ask the readers: moving from nonprofit to for-profit work

by Alison Green on February 20, 2025

It’s the Thursday “ask the readers” question. A reader writes:

I would love to hear stories from people who made the transition from nonprofit work to for-profit work, as I am considering that transition myself. I’ve only ever worked in this sector and have a master’s in Nonprofit Management (not even an MBA) so the idea of changing sectors is really overwhelming, but I know people have done it before.

Readers who have made this transition, please share advice in the comment section.

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{ 172 comments }

{ 172 comments… read them below or add one }

  1. Abe Froman*

    I have done this! I went from 10+ years in the non-profit world to 5 years in a sales position at a start-up. Honestly, the transition was kind of great! I felt WAY less pressure to “do everything possible for the mission.” Literally my first week, my boss told me to go home because I had worked enough, which never once happened in the non-profit world. Granted, I was in a pretty healthy start-up culture, so that may be an outlier.

    I’d also say that corporate culture is just a little more… work focused. There was less conversation about mission, no ice breakers, no team building, way less “lets describe how we’re all doing.” It was much more “What’s the status of thing? What needs to get done? What are the roadblocks? Okay, lets get to work!” Which honestly I really needed at that point in my career.

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    1. blueberry muffin*

      I am still non-profit, but talk to my former colleagues who have made the transition.

      They tell me they feel very replaceable at their jobs now. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (they say), but they notice.

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      1. Cmdrshprd*

        I second that feeling of replaceable as a good thing.

        it is partially due to going from a small non-profit to a bigger company. but when I am off, there are other same positions coworkers that take over most of my duties. So I don’t usually come back to a backlog of work, most stuff gets done while I am out, and only a small amount of stuff wait for me. Before if I was out most stuff backed up for me.

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        1. Six for the truth over solace in lies*

          I agree. Plus, “you are critical! we absolutely cannot do without you! we rely on you!” can sound flattering at first… but it’s also a LOT of pressure.

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          1. Eldritch Office Worker*

            Absolutely. And you can tell yourself “they’ll be fine!” but nonprofits (especially small nonprofits) DO struggle significantly and rarely but sometimes even fall apart with the loss of one critical lynchpin – which can be an incredible burden if it impacts people or communities relying on your services. Especially if those services are things like “getting fed”. The weight can be crushing.

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            1. Six for the truth over solace in lies*

              Yes, exactly! I used to volunteer for an org with a load-bearing employee. Unfortunately, she passed away… and the org completely collapsed, because, well, she was the indispensable one that everyone relied on.

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          2. Plants OP*

            I just went back to work after 6 weeks off to care for a relative undergoing a major surgery, and I’m definitely feeling this pressure as I (try to) get settled back in. Surgery was planned and I spent mid-November through the end of the year documenting and preparing everything, and still came back to so much “OMG THANK GOD! You’re back! We need you! We are stalled on all these mission critical things bc we are overworked and understaffed!” Yay for job security? But also like, this is why I keep asking for a budget line to hire a part time junior employee to support my niche area of our work. Anyway, I have struggled to progress from the final interview stage to an actual offer in the for-profit world so am very interested in this thread.

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        2. Seeking Second Childhood*

          I wish my current corporation would get that memo. We’re so pushed to be lean that we scramble during vacations, let alone medical leaves. (it’s to the point I’m looking at retiring from them and moving into a nonprofit or local government–the exact opposite of this column!)

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      2. Religious Nutter*

        There’s definitely an element of sociopathy in corporate management, but I’m actually glad for it. Yes, they can (and will) drop you at any minute, but it cuts both ways. Claims that you’re indispensable or that the company will collapse without you ring hollow. It’s easier to hold the whole thing at arm’s length, because people who make their private sector job their whole life come across as having weird priorities.

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    2. fifteen_minutes*

      I’ve worked in nonprofits for all my professional career and it honestly sounds so nice to not have the “how are you doing” talks all the time. It’s usually well-intentioned, but the therapy-speak of nonprofits drives me nuts. Like, we all have good healthcare benefits that cover therapy! See an actual therapist instead of asking us to rehash our traumas for one another all the time! It’s not great.

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    3. Mister_Cactus*

      Honestly my #1 gripe about nonprofit work is the standards of professionalism are a lot lower. A lot of people bringing their personal stuff into work, which I get but no one is really equipped to handle in the workplace.

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      1. Eldritch Office Worker*

        I find this is also true in start ups (in particular), and in some aspects of the private sector, while some nonprofits are oppressively professional. I think “small organizations” overall have a looser professional culture but you’ll find variation everywhere.

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    4. Former NFP Loyalist*

      I also moved from 10 years in the non-profit sector to a start-up! It was a big cultural adjustment but ended up being a great move for me. (I’ll note that start-ups also have their own unique culture compared to Corporate America.)

      The focus on profit was new to me since I was always on the programmatic side in NFP, and never really thought about whether my work was generating revenue (even in terms of fundraising). That’s not a negative, just a different way of thinking about my work that required some reorientation for me. I definitely found there was more focus on hitting quantified goals (I’d never had KPIs before!) and more rigor around tracking and defining success. I still felt that my work was meaningful, but it was at a remove, versus when I did direct service and could actually see the impact I was making on individual clients in real-time.

      Overall, it was the right move for me to leave the NFP field. I still try to stay connected through volunteering, but the change helped my burnout significantly, and my career and pay trajectory have developed beyond what I could realistically have hoped for if I’d stayed in the field.

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      1. marketing lady*

        Me three! My career path was nonprofit communications > start-up as a marketing person > corporate marketing. Start ups are often more willing to take a chance on someone from a variety of backgrounds and have the same walls-to-the-wall intensity. I felt like I had landed once I was finally at a larger corporation with shareholders, etc, and the lessons I learned from the previous roles and my work ethic really served me well and helped me appreciate a more sane culture with an actual HR.

