The Limitless Lawyer

When all else fails...

The Nonprofit Surge

Follow-up on yesterday's article about transitioning into a nonprofit career.

Charities tap skills of jobless professionals
One woman featured was laid off and began volunteering at a local charity, which provided her the opportunity to network her way to an interview. And guess who is behind all this? Taproot Foundation

Excerpt:

Taproot saw a 171 percent increase in volunteer interest in January over the previous year, largely driven by the economy.

Three-fourths of those wanting Taproot volunteer positions are people who lost their jobs, said Taproot founder Aaron Hurst.

...

Collins, who also found her volunteer job through Taproot, is thankful to have a routine to keep her from the depression spiral. She's spent a lot of time thinking about aligning her passion and her work and has decided she's a better fit in the nonprofit world.

Many of the matching organizations have experienced such an overwhelming response that they no longer are equipped to handle all the professionals who want to be matched, but don't let that stop you. You can certainly directly contact organizations on your own.

Transitioning to a Non-Profit Job

I stumbled across a great resource on the Taproot Foundation's website. I have always admired this organization whose focus is on providing service-related skills to non-profit organizations to position them competitively in the marketplace. Oftentimes, these organizations receive money, but lack the necessary skills to complete the vision.

In recent months, many of my lawyer friends have spoken to me about wanting to transition into the non-profit sector. Of course, due to the drastic downsizing taking place in the legal sector, it is no surprise. However, many of us with enormous outstanding debt from law school have always wanted to be of service but were unable to do so, until now. One of the benefits I see stemming from this economic downturn is in our desire to find work that is fulfilling. When you get fired or "laid off" from a job you didn't really like in the first place and nothing comparable is readily available, your dreams and desires are forced to the surface. So now just may be the time to get moving!

Here is the article: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

Here is an excerpt, but I highly recommend reading the entire article.

Identifying Opportunities

Nonprofits post jobs on all the standard job boards plus a couple of sites dedicated to the nonprofit sector including idealist.org and Opportunity Knocks. These are good places to do passive searching and to get a feel for positions in the market.

For a more proactive search, we suggest that you explore the job openings at nonprofits that have the track record of hiring business professionals, are growing quickly and have cultures that will be most aligned with your expectations.

You can find lists of these organizations on a few websites including Fast Company, Draper Richards Foundation, Ashoka, Blue Ridge Foundation, New Profit and Social Enterprise Alliance.

You can also look for organizations that have shown an interest in working with business professionals by exploring our grantee list.

There are a number of nonprofit executive search firms that specialize in placing business professionals in nonprofit organizations including: Bridgestar, CommonGood Careers, 360 Group.

 

 

Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry

My cousin features a great interview with Bryant Terry, the author of Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine over at her blog, 21st Century Vegetarians. I heard the full interview and found the two of them to be crazy, entertaining and informative!

Fortunately, my recent move to the West Coast provides me with the opportunity to meet Bryant in person and, most importantly, taste his food at his launch event being held today at the Museum of the African Diaspora. I cannot wait! For those of you in the San Francisco area who didn't get tickets to today's sold-out event, you can catch up with him at Rainbow Grocery on Saturday, March7th from 11 AM to 12PM where he will do a cooking demonstration and sign copies of his book.

In the meantime, buy his book, read his blog, live more healthy!