The following is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of my book How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career. For many professionals, advancing your nonprofit career may involve knowing when to leave your current job to pursue new opportunities. Use these tips as a guide to handle your own resignation when you’re ready to move on (and hopefully up). Of course, you’ll find much more in the book to help you navigate your professional journey!

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Sometimes, you start a great nonprofit job, and it’s just not what you expected. Maybe you really love the cause, but it’s the organization itself that’s driving you crazy. You enjoy working with the kids or doing outreach for the homeless, but you don’t think you can go one more day working for an evil jerk of a boss. Perhaps you’re just burned out and ready to try something new. Or, maybe you want to explore other job opportunities with better pay and increased responsibility. Either way, if it’s time for you to quit your nonprofit job, you want to make sure you leave on good terms. Even if it was the nonprofit job from hell.

Here’s how.

Give at least two weeks notice.

In the nonprofit world, it can be pretty tough to find an immediate replacement or staffing solution when someone resigns, so it’s best to offer at least two weeks notice to your employer if you can. In most of my previous nonprofit jobs, I’ve actually given my boss a month’s notice so I could help the organization find my successor. Caveat: If you’re leaving a nonprofit job you have grown to despise, this can be a challenge. Especially if all you want to do is scream, “You can’t fire me; I quit!” at the top of your lungs. But you MUST do this. Really. It is a generally accepted professional courtesy to give your employer at least two weeks to find your replacement. This will also give you ample time to wrap up any projects to hand off to the next employee or delegate to one of your colleagues.

Write a formal resignation letter.

Keep it short and to the point. Leave emotions OUT of it. Make sure you give the effective date of your resignation. As in: “Effective May 15, 2012…” It should be less than one page, typed up and signed by you. Avoid putting in specific details of why you’re leaving in the formal letter. Save that for the exit interview, if there is one. Though it’s supposed to be confidential, the reality is that anything you put in writing can be shared with anyone who happens upon your employee file later. If you do have a grievance to pursue, use the appropriate channels outlined in the employee handbook.

Deliver the news in person.

Send an email to request a face-to-face meeting with your boss to “discuss your future with the organization.” Nothing more needs to be said here. They will have an idea of what you want to meet about. Again, keep this meeting short and to the point – 30 minutes max. Begin by telling them how much you’ve appreciated the opportunity to serve the organization, but it’s time for you to move on. You can insert whatever explanation you want here – you’re leaving to pursue advancement opportunities elsewhere, going back to school, expand your experience with other nonprofits. Whatever you do, don’t say, “I’m leaving because you are certifiably insane and if I work here one more day I will jump out of a window and take you with me!” At the end of the meeting, simply give your boss the resignation letter that you’ve already prepared.

Write a positive farewell email to your stakeholders and colleagues.

During your last days of work, be sure to inform those you’ve been working with for the last months or years. It’s a courtesy to your colleagues to let them know you’re leaving the organization and where they can contact you in the future. Say something along the lines of:

“I’ve learned a lot during my time at Toys for Toddlers, but it’s time for me to move on to a new stage in my career. I appreciate having the opportunity to work with all of you over the last 3 years. Here is my contact information if you wish to stay in touch.”

Again, even if you’re quitting on “bad” terms, just try to be as cordial and professional as possible. It’s a small nonprofit world. If you leave any organization in a huff, people will be talking about you, and not in a good way.