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    5. Julie H*

      I just moved and I am much less stressed. My job included bookkeeping and program management including events. I am happy to have the events off of my plate and my new job is with a smaller, independent retailer where I just do bookkeeping now and I love it. I didn’t mind most of the non-profit work but, other than the Executive Director, most everything related was delegated to me. I also didn’t mind the logistics of tracking who was attending, etc., but I truly hated attending the events because I have done so many events in my life. I think bigger companies are nervous but, if you can work for a smaller, more independent company, you might be happier.

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    6. MissBliss*

      Thank you for the insight! I’m in fundraising so people often think that I can transfer that experience into sales, but I’m not sure I want to do that. I have looked at roles for non-profit focused tech tools that I know and love, but they either aren’t available, are located in a place I don’t live, or base half their compensation on commission which freaks me out. But the idea of work being work focused is super appealing to me. I love what I do – the mission AND the tasks. I would love to be able to just do my tasks more consistently!

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      1. NPO*

        So much about fundraising is relationship development- talking to people and learning what they care about and then helping find ways that your org aligns with those causes. I could see that being a real asset in sales.

        I haven’t made the switch but my husband switched from teaching to management at a warehouse and really likes it. He likes helping people get to be their best- so it translated well to management.

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    7. Tech Newbie*

      I did nine years in nonprofit and I’m over a year at the corporate side and this comment really resonated with me. It’s both a good and bad thing for me to be less invested in my job, but mostly better and with better pay.

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  2. Caramel & Cheddar*

    Parking myself here for the comments as I’m literally about to do this, and I’m both excited and terrified!

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    1. ghostlight*

      We’re all in the same boat haha! I just accepted an offer at a for-profit company after working in the arts since graduation and I’m having a lot of anxiety about it. (also… is your name a Chicago-style popcorn reference?)

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          1. A Simple Narwhal*

            My parents lived in Chicago for a while so Garrett’s is a holiday staple for us! It’s so delicious and disappears wayy faster than it probably should :-)

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      2. Spicy Times*

        Currently eyeing this post as well! I’m curious on what industries/positions would best suit my skills.

        Passion isn’t paying the bills, I’m afraid.

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  3. Resident Catholicville, U.S.A.*

    I’m sure it depends on what sort of role you had and what you transition to. I was an administrative assistant at a social services agency and therefore, it was a lot of clerical and customer service type work. I moved into a trucking brokerage role and it was a lot of the same- clerical and customer service. The details are all different, of course, but big picture, I was still trying to do as much of the clerical work as quickly and accurately as possible and serve the customers well.

    In the end, I think what helps in general, not just going from non-profit to for-profit, but different industries as well, is just think of what skills you have that are transferable to the new field and spin them that way. The physical work you’ll be able to handle; it’s dealing with people that’s the wild card and in the end, you just have to figure out how to handle different people in different situations.

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    1. 3-Foot Inflatable Rainbow Unicorn*

      *points upwards and nods* As an office admin & then tech writer, I didn’t notice a single change as I moved back and forth between non-profit and profit. Chop wood, carry water.

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    2. LW*

      Thank you for your thoughts! My exact field (fundraising) doesn’t exist in the for-profit space but there are many transferrable skills (sales, project management, people management, communications, etc.)

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      1. Smithy*

        I know someone who went from fundraising to sales, and found the first 3-4 months really hard. While the skills were transferable, I think it was essentially thinking of it as almost an ESL student. She had to intake the new information and then translate it to her old skills, then when replying again – translate her understanding into the new vernacular.

        However, at that 3-4 month period, the penny dropped and it suddenly went from being super difficult to not a problem. Again, I think like ESL for younger students where it’s really difficult and then suddenly clicks.

        She’s happy now, and really happy out of fundraising. But straight up the first bit was really hard for her.

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  4. Carrie*

    I made a similar change about 15 years ago and was surprised by the change in pace, specifically how quickly decisions were made and new systems/processes/products implemented in the for-profit field, which may have one or two decision-makers rather than having to get everything approved by a committee or board of trustees. My new colleagues were understanding about my adjustment period as many of them had made the same change. I would recommend trying to find a coworker who is established in the new organization as a buddy/mentor, who previously worked in the nonprofit sector, who can help you adjust and answer questions.

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  5. Anna*

    I worked in the private sector, switched to the public sector, tried to switch back to private sector – and couldn’t stand it. It felt frustrating to be doing very similar work but without a cause. So even if the work is rather similar be prepared for that.

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  6. The Engineer*

    It was a pretty seamless transition for me, to be honest, and I ended up job searching for only a few weeks (got hired by the first job I applied to, and they moved FAST). It helps that my skillset (data + managing a small team) are easily understood and needed by for-profit as well as non-profit organizations – and is possibly even in higher demand at for-profits. I focused my resume on skills and accomplishments and spoke in my interview why my transition from my 10 years of nonprofit work made sense at *this company*.

    If there isn’t an obvious job title that exists for you outside of a non-profit (lets say you’re a program manager), focus on your accomplishments and skills and start your search by looking for those skills rather than particular titles. I can’t think of any non-profit role that wouldn’t have transferrable skills to for-profit work.

    For me, the transition was sorely needed. I was getting really burnt out and my boss’ “little jokes” about my raise coming out of the population we served’s pockets were grating on me. It was great to focus on business outcomes and go home at the end of the day feeling like there was more to do to serve the world.

    I didn’t necessarily intend to leave nonprofits forever, but I’m in my third role in the corporate world and thriving. I’ve actually found a company that gives me the same sense of a job well done as I last had at nonprofits – which is really fantastic. I don’t know that I’ll go back.

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    1. LW*

      I’m so happy for you! I am similarly looking to leave over things like my boss’s little comments – but also because I’d really like my work to get done. There are things that didn’t happen because it took 9 months to get approval, that really shouldn’t have taken that long. I just want to be able to do my job, y’know?

      Thank you for commenting!

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      1. The Engineer*

        Of course!

