11 Tips for a Successful Nonprofit Job Search

January 19, 2012 by · 1 Comment

Now that you have your 2012 nonprofit career plan, you may have realized that it’s time to start looking for a new nonprofit job. If you’re planning to transition to a new position this year, it can be daunting to know where to start, especially if you’re coming from the corporate world or changing roles after a few years. Yes, the doom and gloom monsters are all over the place talking about how bad the economy and the job market is, but keep in mind that nonprofits are still hiring, even more than for-profits are. And there is still turnover in the sector – people leave jobs all the time to move on to something else. So your dream nonprofit job could be open right now!

Here are a few ideas for how you might go about launching a successful search if you’re seeking a nonprofit job right now or in the near future.

1. Get Clear on What You’re Good At

What unique value would you bring to the organizations you want to work for? Once you are clear on what your strengths are, the easier it is to sell yourself during the application and interview process. Here are some tools to use:

  • VIA Character Strengths Assessment (it’s free to take the survey with email registration). It’s a long questionnaire (240 questions) but it will help clarify your top five signature strengths that you should be using in your work as much as possible.
  • StrengthsFinder 2.0 is an assessment tool to that aims to uncover what your true talents are. I believe you have to buy the book to access the tool, but many nonprofit professionals I have worked with have found the process helpful.
Once you determine your strengths, you can begin to outline what sort of work you’d really be good at and what skills you still want to learn to help you reach your long-term nonprofit career goals. Hint: The ideal position would probably be a mix of those two things.

2. Figure Out What Kind of Organization You Want to Work For

The key is to seek out organizations whose work you’re passionate about and whose mission aligns with your personal mission in life. That may mean sticking to particular causes that you have a personal interest in or a strong affinity with. Because when the going gets tough (and it will, believe me), the one thing that will save you from going completely bonkers is your connection to the work. Restrict your job search to work that matters to you. Your passion will shine through even before you get the position.

Start by making a list of organizations whose mission you can get behind. These can be groups you’ve collaborated or partnered with in your current or previous position, nonprofits your colleagues recommend or agencies you come across through an online search. Then, do your research. Are there similar organizations? What sets this one apart? How do people talk about the organization? What is the culture like?

Once you know what sort of organization you would like to work for, it becomes a different ball game in terms of positioning yourself for a place in that organization. You goal is to do what it takes to make yourself the inside candidate.

3. Update Your Resume

What jobs or volunteer roles have you held in the past year? Add your experiences as bullet points on your resume. Also list any leadership roles you’ve held as a board member or as part of a professional association. If you have a job now, be sure to add or revise your position description under your current job experience, especially if your responsibilities have changed. Did your job title change? Be sure to update that, too!

Just don’t make the mistake of simply listing everything you’ve ever done in your previous positions, all the way down to making copies as an intern and mopping the floors as a restaurant worker in college. You may think you have to fill in space on your resume if you don’t have much experience, but take comfort in the fact that it’s not so much about how many years of experience you’ve had, but what you’ve accomplished in each particular position you’ve held. Don’t focus on duties; focus on accomplishments instead.

4. Create a LinkedIn Profile

If you’re looking for a new job in the nonprofit world and you’re not on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a TON of openings, leads, connections and opportunities. It’s an easy way to get your name ranked favorably in Google search as well as an avenue to meet other nonprofit leaders in your community. LinkedIn is also great for getting the attention of hiring managers and headhunters as 86% of recruiters use social media to research applicants.

Once you join LinkedIn, be sure to fill in your profile completely with a picture, your resume and a brief bio. You want to let potential employers know who you are, what you’ve done and what you’re looking for as the next step in your career.

