The Benefits of Working for a Nonprofit

Working for a nonprofit organization used to be viewed as a negative way to fill your time. But in recent years, the attitude around nonprofits has changed and employment in one looks good on any resume. The perceptions have changed because the work has changed and become more valuable to everyone.

Here are nine reasons to work for a nonprofit.

1. Growth Opportunities

Because of the informal setting, the potential to elevate your position at a nonprofit is much easier. The jobs you can have fall in a much wider range than most for-profit companies. By working on many projects at once, more opportunities for job development are available to nonprofit employees.

2. Supersize your skill set

Nonprofits are always understaffed. While this is a disadvantage for the company, it’s a benefit for you. You won’t only learn your role, but you’ll be able to learn about what your boss and coworkers do. Taking on a few projects at a time is common at nonprofits. You’ll learn new and varied skills that you’ll be able to add to your resume and employ in other professions.

3. Perks make up for the low paycheck

Nonprofits are called nonprofits for that very reason: they are a company that provides services for no profitable gain. This means that your salary might not be as much as one would earn at a for-profit company. However, you’re compensated with non-monetary perks, such as flexible schedules, a relaxed dress code and other benefits.

4. Network expander

Working for a nonprofit is an excellent way to get your foot in the door of your field. You get to meet people and work on projects that are directly related to your area. It’s also a great way to network. You get to work with a multitude of people in your field who can provide you with recommendations, referrals and advice.

5. They value the work/life balance

Nonprofits have a more people-oriented approach to staff management. They recognize your personal needs and can work with you to give you a more flexible schedule or set other accommodations you might need.

6. You can cross over into the corporate world

For-profit companies and corporate professionals often like to hire members of nonprofit organizations to integrate a more compassionate voice into their decision making process and business strategies.

7. You’ll get to flex your creative muscles

Nonprofits have little money and high stakes, so they need creative solutions and ideas in order to achieve what they want in effective ways.

8. Plenty of job variety

The variety of jobs you can take are endless. There’s a bigger range of fields in a nonprofit. Want to work with animals? Children? There are jobs that can get you involved in almost anything.

9. Engage your heart/passion

With this variety of job opportunities, you are more able to engage yourself in your passions at your job. It’s easy to follow your heart into a field you truly love and can do your best work in.

If you are interested in working for a nonprofit, apply for the Jaggar Community Fellows Program today! All applications are due March 1, 2017.

Being a Leader in Your Community

George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change.” And change is impossible without a spark to start the fire. Here are six ways to initiate effective change and become a leader in your community.

1. Find a cause that you believe in.

This cause should be something that you are passionate about supporting, or even part of already. It should be something that you are willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort to and truly believe in the work you are doing. A lack of passion will only detriment your activism process.

2. Set an objective.

One way to do this is to examine your intentions within this cause. Are you advocating for it? Repairing it? Revising it? It’s important to explore why you are becoming involved with this cause.

Within this objective, set long and short term goals.

3. Form a team.

Surround yourself and collaborate with people who also believe in your cause.

Examine everyone’s strengths and interests - some people may be interested in canvassing while others may want to be more involved in designing logos and slogans. Every person has something unique and important to contribute.

4. Listen to people.

Listen to those who have more experience with your cause and people who may be impacted differently by your cause or your objectives. Include these people in your cause. The initial team your formed may need training. You may need assistance creating program and policy proposals. You may need someone who knows how state and federal bills are proposed and passed. These people also may know the core issues or intersectional issues of a community that you are trying to represent.

Also listen to people who oppose your cause. You can learn how to strengthen and revise your cause by talking to as many sides of the story as possible. Be eager to learn and to adapt your movement.

5. Learn how to effectively disseminate information.

If people don’t know what your cause is about, they can’t support or become involved in it.  Hold informational meetings, give out pamphlets, canvass door-to-door, start a digital campaign and maintain an online presence through social media, hang fliers up at schools, campuses, and community centers.

6. Teach others how to be leaders and carry on your vision.

Don’t lead from above. Just because you formed the group does not mean you can rule over them with an iron fist. Work with your group; get down in the trenches with them. Teach them how they can spread the message to their respective communities.

Choosing a Career Path

Choosing a career is not just choosing any other job. It is choosing what kind of life you want to live. Picking a career path is a momentous decision and should be approached with thoughtful consideration.

It all starts with examining your skills. Is there a certain talent you have or something you love to do? It’s important to look at your abilities and see what you can develop and utilize. Try to be creative and flexible with your talents as well. See where seemingly frivolous interests can lead you in the job market.

Consider your past experiences. Did you hate your job as a camp counselor? Did you love your job as a shift manager? Use your previous experiences to gauge what kind of field you’d enjoy being in and which ones you’d be miserable in.

You should also look at your work style and where and how you work best. Do you work better in an office? Do you like hands-on, physical tasks or do you excel with computers and information systems? It’s important to see where you’re most comfortable working. This is hopefully where you’ll be working for the majority of your life.