        I will say: I have been in corporate jobs with a lot of micro-managing from upper management and non-profit jobs with a ton of autonomy. It isn’t a uniquely non-profit thing to have long approval times or political barriers to your work. I found my sweet spot at my current company – young, fast-growing team that is still hiring on the leaner side, so there’s more work than people. I have all the autonomy I could ever wish for without running my own business. If that matters to you, don’t assume that working corporate will be a magic balm of all things dysfunctional. Ask lots of questions and listen to the answers!

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      1. The Engineer*

        It was honestly so ridiculous! I can laugh now about all the insanity. The icing on the cake was resigning first thing on the morning of January 6, 2021 which, of course, was also the coup. My boss was REALLY upset at my “timing”. Sir! I did not plan nor was I involved with the coup! I did not know that it was going to happen!

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  7. Heather*

    I went from public to private education, I know that isn’t exactly what the LW is asking but…
    1. There was less guilt tripping about taking days off.
    2. More, “It is not personal, it is business”.
    3. The pay wasn’t exactly good at first but I was able to grow into substantially different ranges over time in private vs. public.
    4. Opportunities for connections and networking were greatly increased.

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    1. A Cat named Brian*

      I went from leadership in public education to private, for profit education and it was exactly opposite. Worst 3 years of my life.

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  8. Viki*

    Small Municipal museums to Big Tech, made the jump ~7 years ago.

    Pros:
    ~Actionable KPIS and Deliverables
    ~ A well funded HR/Employee Services/Discounts means that there are things (like paid parental leave, AND Daycare subsidy and partnerships, plus other great cost of life things.) ~Time off without guilt.
    ~Pay that is actually way higher than my city’s COL which means my family can thrive. ~Weekends off.
    ~Structured and documented ways of dealing with conflict/employees.
    ~ No volunteers.

    Cons:
    ~Not a passion field
    ~Little grace for errors/missed deliveries
    ~Process which can/do delay actions since you need sign offs
    ~Less interaction with the Board (could also be a positive, but I personally liked talking to my BOD)

    All in all, you couldn’t pay me to go back to museums (besides the giant pay loss). I loved being a curator, but museums (and from the sounds of it other nonprofits but can’t speak to them), expect you to give your everything for peanuts to keep the mission a float.

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    1. Rex Libris*

      I think the last bit is the most problematic. I’ve had supervisors who acted like we should be working 24/7 for the good of the mission, and the paycheck should just be an afterthought. There’s also a definite, usually unstated, assumption that your entire identity will basically be your job in a lot of nonprofits.

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      2. Lily Rowan*

        I will never forget sitting in a conference room with someone saying, “We’re not here for the paycheck, right??” and looking around at all the people who were very much there for the paycheck! Muffy Morgan von Vanderbilt who was speaking, probably not.

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        1. bananners*

          I work in higher ed and had a VP say that to me in a meeting where the VP was asking how we can hire more positions like mine (my answer was maybe pay them more money because we can’t attract them from industry right now???). “We don’t work here for the paycheck” uh yes sir I do in fact work here for the paycheck. Also you make three times as much as these people?

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          1. Rex Libris*

            Yeah, some administrators act like they just can’t fathom why it’s so hard to fill positions at public libraries. It could be because they pay less than Walmart, where you probably don’t have to call the police periodically because one of the local addicts has barricaded themselves in the bathroom or started a fight in the lobby, or somebody started screaming and tried to assault the staff over a $2.00 late fine.

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            1. Rex Libris*

              Oh, and of course there’s the fun of being called a pedophile or a groomer when the wrong person’s child checks out a book they don’t like. Good times.

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            2. Resident Catholicville, U.S.A.*

              I watched a drug deal happen at my local Wal-Mart’s frozen food section recently, so I think you might be surprised.

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      3. Bird Lady*

        This! I asked our board to authorize a non-matching 401K so I could stop getting taxed before I put money into my IRA (which will then be taxed when I take funds out). The board president laughed at me and told me that I could be replaced by a volunteer and should appreciate just getting a paycheck. I barely made minimum wage and the non-matching 401K would have cost the museum $42/ year in transaction fees for the four people on staff.

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        1. Jamie Starr*

          the non-matching 401K would have cost the museum $42/ year in transaction fees for the four people on staff.

          I would push back on this a bit. The direct costs may be $42/year in fees, but there’s the value of staff time that will need to be spent on setting up the 401k, the payroll person making sure to fund the accounts, annual compliance requirements, etc. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be worthwhile, but if there are only four people total on staff, does the administrative burden justify it? (Especially if not all four people end up participating in the 401k.)

          (Also, if you’re putting the money in a Roth IRA post-tax, you shouldn’t get taxed on it when you take the disbursements during retirement.)

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          1. Bird Lady*

            We had no other benefits, no time off, no health care, and no climate control in our office. I would suggest that they could offer us some benefit.

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            1. Grizabella the Glamour Cat*

              No benefits AT ALL? Holy crap, that’s terrible!

              It sounds like you’re not working there any more. Good for you!

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  9. Dr. Lahiri*

    Look for social impact jobs in the sports & entertainment industry. I made that exact leap after 10+ years in nonprofit and couldn’t be happier.

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      2. Tech Newbie*

        Miss Bliss – have you checked out Pledge 1%, or following corporations social impact pages on LinkedIn? I also have a job alert on LinkedIn for “social impact” and “corporate responsibility” in my desired location.

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  10. Z*

    Hi! I did this!

    Job searching was hard. In my non-profit/academic role, I wore a ton of hats (including doing a lot of HR functions) and was looking to pivot into a more structured/formal HR role. Demonstrating that my accomplishments and skills were transferrable was tricky and required a lot of resume tweaking and feedback. My cover letter also felt pretty important, as was explaining in a compelling way why I wanted to move into corporate. I ended up leaning pretty heavily on internal referrals and my personal network for getting my foot in the door; once I was actually in an interview, it was pretty easy to explain how my experience translated. That being said, I did have to take a few steps backwards in my career when I did finally get an offer that fit.

