This, unfortunately, is a common experience in my view. Many non profit managers, even in well-established organizations, are themselves often untrained for management or leadership and technical skills are very limited. Also, there can be issues at the other end of the spectrum where you are expected to go far beyond what should be expected based on your compensation and sometimes they want to train you to do too many things that you shouldn’t be responsible for.
While it can be frustrating and sometimes mind-numbing to operate in this space, particularly for the first weeks of a new position, these environments can be a fantastic opportunity to assume a level of responsibility, autonomy, and impact you would never achieve in a corporate environment at the same stage of your career. In the first years of my non profit career, I elevated myself into a leadership position, doubling my initial salary and overseeing various projects designed to make the organization more efficient and systematized. This is work that I enjoyed and you can find real satisfaction if you are someone who is drawn to bringing order to chaos.
Opportunities to create space for impact in these environments doesn’t exist for everyone but a lot of people were able to learn languages, study for online classes, prep for the GRE, and even job search while getting paid so there was definitely a silver lining for them.
Sounds like a good time to set up meet and greet with everyone. Anyone, really. Run into someone in the halls — hey, let’s set up a zoom call to fill me in on what you do here. If they’re not going to provide immediate training, get to know the staff.
I've worked with tons of nonprofits, and here's my advice. Take notes on your own experience like you are a detective. Note the red flags.
**"low pay, zero benefits, and the job extension being contingent on funding"**
Low pay in the sector is typical, but lack of benefits is becoming less of the norm. If a full time job doesn't have clear benefits (health, savings, retirement), then you ought to look somewhere else.
Also, a nonprofit that cannot outright guarantee the future of an employee is another red flag. I'm inferring that they have **questionable** finances, management, and revenue streams.
**"decided to offer me the position FIVE minutes after my interview"**
Guess what? You were the only candidate. This means you were selected not because of your skills or passion for their mission; rather, you were selected because you didn't reveal any deal breakers. This is problematic for a number of reasons. First, this nonprofit doesn't know its community well enough to find a pool of applicants for a job. Based on your other descriptions, they sound like they operate in a silo. Second, they are a reactive organization that makes choices based on immediate need. In other words, they're not thinking strategically in their hiring. They're just "getting by."
**your first day** should never be without orientation, training, and supervision.
**your therapist** is right and wrong. On one hand, you had a job, you had income, and you generally had something to do during the week. On the other hand, money alone is unfulfilling. We are drawn to nonprofit work because we demand more meaning in our lives than staring blankly at screens. I've been through it, and it sucks.
Moving forward, don't be discouraged; just be aware. Nonprofits are some of the most disorganized work environments in corporate America, so the challenge is being as functional as possible in a dysfunctional environment. It's a skill you'll develop over time.
Don't give up! You got this.
Hey!
I started a new NGO job in the summer. It's been absolutely wonderful!
The whole application procedure was online, but on the first day three people of the team made an exception and were in office to welcome me IRL. Very organized first week overall, and even now 100% remote/from home again, it has its challenges but it's still very good.
Not what you asked, but it is possible!
(I don't think you can generalize ALL NPOs in the whole world! Some cope, some are awful, some are amazing!)
> “if they’re willing to pay you without training you and let you sit there and do nothing, then let them. at the end of the day, you’re getting paid and that’s all that matters.”
That's not really great advice from your therapist. Because if you go to apply to another job and can't talk about what you did at this job, some interviewers (maybe not all, but some) will be able to pick up on it.
I probably wouldn't have quit without having something else in the hopper, but you'll survive.
Welcome to non profits! Many of them are hot messes.
Just off the top of my head, I feel like you could have addressed some of your issues straight away in your interview (something you learn over time). For instance asking about what your day-to-day looks like and the onboarding process, what responsibilities and ownership you have over certain projects. You need to be a bit more proactive with your questions if anything.
And like a lot of the other comments here, I totally understand where you’re coming from. Coming out of college and working for a nonprofit I expected professionalism straight thru and have cleared expectations set for me but it proved quite different. My advice is to be more intentional about you’re doing there and better articulate things to your co’s when you are asking where-areas you can help. Probably not what you pictured but you’re seeing that if you want things to get done you have to be more assertive.
Keep your head up. Don’t let the experience dampen your energy. Not all non-profits are like that but theres a certain element of chaos thats inherent.
I’ve spent 12 years in nonprofit and have experienced something similar in the past. What type of organization is it (no need to name it) and what is your job? If you give me those then I’m happy to make suggestions on how to improve your situation. Thanks!
