#NES

Tag: #NES

A Guide to Using ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer

If you’re interested in working for or with nonprofit organizations, one valuable resource to aid your research is ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer:

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/

ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer is an online platform that offers a comprehensive database of information about nonprofit organizations operating in the United States.

Here are some tips to use it to your advantage:

  • Use the search bar to look up organizations by name, location, or keyword.
  • Alternatively, you can browse organizations by category, such as education, healthcare, or arts and culture.
  • Dive into an organization’s programs and achievements to evaluate its impact.
  • Look for measurable outcomes, testimonials, and success stories that showcase the nonprofit’s effectiveness in achieving its mission.
  • Learn about the nonprofit’s board of directors, key staff members, and their qualifications.
  • Consider how the organization’s leadership aligns with your values and career goals.
  • Use Nonprofit Explorer to compare several nonprofit organizations side by side.
  • This allows you to make informed decisions about which organizations align most closely with your career aspirations.
  • Once you’ve identified organizations of interest, consider reaching out to their staff or volunteers.
  • Attend events, webinars, or conferences related to the nonprofit sector to expand your network and gather more information.

How to Write Personal Statements for Graduate School Applications

Writing a compelling personal statement for graduate school is crucial to your application’s success. This is your opportunity to showcase your qualifications, experiences, and motivations to the admissions committee. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft an effective personal statement:

  • Understand the Purpose:
    • The personal statement allows you to demonstrate why you’re a strong candidate for the program.
    • It should highlight your academic achievements, relevant experiences, and your passion for the field.
  • Research the Program:
    • Familiarize yourself with the specific graduate program you’re applying to, including its mission, faculty, and curriculum.
    • Identify what makes this program unique and how it aligns with your goals.
  • Brainstorm and Outline:
    • Begin by brainstorming your key experiences, achievements, and reasons for pursuing graduate education.
    • Create an outline to organize your thoughts and structure your statement.
  • Start with a Strong Opening:
    • Begin your personal statement with an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention.
    • This could be a personal anecdote, a relevant quote, or a brief summary of your journey.
  • Discuss Your Academic Background:
    • Highlight your academic achievements, including relevant coursework, research projects, or honors.
    • Explain how your academic background has prepared you for the graduate program.
  • Showcase Your Relevant Experiences:
    • Discuss internships, research, work experience, or volunteer work that is relevant to your field of study.
    • Provide specific examples of how these experiences have shaped your goals and skills.
  • Explain Your Motivation and Goals:
    • Describe why you are passionate about the field and what motivates you to pursue graduate education.
    • Discuss your short-term and long-term career goals and how the program will help you achieve them.
  • Address Weaknesses (if necessary):
    • If you have any academic gaps or weaknesses, briefly address them and explain how you’ve overcome or learned from them.
  • Show Fit with the Program:
    • Explain why you believe the specific program is the right fit for you and how it will help you achieve your goals.
    • Mention faculty members or research opportunities that align with your interests.
  • Reflect on Personal Growth:
    • Share personal insights or transformative experiences that have influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies.
  • Conclude Strongly:
    • Summarize your main points and reiterate your enthusiasm for the program.
    • End with a forward-looking statement about your potential contributions as a graduate student.
  • Edit and Proofread:
    • Revise your personal statement for clarity, grammar, and coherence.
    • Seek feedback from professors, mentors, or peers to ensure it’s well-polished.
  • Stay Within Word Limits:
    • Adhere to any word or page limits provided by the graduate program.
  • Tailor Your Statement:
    • Customize your personal statement for each program you apply to, emphasizing the aspects most relevant to each.
  • Review and Submit:
    • Review your application and personal statement thoroughly before submitting it by the deadline.

Remember that your personal statement should reflect your unique experiences, aspirations, and personality. Be honest, authentic, and enthusiastic throughout your writing, and make sure it conveys your genuine passion for your chosen field of study and the graduate program you’re applying to.

An Introduction to Nonprofits

Nonprofits are a great way to directly impact a cause or issue that needs improvement. Whether that means enacting a positive impact on a specific community or a societal issue, there a numerous ways to get into the world of Nonprofits!

What is a Nonprofit?