In addition to your comfort, you should also assess your social needs. If you like interacting with people, sales might be a field you want to explore. If you’re more independent, you may want to look into jobs in which you are able to work from home or jobs that have limited social interaction.

Maintain an organized list of all these elements. You can document your interests, disinterests, and personal strengths. You can note things you want to learn more about or things that sound interesting to you. This will help shape your career path aims. Choosing a career should not be an overnight decision, but something you steadily explore.

Set short term goals that will help pave the way to a long term goal. Pushing yourself to achieve a series of smaller tasks rather than one, large task will help you break up the process and actually accomplish what you want to.

It is also essential for you to intern or volunteer in the field you want to enter. You may think you like this career option, but until you experience it in its purest form, you will never truly know. You may love teaching children, but hate the classroom environment. This can lead you to consider other career options or deviations from your initial choice.

A career path is something you want to seriously consider. Reviewing all your options and exploring your talents and interests are crucial in this process.

How To Prepare for a Job Fair

A job fair is one of the best ways to search for potential employers and secure the job of your dreams. A job fair is also an event that many people attend and you want to stand out in order to succeed. Thomas J. Ward, Jr., Executive Director of Adelphi University’s Center for Career and Professional Development had pointers to give perspective job hunters. Maria Casey, the Alumni and Graduate Student Career Counselor at Adelphi also had some advice to give.

1. Dress for success

Be sure to dress appropriately. Many employers use this a measure of your professionalism. Look like you take this event seriously. Collared shirts, khakis, slacks, or dress pants or skirts are all appropriate attire. Suits should be dark blue or medium to dark gray. Black may come off as a little authoritative. If you are wearing a skirt, knee-length would be most appropriate. Don’t wear sneakers or heels that you would wear to a club. Black or maroon oxfords or loafers and low or mid heel leather pumps in black or a color that coordinates with your suit. Neutral hose and conservative jewelry is also recommended.

2. Have your papers prepared

Bring many copies of your resume to a job fair. Before you hit “print” though, be sure to get your resume reviewed by someone at your university’s career center or another professional. Also bring a list of references to give to potential employers. Make sure these people know you are using them as a reference and that they are a credible source you can trust to give positive comments about you.

      3. Sound professional in the digital world

When including contact information on your resume or when handing it out to employers, ensure that it is appropriate. If your personal e-mail includes words or numbers that you don’t want your grandmother to see, you don’t want your employers to see it either. Your safest bet is to use your school e-mail address.

In addition, make sure your voicemail message is appropriate. Remember, this is the message that not only your friends will hear, but also potential employers. If you come across as unprofessional and inappropriate, your chance of being hired or contacted again by that employer is slim.

Also be sure to update your LinkedIn page and make sure all the information on it is relevant and appropriate.

It’s also very important to evaluate your social media platforms. Anything that has your name attached to it can be found by an employer. Make your online profiles private or, better yet, change your name to an alias that employers can’t track back to you.

      4. Research employers that will be at the event

See which employers will be at the job fair and pick your top choices. Research the company to gather more information on their services and programs. The three key tabs you want to click on an employer’s website is their “mission,” “vision,” and “values.” This will help you get a sense of who they are as a company. Also look at their LinkedIn page and conduct a Google search to see any recent articles. You want to approach as an informed consumer. Know what jobs they are offering and prepare informed questions to ask about them, such as, “What can you tell me about the job that isn’t in the description?”

      5.  Arrive early

It’s good to arrive early to see who’s there and get a layout of the event. Make a “plan of attack” where you locate your top choices, second choices, and backups. Be sure to visit your top choices first so that you can go back to them at the end of the event to thank them again for their time and ensure that you stick in their mind.

      6. Work on your elevator pitch

At a job fair, you have 30 seconds or less to appeal to employers. Work on a short description of yourself that you can tell employers when you first approach them. Be sure to include your top skill(s) and what you want to do with them. You want to give them an idea of who you are and who you hope to become, so start with where you are right now (your current job, your school year, etc.). Then segue into past experiences you had and what you learned from them. Finish off with explaining why you’re excited for this particular opportunity.

      7.  Follow up

After the career fair, send an e-mail to the employers that really stuck out to you. Remind them of what position you were looking at and reiterate your excitement about the opportunity.

      8. Go to your university’s career center

Your university’s career center has many services and programs that can help you be successful at a job fair or learn skills that will help you in the interview and job search process. Take advantage of the resources you have!

The Power of Perseverance

The time has come and gone when you received an email about the Jaggar Community Fellows Program. What if you fell into the "not accepted" category? You may be saying to yourself, "Now what?"

I encourage you to ask instead, "What now?" because what's next for you is a matter of the power to persevere. Here are some tips and words of encouragement for those of you wondering what steps to take, moving forward in your job & internship search.

Tip #1 "When one door closes, another one opens."

Get in touch with your network of friends, families, professors, colleagues, etc. either in-person or on LinkedIn. Whoever has your best interest and mind will help connect you with job opportunities and internships that will benefit you on your journey. Remember, who you know will get you there, and what you know will keep you there.