5. Always Carry Business Cards

Business cards are still the numero uno way of marketing yourself and exchanging information when you’re in an in-person networking situation. Especially if you’re currently unemployed, you want people to have a way to contact you if they come across any job leads. My favorite place for business cards is Vistaprint. I’ve used them for the past 10 years because of their low cost, easy-to-use website and quick delivery. And when I say low cost, I mean low cost. New customers get 250 premium quality, color business cards free! You just pay for shipping.  Click here to order yours. They also have a ton of professional business card templates, but I always keep mine very simple. Other people swear by MOO Business Cards. I’ve heard good things about people using them, especially their mini cards. And the people who love them really love them. They’re more expensive, but the designs they have are beautiful and more sophisticated than anything Vistaprint offers.

You never know when you’re going to be at a happy hour or conference and find yourself chatting up the CEO of a nonprofit you would die to work for. In the worst case scenario that you forget your cards, be sure to ask for THEIR business card so that you can follow-up. And, please DO follow-up within 24-48 hours, while the memory of your remarkable presence is still fresh in their minds.

6. Explicitly Ask Your Network for Leads

I’ve heard of people getting nonprofit jobs in all sorts of ways – through volunteering, attending events, their dad’s best friend on Facebook – the list goes on and on. But what many people don’t realize is the simple power of asking people you already know for help.

When I first came to DC as a recent college grad, I was desperately seeking a nonprofit job that paid enough so I didn’t have to live with a roommate. I sent emails to my family, friends, and professors asking them to help me if they could. In the process, I found out that one of my cousins worked for one of the largest nonprofit associations in the city (and just happened to have an Executive Assistant opening) and that one of my professors had a contact at the United Way, one of the places I wanted to work. You may find that you have dozens of “hidden” connections like this within your own “inner circle” of people that you know. The point is to open the doors of opportunity for yourself by letting people know you need help finding a nonprofit job. Especially if they already know you and what an amazing person you are, they will be more than happy to assist you in your search if they are able.

If you don’t want to announce to the whole world that you’re looking for a new gig, it’s best to contact a group of select colleagues via email. You should definitely use your work contacts (excluding your boss) as resources for your job search. Let them know that you’re exploring new career opportunities and you would love their help if they come across any positions that fit your expertise and interests. Be sure to also attach a copy of your resume so they can pass it along to folks who may be interested in hiring you. Your network can be your most powerful ally in job searching before you leave your current job.

7. Have Relevant Writing Samples Ready

You know the drill. Often when you’re applying to a nonprofit job, the organization will ask you to provide a writing sample as part of your application. Why do they want a sample of your writing? To ensure that you don’t write like an 8-year old and they can trust you to pump out basic correspondence on behalf of the organization. Nonprofits also like to see writing samples from applicants to see if shows that you’ve done anything remotely related to the job you’re applying for. How do you make yours stand out from the pack? Send a relevant writing sample, like a grant proposal you’ve written for another organization in the past, a newsletter you wrote and designed, or a planning document you developed.

Nonprofit hiring managers really do read the writing samples you send in with your applications. Believe me, I’ve read through hundreds of them over the years. Most of them are a waste of paper. Purely unremarkable. You have a great opportunity to make yours stand out from the rest. Think twice before you send in your senior thesis on the Armenian government as a writing sample. It’s much better to send something that’s more relevant to the job you’re applying for.

8. Volunteer with an Ulterior Motive

There is always a wonderfully rewarding feeling in giving your time and talents to a worthy cause. Feeding the homeless, tutoring children, or playing games with senior citizens can all give you a sense of community as well as help you grow as a person in the process. But if you’re actively seeking a new nonprofit job, it’s important that you use every chance you get to further your job search process. If you’re going to volunteer, try to choose opportunities that allow you to build your resume, make new contacts, or learn a new skill.

I mean, there’s only so much time in the day, so if you’re actively seeking a new nonprofit job, it’s important that you use every chance you get to further your job search process. If you’re going to volunteer, take on opportunities that allow you to build your resume by using your professional skills to help the organization instead of merely ladling soup into bowls for the homeless. You can even ask people in your network if they know of any nonprofits that could use a volunteer bookkeeper or someone to design their new brochure for free. 99% of the time, the answer will be an enthusiastic YES, and a win/win for both you and the organization. They get free labor and you get to put on your resume that you helped the nonprofit achieve XYZ outcome through volunteering your professional skills. Resume tip: call it “pro bono consulting.” Sounds fancier.