A nonprofit is an organization that generates a profit for a purpose other than the financial gain of the organization and their employees. Nonprofits are founded in order to provide money/resources/programs/etc. to all different kinds of targeted audiences. A very common misconception about nonprofits is that the employees of these organizations don’t get paid for their work because of the non-business aspect, but workers typically receive similar salaries just like any other business. Which means working in the nonprofit world is a great job/internship/volunteer opportunity for anyone who is looking to give back to a cause they are passionate about both directly and indirectly.

Some typical departments at nonprofits include:

Executive/Top Management
These positions oversee the direction and strategy of the organization at either the local or national level. Some example job titles include:

  • Director/Executive Director
  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
  • Chief Operating Officer (COO)
  • Board Member
  • Director of Philanthropy
  • Development Director
  • Advocacy Director
  • Volunteer Director

Administrative/Accounting
These positions are in charge of the day to day duties that are necessary in order to keep the organization running smoothly. Some example job titles include:

  • Community Service/Project Coordinator
  • Nonprofit Administrator
  • Aides Supervisor
  • Financial Aid Representative
  • Public Relations Manager
  • Volunteer Manager

Marketing/Communications
These positions mainly focus on promoting the organization to potential donors, target audiences, and community members. Some example job titles include:

  • Director/Vice-President of Communications
  • Community Outreach Coordinator
  • Communications Manager
  • Grant Proposal Manager
  • Advocacy Director
  • Fundraising Coordinator
  • Marketing Associate
  • Social Media Coordinator
  • Community Outreach Specialist
  • Donor Relations Manager

Health/Human Services
These positions cover a diverse array of needs within an organization, primarily to promote welfare for both physical and mental needs. Some example job titles include:

  • Volunteer Coordinator
  • Social Worker
  • Human Resources Officer
  • Child Care Worker
  • Childbirth Educator
  • Counselor
  • Minister
  • Pastor
  • Labor Union Organizer
  • Policy Analyst
  • Job Developer

Popular Nonprofits + Their Purposes

– Habitat for Humanity –

Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 as a Christian housing ministry. The organization raises donations and volunteer help to build actual homes for people that need them. For more information about Habitat for Humanity and how to get involved.

– Education Beyond Borders –

Education Beyond Borders is a non-profit NGO devoted to closing the global education divide through teacher professional development and community education. For more information about Education Beyond Borders and how to get involved.

– Boys & Girls Clubs of America –

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. For more information about Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and how to get involved.

– Planned Parenthood –

Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, educator, and passionate advocate here in the U.S. as well as a strong partner to health and rights organizations around the world. For more information about Planned Parenthood and how to get involved.

– Doctors Without Borders –

Doctors Without Borders is an international humanitarian group dedicated to providing medical care to people in distress, including victims of political violence and natural disasters. For more information about Doctors Without Borders and how to get involved.

– Midwest Food Bank –

The Midwest Food Bank  is an American non-profit organization that gathers food donations, primarily from large companies, and distributes them to other non-profit organizations and disaster sites. For more information about the Midwest Food Bank and how to get involved.

– Save The Music Foundation –

The Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization helping students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. For more information about the Save The Music Foundation and how to get involved.

Step-by-Step Guide For An Impactful Summer

Step 1: Find out your goal

For those of you who have jobs or internships for the summer, it may be your goal to excel in those positions. However, what if you don’t have one of those opportunities and still want a high-impact summer? Here is our list of goals you can have:

  • Learn a new skill
  • Volunteer
  • Create your own “resident” experience
  • Prepare for graduate school applications or job search

There are so many other goals you can have for your summer as well! But this was our list of suggestions to just get you thinking. 

Step 2: Figure out the steps to achieve that goal

We suggest writing out your plan for the summer. Whether it is easier to break it up by day, week or month is up to you! If you are learning a new skill or expanding your knowledge on a subject, you may take some free online courses or even courses at a community college nearby. If you are volunteering, research where you would like to spend your time and reach out to find times that fit in your schedule. If you want to create your own resident experience, research where you would like to stay for the summer, the funding that Lawrence or the community can provide, who you would like to study with, or where you would like to work. If you’re looking to prepare for graduate school or a job search, figure out which schools or which fields you are interested in a form a plan for creating your application materials. 

Step 3: Execute! 

Stick to your plan! If you end up falling behind that is totally okay, just be sure you have a chance to recharge and get back in there. Always keep in mind that even the tiniest amount of progress can make a huge impact on your career and your goals and ensure you have a high-impact summer.

