What It's Like at a Small Nonprofit

I’ve been working at small nonprofits since I started interning in my junior year of college. Small nonprofits, as you can imagine, are an extremely different work environment than a large corporation, or even a large office. There are many perks, but there are some negatives, as well (as with any job). Here’s a peek at what it’s like to work at a small nonprofit.

Your work is recognized.
As the office is small, people know what work you yourself have done, the things you have implemented, and which projects you’ve helped on. If you’re the one responsible for that $10K grant solely from Twitter outreach, the office will know and (hopefully) will credit you if it arises in conversation with someone else.

You know your CEO.
In many, many large organizations, you know the name of your CEO and that’s it. Maybe you’ve seen him or her from afar, but unless you’re working directly for him or her, you’ve probably had barely any interaction. When it comes to working at a small nonprofit, you’re essentially working directly with your CEO. They know your name, they know the work you do, and they’re easily able to see the impact you’ve had.

You get experience in many areas.
Small nonprofits are well….small. This means that there’s an all-hands-on-deck attitude. Yes, you may work in communications but you also may help out in programming or research or development. You get experience in many areas, even those outside of your department.

No two days are the same.
If you ask me “what’s a normal day like in the office?” my response will probably start off with “well…depends.”” In a small nonprofit, things are always coming up – whether that is finding out that you’ve received a new large grant, a new research study comes out, or a last minute event occurs. Your workday will alter depending on the situation, ensuring that usually no two days in a row are the same. If you’re one to get bored easily, this is a great place for you.

Sometimes there are no pens.
Or ink for the printer. Or paper towels. No, I’m only half exaggerating. I have these conversations with fellow employees of small nonprofits and well, sometimes it happens. Most organizations are so focused on the issue they’re serving that there’s not really any employee perks in the office as there would be if you were in a corporation. Things cost money, and we want as much money to go back to the population we’re serving as we can.

Communication.
We’ve already discussed communication issues in the workplace and how to overcome them, however in a small nonprofit, everyone has a tendency to know everything. Since there are few employes, word gets around quickly, good or bad. This is amazing at times when there’s a family issue going on and everyone is supportive, however this can be bad at times when two colleagues are having issues. You find communications issues in every office, they’re just a bit different when your office is small.

I personally love working for a small nonprofit, however I am aware that it’s not for everyone. I love the fact that my work shows. I love how even from when I came in at an entry-level position I started working directly alongside the Director of Communications and the CEO right away. I enjoyed my internship experiences as they allowed me to do real work that benefitted the organization I was working at rather than running to get coffee. If you’re self-driven, passionate about helping others, enjoy a more flexible environment, and don’t want to be confined to just one task, I recommend looking into a small nonprofit. Reach out to me on Twitter if you want to chat more!