Many people hit a point in their lives, often after spending many years in unfulfilling corporate roles, when they stop and ask, "Is this all there is?" No longer content with work that is driven by status or material gain, they seek out careers that afford them the gift of making a difference in the world. If your idea of a lifestyle career involves helping to make the world a better place, here are some great websites to help you make the transition to the non-profit arena:
Bridgestar.org: An excellent site for executives looking to "cross the bridge" into the non-profit arena. Articles, advice, job boards and other resources.
Foundation Center: If you are interested in working for a foundation or learning about the field of grant writing, this is the site for you. The Center maintains the most comprehensive database on U.S. grantmakers and their grants — a robust, accessible knowledge bank for the sector.
Green Careers: Green careers are hot! This is the single best site for learning more about the expanding world of opportunity in the green space.
National Council of Nonprofit Associations: The National Council of Nonprofit Associations is the network of state and regional nonprofit associations serving more than 20,000 member organizations. Although this site is geared towards non-profit administrators, it will help educate you about key issues relevant to smaller non-profit organizations.
Peace Corps: More than 190,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation.
Experience Corps: This organization hires people over 55 (for a small stipend) in 23 cities across the country to tutor and mentor elementary school students, help teachers in the classroom, and lead after-school enrichment activities.
Start your search for non-profit jobs by looking at the individual websites of the organizations or charities that most interest you (almost all will list their available openings on their sites). If you don’t see anything there, continue your search by checking out some of these job boards:
Social Entrepreneurship: Social entrepreneurs blend their innovation and well-honed business expertise into entrepreneurial ventures that help address the needs of the greater good.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
