Does anyone work/has worked in a non-profit?

[sammichoffate]

I might want to start looking into it for a job after I graduate. How's the pay, work/life, benefits, and job responsibility?

[Dbrog]

I've worked in 2 and will never go back. Both were in the helping profession and both had absolutely twisted management who were only about quotas and bottom lines rather than quality of care (which was the whole reason I wanted those jobs!).

Neither payed well so expect that. The more legit and larger of the two had some pretty nice benefits and I could see that they would have gotten even better if I had stayed longer. Again, the responsibility is what will kill you. They expect you to accomplish impossible quotas and then yell at you for not "trying hard enough" even though you are pulling 50+ hour weeks. Easily my favorite part of the job was helping the actual people. Quite fulfilling but the politics at both just beat me down and started to turn me into a person I didn't like. I saw this happen to every new coworker who came in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I'm sure there are some great ones out there, but beware.

[9erempiree]

Better be passionate about it or else you won't get paid much.

They are non-profit for a reason.

[KNOW1EDGE]

I've worked for a number of non-profits.

The one I currently work for is very well organized, I get a ton of really good training including certificates and licensing for free (they pay me to go actually) and the entry level pay is $3 above minimum wage. Not amazing, but they also have a streamlined set up for advancement. All you have to do is complete trainings and show your capable and you'll move up. There is no politics involved like when I worked with Nike for 5 years and never received a promotion.

I've also worked for a non-profit with a bunch of trashy people who didn't even care about the work we were doing.

Entry level positions usually don't pay great, but if you do it for a living and get training/schooling and move into dif positions you can make a very comfortable living, and feel good about the work your doing, which to me is the most important thing.

[warriorfan]

ask akz, he knows a lot about not profiting, I don't know about the working part though