How to Move From a For-Profit to Nonprofit Career Successfully

NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE:

If you want to transition from a career in for-profit companies to non-profit organizations, then you need to prepare yourself mentally for the change you’ll see in your paycheck, environment, and more. Betsy Baker offers several tips to help you make the move successfully on Opportunity Knocks:

Hours

9-5 is not the norm in the non-profit world.

“Many nonprofits may start their workday later in the morning than corporate businesses but may very well be working into evening hours. There are special events, grant application deadlines, and other unusual circumstances that often lead to hours outside of 9-5.”

Budget

Physical surroundings can be very different in non-profit offices.

“Some executives making the switch are quite surprised by the frugality of a nonprofit.”

Collaboration

Working with other agencies is common practice.

“Folks coming from for-profit are often surprised at the amount of collaboration among nonprofits which would be viewed as competition in their business world.”

Experience and Knowledge

Business experience might be lacking at non-profit organizations but people who come from the for-profit sector have a lot to learn about the non-profit world, too.

“Every nonprofit can benefit by applying sound business principles to its operation. Some of these valuable skills include the ability to develop budgets, strategic planning, management, and the ability to lead others.”

Get the details: How to Make a Successful Career Transition From For-Profit to Nonprofit via content.opportunityknocks.org

Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored ten books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).