Tip #2 "When opportunity doesn't knock...build a door."

Periodically check Handshake by clicking the "Job & Internship" icon on eCampus. Employers, both on-campus and off-campus, are always posting positions they need to be filled for their companies and organizations. Keep an eye out for positions within your field of study, and challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone a bit. Remember to keep updating your resumes and cover letters as well!

Tip #3 "Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose."

No matter how bleak the job market may seem: persevere. Submit your resumes to people and places that you'd be interested and invested in working alongside to achieve a common mission or a vision. Online sites such as http://www.indeed.com/ and http://www.monster.com/ are other options that have a lot to offer for those searching. No matter what, don't give up.

Persevere.

Jaggar Community Fellows Program Intern Spotlight: Alexus Haddad

We're back with our next segment of the 2016 Jaggar Community Fellows Program Intern Spotlight Series, where we take a moment to share what our former JCFP interns have learned from their placement in a nonprofit organization during their summer internship. This week our spotlight is highlighting the one and only, Alexus Haddad!

Alexus was instrumental in bettering lives through her position as a JCFP intern with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), which is is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring access to treatments for blood cancer patients. AT LLS, she was able to work with patients with cancer and help support them both emotionally and financially during a most difficult time in their lives. 

Ms. Haddad's ultimate career goal is to become a physician, and the opportunity to become a JCFP intern afforded her with the chance to gain valuable experience on how to help others in need of medical treatment personally and practically. As an aspiring young professional, Alexus developed skills such as allocating resources that patients were qualified to receive for treatment and care, as well as networking with other nonprofits whom shared a goal similar to that of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

As an intern, Alexus's presence at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society made a significant impact. She assisted preparations for campaigning a major fundraising walk event hosted by LLS, called Light The Night. In doing so, Haddad ultimately helped spread awareness for various blood cancers, and how to support families who are affected by them, to members throughout the community. Moreover, Alexus gave thanks for her mentor at LLS, sharing that it made all the difference to have someone who encouraged her and believed in her abilities to help others and make a positive impact on their lives.

JCFP interns make great strides every year to be an effective agent of change and advocacy for communities surrounding various local New York nonprofit organizations. Alexus reflected on her time participating in the program in stating,

The JCFP has definitely helped me grow to become a more confident, compassionate, and understanding person, and I can’t thank this program enough. My summer at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has helped me gain valuable experience in the medical field and has helped me prepare for my future as a physician...My non-profit organization helped raise awareness for blood cancers and the research dedicated to it, which made all the difference in gaining support for the community to fight blood cancer.

Today, we sign off with Alexus's parting words for those considering applying to the 2016 Jaggar Community Fellows Program: "To future students applying to JCFP, it is an internship worthwhile. If you don’t receive the internship this year, do yourself a favor and re-apply the following year. You won’t regret it!"

JCFP applications are now open and accessible on Handshake via eCampus 

(click on the Job & Internship logo listed under "Services")

*The Community Fellows Program is now known as the Jaggar Community Fellows Program in honor of Adelphi University Trustee, Angela '62 MA '65 and Scott Jaggar's support of  this experiential learning program.

Jaggar Community Fellows Program Intern Spotlight Kickoff: Anna Smith

The Center for Career Development is proud to announce the first installment of our 2016 Jaggar Community Fellows Program Intern Spotlight Series. This week our spotlight is shining on none other than Anna Smith!

Anna was accepted as a JCFP intern at S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc., which is a youth, family and community development organization specializing in youth and gang violence prevention and intervention. Ms. Smith shared that S.T.R.O.N.G. played a key role in solidifying her interest in pursuing Social Work as a career. She gained valuable experience in working with young students and having the opportunity to be a part of their growth and development.  On a professional level, she gleaned practical experience about how to manage and facilitate small group instruction to middle school students, thereby learning about the importance of advocating for at-risk youths.

The legacy of JCFP is for interns to make an impact in their non-profit sector, and Anna Smith is no exception. She shared,

 My presence at the nonprofit impacted the students that I interacted with everyday because I was able to be a positive influence for them...our circumstances, our resources, and our race all have an impact on our lives, but we can rise above those things as long as there are others advocating for us and showing us that life has a lot more to offer than we may have thought.

Moreover,  Anna's supervisor and mentor provided her with the wisdom, support and encouragement she needed to flourish and hone in her skills as a young professional. Smith stated that JCFP has helped her establish essential professional qualities such as good interviewing skills, workplace etiquette, and a network of mentors and colleagues while at S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc. 

Anna's advice to those considering applying for the Jaggar Community Fellows Program?

"Don’t think any longer, just DO IT! When going after the career of your dreams, keep pushing and take advantage of every opportunity that is placed in front of you to broaden your horizons." 

JCFP applications are now open and accessible on Handshake via eCampus 

(click on the Job & Internship logo)

*The Community Fellows Program is now known as the Jaggar Community Fellows Program in honor of Adelphi University Trustee, Angela '62 MA '65 and Scott Jaggar's support of  this experiential learning program.