The Accidental Nonprofiteer: Chance Events and the Selection of a Nonprofit Career

Abstract

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.

The career paths of executive directors: Founders, fillers, planners and risers

“…This typology may prove useful to future researchers and may have practical value to nonprofits themselves. It is striking that so few of the respondents actively planned to become an executive director, but perhaps not surprising given other research that has demonstrated a lack of planning in executive directors' careers (Harrow & Mole, 2005;Nelson, 2017;Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018).…”

“…The finding that only 22.5% have both types of experience is concerning (Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018), as it means that most executive directors lack management experience, nonprofit experience, or both. The finding that many career paths are unplanned (Harrow & Mole, 2005; Nelson, 2017; Stewart & Kuenzi, 2018) is also concerning because it means that many executive directors did not spend their careers consciously learning skills in anticipation of their future role.…”

They Pay People to Work Here? The Role of Volunteering on Nonprofit Career Awareness and Interest

“…After all, most children do not typically say that they want to be a development officer when they grow up. Unplanned events that expose individuals to the work of the sector are a common point of introduction to nonprofit careers (Flanigan, 2010;Nelson, 2017;Schlosser, McPhee, & Forsyth, 2017). Understanding specifically which events have more, or less, influence on this awareness will allow nonprofits to better target potential populations of individuals in their recruitment efforts.…”

“…In essence, the propositions of HLT include an inherent assumption that people are subject to unpredictable environmental events that shape not only their available opportunities but also the way they perceive and react to situations (Krumboltz, 2009;Krumboltz & Levin, 2010;Mitchell, Jones, & Krumboltz, 1979). This is particularly salient for paid careers in the nonprofit sector, as they tend to be a relatively unknown entity and are often the result of chance events-not intentional choices (Flanigan, 2010;Nelson, 2017;Schlosser, McPhee, & Forsyth, 2017). The sections below examine the theoretical relationship between volunteering and career development through the lens of HLT.…”

Non-profit leadership learning : a narrative research study exploring the transformation of experience into leadership learning

“…As the nonprofit field of research has matured, it has become apparent that all leadership learning may not be equal, and nonprofit industry knowledge and workplace experiences are also needed to be an effective nonprofit organization leader (Saidel & Smith, 2015;Suarez, 2010;Young and Grinsfelder, 2011). Specifically, researchers have looked at the career trajectories of nonprofit CEOs, and, while they found no discernable pattern nor typical trajectory, they did find that experience within nonprofit organizations was commonplace in the CEO career trajectory (Nelson, 2017;Norris-Tirrell et al, 2018;Suarez, 2010).…”