HOTLINE

Answering Readers' Questions About Getting Hired from the Volunteer Pool, Part-Time Work, and More

The Chronicle's Philanthropy Careers asks its readers to submit questions about job hunting, recruitment, and management challenges in the nonprofit world. In our monthly advice column, we respond to some of your inquiries with tips about resources and wisdom from experts in the field.

Q. I've been a manager in the for-profit world, and now I'm looking for a full-time position in fund raising or program management -- areas in which I have significant volunteer experience. However, I keep getting asked to do volunteer work, and haven't been making progress in locating a paid nonprofit job. What can I do to move beyond volunteer work and onto a charity's staff?

A. Many career counselors say that volunteering is the best way to make the switch from the for-profit world to a charity. And while that's great advice, it's rare that a volunteer will suddenly get offered a job without doing a little extra legwork.

It will take some effort to turn your labors of love into a paycheck, but others have done it, and you can, too. You should use your volunteer work not just to do good, but also to build your own personal network of contacts, because you never know where they'll lead. For example, Kris Mattione, who has worked as a lawyer and real-estate broker, was volunteering at Advocates for Children in Aurora, Colo., when she got her break. "My volunteer supervisor called me one day, and told me that she had a friend who was starting a nonprofit and needed a lawyer to help," she says. "I helped create the organization that eventually became Dress for Success Denver." Last December, she was hired as the charity's executive director.

Ms. Mattione suggests that you redesign your résumé to highlight your accomplishments at nonprofit organizations, and to emphasize how your for-profit experiences would benefit a charity. "If there is a particular place that you would like to work, I would recommend becoming involved at all different levels within that organization," she says. "Get to know the board members personally, and share with them your desire to switch careers. Since the board often hires the executive director, and can have considerable influence regarding whom the E.D. hires, this should be beneficial."

If you don't have a particular organization in mind, then spend some time attending local business functions, seminars for nonprofit employees, and so on. And don't forget to tell people about your goal of landing a nonprofit job. "If more people know about your desire to switch careers, then you have a greater chance to find the right job," says Ms. Mattione.

You can also increase your volunteerism, suggests Anne Segerson, a public-relations manager at WAMU, a public-radio station in Washington. While working full-time in public relations for a for-profit company, she volunteered at the station, and was hired for her current position last November. She urges you to treat your volunteer work as "a professional commitment -- go above and beyond. (This is sort of like the principle of dressing for the job you want to have -- if you look the part, the theory goes, you might get the job.) Do a great job, build relationships with the staff, and do all of this without the expectation of getting hired," she says. You never know when your hard work will pay off. "Much of the luck of changing careers is in the timing," she says.

Finally, be ready to make the case to the organization about why it should put you on its payroll when you're already contributing to the organization. "You'll need to sell yourself to them in a way that demonstrates that by having you on staff, you will enhance or increase their bottom line," says Michelle Mancini, director of development at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, in Atlantic City, N.J.

For more on making the transition from volunteer to staff member, check out From Making a Profit to Making a Difference: How to Launch Your New Career in Nonprofits, by Richard M. King (Planning Communications, 2000, $16.95). It includes a chapter on strategic volunteerism that should be helpful.

Q. I work 10 hours a week in New York for a nonprofit group on a contract basis, getting paid by the hour for fund-raising and database-management work. I have two questions: How can I find out whether I'm being paid the going rate, and, as a part-timer paid by the hour, does the organization have any responsibility to deduct Social Security taxes from my paycheck?

A. You don't have to rely on hearsay to find out if you're being paid the going rate at your job -- you can go online instead. There you'll find several salary-comparison sites. A previous edition of Hotline listed some of the best sites and provides links to them. When checking for salary information, don't forget to adjust for your part-time status. You'll find links to several studies of compensation for fund raisers here. And see this Philanthropy Careers article to get the latest data about fund-raiser salaries in New York.

As for your Social Security taxes, the central issue isn't how many hours a week you work, but whether you're an employee or an independent contractor. According to Internal Revenue Service rules, if you're an employee, the organization should be withholding Social Security taxes from your paycheck. If you're an independent contractor, Social Security taxes don't have to be withheld.

How can you tell if you're an employee or an independent contractor? "A simple rule of thumb, and the one the IRS uses, is control," says Jim Heinze, the partner in charge of the Not-For-Profit Group at J.H. Cohn, an accounting firm in New York. "If [you're] working under the direction of the organization performing services prescribed by the organization during their normal work period, you are an employee," he says. If you were given a contract to fulfill a specific task -- for example, developing a database -- or if the job was short term, he says, you would probably qualify as an independent contractor. The organization makes that call, and it's worth asking what your status is. It could have income-tax implications for you as well. To learn more, download "Independent Contractor or Employee," also known as Publication 1779, an easy-to-read two-page brochure from the Internal Revenue Service. (To open it, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded free.) The IRS can also help you figure out whether you're an employee or independent contractor. Check out Form SS8 here.

Q. It's hard not to notice that nine out of 10 nonprofit job listings are in fund raising. Are development jobs the standard entry-level positions, and are they often a steppingstone to program-related jobs?

A. Because there are many different kinds of fund-raising positions, it's possible that some charities use them as a steppingstone for program-related jobs. And certainly, many program workers pick up fund-raising duties as they take on leadership roles. But in general, development is a career path in its own right, says Cecelia T. Fullam, senior vice president of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System Foundation, in Great Neck, N.Y. "Today, you see more people entering the marketplace from college and taking entry-level positions in alumni relations, annual giving, and special events and working their way up the ladder," she says. And many of these organizations try to fill their senior-level fund-raising positions from within, she says, a reflection of the field's emphasis on relationships.

The reason you're seeing so many openings for fund raisers in the classifieds isn't because the jobs are necessarily entry-level opportunities, but because charities these days are desperate to increase their revenue sources, says William Hinman, a fund-raising consultant in Winston-Salem, N.C., who works with nonprofit clients. "When times are good, and donations are strong and confident, it is easier to add to program and other 'nonrevenue producing' positions," he says. "However, with the economic downturn, anxiety over the war on terrorism, and the continuing burgeoning of the nonprofit field, organizations are focused on only adding staff who can help the bottom line." And, Mr. Hinman points out, the skills, experience, and personality needed to succeed in development may be vastly different from the criteria needed for a job on the program side.

For more information about careers in fund raising, get more information from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. You might want to also take a look at Careers in Fundraising, by Lilya Wagner (John Wiley & Sons, 2002, $19.95, or $17.95 through the association), and at a new edition of a book published this month, Non-Profits Job Finder: Where the Jobs Are in Charities & Nonprofits, by Daniel Lauber and Jennifer Atkin (Planning Communications, $16.95). And, of course, you can check out Philanthropy Career's Job Seeker's Primer for more information on conducting a nonprofit employer search.

Got a question about job hunting, managing, or recruiting in the nonprofit world? Send it to us a hotline@philanthropy.com