    Once I started, it was kind of amazing. My first corporate role had a narrow scope and was more operational/tactical than my previous nebulous, more strategic role. But it also paid more. And the benefits were better. And the perks were also better. Mostly in the sense that they existed at all. Working for a financially successful company also meant there was so much more access to resources for professional development and growth (my previous org did have L&D offerings, but they were…really, really bad).

    But for me, the absolute best part – and I know this will be controversial – was that I wasn’t emotionally invested in my work. At all. The work itself was interesting enough. But it didn’t really…matter that much? In the grand scheme of the world, at least (it mattered in the context of the company). This meant that when 5:00 rolled around, I was able to close my laptop and actually disconnect entirely. If it wasn’t work hours, I didn’t care. And after years of a heavy emphasis on the importance of “the mission” and making a difference in the world, being able to disconnect like that was incredibly healing. I had more time for hobbies, for friends, and more resources to still support causes I care about. My job became just a job, instead of something that consumed my whole life.

    To be clear, all of this wasn’t only because my previous org was a non-profit; corporate environments are also perfectly capable of being extremely toxic. But even just being freed from the emotional exploitation of “the mission” being used to justify treating us badly and underpaying us was so helpful in allowing me to be more comfortable setting boundaries and doing my job well, but not necessarily going above and beyond unless I had time and wanted to do so.

    TLDR; do it, it’s awesome, but go in knowing that you may feel less fulfilled (unless you happen to find a for profit that is also fulfilling).

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    1. MissBliss*

      Hi! I’m the LW. The thing about it not being as emotionally exhausting is exactly why I’m considering the change. Thank you so much for your insight.

      (It’s been a few weeks since I sent this request in to Alison and it is looking more and more likely that I will stay in the nonprofit sector, but I did apply to a corporate role!)

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      1. Mystik Spiral*

        I’ve been in Accounting/Payroll my whole career, and bounced from Corporate for a few years to non-profit for 15 years, now back to Corporate for the past 8 years. Being in Accounting was nice in non-profit to have a small ownership of “the mission”, but as I didn’t work directly with the community we served, it was more personal feeling than accolades.

        The hardest thing for me was getting used to NOT having to pick up really weird slack for whatever department needed it, and honestly NOT trying to figure out how to reuse and repurpose old office supplies to get the most out of them and save the company some money, lol. It took me a while to quit turning file folders inside out to use them again, picking up paper clips off the floor, etc. Oh and my annual bonus at my current job (more than 10% of my salary) was a nice thing to get used to as well. :)

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        1. Lily Puddle*

          Hello, fellow office supply saver! At my first job after moving out the museum world, I saw someone else had thrown out a bunch of old file folders and had to stop myself from digging them out of the trash.

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  11. Recovering Librarian*

    I made the switch three years ago from a nonprofit to a health insurance company. I like it much better. The nonprofit was chaotic, disorganized and poorly run with very weak leadership. Reorgs every 15 months and when there were systemic issues they just hired another director so the organization was very top heavy. I greatly appreciate the structure of my new job. There is no chaos, no drama and clear expectations and performance metrics. I am also fully remote now.

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  12. H.Regalis*

    Can anyone speak to going from public to private sector in general?

    I’ve worked like 90% government jobs and have thought about applying for industry jobs but I’ve always been scared that it’ll be super high pressure and/or they’ll expect me to work eighteen-hour days. I work in IT managed ERP software; no educational background in software development or computer science; I’ve learned everything on the job. I have no interest in working at a startup but have looked at large companies in my area.

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    1. Lisa*

      In industry there are jobs that are high-pressure long-hours and there are jobs that are not, you can’t generalize. With rare short-term instances at the end of a years-long project or for emergencies, I’ve never felt pressured to work long days, >40h, or weekends.

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    2. Kay*

      This is going to depend more on the company/role than an overall blanket statement. While startups will often allow for more grace with required credentials, they are usually the more dysfunctional. Private companies can be any mix of in between with the larger usually feeling more bureaucratic than the smaller ones. Apply! Just ask questions to suss out the culture and expectations – ask about what an average week looks like, what is their ideal fit for the role, what do performance metrics look like, etc. To add – most roles aren’t going to be 18 hour high pressure days.

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      1. ThatGirl*

        Yes, this. I’ve worked in private sector my whole life and never felt pressure to work even 10 hour days, much less 18. There are companies and roles out there like that, but not as a general rule.

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    3. JustaTech*

      Like everyone else said, it really depends. My “government” job was in academia, where there is at very least an undercurrent of “please work all 24 hours in a day” – my lab wasn’t like that mostly because we were pretty neglected (and didn’t have any grad students).
      So moving to industry was a nice change from that.

      I once was telling a college friend who was a post-doc about what my day was like: “Yeah, we had a crazy early time point today, like 5am, so my boss said we could all go home after lunch.”
      “Wait, your boss lets you go home early if you have an early time point?”
      “Yeah? The work is done for the day, and we’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
      “My PI doesn’t let me do that…”

      There’s also the difference in funding – constantly applying for grants vs being at the whims of the stock market/ investors. Both have their ups and downs (literally) so you have to decide for yourself how you feel about that.

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    4. Banana Pyjamas*

      In my sub-category of government the most common path to private sector is to transition to a vendor. A lot of folks go on to work with vendors they already have relationships with. If you wouldn’t work with any of your current vendors, the easiest way to scout companies is to check who sponsors conferences.

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  13. Blurp*

    I have a master’s of public administration (basically a degree in nonprofit/government management) and I tried working for a for-profit company. It was an absolute nightmare. My boss was a toxic sociopath, the pressure to perform was insane and the company could not have cared less about the illegal harassment I experienced. HR had less than no interest in me and my feelings. I was eventually demoted so the boss could hire a friend in my higher-level position. I left ASAP and that was the end of my for-profit adventure. The cutthroat culture of every man for himself is not for me. I also figured out pretty quickly that the company, a for-profit educational organization, is basically ripping off people of color and veterans for cash. The government was investigating them (before DJT). No thanks.

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    1. JustKnope*

      I’m sorry you had that experience! It is REALLY not generalizable to all for-profit experiences, however, just like not all not-profits are toxic messes.

