Use These Job Boards to Find Your Ideal Nonprofit Job

BY MAX WOOLF

You’ve just graduated from college. A nice graduation cap sits lonely on your dormitory desk, and now the pressure is to get a job.

But unlike your roommates, you don’t see yourself working at a Fortune 500 company toiling over for a paycheck. Quite the opposite, you’re an engaged member of society who wants to give back to the community.

Now—while jumping from college to nonprofit might seem everything but easy, there are some great job boards that can help jumpstart your nonprofit career.

Choose a nonprofit job title

More often than not, nonprofit job titles are similar to their non-philanthropy counterparts. The only difference is that you need to signal to a job board that you’re looking for a nonprofit position.

Examples:

Non Profit Marketing Specialist
Nonprofit Accountant
NGO Project Manager

List of nonprofit job boards

Once you know how to pick a nonprofit title, it’s time to head over to job boards. Below is a list of 10 nonprofit job boards that will help you make the world a better place.

But don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to use them all because many repeat the same postings. So pick only one or two.

The National Council of Nonprofits Job Board . More than 1,000 nonprofit jobs.
Philanthropy News Digest’s Nonprofit Job Board . A stunning 650 nonprofit and NGO jobs.
The Nonprofit Times Career Center. 500+ nonprofit jobs for employees of all levels, including college graduates.
NonprofitJobs.org. A whopping 500 charity jobs around the U.S.
The Bridgespan Group’s Nonprofit Job Board . While most of the postings are geared toward directs, you can find a few entry-level offers.
HERC Jobs Page . About 40,000 jobs in education, many of which are nonprofit.
National Association of Social Workers careers page . A little over 650 nonprofit jobs.
WorkforGood.org . Over 300 nonprofit postings.
FoundationList.org . Around 60 jobs in nonprofit for entry-level candidates.
SustainableBusiness.com’s Green Dream Jobs Page . A job board with a focus on green jobs.

Find nonprofit organizations in your area with Google Local

If you’re curious about nonprofit organizations near you, you can find them easily with a simple Google search. Here’s what you’ll need to type in Google:

 

Nonprofits near me
Non-profit organizations nearby
Local nonprofits
NGOs in my area

Once you’ve run the search, Google will show you a map with a list of nonprofit organizations in the vicinity.

Best Non Profit Organizations

While job boards are a great source to find a nonprofit job, you can apply directly on the nonprofit organization’s website.

Below is a list of 15 best nonprofit organizations you can work for.

350.org
Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty
Alzheimer’s Association
American Civil Liberties Union and Foundation
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
American Humanist Association
American Kidney Fund
Animal Legal Defense Fund
American National Red Cross
 American Cancer Society
Best Friends Animal Society
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Catholic Charities USA
Center for Reproductive Rights
Committee to Protect Journalists

Don’t have enough experience? Volunteer to get your foot in the door

Here’s the thing—most nonprofit organizations operate like regular businesses. They look for candidates that have the right mix of hard and soft skills necessary to excel.

The problem is that while you live and breathe helping others, you may not have professional experience at this stage.

Good news? You can become a volunteer for some time and offer your assistance at a nonprofit. For example, you can run a Google search for volunteer at a local (animal shelter), and the search engine will present you with plentiful opportunities.

As Maciej, a career expert at ResumeLab, puts it,

Once you have tangible volunteering experience on your resume, you’ll be the first in line to get a job at a nonprofit.

Conclusion

If you’re passionate about helping the world and giving back, working at a nonprofit will be a life-changing experience for you. As a side-benefit, you’ll work shoulder to shoulder with people who share the same passion.

So dive in and start looking for your first nonprofit job!

Bio

Max Woolf is a career expert at ResumeLab. He’s passionate about helping people land their dream jobs through the expert career industry coverage. In his spare time, Max enjoys biking and traveling to European countries. You can hit him up on LinkedIn.