job in nonprofit program management? 

Programs professionals are crucial for many nonprofits, especially those dedicated to direct service. If an organization wants to have a tangible impact for the community it serves, it needs staff members to determine where the most need is, how to help, and—perhaps most importantly—how to make sure the work actually gets done. 

This takes a dedicated professional who wants to be hands-on at their organization and regularly interact with clients and/or supporters. So how can you get the experience to land the gig?

Develop relevant programs experience with these types of volunteer opportunities

Often, the job listings for nonprofit program management roles emphasize a desire for candidates to have experience leading an event series, managing other people, training staff, or developing proposals and reports about program effectiveness.

If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll want to find a volunteer opportunity that allows you to dip your toes into these areas of the job first. For job seekers with a bit more experience, consider which gaps are represented on your resume and focus on the volunteer listings that can help fill them.

Start by navigating to Idealist’s Volunteer Listing search page, which allows you to filter tens of thousands of opportunities by cause area, skill level, location, and more. By selecting “program management” from the “skills” filter, you’ll find a variety of opportunities that may appeal to you. Here a few search terms to narrow down that list even further:

1. Events

New to programs work? Start by volunteering at an event or event series to learn from program directors who will instruct you on what to do. You’ll likely gain experience setting up events, interacting with vendors, talking to clients or donors about the value of the organization’s mission, and more!

2. Management

If you’re worried about not having experience with managing others, consider finding a volunteer position that allows you to lead a team or manage a group of volunteers. Pay special attention to the volunteer opportunities that will provide you with experience facilitating meetings, leading special sessions, and coordinating between volunteers or departments.

3. Training

Job seekers with a bit more experience in nonprofit programs may want to focus on honing communication or leadership skills; for this reason, finding a volunteer opportunity in program management that focuses on training will help fill gaps on your resume and showcase your people-to-people skills. Narrow down the search results by selecting cause areas where you have prior career experience—this will help you step into leadership roles that allow you to gain leadership or management experience, such as by training new volunteers or creating shift schedules.

4. Reporting

It’s possible that previous jobs didn’t provide you with the chance to develop reports, measure impact, or draft proposals for new programs that could really support an organization’s mission. If that’s the case, here’s your chance to develop the skills you need to highlight impact in a clear way. Search for volunteer opportunities that allow you to prepare and manage budgets, gain financial literacy, assist with data entry, and track impact stories.

Nonprofit program management is such an important part of our sector, and joining the department as a volunteer is a natural way to see how everything works. For those of us who want to follow this career path from the ground up, or simply fill skill gaps before officially starting a job search, I hope the above search result pages help you narrow down volunteer opportunities until you find the right one for you. 

Happy volunteering!