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    2. Zona the Great*

      I believe this is what would happen to me if I went to the private sector of my industry (urban planning/transportation planning). It would be all about billable hours. None of the firms here provide holiday pay. It’s crazy.

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    4. SGK*

      I had a similar experience when I switched to a corporate job after 15+ years in nonprofit work. In my 4 years with the corporation (an international med tech company), I was continually turned off by the focus on money (not just the organization’s bottom line; I hated the greedy, cutthroat attitudes of the sales reps and their leaders), the heavy bro culture, the permissiveness of leadership around bad behavior including misogyny and blatant racism (I had to take FMLA to deal with mental health issues after I was severely mistreated over several months by a higher-up), and the ridiculous regulatory requirements. I *did* like many of my coworkers (and am still friends with them); the salary, benefits, and perks; and the fact that the company paid for me to get my masters at a very fancy institution. Also, my career advanced very quickly there, so when I made the decision to return to nonprofit life I was MUCH more qualified for higher-level jobs and a more valuable candidate due to the role I’d played at the corporate organization. After I left, I got an incredible leadership role at a national nonprofit (I’d previously worked for local/regional ones) with a salary that was even higher than my corporate one (it’s a very niche and generously supported nonprofit). Just one woman’s experience–your mileage may vary!

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  14. Good Luck*

    I have bounced between the non-profit and for-profit worlds on several occasions and am preparing for another change. A lot of roles that exist in the non-profit world also exist in the for-profit world with slight changes in context and a lot of changes in vocabulary.

    If your experience is in proposal development to funders, you might be looking for roles that are more aligned with a sales team that is developing proposals to potential clients. If your experience is in managing programs, you may be looking for project management roles. Some community engagement experience fits nicely with association membership roles (there are both non-profit and for-profit associations). IT, HR, and finance are also very similar between non- and for-profit organizations. Be sure to update your resume to show the impact you’ve had in each of your roles (with numbers if possible).

    Also keep in mind that there are lots of for-profit companies in the mission-driven space. Some companies have corporate foundations. Some software companies and technology consultants specifically work with non-profits. Be sure to think about why you are looking to change as that may drive what types of organizations you apply to.

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  15. Thin Mints didn't make me thin*

    I only spent a year in nonprofit, but I’m enjoying being back in the private sector. Some of that is the nice paychecks, but some of it is feeling more balance between my values and my mental health. I can devote SOME of my time and money to causes I feel good about, but there’s no pressure to give ALL. And I can take breaks from paying attention to (gestures wildly at everything), and it turns out I need that.

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    1. Anonprofit1*

      ^^This^^
      It was odd how people assumed I made the move for more money. That was an added bonus, but the biggest perk is working with a larger team and not being *on* all the time.

      The longer I am away from nonprofits, the clearer I see the dysfunction.

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    2. LW*

      This is part of my reasoning too. I feel tapped out all the time. I also work in a city that isn’t the city I live in, so all my energy goes to my work, and then I don’t feel like I can be involved in the causes locally that feel really important right now. My thought is that if I had a job that taxed me a bit less (and paid me a bit more) I could spend more time doing those things and have a positive impact in that way.

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  16. Week Old Sourdough*

    I made this transition very early in my career- that’s how tough long-term non-profit work can be! I have no regrets and never plan to go back.

    I do have a STEM degree, and I think that’s what gave me a competitive edge. Since I was early-career, I was able to lean on that heavily with my in-office experience. The skills you build at a first professional job transferred easily (time & project management, interpersonal skills, etc). I was always afraid growing up that I couldn’t hack it as a business girlie but that’s proven to be so far from the case. I thrive in private sector. I love the responsibility and projects. I have just found that I do my best work at big companies where there’s a lot of responsibility to go around and people to help. I’m not expected to wear as many hats.

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  17. Begonia*

    I did this, also! I had always envisioned myself working for a non-profit, and spent about ten years there, primarily in academic administration. I worried a lot about what working for a non-mission-driven company would be like — would I be able to make the transition? Would I know anything? What did that mean about me and my values? But I was increasingly unhappy and ready for a change.

    Honestly, the transition was way easier than I expected (I moved into tech). So many of my skills were transferable; even though I have less experience in tech, I have a lot of experience with working, and that has gone so far, especially compared to my younger colleagues just starting out in tech who may know more than me about some niche-field thing. I’ve worked with really great people both in non-profit and for-profit. And being for-profit doesn’t mean that the company is bad by definition. I’ve been treated well and have found work that is, if not mission-driven, then mission-driven-adjacent.

    The clincher for me was that the non-profit work had slowly over the years started feeling increasingly profit-driven, so the distinction between for-profit and not-for-profit became less meaningful. I’m now more interested in finding interesting, pro-social work, rather than work that falls into one profit-related bucket or the other.

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    1. LW*

      Thank you for sharing! I’d love to hear more of how you got into tech and what you do now. I’ve looked into roles with some of the SaaS companies I use in my fundraising job, but haven’t found a good fit yet.

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  18. CzechMate*

    So, it really depends on the type of change you’re making. I started in nonprofit (helping the at-risk youths), worked for two for-profit schools, and honestly, they were awful. I’m very happy now being back in nonprofit (higher ed).

    Something I would emphasize is that the socially-minded for-profit (i.e. for profit school) has a lot of the same pressures as non-profit (“how do we help these kids?” “What if there’s an issue with accreditation?”) plus the pressures of for-profit (“how do we sell people on this educational experience?” “Where do we cut corners to increase margins?”). From my experience, they also didn’t necessarily pay any better, although the hours were the same.

    Given that….if your concern is making more money and having better work/life balance, sometimes you can find it by transitioning to a different nonprofit sector, rather than jumping headlong into for-profit. Good luck!

