Are you considering a career in the non-profit sector? If you are looking for an opportunity to help others and give to the community, working for a non-profit might be for you.

There are many different types of non-profit careers in a range of areas and causes: arts, environmental, public health, civil rights, poverty, etc., and non-profit organizations need people with all levels of skills and experiences. Opportunities in the non-profit sector can include jobs in marketing, event planning and fund raising, among others.

Realize that working for a non-profit will be different from working for a for-profit organization. You may encounter less pay or erratic hours. Think about why you want to work for a non-profit. If you are not sure you want to have a non-profit career, but you are passionate about a cause, realize that you can always volunteer. That said, every non-profit is different, and you may find more fulfillment in one organization over another. You can gain valuable experience and learn more about an organization by volunteering and, if you are still in school, internships.

Working for a cause you care deeply about, can be very fulfilling. A job in the non-profit sector may be challenging but also very rewarding.

For an example of how an internship can provide valuable insight into deciding whether a non-profit career is for you, take a look at the personal account of one of The Grantwell’s interns, Elizabeth Atchley:

“As a student in the Applied Anthropology Master's program at Missouri State University, doing an internship at The Grantwell LLC provided me with an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between the world of academia and the workplace.  I got to become a participant observer (no doubt an important role to all budding anthropologists), which gave me the opportunity to learn valuable lessons from and make immediate contributions to the site in which I did my work.  In doing so, I was able to take academic concepts that I had learned in the classroom and extend them to a more applied, practical setting – the professional business world.

“In the classroom, I have been taught that anthropologists can 'make a difference in the world' and 'change lives', but have never been given the direction or opportunity to apply anthropology in such a way as to actually do that.  With an internship requirement built into my degree program, I was finally given the chance to explore opportunities in which I could apply my anthropological background in a practical way.  One of the biggest benefits of doing this internship was that I was able to evaluate strengths and weaknesses within my chosen degree field, as well as gaining personal insight into interests and opportunities I had that I previously did not know about.

“As an intern at The Grantwell, I was able to learn and/or enhance marketable job skills that will be beneficial to my future research or job searches.  My responsibilities as an intern included assisting in technical writing, grant writing, evaluation, and requests for proposal / program development.  Consequently, I was able to research grant opportunities for a number of non-profit organizations throughout the country and even assist in securing grant money for organizations looking to set up or expand beneficial community programs for those in need.  Not only did I get real-world experience and insight into how grants (both federal and private) work, but I also saw the benefit of having an anthropological background when working with organizations that directly impact communities and those who live in them. 

“This internship experience was truly invaluable in the fact that it gave me the chance to see how applied anthropological work and applied work, in general, really can 'change lives'.  It's amazing to know that by being able to write a sentence or paragraph effectively, you can obtain money for organizations that need it.  In addition, it's an indescribable feeling to know that these organizations then go on to implement programs that make a difference in the lives of real people, all because you helped them get funding. “