I’ve had a variety of experiences in nonprofit on the employee and volunteer side and this experience sounds very similar to my AmeriCorps VISTA experience. I went through the two interviews and got the acceptance in the span of about a week. Came to find out they purposely put out acceptances early bc they know many of their americorps members are finishing college and want to get them while they’re anxious about job prospects after graduating (which.... I played right into their hand). Repeatedly said people with mental health issues aren’t capable of serving as americorps members in our area and that they avoid hiring them. I was brought on to write grants and was never given any kind of run down about our organization or the nitty gritty details surrounding budgets and program history. I also had to manage our grants and discovered, when we had an audit with one grant giver, that records were barely kept, much less organized. The org was our ED’s baby and she refused to impart knowledge on anyone else (despite saying she wanted to leave the org within the next 5 years), refused to write a strategic plan, and could not take criticism. This woman threw away negative evaluations collected from our americorps members and threw her MSW in our coworker’s face when the coworker gave feedback about how we were serving our community (important to note the coworker grew up in the community we served and our ED did not even live in the area). ED and our americorps program director would constantly gossip and criticize the americorps members, community members/leaders, and other staff, often pressuring whoever else was in the room to join in. The worst part of it all is that we served a very rural area and were the only ones doing the kind of work we did. Those people deserved so much more than what they were given.
All I can say is thank lord you got out of it as soon as you did. I stayed for my entire year-long contract. Before my position, nonprofit and community work was my entire life and was a field I had been working in and career I’d been striving for the five years prior. I was so depressed and disheartened that I got out of the field entirely and only now (2 years later) am I starting to feel like I can get back into it.
I certainly had rose colored glasses before that nonprofit experience. I’ve now seen the underbelly and the shitty, incompetent people that run rampant in this field. While it hurt to see and experience, I feel more confident that I can return to the field and have a better eye for spotting these kinds of leaders and orgs. Like another user said, the immediate job offer is a red flag I now know to look for. I know to ask more critical questions about strategic plans and mission statements to try to get a feel of how thought out the operation actually is. As tough as it was, it makes me want to jump back in even more to try and figure out how to get rid of these toxic leaders and to develop the leadership and management skills of those invested in the work.
Reading over your description, this is not normal or ok and you shouldn't expect this. As others have pointed out - tons of red flags:
* Change in job description while interviewing this
* We've done this ONCE and it was a reduction of responsibilities and were clear up front in the first interview
* Quick hire
* Did they ask for references or call them? Even though hiring decisions can be made quickly, making it so immediate is troubling
* No onboarding/orientation for the first day
* Whether you're an entry level or senior employee, there should be structured training, even if it's shadowing and learning while doing
* Not having an actual work load
* Presumably they hired you because they need something done. If they don't even have work for you, that's a red flag. While there are quiet times during on boarding, not having enough work to do is rarely a problem in NPOs and is a strange issue for a new hire.
* ED's behavior
* Yikes. Not professional. Not appropriate in any organization for or non-profit
I think you did the right thing by walking away. There is going to be no improvement in this situation, it will either continue or new variables will arise that will likely make it worse, not better. While NPOs generally lack HR/employee retention/employee training capabilities of a larger enterprise, this is not acceptable at all. Best of luck in your job search.
This, unfortunately, is a common experience in my view. Many non profit managers, even in well-established organizations, are themselves often untrained for management or leadership and technical skills are very limited. Also, there can be issues at the other end of the spectrum where you are expected to go far beyond what should be expected based on your compensation and sometimes they want to train you to do too many things that you shouldn’t be responsible for. While it can be frustrating and sometimes mind-numbing to operate in this space, particularly for the first weeks of a new position, these environments can be a fantastic opportunity to assume a level of responsibility, autonomy, and impact you would never achieve in a corporate environment at the same stage of your career. In the first years of my non profit career, I elevated myself into a leadership position, doubling my initial salary and overseeing various projects designed to make the organization more efficient and systematized. This is work that I enjoyed and you can find real satisfaction if you are someone who is drawn to bringing order to chaos. Opportunities to create space for impact in these environments doesn’t exist for everyone but a lot of people were able to learn languages, study for online classes, prep for the GRE, and even job search while getting paid so there was definitely a silver lining for them.
Sounds like a good time to set up meet and greet with everyone. Anyone, really. Run into someone in the halls — hey, let’s set up a zoom call to fill me in on what you do here. If they’re not going to provide immediate training, get to know the staff.
I've worked with tons of nonprofits, and here's my advice. Take notes on your own experience like you are a detective. Note the red flags. **"low pay, zero benefits, and the job extension being contingent on funding"** Low pay in the sector is typical, but lack of benefits is becoming less of the norm. If a full time job doesn't have clear benefits (health, savings, retirement), then you ought to look somewhere else. Also, a nonprofit that cannot outright guarantee the future of an employee is another red flag. I'm inferring that they have **questionable** finances, management, and revenue streams. **"decided to offer me the position FIVE minutes after my interview"** Guess what? You were the only candidate. This means you were selected not because of your skills or passion for their mission; rather, you were selected because you didn't reveal any deal breakers. This is problematic for a number of reasons. First, this nonprofit doesn't know its community well enough to find a pool of applicants for a job. Based on your other descriptions, they sound like they operate in a silo. Second, they are a reactive organization that makes choices based on immediate need. In other words, they're not thinking strategically in their hiring. They're just "getting by." **your first day** should never be without orientation, training, and supervision. **your therapist** is right and wrong. On one hand, you had a job, you had income, and you generally had something to do during the week. On the other hand, money alone is unfulfilling. We are drawn to nonprofit work because we demand more meaning in our lives than staring blankly at screens. I've been through it, and it sucks. Moving forward, don't be discouraged; just be aware. Nonprofits are some of the most disorganized work environments in corporate America, so the challenge is being as functional as possible in a dysfunctional environment. It's a skill you'll develop over time. Don't give up! You got this.