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    1. One Duck In A Row*

      Haha, yeah, I’ve been reading through the comments and thinking that my for-profit employer sounds like a lot of the non-profits. I guess that’s not a huge surprise – I’ve mostly worked for non-profits and while there is an adjustment going from a place that primarily *does* things vs. *makes* things in terms of institutional goals/outputs, the general culture and grumbles about wages fit in fairly well with those other jobs I’ve had. (Honestly, for support level positions the pay is almost certainly better at the non-profits I’ve worked for, and the one I worked for the longest had objectively better PTO benefits – possibly because when you can’t offer better salaries you can at least offer more sick time? IDK.)

      Maybe this is also a B corp thing – for profit, but ehhhhh… not as much for profit?

      I just did the math, and adjusting for inflation my hourly pay rate has gone up less than 5% from that non profit admin assistant job a decade ago to a higher level “for profit” position today. Actual salary difference is a bigger (but hardly inspiring) percentage jump, but it’s because full time was 37.5 hours at the old job and 40 at the current one.

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  19. Cruciatus*

    I had only worked in non-profits until 2023. County library, then a med school (administrative staff), then a university (part of a larger university system). I loved my university job, but the university’s constant worries about money were a struggle, and they’ve actually offered incentives to get people to leave since I left (staff were offered one year’s salary if they’d leave. They had maybe 2 or 3 weeks to decide). Anyway, I moved into insurance. I’m not IN insurance (I’m an archivist), and my position will never make the big bucks, but it was a 29% pay increase AND they aren’t constantly fretting about money. So sometimes I get annoyed about the red tape my department has to fight to do things we want to do (that was no issue at the university position), but overall it’s not so bad and I like the people I work with, as I did at previous places (people are still regular humans at a for-profit place). There are a lot of perks that come with this job, at least through my specific employer, and I’m very glad for it in the end, and glad I made the switch.

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  20. HR Exec Popping In*

    I made the switch over 25 years ago. After 5 years working in higher ed, I went to a fortune 500 corp. I found the for profit world much less political and less dysfunctional. You are generally assessed on and valued by your contribution. It was also easier to get things done and actually make a difference. But you lose “the cause” which I do miss.

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  21. Queen Bee*

    I was in nonprofit work over 10 years and have been in for-profit now for 10 years. The biggest change I see is my current job is not touchy-feely, check-in-with-your-feelings which honestly I’m more than ok with. My boss will have a personal conversation if I need to but my nonprofit bosses were so focused on “how did that make you feel?” that I felt like a kid sometimes who needed to be handled carefully.
    My current job will also treat us to lunch sometimes just because which was completely unheard of in my last jobs. And we get annual bonuses.

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    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      God that sounds ideal – I’m fine with burnout awareness but if I have to tell one more executive that “no, we don’t have to encourage employees to bring their whole selves to work, boundaries and separation are healthy” I’m going to commit arson

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  22. Bird Lady*

    I spent ten years working for small and mid-sized museums and moved into a tech support/ customer success role for a publishing company. Honestly, I don’t know why it took so long to make the switch.

    Don’t get me wrong – museums are my passion as I firmly believe they can be agents for cultural exchanges, education, and building community. Unfortunately, museum work was always exploitive to staff but after Covid it became untenable. My mental health was in shambles, and I’m a very resilient person. But working 60+ hours a week for three years with no time off, working holidays, weekends, and long days into long nights burnt me out. Every time I turned around, I had yet another job responsibility thrown at me. It got so bad that my assistant and I were responsible for 65% of the museum’s output. I had injured myself severely outside of work and was essentially disabled but my colleagues refused to accept the accommodations the ED provided me. I’m a pretty warm, generous, and kid person but when I held people politely accountable I was literally called a monster.

    My friend helped me transition into my current role. I make twice as much, do about half the amount of work, and am still considered an over-performer. My company has been generous with time off needs. While I was working from my husband’s grandmother’s gravesite at her funeral with my museum job, at my new job even calling me after the death of an aunt was prohibited unless it was to send condolences. I’m encouraged to take time off to go see a doctor! My mental health has greatly improved and I was able to rehab my injury and return to running 5 and 10Ks.

    Am I ask passionate about this work? No, but in retrospect, that’s a good thing. I’m more able to set reasonable boundaries. And because my company requires you to balance work and life, I am able to volunteer my museum expertise and give back to my community. I’ve become an election worker and have been able to donate time to help local get out the vote efforts.

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    1. LW*

      Thank you for sharing your story! It resonates with me a lot. I would love to be able to get more involved with local politics if time allowed.

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      1. Bird Lady*

        Happy to! Becoming an election worker has been one of the more deeply profound experiences of my life. I also love volunteering! We talk about the loneliness epidemic, but it’s hard to feel lonely when you are helping kids paint, or packaging up food baskets for families in need with a group of very chatty people.

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  23. Joyce to the World*

    22 years ago I went from a very small “non-profit” that had zero room for advancement and sloppy practices. The “director” ran it like she owned her own small business which caused a lot of issues with the govt oversight agency. I went from that job to working for a large for profit corporation. The HR practices are very defined, which I appreciate. Tons of room for advancement and better pay. It was great to have something so defined whereas before it was at someone’s whim. Now, there is a certain level of bureaucracy that you have to deal with as the company has continued to grow and new out of touch leadership has taken over. I never had to worry about layoffs until moving to the corporate world. Now they are quarterly.

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  24. Corporate Goth*

    I made a transition from a service oriented job into a purely corporate version of that job a few years ago. Some of the things I learned include:

    – Understand that your entire ecosystem is changing. Processes, procedures, customers, coworkers, pace, and motivations are all going to be influenced by the fact that you were in the for-profit world. The first several months will probably be rough simply because it’s a lot of change – you may feel like everything you do is wrong no matter how skilled you were at your previous job. It’s overwhelming! The more you can roll with these changes, the easier it will be for you to adapt.

    – Where you can, find the similarities. For instance, a successful for profit organization will still have people who are passionate and motivated beyond mere financial aspects.

    – Find the differences that you like. For example, a faster pace that makes you see target audience impact sooner, efficiencies that bypass bureaucracy, or more money equates to more training and improves your ability to be successful. A lot of companies offer pro bono work or volunteer opportunities, too.