If you choose a volunteer position that allows you to lead in some capacity, it looks a lot better on your resume than simply “volunteered to clean the local dog park.” If your goal is to obtain a job in the environmental field, for instance, you want to show that you can play a leadership role in the organization if they decide to hire you. If you want to go ahead and clean up the dog park or the river, step up and be the one to be the organizer or rally other volunteers so you can state your accomplishments on your resume as “recruited 100 volunteers to clean the dog park, the largest turnout ever.” Much more impressive, yes?

9. Use Nonprofit Job Boards

Many nonprofits look to the Internet to help them attract candidates to open positions. Here are some of the best, tried-and-true online job boards that have been recommended by nonprofit jobseekers. Of course, if you run out of leads, here’s a list of 97 nonprofit job boards that you can use!

10. Connect with Nonprofit Search Firms

If you’re looking to take the next step in your nonprofit career, you may want to get on the radar of a few search firms to expand your exposure to job openings. Search firms have teams of recruiters that are retained by organizations looking to hire employees with exceptional talent for a particular position. Their job is to use their networks to find the perfect candidate without going through the typical process of posting a job online and taking in applications from any old person who wishes to apply. There are many recruiting firms out there now that specialize in nonprofit positions and could be looking for you!

If you don’t already have a connection to a nonprofit search firm, it may be time for you to introduce yourself and let them know you’d like to be included in their network of candidates. Ask a trusted colleague to recommend a search organization consultant to you – or even better, have that colleague recommend you to the consultant. Even if you don’t have a personal introduction, you can still send the recruiter your resume with a cover letter describing your interest, experience and expertise.

If you don’t yet have a connection to a recruiting firm in your area, here are just a few that work locally and nationally: Dewey & Kaye, Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, Issacson Miller, Keystone Search, Transition Guides, Nonprofit HR Solutions.

I’ve been told by my search consultant friends that about 15% of positions are placed by a search firm. If you have the kind of talent that is in demand by nonprofit organizations, they would love to hear from you. It’s worth it to work with a search firm as part of your job search strategy.

11. Start Temping

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. Why? Well, most assignments last from only a few hours to 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 use your temp work to enhance your experience in the field as well as expand your nonprofit network by meeting lots of different people through your various assignments. Best of all, it is very possible that 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: Professionals for Nonprofits, Careers in Nonprofits, Nonprofit Staffing Solutions, Jobs in Nonprofits. There are probably more in your area like Randstad or Kelly Services that do not necessarily specialize in filling nonprofit jobs, but still offer those kinds of openings as well.

Additional Resources

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How to Create Your 2012 Nonprofit Career Plan

January 10, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Last week, Allison Jones and I hosted our first #ynpchat of the year on creating a 2012 nonprofit career plan. (For those who don’t know, #ynpchat is our monthly Twitter chat for young nonprofit professionals. It happens every first Wednesday of the month from 12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern time.) The questions we used to guide the discussion were adapted from my previous post: 15 Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Nonprofit Career. It was a great way to ring in the new year and a fabulous reminder that 2012 can be as amazing as we want it to be. I shared a few of my 2011 accomplishments and 2012 goals here and I wanted to be sure to offer the opportunity to those of you who are in planning mode for your own career right now. Here are a few guidelines for creating your 2012 nonprofit career plan.

Ask Good Questions

These are the exact questions we asked during the chat: 5 Questions to Help You Create Your 2012 Nonprofit Career Plan. Feel free to use them to guide your thinking about what you want your nonprofit career to look like this year (or come up with your own questions!). Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? Most importantly, who do you want to be?

Create a Portfolio of Accomplishments

One of the questions we asked was about looking back on what you did in 2011. This exercise is always helpful because most nonprofit professionals are not sitting at their desks patting themselves on the back most of the time. They are out in the community doing the work! Unfortunately, by the end of the year, it can be tough to articulate exactly what you were able to accomplish with your hard work. This is where creating a portfolio can come in handy, as Allison suggested. How? You can do this in a simple Word or Google document with bullet points by month or quarter. Or, if you start a nonprofit blog, you can create a page to post links to all the projects, reports and programs you’ve worked on or contributed to throughout the year.