Step 4: Keep track of your progress

Be sure to take note of all of the progress you are making. You can do this by journaling, keeping a calendar, or just reviewing all of the materials you’ve gathered throughout the summer. If you’re volunteering be sure to log your hours. Also, if you are working with other people, you can even ask them how you have progressed throughout the summer. 

Step 5: Enjoy the benefits!

If you have an internship, there is a really good chance you have earned college credit for completing your position! Not having to take one extra class during your time at Lawrence is a really great benefit. Those of you who learned new skills, be ready to excel in your classes relating to those skills or apply them all throughout the school year. The same goes for those of you who created your own residency! If you got a head start on job or graduate school applications, be ready to send those in and enjoy the downtime after getting such a good head start. 

Credible Non-Profit Job Boards

While you will find non-profit jobs on any reliable job board like Handshake or Indeed, there are job search sites that specialize in non-profit positions. A few of them are described and reviewed below.

NationalNonProfits.org

Nationalnonprofits.org is fully free and easy to use. You can search by a specific organization and geographical location in order to find the opportunity that is right for you. This website sadly does not give many internship options, however, they do have a few. Most of the opportunities found on this job board are full-time job positions, so it might be best to use this site for post-graduation. You can apply for each opportunity directly through the website.

Foundationlist.org

Foundationlist.org is great for those looking for specific foundation jobs. Sadly, this website does not feature any internship search tools and is mainly for those finding part-time and full-time non-profit work. Each opportunity has a “How To Apply” section, where it lists the requirements and also whether to apply through the Foundationlist website or if you will be redirected to the company website. 

Check out our previous review of Idealist.org, which is another great tool for those interested in working in the non-profit industry.

Foundationlist also has a list of other nonprofit job boards here. 

If you seek non-profit opportunities in Wisconsin, visit Jobs That Help.

Fighting Displacement: Three resettlement NGO’s that support the most vulnerable populations

You can see – and feel – the despair and fear on the faces of over 4 million Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s advancing army.  Sadly, this is only the latest of many refugee crises our planet has faced in recent years.  From Afghanistan to Sudan, millions have been displaced as they flee war, poverty and oppression. 

Organizations, including the UN, struggle to process the massive waves of people searching for safety and an opportunity to live life with dignity, leading to a greater need for integrative services in countries offering asylum. If you have been exploring the NGO career path, here are three of the best known resettlement agencies:

International Rescue Committee (IRC) 

If you’ve ever spent a considerable amount of time on YouTube, you might have come across a heart-wrenching ad from the IRC. The IRC helps displaced people within countries in crisis. Provisions in crisis areas include shelter, cash assistance, food and water. Programs elevating long-term growth in-country include access to education, minority empowerment (working on policy with local governments), health programs treating preventable diseases and ensuring access to reproductive health. 

In situations like Ukraine where safety is not guaranteed, many find themselves leaving their home-countries entirely. IRC offers resettlement services helping refugees in their transition to the United States, where they receive assistance in a variety of areas including medical, housing, education, legal services, employment and more. 

World Relief

World Relief is a Christian organization founded in 1940 to provide recovery aid after World War II. Since then, World Relief has joined President Kennedy’s “Food for Peace” committee, responded to earthquake disaster areas, and provided aid to thousands of refugees. As of 2015, World Relief has worked in over 100 countries, has partnered with 6,000 churches, and has recruited over 95,000 volunteers. 

Much like the IRC, there are departments supporting refugees including immigration services, youth support, case management, education, and employment.

Refugees International 

Refugees International is an advocacy group founded in 1979 in response to the crises in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Their main functions are to “investigate displacement crises, create policy solutions and advocate for change”. Their Refugee Advocacy Lab dedicates resources to working with US representatives on creating supportive policies for refugees among other efforts.  The four main issues this organization focuses on is climate displacement, Covid-19, access to employment, and minority empowerment in over 40 countries. 

If you are wondering about NGO work and want to see if this work is for you? World Relief, Refugees International and IRC all offer internships available to undergraduates and graduates. Learn more about these organizations by clicking on their websites posted below:

https://www.refugeesinternational.org/

https://www.rescue.org/

https://worldrelief.org/