    – Consider what you prioritize. I thought I had been in a great position at my service oriented job. I was. I have also discovered that I value an improved culture that does not try to work people to death.

    – It’s OK if your views on all of this change as your experiences do! Letting go of your previous job can take a while. Identify what’s different and what the good things are.

    – There can be some guilt involved in leaving, especially if you stay in contact with your former coworkers. Keep in mind that you’re not a horrible person for leaving the nonprofit world for something new.

    – Compensation can be a challenge to understand in the for-profit world, like various forms of stocks or incentives. Do your research here, but it may take time to really get it. Of note, I got a lot of comments claiming I was just leaving just for the money, which was not true but impossible to refute. Don’t let those comments get to you if you experience something similar. Higher pay or a bonus helps pay the mortgage off faster, allows greater charitable donations, etc.

    One of the most impactful things someone told me was that no one could say I hadn’t put in my time. Up until then, I had not realized that I was not locked into a lifetime service commitment, and certainly not one specific to a single or organization. It’s okay to change; that’s how we grow.

    Whether or not then corporate world is for you is hard to tell without actually experiencing it. You may decide to go back to the nonprofit world and that’s OK too – take what you learned with you as well.

    For what it’s worth, I was terrified and skeptical when I made the leap. Now? I love my job.

    Hope this helps.

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    1. BC*

      Agreeing with this second point. I work in social research for a multinational listed company. In my large department at least, most of us are research geeks and here because the work is interesting, sometimes influential, and we want to do it as well as we can. We once had a senior-level guy join us from a large nonprofit and keep making remarks about how we were all into sales and making money (unlike him). It really grated. So don’t do this!

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  25. Abogado Avocado*

    I went from 15 years in the non-profit world to local government (insert jokes about that here) and was surprised how much my non-profit experience has been valued in this role. What helped, I think, was sitting down and categorizing all I had done in my legal services non-profit role to get a sense of what I had to offer another employer.

    When I thought deeply about all I had done, I was surprised to realize I had developed skills in policy advocacy and report writing, in addition to my litigation and case-advising duties. I mean, I knew I had done those other things (because, LW, as you know, the non-profit world is great at stretching your boundaries), but what I didn’t realize was that I had developed significant skills when taking on those additional duties. And I certainly didn’t realize how valuable those skills would be to a government employer.

    There is a ton of good advice from others here, so mine is limited to: take a morning and think hard about all the ways your non-profit work has stretched you. Yes, you may be titled Senior Tea-Spout Maker, but you likely also teach tea-spout making, have advocated for improved tea-spout standards, and have designed better tea spouts. Your CV should reflect those skills that go beyond your current title, in addition to, of course, the skills that go with your title.

    Best of luck with the transition. May employers compete for you! And please let us know how it goes.

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    1. LW*

      Thank you so much Abogado Avocado! Folks have steered me toward local government many times but I’ve always been turned off by the rigidity of the application process. But, part of that is I am so burned out from my current role, it’s made it hard to take that time to translate these experiences into the language they need it to be in to justify hiring me.

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  26. shamwow*

    I’ve gone back and forth between nonprofit and for profit a few times and I think your experience will really vary depending on the size of the org, how long it’s been around, how flexible funding is (for nonprofit) or how much runway they have (for startups), and a whole lot of other things. One nonprofit I worked at was extremely old-school (still doing expenses on paper), no remote work, stingy with time off. Another is a lot more modern in terms of tech (though slow around other cultural shifts), remote-first, and has flex PTO. All things I was only seeing in the for-profit sector the last time I was job hunting.

    The nonprofit world is generally a little behind for-profit, but well-funded orgs are in a position to catch up and plenty of them do. Nonprofit also has a reputation for not having redundancy staffing, which means coverage is nonexistent when someone is out. Not an unearned reputation, but I ran into plenty of that in the for-profit world too. Salary and benefits is one of those areas where for-profit can often be better, but I’ve also gotten jerked around there vs. great benefits from the nonprofit to make up for the lower salary.

    The things you want to ask yourself are: how will my success be measured? What is the culture here, and does it mesh well with my working style? (Ex. is this a place with back to back meetings all day every day, or is the expectation that you’ll work independently, or in a group that meets once a day before splitting off). Do people actually get to clock out (mentally and physically) at the end of the day, or are you trading the expectation that you’ll go above and beyond for the mission for an expectation that you’ll go above and beyond to meet a quota?

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  27. bee*

    I started my career in nonprofit and worked in various administrative roles at a couple different nonprofits for close to a decade. I eventually left after pivoting to a career in accounting – I got a masters degree in accounting and after graduating got a job at a public accounting firm and later at a tech company where I still work today. The switch to for profit was mostly driven by salary; the nonprofits I had worked for weren’t in great financial situations and I wasn’t being paid a living wage, especially given the HCOL area where I live.

    I have to admit the switch was something of a culture shock, especially when I compare my current tech company with the nonprofits where I used to work. Not only is my salary much higher, but we get annual raises, bonuses twice a year, have good work/life balance, and a hybrid work schedule with some really nice in office perks (fully paid for commuter benefits, free lunch every day, free snacks). We also have adequate staffing and really excellent technology resources to do our work – things that were severely lacking at my former workplaces. The attitude there was very much wear as many hats as possible and get by with what you have because we can’t afford to backfill roles or purchase anything additional. All that said, the tradeoff to these benefits is that my current workplace is much more bottom line focused and generally corporate. Especially being in finance, I can see how much of the decision making is driven by the stock price and overall focus on financial position. There’s not really an equivalent to the mission-driven focus that was always present at the non-profits which I do miss.

    I am overall happier in my current position, so I would say go for it if you feel ready to make the switch. Look for for jobs with transferable skills and just start applying. Getting paid more and not having to worry about lack of resources has been really good for my peace of mind. Good luck!

