Selected Nonprofit Job Search Resources for In-Sector Professionals
In the course of our work, we often hear the question, “What are some good resources for a nonprofit job search?” In response, the Bridgestar team has compiled the following set of suggested resources. If you have suggestions of resources that were a great help to you, please email feedback@bridgestar.org.
General nonprofit sector resources
It’s helpful to do some research about the nonprofit sector overall, the specific area you’re most interested in, and your target organizations. A few helpful resources include (in alphabetical order):
Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org) offers a range of resources to support you in the nonprofit job search. Those interested in the nonprofit sector can benefit from access to Bridgestar's newsletters, articles, research and job and board postings. In particular, our monthly newsletter–Leaders Matters–features short articles on topics such as hiring tips, networking, and career development (see newsletter archive to access past issues).
The Chronicle of Philanthropy (www.philanthropy.com) is a national newspaper of the nonprofit world, available to subscribers on its website. For an additional fee, users can search the Guide to Grants, an electronic database of all foundation and corporate grants listed in The Chronicle since 1995. The site also contains a wealth of free materials, including Internet resources, hundreds of job opportunities updated every two weeks, as well as forthcoming conferences, workshops, and deadlines for grants and awards.
GuideStar.org (www.guidestar.org) is a database of nonprofit organizations. This is a great tool for researching different nonprofits by geography and/or by type of organization. GuideStar also provides financial information on many nonprofits.
Harvest Today (www.harvesttoday.org) presents breaking news in the world of philanthropy from more than 200 news sources.
Independent Sector (www.independentsector.org) is a coalition of leading nonprofits, foundations, and corporations strengthening not-for-profit initiatives, philanthropy, and citizen action. This site is a great place to learn about individual organizations through the over 700 links to member organization websites, and the sector as a whole.
Nonprofit compensation resources
The organization you join and the role you take on will greatly determine your salary and hours. Salaries in the sector vary widely (e.g., a large organization usually has a greater range of compensation than a small one). To begin to gain an idea of the salary levels, you can take a look at salary surveys published by GuideStar, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, The NonProfit Times, and Abbott Langer Association (among others). To understand the compensation structure at a specific nonprofit, you can download its IRS Form 990 from the GuideStar website (www.guidestar.org). An annual reporting return that certain federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS, the 990 includes information on the organization’s mission, programs, and finances and includes salaries for the highest paid positions within the organization.
Because many compensation surveys can only be accessed on a fee basis, you may want to think generally about what types of positions or organizations would be a good fit before you look at surveys. One good way to start the process is to do some informal benchmarking. Think about some organizations in your target geographic area whose mission interests you. Using GuideStar, you can easily isolate several of these organizations, being sure the organizations have similar profiles in terms of geography, budget, headcount, and programs. On GuideStar, view each organization’s Form 990. This form includes the compensation of the senior executives. By researching at several similar organizations, you’ll begin to gain an understanding of the compensation ranges in the types of nonprofits you want to target.
Nonprofit job posting/job search support sites
There are many other sites that both post job opportunities and provide content and support for job seekers. The list below highlights a sampling of leading national job boards (in alphabetical order):
• Alliance for Nonprofit Management (www.allianceonline.org)
• America’s Job Bank (www.ajb.org)
• Associated Grant Makers (www.agmconnect.org/jobs)
• Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org)
• Career Builder (www.careerbuilder.com)
• Career Journal (www.careerjournal.com)
• CEO Update (www.ceoupdate.com – requires a membership fee)
• Charity Channel (www.charitychannel.com)
• Chronicle of Philanthropy (www.philanthropycareers.com)
• Community Career Center (www.nonprofitjobs.org)
• Commongood Careers (www.cgcareers.org/findajob/viewjobs)
• Deep Sweep (www.deepsweep.com)
• execSearches (www.execsearches.com)
• Foundation Center (http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/jobs/index.jhtml)
• Idealist (www.idealist.org)
• Monster.com (www.monster.com)
• New York Times (http://jobmarket.nytimes.com/jobs/category/nonprofit-jobs)
• Nonprofit Career Center Network (www.nonprofitcareer.com)
• Nonprofit Oyster (www.nonprofitoyster.com)
• Nonprofit Times (www.nonprofitjobseeker.com)
• Opportunity Knocks (www.opportunityknocks.org)
• Work For A Good Cause (www.work4agoodcause.com)
Selected Nonprofit Job Search Resources for In-Sector Professionals
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