Best Jobs in Nonprofit Organizations With Salaries

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Working for a nonprofit organization offers many different professional opportunities applicable to numerous backgrounds. Nonprofit organizations collect revenue from various sources to help improve a variety of causes, such as social welfare, human rights, animal rights, environmental activism and more. Discover the types of jobs you can pursue within the nonprofit sector to use your skills, education and training to support an important cause. 

What is a nonprofit organization job?

Nonprofit organization jobs are positions that allow you to work for organizations that secure funding, provide resources and educate the public to make a positive impact on social issues and causes. Many of these jobs are similar to jobs in the for-profit sector in terms of responsibilities but differ in that their work may involve specialized processes involved in maintaining an organization’s nonprofit status with the federal government. Some positions are exclusive to the nonprofit sector. Nonprofit organization jobs also range from entry-level to upper-level management, making them a potential long-term career path for those who have a passion for helping others.

Best nonprofit organization jobs

If you are seeking a job in a nonprofit organization, you may want to apply for one of the following positions: 

Community Outreach Worker

National Average Salary: $13.75 per hour

Role and Responsibilities: Community Outreach Workers work with the community to help educate them on an organization’s cause. They serve as the primary point of contact for volunteers and coordinate fundraising and awareness activities. Community Outreach Workers implement actionable plans, regularly assess progress and readjust goals based on new information and resources. They also help uncover potential donors based on past donations or the probability of donations being made in the future.

Fundraiser

National Average Salary: $15.40 per hour

Role and Responsibilities: Fundraisers are often event planning professionals who organize and execute various donor events for a nonprofit organization. They are responsible for reaching out to vendors and companies to sponsor the event and complete all guest coordination duties as well. These professionals collaborate with others in the nonprofit to manage the budget, set the goals and evaluate the success of every event. They may also be expected to travel to meet with potential donors and to create beneficial partnerships.

Administrative Assistant

National Average Salary: $15.59 per hour

Role and Responsibilities: Administrative Assistants work directly with the managers and directors of a nonprofit organization and help them handle their daily affairs. 

Examples of Administrative Assistant duties:

  • Scheduling meetings
  • Invoicing 
  • Responding to emails, letters and phone messages
  • Helping to manage social media
  • Organizing presentations for fundraisers
  • Drafting and sending memos
  • Assisting with payroll as needed

Administrative Assistants also serve as the first point of contact for external parties, greeting visitors, answering inquiries about the organization and forwarding calls and messages appropriately. They may also complete office management tasks such as inventory management.

Community Organizer

National Average Salary: $40,729 per year

Role and Responsibilities: Community Organizers build strong relationships between their organization, the surrounding community and the community members it serves. They collaborate with other members of the organization, volunteers and community leaders to plan activities that bring awareness and provide valuable resources to those in need. They may be responsible for expanding membership, facilitating forums on relevant social issues, developing organizational strategies and strategizing programs and campaigns that target a specific audience or community group.

Grant Writer

National Average Salary: $43,673 per year

Role and Responsibilities: Grant Writers are tasked with performing research and writing proposals to help secure funding for nonprofit organizations. They often work on multiple projects at once and are expected to adhere to tight deadlines. They are expected to create clear and concise documents that relay the goals of the organization while also convincing business owners, professionals and individuals to donate to the cause. 

They also write documents the organization uses to apply to grants offered by the federal, state and local governments. These professionals may also be responsible for responding to potential donors’ questions, developing relationships with donors and helping to evaluate the success of a grant proposal’s fundraising initiative. 

Chaplain

National Average Salary: $53,128 per year

Role and Responsibilities: Chaplains provide religious services, encouraging words and spiritual guidance to employees, affiliates and all those who may be associated with a particular cause or organization. They are seen as leaders within nonprofit organizations and may step in to help people during times of crisis or to redirect efforts following a disappointment that may be affecting the organization or those it serves.

Executive Assistant

National Average Salary: $55,252 per year 

Role and Responsibilities: Executive Assistants are intricately involved in the office management of nonprofit organizations. They help the organization’s management by scheduling meetings, handling correspondence, coordinating travel, drafting documents and many other tasks related to carrying out the overall mission of the organization. They may also be asked to perform various tasks in relation to human resources such as posting job openings, scheduling interviews and interviewing applicants. They may also be asked to help with event planning and gathering information to help the organization to remain in compliance with all rules and regulations affecting nonprofit organizations. 

Philanthropy Manager

National Average Salary: $59,334 per year

Role and Responsibilities: Philanthropy Managers are responsible for creating, coordinating and implementing multifaceted fundraising plans that help to garner attention and secure the necessary funds to further a nonprofit organization’s goals. They help to manage and develop the portfolios of various donors all while building relationships and rapport with donors to secure long-term funding. They may also be tasked with creating and managing a fundraising budget, among other duties.

Grant Manager

National Average Salary: $66,529 per year

Role and Responsibilities: Also known as a Rewards Manager, a Grant Manager is responsible for collaborating with the organization’s other management staff in setting fundraising goals as well as implementing the grant programs that help reach them. They supervise other employees working on securing grants, such as grant writers, and often help with the research, application and other administrative processes involved in grant management. 

They also track the results of various fundraising efforts by performing financial data analysis and documenting the objectives that were achieved and those that were not. These professionals are also often responsible for educating other staff members in the organization on the policies and best practices for grant management.

Popular skills and qualifications to list on a resume for nonprofit organization jobs

Here are some of the most common skills and qualifications to list on your resume when applying for a job with a nonprofit organization:

Written communication

Those in nonprofit organizations frequently use writing to communicate with the community, donors and other important stakeholders through a variety of channels. Social media, email, marketing and advertising and informative research writing are just a few forms they use.

Research

Those in grant writing and other nonprofit professionals use research to justify their proposals, demonstrate the importance or impact of a cause and to identify new ways to target their donors.

Financial management

This skill can help nearly all of these professionals, whether they work directly with money management or are using a budget to fund a specific campaign. Knowledge of nonprofit finance is also valuable as there are many regulations these organizations must follow to maintain their status with the federal government.