Last Blog Post!

As of now, my future role with non-profits is uncertain. I know that I want to continue volunteering at non-profits that I care about. I also would love to participate on a non-profit board. As I have begun to attend board meetings at Neighborhood Services, Inc, I have really enjoyed the different aspects of the meeting and I can really see participating on my own board as part of my future. I want to be able to participate on a board for a cause I truly care about because I will be more willing to donate my time and talents towards something I care about. I’m not sure if I can see myself working at a non-profit as my full time job but if I get sick of corporate America, working at a non-profit could definitely be a possibility. I love volunteering but I’m still unsure if a full time job at a non-profit is the right job for me.

I would say the thing I learned during class that surprised me the most was how donations are allocated throughout the non-profit. I found it interesting that if a donation isn’t specified for a certain program that the non-profit provides that the donation can be used for operating costs such as staff salaries. I always wondered how staff were paid who worked at non-profits and I don’t necessarily agree that donations are used to pay for staff salaries.

I learned a lot of information about non-profits in regards to how money is raised, how programming works, how the board interacts with staff at the non-profit and how the board works. I found the board and staff interaction very interesting. After listening to all our guest speakers, I noticed they all exhibited determination and passion for their job at the non-profit and for the mission the non-profit works for. I believe these two qualities are necessary to work within the non-profit sector. Most of our speakers also talked about organization and utilizing your resources, two characteristics I believe I possess. It was reassuring to see that I have similar characteristics to those who work in non-profits and has made me think twice about a possible career in non-profits.