We often meet leaders who are looking to apply the skills and expertise they built in the private sector to the social sector, but don’t know how to make the transition. The great news is that those skillsets are often highly transferrable, but making the switch to nonprofit can take some careful planning and lots of research. We suggest that anyone looking to work in the social sector spend time learning the nuances, terminology and basic functions of roles in the social sector.
Tips & Tricks
- Conduct informational interviews or have coffee with social sector leaders. Be sure to be respectful of their time and, if they are time constrained, limit the request to a 20 minute conversation.
- Serve on a nonprofit board. Local boards are often seeking members with experience in Finance, HR or Operations to share their expertise. But remember that serving on a board also can require an expectation to “give or get” in terms of fundraising assistance.
- Hire a coach to help you translate your private sector experience to the nonprofit sector, and help you customize your resume, cover letters and LinkedIn profile to use the language of the nonprofit sector.
- Enroll in a certificate in nonprofit management at a local college or online to learn more about the social sector and the roles within it that may be a good fit for your skills and experience.