Top 10 questions for jumping across to the not-for-profit sector

Are you thinking that work in the not-for-profit (aka NGO or voluntary) sector might be the right move for you? If that's the direction you are considering, have a think through the questions below. It has been compiled from contributions of people who have already made the jump from corporate to NFP.

1) Why would you want to make the jump?
What is it about the NFP sector that appeals to you? Is it the sector itself? Is it something specific about working in the sector? Is it something about where you are now that you just want to leave behind?

2) What are your assumptions about working in the NFP sector?
How can you verify them? What do you think working in a NFP organisation is like? What are these thoughts based on? Is there a way you can find out from somebody who has first-hand experience?

3) What field are you interested in?
There are over 20,000 NFP organisations in the UK alone. Which issue are you passionate about or would you like to work with? Or does it matter to you? People (young, middle-aged and seniors), pets (domestic and wild), social, environmental, developmental - these are just a start of the areas that you could be looking at!

4) What type of organisation are you interested in?
Do you want to work for an international organisation or a local charity? Does the size and outreach of the organisation matter to you? How much? You may need to learn new ways of working/influencing since nonprofits are often more collaborative than most private sector institutions. On the other hand, you may also need to be ready to be let down by as much inefficiency/stupidity/incompetence as in business/government. Be prepared to sometimes see very slow changes on the issues the organisation you are working with is addressing.

5) What type of job?
What's the work that appeals to you? Is it the same type of work you do now but for a cause you believe in or do you see yourself doing something completely different? It is good to remember, that even when you work for a passion some of the tasks can be equally tedious and boring as when you are not excited about the cause.

6) Do you want to have direct or indirect impact?
Do you want to be working with the issues hands-on or do you prefer using your skills to indirectly have an impact on the cause at hand? If you want to do some form of grassroots field work and you do not have this type of experience - are you prepared to either start from the bottom or to find a small charity to get experience before moving on to a larger organisation?

7) How flexible is your current lifestyle?
Are you prepared to get potentially (not always necessarily!) lower pay and make a possible lifestyle adjustment if salary/benefits are lower than what you are currently accustomed to?

8) What are your transferable skills? What value can you add to your chosen field?
The NFP sector is full of top-quality professionals, what are the skills that you can bring in that can add value? What experience do you have that could benefit the organisation(s) you are interested in?

9) How do you see your career progression?
The NFP sector is becoming increasingly desirable and thus highly competitive. Where do you want to be in five years time? Do you see a clear career trajectory in the organisation(s) you are looking at?

10) How do you evaluate organisations?
It is valuable to evaluate potential organisation(s) as you would any new company you would consider working for. Does it have good accounts/track record, board/founders, etc.? You can even do a SWOT
analysis of the organisation(s)/field(s) you are considering.