Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Nonprofit Professionals
Entry-level nonprofit roles for undergraduates include "program coordinator," "grant writer," or "social media/marketing specialist," depending on skills. Focusing expertise on a specific social issue area, such as "Healthcare," "education," or "affordable housing," will make a candidate "super valuable" to potential employers.
Nonprofit, Social Safety Net, Grant Writing, Program Coordination, Social Media Marketing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Chloe Vieira
Senior Associate
Give Better Group
California Lutheran University, 2013
UCLA Anderson Fully-Employed MBA program, MBA 2018
Communications
Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Human Resources (HR)
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Entry-level positions in the non-profit sector include program coordinator, grant writer, and social media/marketing specialist.
2. Focusing on a specific area of the social safety net (healthcare, education, food security, etc.) can make you a more valuable candidate to non-profits.
3. Developing expertise in a particular area, such as affordable housing, can accelerate career advancement in the non-profit field.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
At a nonprofit organization, an undergraduate could start out as a program coordinator, grant writer, or a social media or marketing specialist, depending on their skill set. The key is to think about which area of the social safety net you really care about.
Is it healthcare? Is it education? Is it food security? Is it working with children or portable housing? You'll get farther faster if you become an expert in one of those areas. Then, you'll be super valuable to a nonprofit working on affordable housing, for example.