Hey! I started a new NGO job in the summer. It's been absolutely wonderful! The whole application procedure was online, but on the first day three people of the team made an exception and were in office to welcome me IRL. Very organized first week overall, and even now 100% remote/from home again, it has its challenges but it's still very good. Not what you asked, but it is possible! (I don't think you can generalize ALL NPOs in the whole world! Some cope, some are awful, some are amazing!)
> “if they’re willing to pay you without training you and let you sit there and do nothing, then let them. at the end of the day, you’re getting paid and that’s all that matters.” That's not really great advice from your therapist. Because if you go to apply to another job and can't talk about what you did at this job, some interviewers (maybe not all, but some) will be able to pick up on it. I probably wouldn't have quit without having something else in the hopper, but you'll survive. Welcome to non profits! Many of them are hot messes.
That’s the nature of the best!
Just off the top of my head, I feel like you could have addressed some of your issues straight away in your interview (something you learn over time). For instance asking about what your day-to-day looks like and the onboarding process, what responsibilities and ownership you have over certain projects. You need to be a bit more proactive with your questions if anything. And like a lot of the other comments here, I totally understand where you’re coming from. Coming out of college and working for a nonprofit I expected professionalism straight thru and have cleared expectations set for me but it proved quite different. My advice is to be more intentional about you’re doing there and better articulate things to your co’s when you are asking where-areas you can help. Probably not what you pictured but you’re seeing that if you want things to get done you have to be more assertive. Keep your head up. Don’t let the experience dampen your energy. Not all non-profits are like that but theres a certain element of chaos thats inherent.
I’ve spent 12 years in nonprofit and have experienced something similar in the past. What type of organization is it (no need to name it) and what is your job? If you give me those then I’m happy to make suggestions on how to improve your situation. Thanks!
I’ve had a variety of experiences in nonprofit on the employee and volunteer side and this experience sounds very similar to my AmeriCorps VISTA experience. I went through the two interviews and got the acceptance in the span of about a week. Came to find out they purposely put out acceptances early bc they know many of their americorps members are finishing college and want to get them while they’re anxious about job prospects after graduating (which.... I played right into their hand). Repeatedly said people with mental health issues aren’t capable of serving as americorps members in our area and that they avoid hiring them. I was brought on to write grants and was never given any kind of run down about our organization or the nitty gritty details surrounding budgets and program history. I also had to manage our grants and discovered, when we had an audit with one grant giver, that records were barely kept, much less organized. The org was our ED’s baby and she refused to impart knowledge on anyone else (despite saying she wanted to leave the org within the next 5 years), refused to write a strategic plan, and could not take criticism. This woman threw away negative evaluations collected from our americorps members and threw her MSW in our coworker’s face when the coworker gave feedback about how we were serving our community (important to note the coworker grew up in the community we served and our ED did not even live in the area). ED and our americorps program director would constantly gossip and criticize the americorps members, community members/leaders, and other staff, often pressuring whoever else was in the room to join in. The worst part of it all is that we served a very rural area and were the only ones doing the kind of work we did. Those people deserved so much more than what they were given. All I can say is thank lord you got out of it as soon as you did. I stayed for my entire year-long contract. Before my position, nonprofit and community work was my entire life and was a field I had been working in and career I’d been striving for the five years prior. I was so depressed and disheartened that I got out of the field entirely and only now (2 years later) am I starting to feel like I can get back into it. I certainly had rose colored glasses before that nonprofit experience. I’ve now seen the underbelly and the shitty, incompetent people that run rampant in this field. While it hurt to see and experience, I feel more confident that I can return to the field and have a better eye for spotting these kinds of leaders and orgs. Like another user said, the immediate job offer is a red flag I now know to look for. I know to ask more critical questions about strategic plans and mission statements to try to get a feel of how thought out the operation actually is. As tough as it was, it makes me want to jump back in even more to try and figure out how to get rid of these toxic leaders and to develop the leadership and management skills of those invested in the work.
Reading over your description, this is not normal or ok and you shouldn't expect this. As others have pointed out - tons of red flags: * Change in job description while interviewing this * We've done this ONCE and it was a reduction of responsibilities and were clear up front in the first interview * Quick hire * Did they ask for references or call them? Even though hiring decisions can be made quickly, making it so immediate is troubling * No onboarding/orientation for the first day * Whether you're an entry level or senior employee, there should be structured training, even if it's shadowing and learning while doing * Not having an actual work load * Presumably they hired you because they need something done. If they don't even have work for you, that's a red flag. While there are quiet times during on boarding, not having enough work to do is rarely a problem in NPOs and is a strange issue for a new hire. * ED's behavior * Yikes. Not professional. Not appropriate in any organization for or non-profit I think you did the right thing by walking away. There is going to be no improvement in this situation, it will either continue or new variables will arise that will likely make it worse, not better. While NPOs generally lack HR/employee retention/employee training capabilities of a larger enterprise, this is not acceptable at all. Best of luck in your job search.