Identify Opportunities for Growth

Now that you know what you want to see for yourself in the coming year, it’s time to seek out ways you can make those things happen. If you want to build your nonprofit network, for instance, are there specific conferences or events you want attend during the year? Certain people you want to meet for lunch? If you want to find a mentor this year, who can you ask to support you in your leadership journey? If you want to learn how to become a better manager, what are some stretch assignments you can take on in the next 12 months? 2012 is not the time to wait for opportunities to come to you. Make your own.

Commit to Taking Action

Give yourself a deadline for when you want to achieve certain milestones throughout the year. What do you want to make progress on first? Where do you want to be in the next 30 days? The next three months? Write all your goals down and set dates on your calendar now for tasks, meetings and events you don’t want to forget about later. If you’re looking for a new nonprofit job, set a measurable goal for how many applications you want to submit or informational interviews you want to conduct by the end of the month.

Honor Your Values

Whatever you do, don’t set ANY goals for your nonprofit career in 2012 if they don’t fit with who you really are or who you want to be. Sometimes what your boss wants from you is not in alignment with the path you truly want to follow for your life and work. Also remember that taking on more commitments at work can mean less time or energy to focus on your commitments at home. Be honest with yourself and honor your values. It’s better for everyone that way.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as I explore other ideas for taking action on your 2012 nonprofit career plan!

If you would like to talk through these questions and strategies with a coach, I am now offering 30-minute introductory career coaching sessions that you can book here.

Filed Under: Career Advice · Tagged With:

A Review of 2011 and Three Themes for Meaningful Work in 2012

January 3, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Happy new year! I’m still getting settled back in the DC area after a month away in Hawaii and Florida. My body is NOT happy about the change in weather, let me tell you! Part of me refuses to believe that it’s 2012 already. I feel like 2011 was a fast-moving year. Some parts of it felt rushed, which I didn’t like. I was on the road a lot, so it was nice to take a month off (mostly) to relax, spend time with family and get some reading and writing done.

What My Work Looked Like in 2011

I wanted to take a moment to reflect and summarize my public work over the past year. With 25 speaking engagements last year, I’ve been able to meet and learn from hundreds of nonprofit leaders around the country. For that, I am so grateful. If we met last year – anytime, anywhere - let’s reconnect on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch! I’d love to know what you’re working on for 2012 and if I can help.

Here’s a listing of my speaking and training work in 2011:

My consulting work in 2011:

Part of my work during most of 2011 involved facilitating and helping to manage the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington’s (my former employer) Future Executive Directors Fellowship program. We were able to support 25 emerging leaders as fellows in a yearlong leadership development program to help prepare them for nonprofit executive positions. Of our 2010-2011 class, several of them have already become EDs!

I was also interviewed in a few press outlets in 2011:

New products and services in 2011:

I took on a number of career coaching clients in 2011, most of whom either wanted to figure out how to improve in their nonprofit job or transition to a new nonprofit career. I also branched out a bit (this was very fun!) to coach other consultants and entrepreneurs on how to use social media to build their presence and platform online.

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, the book I co-wrote with Trista Harris continued to sell copies in ebook and paperback versions. We’ve added a special reader-only section with additional resources and it’s also on Amazon!

I also finally recorded a complete version of my popular 90-minute training on personal branding to advance your career, which you can purchase below.

Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career 


Having trouble getting your name out there for juicy jobs, consulting gigs or leadership opportunities? If so, your personal brand may need some work! This 90-minute video training will explain the origins of personal branding, explore ways to “audit” your current personal brand and inspire you to leverage social media for your career. You will also find out how you can grow your professional network and become known as the “go-to” person in your field using four of the most effective online tools available today: blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. By the end of this workshop, participants will have several strategies to add to their personal branding plan. This session will show you how to enhance your online presence if you already have one and how to get one if you don’t!  As soon as you purchase, you will get immediate access to the 90-minute, pure content webinar recording as well as the PDF handout with all the training slides.

