Both types of groups attract individuals who have a passion for taking action related to a particular social issue. Other groups, such as professional associations, are relatively apolitical as they seek to promote the collective interests of their members. Nonprofit jobs tend to be dead-end jobs. This is a huge employment arena where many individuals develop long-term careers and report high levels of satisfaction. Career advancement often takes the track of moving from small to larger nonprofit organizations that offer increasing responsibilities, larger operating budgets and better salaries and benefits.
Nonprofit organizations offer low salaries and few benefits.
The level of pay and benefits can vary widely, depending on the nature of the nonprofit organization. It's true that many nonprofit organizations, especially charitable and social service organizations, offer low-paying jobs because of the volunteer nature of the work and their shoestring budgets. But many nonprofits, especially health groups, research organizations, foundations, and business and professional associations, offer excellent salaries and benefits. The best way to find a job with a nonprofit organization is to respond to vacancy announcements in local newspapers and to jobs listed on various Internet employment sites and on the home pages. Many positions are advertised in local newspapers and professional journals, such as Access's Community Jobs and the Journal of Philanthropy, as well as on the Internet.