Looking for a nonprofit job? Go beyond the online job bank.

When starting the nonprofit job hunt from scratch our gut reaction is to tap into our networks or hop online. Various websites like idealist.org, common good careers, opportunity knocks, dotorgjobs, and even craigslist offer hundreds of jobs to choose from, but what other online resources can help you while you search for a nonprofit job?

I recommend associations and networks related to the profession you’re interested in (fundraising, marketing, management) or your cause (arts, hunger, social work, education). These groups give you more of an edge in the job hunt for the following reasons:

1. Community: The nature of these groups is to bring people together over a common interest. This leads to the sharing of ideas, experiences, and resources as well as simply meeting friends and growing your network.

2. Events: With events, you can easily connect with other people and learn more about your field or profession. Additionally some events are great for professional development and may even give you new tools and approaches for your job hunt. For example, perhaps participating in a workshop series helped you become more comfortable with a new technology–you now have another skill to develop and market.

3. Awareness: Through more focused exposure to your cause or field of interest, you can stay on top of trends and challenges, making you a more knowledgeable candidate, and perhaps allowing you to make better decisions in the job hunt. If you realize more jobs are developing in a particular city or that certain jobs in your cause are in demand, while others are shrinking, you might adjust your approach.

When used effectively these three resources can help you become a more competitive candidate.

The drawback is that some groups have a membership fee. Some are relatively inexpensive while others may be hundreds of dollars. Depending on your interests you may find it’s worth the cost to sign up. However, I find that you can still learn a great deal by subscribing newsletters or following the organization on various social media sites and carefully selecting the events or opportunities you may want to pay for.

Below are a few networks to get you started:

• Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
• Americans for the Arts (and their Emerging Leaders program with sites around the country)
• Nonprofit Technology Network
• Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy
• Economic Analysis and Research Network
• Feminist Majority Foundation
• National Parks Conservation Association
• Grow Food
• National Organizers Alliance
• National Fair Housing Advocates

Idealist.org has a great list of various associations and job banks around the world.

What are some other online resources that have helped you in your job search?

Photo Credit