Three Themes for My Work in 2012

After reflecting on what my work looked like last year, I came up with a few intentions for what I want my work to look like this year. Perhaps my list gets you thinking about what your themes would be for the next 12 months. What words or concepts would help you stay mindful of doing your best, most meaningful work in 2012?

Alignment

Through my blog, as well as my speaking and training work, I’ve been able to connect with thousands of professionals all over the country. I surpassed the cognitive limit of 150 “friends” mark a looong time ago. Over the past year, I realized I was adding way more people to my network than I could realistically keep up with (or wanted to try to keep up with). It started to feel frustrating to not be able to answer all my emails, but I wanted to find a way to maintain connections with specific people in my life and work. This post helped out a lot. I also did a mass unfollowing on Twitter a few months ago. Now, I have a smaller number of people I follow on Twitter, plus a special, private list called “friends.” I’ve also culled my Facebook down further to about 100 people that I truly wish to keep tabs on. (I use LinkedIn solely to maintain my professional connections, so that rarely gets overwhelming.)

In 2012, I want to stay aligned with the people who matter to me and only partner with individuals and organizations that fit with the work I want to do in the world. This means saying ‘no’ even more than I do now, or, when I need to, saying nothing to the deluge of emails that hit my inbox every day (there is really no way to “keep up,” no matter what I keep telling myself). Because what I’ve noticed is that when I can focus 100% on doing the work that’s most important to me, I am able to meet the needs of my clients and colleagues in a more meaningful way.

Contribution

Over the past month, I’ve been thinking constantly about which aspects of my work make the most impact for the people I want to serve – nonprofit leaders, young professionals and now, entrepreneurs (especially women and people of color). My most popular speech in 2011 was New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector and I’m hoping to go deeper with that thread of writing and teaching this year. I also continue to see steady interest in my sessions on working across generations and building a strong nonprofit career. My goal in this speaking and training work is not to just illuminate the nonprofit sector’s challenges but to also surface the opportunities for change through authenticity, diversity, innovation and advocacy.

This year, as I strive to live in greater alignment with my strengths and values, I hope to have more organizations book me for leadership development workshops, especially the one that’s been the most immediately powerful for the personal growth of staff: development of a personal mission statement. I will also be asking myself with every opportunity: is this how I want to contribute? What unique gifts can I bring to the table?

Community

One of the biggest lessons that I learned about my work this year is how lonely it can be as an independent consultant/speaker/coach/trainer/whatever. (By the way, this month marks TWO whole years that I’ve been working for myself. Yay!) I’m an introvert and I work well alone. I’m comfortable with that, but I’ve also started to miss the feeling of community that comes with being on the staff of an organization and working on a team with colleagues I can learn from and grow with. I was struck by this in November, right before all the holiday parties began, when I realized that I didn’t have one to go to.

I’m not sure if my need for community extends to seeking a full-time position just yet. My plan right now, though, is to be on the lookout for opportunities to contribute to a great organization in a long-term capacity by January 2013, maybe sooner. In the meantime, I will be making it a bigger priority to connect with like-minded colleagues in person at least once every week, not just online.

So, those are my themes. I learned a lot last year and I look forward to learning even more this year! Here’s to an amazing 2012 filled with meaningful, purpose-driven work.

What did you learn about yourself or your work in 2011? What themes will you be taking into the new year?

Filed Under: Career Advice, Leadership ·

Will Going Back to School Help You Get Your Dream Nonprofit Job? It Depends.

December 6, 2011 by · 4 Comments

I was speaking to an undergraduate nonprofit management class at George Mason University recently (thanks again for the invite, Amanda!) and someone asked the inevitable question that young nonprofit professionals inevitably ask.

Will a Master’s degree help me get a good job in the nonprofit field?

