Nonprofit, Think Tanks, & NGO's
Do you like to be involved in work that “makes a difference?” or like to identify with the mission of the organization? You may enjoy working in the nonprofit sector. There are opportunities in nonprofit organizations (503C) as well as non-governmental organizations (NGO) or think tanks. The nonprofit sector comprises about 9% of the workforce, roughly 12 million employees, so this is a large sector. When you are thinking about this type of work, it is important to evaluate whether your interest is in the issue or value or the organization, the scope (international, grass roots, level, etc.), the people it serves, or the role or function that you will take in the organization (marketing role, fund-raising, researcher).
Whatever your goal is, when you embark on a job search in nonprofit and public organizations, it is important to keep this tip in mind - be proactive in your job and internship search efforts. While it is the nature of large corporations to actively travel to and recruit on campuses around the country, a number of positions in this field are filled through networking, volunteer opportunities, and internships. This means that you will have to actively approach organizations and expand your professional contacts. Being proactive (or being able to take initiative) is indeed one of the qualities many of these organizations are looking for in candidates.
NonProfit Organizations (NPO)
Nonprofit organizations, value-driven to contribute to society exist in a wide variety of categories. Their purposes and services are quite diverse. Types of those organizations include foundations, social service organizations, health organizations, educational organizations, political groups, charities, environmental organizations, trade unions, professional organizations and more.
Think Tanks
Think Tanks are also called Political Institutes that focus on research and advocacy. Many of them are classified as nonprofit organization, but some of them are funded by government and business and seek revenues through consulting activities. Examples of Think Tanks include United Nations University, Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
Non-Governmental Organizations are independent from government. Their activities are similar to nonprofit organizations. However, their tax status differs from that of nonprofit organizations.
Princeton University Fellowship and Summer Experience Programs
Princeton AlumniCorps - http://www.alumnicorps.org/- Princeton AlumniCorps (formerly Princeton Project 55) places Princeton University recent graduates in paid summer and yearlong positions of significance with public interest organization across the country that are seeking systemic solutions to critical social problems.
Princeton in Asia - http://www.princeton.edu/~pia/ - Princeton in Asia (PiA) is a nonprofit foundation committed to providing bright and motivated people with a vivid "Asian experience." PiA's mission is to foster cross-cultural understanding between Asians and Americans. The organization achieves this goal by providing young Americans with various opportunities to live and work in Asia.
Princeton in Africa - http://www.princeton.edu/~piaf - Princeton in Africa (PiAf) seeks to encourage American/African collaboration by developing internship and fellowship opportunities for alumni and students. The intent is both to enable Princetonians to provide effective assistance to the world’s most under-served continent and to create a constituency committed to the emergence of Africa as a full partner in the developed world.
Princeton Internships in Civic Service - http://princetoninternships.org/ - PICS creates and funds internships with community service and public service organizations, to stimulate more community service activity by Princeton students and enhance their education by providing related experiential opportunities.
Community Based Learning Initiative - http://www.princeton.edu/~cbli/main.html - Collaborative effort of students, faculty, administration, and community experts working to provide students with opportunities for community involvement and hands-on research in the classroom.
Alumni Careers Network
Alumni have VOLUNTEERED to have students contact them for advice and information about majors and careers. The Alumni Careers Network (ACN), with 4,500 volunteers worldwide, is a searchable on-line database of Princeton alumni who are willing and eager for you to contact them so they can provide you with advice and assistance about their industry or career field.
Selected Online Resources
Nonprofit and Philanthropy
AmeriCorps - http://www.americorps.gov/- A network of national service programs that engage more than 50,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment.
Commongood Careers - www.cgcareers.org
“The mission of Commongood Careers is to enable innovative nonprofits to build strong organizations through the recruitment, retention, and development of outstanding talent.” The positions posted range from entry level to executive level.
Council of Foundations job board - http://jobs.cof.org/home/index.cfm?site_id=11690
National association of approximately 2,000 grant making foundations and corporations that use this job board to post openings. The positions posted range from internships to executive level positions.
National association of approximately 2,000 grant making foundations and corporations that use this job board to post openings. The positions posted range from internships to executive level positions.
Dot.Org.Jobs - http://www.dotorgjobs.com/ - Job board for the nonprofit sector as well as articles and resources of interest to those in the fields of nonprofit management, fundraising, and philanthropy.
Graduation Pledge Alliance - http://www.graduationpledge.org/ - A set of links to websites provides socially responsible jobs, internships and volunteer programs in a variety of categories.
GuideStar - http://www2.guidestar.org/ - The national database of U.S. charitable organizations gathers and distributes data on more than 1.5 million IRS-recognized nonprofits. It also offers a subscription-based salary survey.
Idealist. org - http://www.idealist.org - Idealist provides the international directory of 14,000 nonprofit organizations, with jobs, internships, fellowships and volunteer experiences in a wide range of fields and organizations.
Internships with Community and Social Service Agencies -http://www.internships-usa.com/ - Part of the Internship Series Online. The site offers information on over 100 agencies that provide internships. Call Career Services (609-258-3325) for User ID and Password.
Next Billion – http://www.nextbillion.net/jobsfeed.aspx - Connects business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics at the intersection of development and enterprise.
Nonprofit Career Network - http://www.nonprofitcareer.com - The website is dedicated to the nonprofit sector of the business and economic world. It also includes a great directory of nonprofit organizations around the country.
NonProfitJobs.org - http://www.nonprofitjobs.org - The website is devoted to nonprofit human resource recruitment in such areas as management, fund development, education & training, finance, etc.
Nonprofit Times - http://www.nptimes.com/index.html - The site provides nonprofit news and classified listings.
