Overrated Career: Nonprofit Manager

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I have worked for different types of non-profits, for many years. Yep, this pretty much sums it up. And, you can still be proud of your achievements, know that you have done good work, and have fun and fulfilling experiences. However, the points in this article are very real and for those thinking about a career in the nonprofit world, should take them into consideration.

TamarJill of CA 6:04PM October 12, 2012

I am in the process of hiring a non profit manager, nowhere in the job description is fundraising, we've left that up to our volunteer board members! Our non profit manager will essentially run a retail business where the profits benefit our cause (which is providing spay/neuter vouchers to decrease animal overpopulation) we are offering our manager paid vacations, health insurance and a 40 hour flexible - even telecommuting - work week. I am commenting only to show that there are start ups out there who have jobs available that are both exciting and beneficial to a cause.

Jan of TN 4:47PM February 22, 2012

For anybody who is proud of achievements that s/he has made in the field of nonprofit management, this short essay is offensive and less than completely true. Many nonprofits have highly skilled professional staffs. Of course, fund raising can be one of the least enjoyable tasks, but at least it is preferable to many positions in the for-profit world that require convincing people that the product you sell is essential for their happiness or that your product is far superior to its competition, both of which are mostly false and dishonest the majority of the time. There are other modern democracies that rely on taxation to support doing good. By this method, a number of them really do avoid the development of an underclass of impoverished people, such as we do have in most parts of our nation. The nonprofit world is our characteristic approach. The main shortcoming in the field is that most nonprofits are governed by board composed of persons with scant actual knowledge of the complexity of the problems that the agencies exist to solve or the skills necessary to resolve them. Most boards also do not have a clear job description of their role, with the result that they attempt to do management, utilizing the knowledge they accumulate by an average of one hour a week of involvement, which is inadequate, or, conversely, leave everything to professional staff managers, thus unaware that their duty is to ensure that the agency is impacting the needs of those that it exists to serve, collaborating with other agencies having the same mission, and developing and utilizing appropriate methods of testing the agency's effectiveness, thereby having a basis for evaluating the work of the CEO.

Timothy Ray of FL 4:02PM April 07, 2010

It looks like the author simply means that many people who have not started their careers and are considering starting a non-profit may have perceptions about the career (in general) that aren't true.
It's very romantic to, for example, want to save a particular type of bird or insect, but the reality of creating or managing an org to do it would require skills that have more to do with selling, fund raising, etc. than with the environment.
I don't take this article to mean that directing a non-profit isn't awesome, I take it to mean that the reality of it isn't what a layman would first think of. For example, Wesley stated many cool things about about his job, but failed to mention what the non-profit org actually does (help the homeless, provide scholarships, etc), which is the only thing someone on the outside sees.
So, it's not that different sets of jobs were actually rated or ordered: as stated on the main page of the article, these are subjective.
A better title would probably be "jobs where the reality differs greatly from the layman's initial perceptions, which may lead to dissatisfaction when the reality sinks in if this is what you plan on doing after high school, and don't know anything about it yet."

Ryan of WI 5:57AM September 27, 2009

I worked at a non-profit organization that employed people with disabilities for 3 years and I didn't like it. What one of the other posters said is true; if you don't have a passion for the cause you are working for, you'll be miserable. For me, non-profit fundraising (what I was doing) was dull, one-dimensional, and not mentally stimulating whatsoever. I felt like all my work in college had amassed to nothing and I was bored every single day I worked there. I'm seeking to get out of the non-profit industry into something more challenging.

Lindsay of CA 7:32PM July 02, 2009

It kills me when people put all non-profits in the same category. A non-profit is a legal status. It's like putting all corporations in the same category. And "manager" is a very generic job title as well. How similar are the jobs of someone working on health policy & regulation at the American Red Cross vs. someone coordinating events at the local church vs. someone providing environmental assessments via a mission-based consulting organization? All of these are "nonprofit managers."

RH of CA 1:31AM March 06, 2009

Im not sure why you would say it is over rated. Im an assistant director at a Jewish non-profit. The pay is good, the hours are good, the work load is good and it's a pretty prestigious charity. The only downside is that we are at the mercy of the community giving. However, we work hard, we show where the funds go and we will continue to do great work. Again, I don't understand your rating system.

Wesley of NJ 7:51PM February 06, 2009

who wrote these articles? on one hand they voted director of development as one of the best jobs in 2009 -- and here they are voting the nonprofit manager as an over rated career...... yep. someone was bored on the US News staff and didn't proof this report too well. the dev dir @ many small nonprofits has the challenges listed above because s/he is the only one doing the job!

bleeding heart of NV 9:37PM January 21, 2009

I work for a professional association, and love it. The compensation is reasonable (in comparison to the for-profit sector) and the opportunity for growth is great. As an executive, I have had the opportunity to travel, to meet interesting people, to lead and develop a 60+ staff, and to work and support 80,000 members. I think this may be one of the job market best kept secrets!

Beth Bush of VA 1:23PM January 16, 2009

I've spend 25 years in the nonprofit world, and while you may not make a killing, you can make a living. Some people are motivated by power, others by money, and a few by doing the right thing. True, nonprofits aren't for everyone. If you don't have a passion for the cause you are supporting, you'll be miserable. But for those who seek something more from life than a swollen bank account and all the toys you can buy, nonprofit work can be vastly more rewarding than a dull career as a wage earner. Funny how "journalist" isn't on the list of overrated jobs. The journalist who compiled this list certainly is.

Ernest Shunna of CA 2:55AM January 10, 2009