The Pros And Cons Of Working For A Non-Profit Organization

April 11th, 2011 | Author: admin

There are pros and cons to working for a non-profit organization. If you are thinking of working for one then you should know that not every day is one filled with tremendous progress or pats on the back. Still, there are reasons why so many fight the good fight day after day and year after year. Here are some of the pros and cons of working for a non-profit organization.

Less Money And Fewer Benefits But More Work

The first downside of working for this type of organization is that you tend to make less money and have fewer benefits. You may have to work harder too. This may not matter to you if you are working for a cause you believe in but most people would say that no matter how dedicated you are less money and fewer benefits while doing more work is a big con.

Hard To See Results On A Large Scale

While you may see individuals receiving help, you will also see whatever big cause you are tackling persisting year after year. These organizations tend not to spring up, take care of the problem, and disappear. Instead, they fight for years for whatever improvements in a situation they can get and hope that the situation gets better. Or at least doesn’t get worse.

Burnout

It is easy to burnout while working for a non-profit organization because sometimes you will look at the problem more than the solution. If you focus too much on what’s wrong then you can burnout. You can also burnout if you put years into making the world a better place and it looks the same as, or worse than, when you started.

Make A Difference

When you work for a non-profit organization then you are making a difference. Sometimes you will be able to see this difference because you will be face-to-face with the people you help while other times you will just know that you make a difference by doing the work that you do. Knowing that what you do in your work matters is a feeling that can’t be matched.

Satisfaction

Along with making a difference you will derive satisfaction from your work. You will know that people who needed help received that help because of you. You will know that, whatever cause you work for, you have done your part. You will rest easy knowing you are part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Relaxed Environment

When you work for a non-profit organization then you tend to enjoy a more relaxed work environment. This applies to daily operations as well as to flexibility with vacation time and your schedule. Of course, it will depend on your non-profit organization but when you work with people who care about making the world a better place then you tend to be treated well.

Opportunity To Do Many Tasks

Another often overlooked positive aspect of working for a non-profit organization is that you will probably get to do many things above and beyond your job description. These organizations can be short staffed which sounds bad but can be good. You will enjoy some variety in your work instead of doing the exact same thing every day.

Tom Rheinecker writes about enrolling in a master of non-profit management degree program.

Posted in master of non-profit management

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