Nonprofits, Associations, Foundations & Think Tanks -http://www.rileyguide.com/nonprof.html - The information is from Riley Guide.
Opportunity Knocks - http://www.opportunitynocs.org/jobseekerx/ - One stop shop for nonprofit job searching and employee recruitment on the Internet. The site includes a national job bank, local classifieds, FAQs, and resources.
Orion Grassroots Network - http://www.oriongrassroots.org/ - The web site includes internships, jobs, apprenticeships, and AmeriCorps opportunities with grassroots organizations in areas such as conservation, education, restoration, agriculture, and activism.
Public Sector Careers - http://www.publicsectorcareers.org/- The website provides listings in the UK for jobs in the public sector
Public Services Careers - http://www.publicservicecareers.org/index.asp?pageid=503 -The site includes job listings, career advice and resources and information on graduate education.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy - http://philanthropy.com/jobs/- The newspaper of the nonprofit world including jobs and other Internet resources.
The Foundation Center - http://fdncenter.org/ - A comprehensive resource for researching careers in Philanthropy. The web site includes a directory of foundations, recent news articles, job information and a database of literature for the nonprofit sector. (Job Corner: http://fdncenter.org/pnd/jobs/index.jhtml)
The Human Rights Internship Book - http://www.internships-usa.com/- Part of the Internship Series Online. It includes information on over 150 agencies that provide internships. CallCareer Services (609-258-3325) for User ID and Password.
Volunteers For Peace (VFP) - http://www.vfp.org - The organization places over 3,000 short-term "peace corps" adventures in more than 100 countries.
Young Nonprofit Professionals Network – http://ynpnnyc.org/ - features nonprofit and social enterprise jobs, volunteer opportunities, and social events throughout New York City.
Chicago/Illinois
NPO.net
NPO.net is a full-featured job board that services only recognized nonprofits and certain government agencies (such as city offices and companies that provide the majority of their services to the nonprofit community) that desire to find staff with deep community service experience. The job board is searchable by category. Ranges from internships to executive level positions.
Southern California
Nonprofit Management Solutions
Providing management assistance to nonprofits throughout Southern California since 1984, training over 90,000 nonprofit practitioners to run hundreds of nonprofit organizations more effectively during that time. Searchable by category. Ranges from internships to executive level positions.
Massachusetts
Associated Grant Makers
Associated Grant Makers, Inc. is the only regional association of grant makers, both foundations and corporations with giving programs, serving in, or making grants in Massachusetts and surrounding areas. Ranges from internships to executive level positions.
Greater Philadelphia
Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance
The Cultural Alliance is committed to the power of arts and culture in our everyday lives. We connect cultural resources to community needs; provide direct services for nonprofit cultural organizations; produce direct marketing programs for cultural consumers and lead cultural research, advocacy, and policy work. Posts a large amount of internships and entry level positions as well as upper level positions.
Northwest States
Philanthropy Northwest
Philanthropy Northwest works to build a strong philanthropic community that reflects the diversity of the Northwest, connects people to each other so they can achieve more with giving, and inspires action to address critical problems in our society. Searchable by experience level.
Midwest
NP Connect
Nonprofit Connect links the nonprofit community to education, resources, and networking so organizations can more effectively achieve their missions. Their INTERNLINK page provides an extensive list of nonprofit internships located in the Midwest area.
NGOs and Think Tanks
Directory of Links to Think Tank -http://www.carnegieendowment.org/about/library/index.cfm?fa=libtanks- The site is maintained by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Global Policy Forum - http://www.globalpolicy.org/ngos/links-and-resources-on-ngos.html- Global Policy Forum's mission is to monitor policy making at the United Nations, promote accountability of global decisions, educate and mobilize for global citizen participation, and advocate on vital issues of international peace and justice.
NGO Database - http://unog.ch/- The UN web site offers a NGO database. Click on the “The United Nations & Civil Society” tab and select “NGO Database”.
Organizations in Defense of Freedom -http://www.indefenseoffreedom.org/organizations.html -Related organizations and links are listed in alphabetical order.
Private Voluntary Organizations - http://intranet.dimen-intl.com/usaid/index.html- Database organized by USAID.
The NGO Café - http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/ -Realizing the growing importance and voice of NGOs in development in general, the NGO Café was set up on the internet as a think tank for NGOs to discuss, debate and disseminate information on their work, strategies and results.
United Nations System of Organizations - http://www.unsystem.org/Default.htm- The UN related organizations are listed in alphabetical order.
US PIRG - http://www.pirg.org/jobs/positions/search- U.S. PIRG is a federation of state-based, nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations that work for the public interest on issues ranging from our nation's energy policy to the future of the Internet to the strength of our democracy.
Think Tanks and NGOs - http://www.worldpress.org/library/ngo.cfm- A list of global Think Tanks and NGOs are listed and maintained by World Press.
Selected Professional Associations
A professional association is an organization of people who have similar career interests. These membership based organizations often offer a reduced rate for students that allows access to the many resources they provide. Professional association websites can also offer job/internship databases as well as opportunities to find mentors or other contacts.
American Society for Public Administrators -http://www.aspanet.org/- ASPA advocates for greater effectiveness in government - agents of goodwill and professionalism - publishers of democratic journalism at its very best - purveyors of progressive theory and practice and providers of global citizenship.
Association of Fundraising Professionals - http://www.afpnet.org/- AFP organizes conferences and other professional development activities. The web site also offers job center and resource center.
Council on Foreign Affairs -http://www.cfr.org/index.html -The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
InterAction - http://www.interaction.org/ -InterAction is the largest coalition of U.S.-based international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) focused on the world’s poor and most vulnerable people.
Public Affairs Council - http://pac.org/- Public Affairs Council provides training and information resources to its members. The career section includes job listings and career advice.