Making a nonprofit job work

So you've made the decision: You want to work in nonprofits.
More, you're going to build a career serving the public good -- committing your energy to a "public benefits corporation," as one analyst calls these groups. The question is: How do you keep from becoming a virtual volunteer, with low pay and no opportunities for advancement? The answer is simple and somewhat philosophical.
The simple strategy is to treat this career path like any other. Get educated, stay connected and watch for opportunities. If things aren't working out in one organization, gather your courage and move to another. And, while that strategy works, there is a complication: It may not work for you.
If you're drawn to nonprofit work, you may be more passionate about a cause than you are about income or status. If that describes you, your success won't be measured in salary or title but in how much you can contribute or get done.
When you combine this kind of worker with the perpetual lack of resources in the nonprofit arena, you create the perfect formula for burnout, exploitation and resentment. And that's no way to structure a job, much less a career.
Tips to make it work
Your best defense is also your best offense. Follow these steps to prevent dissatisfaction while also carving out a path to the work you want in the nonprofit world.
Know your motivators and stressors. Patricia Wilder, director of the Center for Nonprofit Management in Minneapolis, counsels job seekers to know themselves well before joining this sector. For example, those with low tolerance for financial risk should steer clear of jobs that are based on short-term funding grants.
Seek training. Programs are available at all levels to strengthen skills crucial to nonprofit work, including fund raising, management, volunteer recruitment and public speaking. Sharp skills will increase your mobility in this sector.
Strengthen relationships. Sean Kershaw, executive director of the Citizens League in Minneapolis, says maintaining integrity in relationships is a key career move.
"Part of career-building is remembering that you're likely to be in another job soon," he says. "People move around more, and you'll run into them over and over. In no part of this should people think they can let something sloppy happen. Integrity matters a lot."
The big picture
Be willing to step back. In building a nonprofit career, recognize that more is not always better. Sometimes the bigger position comes with more responsibility but less authority, as in the case of an executive director with a very controlling board of directors. A move up can also mean a move away from the direct service that attracted you to the field. Evaluate each opportunity not only for title or income, but also for the core duties and their match to your personal goals.
Manage your money. Reduce the impact of changing jobs or taking a pay cut by keeping a tight rein on your finances. If you stabilize your finances, you will have more freedom to follow your heart.
Matter of perspective
Keep your perspective. A Lutheran pastor in St. Paul has developed this view about the long hours his job requires: "It's more of an attitude in how you look at your work.
"I don't count hours," he says. "I begin by looking at this church as my home, and I know I have to sacrifice some of my time if I'm going to get something back. Other people are giving up their time, too. There are people who work a 40-hour week elsewhere, and then they sing in the choir and serve on committees. They'll put in another 20 hours here."
Revel in the tradeoffs. Wilder, a veteran of several nonprofit agencies, says her current position "is the first one where I didn't have to paint my own walls." In fact, she said, it's the first one where she didn't have to beg her own desk from a donor and wrestle it into the office from her car.
And yet, in her "cushier" spot managing a nonprofit center for the University of St. Thomas, she now has to follow more rules and wait for things to happen on the university's schedule. Autonomy or furniture? Each has its value for Wilder, and she has learned to appreciate the tradeoffs in each nonprofit venture she undertakes.
XAmy Lindgren, the owner of a career-consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn., can be reached at alindgren@pioneerpress.com.