Research on nonprofit careers has typically focused on motivations and preferences of those already in the nonprofit workforce. But how do individuals initially learn about the nonprofit sector as a place of employment? In this research, I focus on the effect of chance events on nonprofit career selection and seek to develop a theoretical framework from which to examine nonprofit career decision making. Using a retrospective study (n = 337), I found that the majority of respondents felt that an unplanned event affected their selection of a nonprofit career. Specifically, respondents noted that learning experiences rooted in unplanned events often led to careers with specific organizations, or in the nonprofit sector more generally. Implications include the need for more deliberate connection between a desire to help others and seeking paid employment in the nonprofit workforce, and highlight the important role of nonprofit management degree programs in facilitating that connection.

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Individuals have several possible points of introduction into the nonprofit sector, including parental socialization, volunteering, and academic engagement. However, little is known in regard to how individuals learn about the nonprofit sector as a place of employment and become interested in nonprofit careers. Individuals are often exposed to nonprofit “work” for the first time as a volunteer. This research examines the particular experiences nonprofit employees had prior to their entry into the sector that may have influenced their selection of a nonprofit career. Results of this mixed-methods inquiry indicate that volunteering is an important conduit, as it allows people to see that paid employment exists in the nonprofit sector and allows them to better understand the various career options and career trajectories available to them. Finally, this paper discusses the practical implications for nonprofit practitioners and academic advisors, and their roles in connecting service to career.

This paper describes the longstanding partnership of the Nonprofit Leadership Collaborative of the Mid-South. Now in its 20th year, the university-community partnership has worked to increase the capacity of the local nonprofit sector through building a qualified entry-level workforce. Three key themes emerged when examining the trajectory of the long-standing partnership: strong leadership to champion the cause, the importance of strategy as both guide and buffer, and the realization of benefits beyond the mission of the partnership. The collaborative is now at a critical juncture in its lifecycle, with substantial changes in membership, waning interest, and changes to the external nonprofit environment. It is at this point that the leadership of the collaborative will need to determine whether turnaround or dissolution are the better option moving forward, and what the appropriate leadership composition and strategy will be to accomplish a renewal.

As part of a curricular needs assessment for a nonprofit concentration within a Master of Public Administration program, this research compares the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC) curricular guidelines with stakeholder perceptions of current and emerging knowledge required for success in the nonprofit workforce. Although respondents’ top-ranked NACC domains indicate a strong preference for operations-based education, which is consistent with prior research, there is an additional preference for skills that allow nonprofit leaders to function strategically and competitively in the greater nonprofit landscape. Of the ranked NACC domains, leadership and fund development were consistently prioritized as current and emerging areas of knowledge; however, respondents placed an additional emphasis on information technology and marketing and communication as future skill needs. Finally, this research provides the faculty of a nonprofit concentration necessary information to retool, and perhaps redevelop, some of the nonprofit curriculum to meet stakeholder needs and educational standards.