Temp Your Way to Your Next Nonprofit Job

These days, I meet many young nonprofit professionals who are in-between jobs. They’re going to happy hours trying to find leads to their next job, using their online networks to figure out who’s hiring, and sending their resume to everyone they know. They’re volunteering for good causes and visiting old high school friends in their abundance of free time. In short, they are doing everything but working. If you’re unemployed right now and in the midst of a job search, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a temporary job to bring in the Benjamins while you look for your next permanent gig.

Especially if you are a recent grad who needs nonprofit experience for your resume, I would encourage you to consider temping, short-term jobs found through a staffing agency, instead of spending a month working at Starbucks.

Benefits of Temporary Work

It’s temporary. Most assignments last from a few hours, days, or weeks, making it flexible for you to interview elsewhere and accept a full-time job as soon as you find one.
You can earn cash at the same time you’re looking for a salaried job.
You can use your temp assignments at various nonprofits to enhance your experience in the field.
It prevents gaps in employment on your resume.
You can expand your nonprofit network by meeting lots of different people through various assignments.
It can help you figure out what type of nonprofit you want to work in. No strings attached means you can leave at any time if you just don’t like the work or the organization.
One of your short-term assignments could turn into a full-time job! Many nonprofits will end up hiring a temp on permanently if they really like you and your work. So, always do a great job.

Here are a few temp agencies that are specifically targeted to nonprofit jobs. Be sure to update your resume before sending it to a staffing firm! This will ensure that you will be placed in a temp assignment that utilizes the best of your skills.

Nonprofit Temp Agencies

Professionals for Nonprofits

Careers in Nonprofits

Nonprofit Staffing Solutions

Jobs in Nonprofits

http://elizabethallencampbell.wordpress.com Elizabeth

Thank you so much for this! It's really going to be helpful for me after I graduate.
Nick

Good advice. I temped my way into my first fulltime nonprofit job.
Hue

After months of not being able to find work after graduation, I decided to start working with an administrative staffing agency to bring in some money. It definitely helped me realized the types of jobs I was not willing to settle for and pushed me to continue my search for jobs that will help me grow personally and professionally.
Rhonda

After a restructuring, we hired a temp to handle our membership program and ended up hiring her as our first f/t membership coordinator.
http://www.rosettathurman.com/ Rosetta Thurman

Awesome! I think it's important for people to realize that there are other avenues to finding a nonprofit job than just applying for open positions.
http://www.rosettathurman.com/ Rosetta Thurman

Thanks for sharing your experience. Temping is definitely a great way to get some cash and experience at the same time. Sounds like you got some ideas for where you did NOT want to work as well.
http://www.rosettathurman.com/ Rosetta Thurman

Great story. The thing about temping is that it allows potential employees to “prove themselves” for the job. Glad it worked out for your organization!
http://www.rosettathurman.com/2010/09/advice-from-twitter-9-ways-to-find-a-nonprofit-job/ Advice from Twitter: 9 Ways to Find a Nonprofit Job | Rosetta Thurman

[...] you’re unemployed right now and in the midst of a nonprofit job search, taking a temporary job will allow you to earn both money and experience while you look for your next permanent gig. [...]
http://bloggingforbranding.com/how-to-craft-a-blog-narrative/ How to Craft a Blog Narrative | Blogging for Branding

[...] Temp Your Way to Your Next Nonprofit Job [...]
Anonymous

I did a lot of temping in DC when between jobs. Plenty of places do hire permanent staff that way, but even the short term work is worth it. I learned a lot by working at corporate offices, associations, a federal agency and event planning companies. It was a nice way to see how these places work, even though they would have been poor fits for the long term. You’d be surprised what ends up being useful to you later. And my Excel skills got awfully sharp!

A few DC companies that advertise themselves as being focused on political or nonprofit jobs were really disappointing, varying from disorganized to difficult to work with. The best company I dealt with was Trak, which doesn’t specialize in nonprofits but certainly has them among their clients. And, speaking from a supervisor’s perspective, I love when entry level applicants already know office basics. Saves me time getting them up to speed on the nuts and bolts side of the job.