The short, frustrating answer: IT DEPENDS.

Sorry! There is no magic bullet for anything career-related these days, especially when it comes to getting your dream nonprofit job. In fact, if you go back to school in the hopes that it will magically make you leadership material, you will probably be sorely disappointed and end up drowning your sorrows in bourbon and coke every time you have to write that monthly check to pay back your student loans. Now I love bourbon, but those sorrows? Those you can do without.

Stop Asking the Wrong Questions

Anyways, “should I go back to school?” is the wrong question to ask in the first place. A better question to ask yourself is what do you really want to do in the nonprofit sector? What job would you be good at? What difference do you want to make? (Here are 15 more really good questions along those lines.)

If you wanna talk numbers, ask yourself whether the investment in paying for grad school will be recouped over the lifetime of your nonprofit career. Is it worth the $500/month price tag (or whatever you will owe) compared to the salary you will end up making for the next few years? In some places, $500 a month is rent. Just sayin.’ Of course, if you can swing grad school for free because you’re a genius or just savvy enough to find a few awesome grants or fellowships, more power to you. Free grad school is the best grad school. (Actually, I wouldn’t know that for sure. I paid for my own grad school. But I’m pretty sure I would be happier about the whole thing had it been free.)

Nonprofits Value Education, But Experience is Worth More

If you ask the average nonprofit hiring manager if, all other things being equal, they would hire the candidate with five years experience in the field or the one with a Master’s degree in sociology, who do you think they would choose? Most organizations are seeking someone who can hit the ground running in their job and it’s typically a no-brainer to choose someone who’s done it before in another organization.

The biggest mistake that a lot of young professionals make is going to grad school for three years and not working during that time. It’s a loss of three years of potential work experience to back up their fancy education when they’re ready to land that dream job. So if you’ve really got your heart set on more schoolin,’ at least keep working while you study. (I have yet to hear a good reason why people shouldn’t work while they’re in school. It’s a great experience in leadership and time management, especially if you have a family. Me? I worked a full-time nonprofit job as well as part-time as a hostess at a chain restaurant while I completed my Master’s degree. Do what you gotta do.)

Find the Loopholes

Okay, so now you know that grad school is not a sexy magic bullet that will automatically get you that dream nonprofit job that pays well and gives you unlimited career advancement. But you still hear those career “experts” saying that going back to school is a good thing to do in a recession. Presumably, it makes you competitive for the jobs that will open up when the downturn is over . . . which may be two thousand and NEVER at this point. The good news for you is that nonprofits are always in need of talented people who can get things done for their organizations, Master’s or not. (Wanna know someone who leads major social change without a fancy degree? Robert Egger. President of DC Central Kitchen and CForward. Check him out. He’s a doer. He DOES.)

So, loopholes. How can you pursue your dream nonprofit job without spending three years and $50,000 to go back to school? There are a lot of ways. In fact, last year I co-wrote a book that outlines 50 ways to accelerate your nonprofit career and only ONE of them is to get a Master’s degree. That leaves 49 loopholes for you to choose from.

Here are a few to get you started:

Now, back to my original question. Will going back to school help you get your dream nonprofit job? Maybe. But it’s better to try alternate strategies before dropping tens of thousands of dollars on a degree that might bring you big debt and little results.

Further Reading: Four Reasons Why You Don’t Need to Go to Grad School

Filed Under: Career Advice, Higher Education ·

Five Smart Strategies to Build Your Nonprofit Network the Old-Fashioned Way

November 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Waiting for your call

You’ve probably heard that the key to getting your foot in the door of your dream nonprofit job or to set yourself up for a new career opportunity is to network, network, network. Well, that’s because it’s true! But no matter how powerful social media becomes, you simply cannot restrict your networking efforts to the internet. Back in the day, before blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, nonprofit leaders actually made connections face to face most of the time. A phone call was more preferable to email, and it wasn’t uncommon for hires to be made without a formal interview. These days, technology has made communication much less time-consuming, but the old-fashioned ways of networking still hold true. Most jobs (about 85%, I’ve heard) are NOT advertised online. That means 9 out of 10 nonprofit positions are still filled by somebody who knows somebody.

