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Pros and Cons of Working for a Nonprofit

Career Profiles
Image: A nonprofit worker in a black facemask fist-bumping a child in front of a crowd.

Published:

Are you looking for a job that provides a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and meaning? If so, working for a nonprofit organization could be the perfect job for you.

Nonprofit organizations provide the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of others. While working for a nonprofit offers unique benefits, it also comes with unique challenges that should be considered before fully committing to a role.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of working for a nonprofit organization to help you determine if it’s the right job for you. No image. Text: Pros and cons of working for a nonprofit. Pros - sense of fulfillment in your work, positive work environment, greater opportunities for career growth. Cons - lower salaries, limited resources, slow progress.

What Is a Nonprofit Organization?

The main goal of a nonprofit organization is to support a cause that benefits society as a whole. Each organization has a specific cause that they focus on, whether it’s providing charity, advancing science and education, or advocating for social change or environmental conservation.

Despite what their name suggests, nonprofits still rely on generating revenue for their organization. Unlike for-profit organizations and companies, their revenue is used to support their causes and pay their employees, rather than being used to generate profits for shareholders. No image. Text: How do nonprofits contribute to society? provides charity to those in need, advances scientific research, advances educational initiatives, advocates for social change, advocates for environmental conservation

What Are the Pros of Working for a Nonprofit?

Working for a nonprofit offers unique benefits that can’t always be found in the for-profit sector. Some of these benefits include:

  • Sense of fulfillment in your work
  • Positive work environment
  • Greater opportunities for career growth

Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of working for a nonprofit to see how it can be a rewarding and meaningful career.

Sense of Fulfillment in Your Work

Working for a nonprofit provides an opportunity to work for a cause you feel passionate about. This can help you achieve a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment that can be harder to achieve while working for a for-profit organization or company.

In addition to feeling personally fulfilled through your work, you also get to see the positive change that you make in the lives of others. Witnessing the difference you’re making is rewarding in itself, and it can also lead to increased job satisfaction and a stronger sense of purpose in your work.

Positive Work Environment

When you work for a nonprofit organization, you work with like-minded people who share your interests, passions, and commitment to creating meaningful change. This type of work environment encourages comradery, collaboration, and positivity.

Working for a for-profit organization or company can be highly competitive, as they often focus on performance, profits, and results. This level of competition rarely exists in the nonprofit sector because their focus is on working together to achieve common goals.

Learn how to enhance communication in your nonprofit organization with our Nonprofit Skills®: Communication Styles course.  Image: Rows and rows of paper bags packed with food. Text: Working for a nonprofit organization means that working with like-minded people who share your commitment to creating meaningful change.

Greater Opportunities for Career Growth

Nonprofit employees generally work in smaller teams, and their work environment is less structured and rigid than traditional corporate environments. This allows employees to take on more responsibilities and job roles, which helps them learn a broader set of skills.

Most nonprofits also encourage their employees to take initiative in making important decisions and contributing to the direction of their projects. This builds powerful leadership skills that can help them earn higher positions within the organization and grow in their careers.

Read our related article to discover how to get on a board of directors.

What Are the Cons of Working for a Nonprofit?

While working for a nonprofit can be a highly rewarding career, some challenges should be taken into account. Some of the biggest cons of working for a nonprofit include:

  • Lower salaries
  • Limited resources
  • Slow progress

Let’s take a closer look at the cons of working for a nonprofit to better understand the challenges you may face.

Lower Salaries

Nonprofit organizations usually offer lower salaries for their employees than their for-profit counterparts. This is largely due to their limited resources and tighter budget.

It can be challenging for nonprofit employees to work for less than their usual market value. However, many employees find that the benefits of working for a nonprofit organization make up for their lower salaries. Image: A nonprofit worker with a mask and glasses, unpacking food for a foodbank. Text: Many employees find that the benefits of working for a nonprofit organization make up for their lower salaries

Limited Resources

The biggest source of revenue for nonprofits is donations from individuals. This can lead to unpredictable funding, smaller budgets, and limited resources to accomplish their goals.

To make up for a lack of resources, nonprofit employees have to spend a lot of time fundraising. This means you might have to put an important project on hold in order to focus on fundraising efforts, just to secure the funds needed to continue your work.

Our Nonprofit Skills®: Financial Oversight for Board Members course can provide you with tips and tools for proper financial oversight of your nonprofit organization.

Slow Progress

Some nonprofits, like foodbanks, can see quick results in their efforts. If you work for a nonprofit with ambitious goals, then it can take a lot longer to witness the fruits of your labor.

It can take a long time to make a significant change in the world, and this can be frustrating for some nonprofit employees. The slow pace of progress can sometimes make it difficult to stay committed to a cause for a long time.

Read our related article to discover what to do if you’re struggling with mental health at work.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Working for a Nonprofit?

To achieve a successful, long-term career working for a non-profit, you should be:

  • Creative
  • Adaptable
  • Team-oriented
  • Resourceful
  • Passionate about the cause
  • Comfortable with moderate compensation

Although working for a nonprofit organization has its challenges, it can be the ideal career for those well-suited for the job.

Take the First Step in Your Nonprofit Career

The Regional Economic Development Center at Yavapai College has the tools and resources you need for a successful career at a nonprofit organization.

We have everything you need to kickstart your career, from a diverse catalog of online courses to career counseling services that can help you achieve success in the nonprofit sector.

Check out our nonprofit courses today! We offer a variety of self-paced, online courses like:

Get started with your nonprofit career today with the REDC.

Home LinkThe REDC is a Division of Yavapai College.Go to yc.edu

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