But if you’re a young professional just starting out (or even a sector-switcher), it can be a daunting process to advance your career when you don’t know that many “somebodies.” So here are five ways to start building your network – just like nonprofit leaders did back in the olden days.

Join a Professional Association

The best thing about nonprofit associations is that they provide you with a ready-made network as soon as you pay your membership fee. Some of the membership dues can be a little pricey, so I suggest you join the ones that are relevant to you.  If you want to get into nonprofit fundraising, I recommend the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Want to work at a nonprofit association? Join ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership. Interested in philanthropy or working at a foundation? Check out Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. And no matter what kind of nonprofit job you’re looking for, you will always meet likeminded folks through the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network or your state nonprofit association.

Serve on a Committee

This follows from strategy #1 above. Most professional associations have committees that are made up of its members.  Volunteer to join the events or membership committee of the association that’s the most relevant to your career goals. You will not only get to know your fellow association peeps better, but your face will be out there for all to see. The key is to build strong ties with those that might be able to help you get a job or advance your career in that particular field. You’ll end up learning so much more about your peers and build your leadership skills in the process. A win/win/win for everyone.

Attend Nonprofit Conferences

Nonprofit conferences are the mecca of networking. You get to learn from some of the top leaders in the field as well as build relationships with others in the sector. Of course, conference attendance can get a little pricey, but having the opportunity to meet hundreds of nonprofit professionals in one place is usually worth it. You will meet your peers, as well as experienced nonprofit leaders who could be your next boss! Some of the top-notch annual nonprofit conferences to attend include: Independent Sector, NTEN Nonprofit Technology Conference, and annual meetings held by your state nonprofit association. But please, whatever you do, don’t forget your business cards!

Invite People to Lunch

Hey, everybody’s gotta eat lunch, right? Go through all the contacts you’ve met so far and set up informational interviews with them or just informal lunches to talk more about their career or the field in general. And PLEASE start thinking outside the box when asking people to connect with you, especially those busy, influential people in your industry (they probably get asked to coffee a lot). Offer to take them (read: your treat) to a decent place for lunch. Not the tired Subway around the corner. Try a sit-down restaurant. With waiters. And tablecloths! When you meet with people one-on-one, it can be a lot less intimidating and you can also ask them to provide referrals to other people from their networks that you can meet with. Another strategy is to come up with your “wish list” of who you think it would be really cool to meet with “one day.” These may be people that are well respected, local and national leaders that are either in your dream position or would be hiring for your dream position. Keep track of when they are in your town to speak or for a conference to increase your chances of meeting with them face-to-face. And yes, it is absolutely acceptable to contact someone out of the blue. Or, you could ask a mutual friend to introduce you!

Offer to Help

Keep in mind as you’re striving to build your network that for the movers and shakers in your community who get tapped for favors all the time, it can be annoying to be asked to help people that you don’t know from a can of paint. Even in my own inbox, I get requests to “pick my brain” at least a few times a week. While I’m flattered to be asked for my advice, I also know that as a self-employed person, if I let everyone pick my brain for free, I’ll go broke! So, one way to get busy people in your network to help you is to identify a mutual benefit. Instead of having it be a one-way “give me an hour of your time for free” request, ask people if there’s anything you can do to help them first. It’s the age-old concept of reciprocity. Everyone is busy and if you don’t already have the relationship, it may be tough for them to prioritize helping you or meeting with you. For instance, if you come across someone at a networking event who mentions their frustration with a particularly difficult project, ask if you can assist or work with them to brainstorm new ideas. They will certainly appreciate your thoughtfulness and be more willing to help you when you ask.

What other networking strategies have worked to help you accelerate your nonprofit career?

For more nonprofit networking tips, consider purchasing my book, How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career on sale now. There’s a whole chapter on building a strong network!

Filed Under: Career Advice ·
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