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  28. Sansevieria*

    I work in content/marketing and recently made the leap. IME the pros are obviously the pay and benefits, especially when you’re fully financially independent and the rent has gone up. I’ve finally succeeded at setting work-life boundaries in a way that was difficult when I lived and breathed my previous sector. I also work with a lot of creatives who are decidedly not the finance bros who make up a big part of the business.

    I will say though that it’s nowhere near as easy to market this workplace as it was a charity. I’m keenly aware of its impacts on certain communities and part of my job now is to kind of ignore that and talk about the more palatable things. But my new health benefits include therapy to work through these new inner conflicts, so.

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      1. Sansevieria*

        FWIW I think the switch is always worth considering. I forgot to mention that if ever you do make the switch and the lack of purpose does get to you, you should look into being a volunteer or – even better – a trustee for an org you like. You’ll probably finally have the time and brain capacity for it! I too have a niche, nonprofit-related master’s, and it’s sometimes hard for me to entirely let go of the past, so it’s a good compromise for me.

        If you do choose to make the leap, and especially if you end up in a big, financially buoyant company (as is my case), you may be surprised at the number of people who were in a similar situation. And one of my biggest culture shocks was meeting so many colleagues who don’t actually care all that much about my new sector – this type of person would have been eaten alive in my corner of the arts and culture industry. The change of perspective can be good, even if it ends up being temporary. Best of luck in whatever path you choose!

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  29. NMitford*

    I moved from fund raising (I have a master’s in Institutional Advancement) into business development for government contractors (I’m in the Washington, DC metro area). It’s important to focus on transferrable skills when you make the move out of nonprofits. In my case, because I had excellent writing skills — I wrote direct mail, proposals, newsletters, speeches, you name it — my first job was as a proposal writer. I took some of my best writing samples and formatted then into a mini-newsletter, using a template that I found in Word, and submitted that with all the resumes I submitted. After two years as a writer, I moved into proposal management.

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    1. NMitford*

      A lot of my fund raising jobs were in higher education or religious institutions, and I used to hear so much smack about how I couldn’t possibly understand the mission because I didn’t graduate from Whatsamatta U. or wasn’t a member of the church or whatever. So I expected to hear, you can’t possibly understand government IT systems because you’re not a programmer. I didn’t get any of that when I moved out of nonprofits. It was all, “You’re here because you have skills we need — use them!”

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  30. some dude*

    I went from community based nonprofits to working for the philanthropic arm of a for-profit business, so still technically in nonprofits but working for a for-profit.

    What is shocking to me is that it isn’t more organized or put together than the nonprofit I worked at, but this org is sort of start-upish so maybe that explains the lack of infrastructure. There is a much more intense expectation of work deliverables than I experienced at my nonprofit.

    It is a harsher environment for employees – people will get laid off in a heart beat for not meeting deliverables, deliverables that aren’t always clear. Management seems much more inclined to think, actually, I want someone different and fire teapot manager x to hire a new one. I don’t work for a public company, but my spouse does and everything is driven towards those quarterly earning reports in a way that seems an insane and not very efficient way of running a business – making moves that are damaging in the long term to look good in the short term. So that is a drag, but on the upside if business is doing well you are doing well. She also gets laid off ALL THE TIME. I know nonprofits lay people off, but with a for-profit they do it to make their earnings report look better so it happens constantly – they need to shave a few million off of their expenses (while paying their ceo a seven figure bonus or so they can spend a billion dollars on a questionable acquisition) so they fire an entire team, even if the work they are doing is important.

    The upside to this is, if you aren’t at a toxic place, there can be an emphasis on doing excellent work that doesn’t always exist at a nonprofit. I also appreciate the brass tacks of it – my old job got way too theoretical and navel-gazey, and my new org is much more “ how are we spending our money, how are we hitting our goals, etc.”

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    1. bananners*

      The fear of being laid off is one of the reasons I haven’t made the switch. I’m soft funded (not on federal funds!), but I’ll know well in advance if I haven’t secured money for my position for next year.

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  31. Twinklefae*

    I tried once – for me, in my part of non-profit, the benefit of them knowing that we are on the low end of the pay scale is a lot of work around flexibility. As a single parent, money will always be important, but with 3 kids who have a variety of needs and specialist appointments, flexibility is worth more to me a lot of the time. So it’s also important to take the ‘unofficial’ benefits into account as well.

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  32. I like snacks*

    Depending on what your end-game may be, have you considered moving to the more corporate side of non-profit work? It may be a less jarring transition. I work for a large nonprofit think tank, that is very corporate in terms of operations and management. Plus we are very well funded, so there are none of the usual non-profit concerns about money.

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  33. RedinSC*

    I have worked in non profit, for profit start ups, and government.

    I honestly think the hardest transition was for profit to government work. There’s a lot of processes and policies that you just don’t see in non profits (as long as you’re not totally government funded) or business.

    I think this is probably one of the softer transitions, you don’t have to think about donor stewardship, are we doing the MOST with the funds raised that we possibly could. It’s OK to have snacks in a break room and a holiday celebration. YOu don’t necessarily have to use that 5 year old computer to eek out ONE MORE YEAR of service from it.

    What I saw was that efficiency takes on a bigger role, and if that costs a bit more money to get it, that money will be spent, because it pays dividends down the line.

    There’s a ton of great advice, and I hope you land well and don’t find this transition challenging. For me it was a fun transition with lots of potential.

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  34. PNW*

    I worked for a non-profit for 30 years before I retired a few years ago. My biggest problem was that every issue required a consensus to move forward. And every project seem to have many people involved so there were a lot of opinions. I liked that they asked for input and opinions but after a while I just felt like someone needed to make a decision. Projects got side-lined or canceled, good ideas were discarded and many, many people (mostly non-management staff) were very frustrated.

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  35. non-tech girl in the tech world*

    I worked in the nonprofit world for about 15 years as a case manager and program manager. I’m now in clinical operations for a startup tech company. I started with remote, entry level customer support roles when I first moved into tech, and they actually paid more than my management roles in nonprofits! In the startup world, I’ve found my non-corporate perspective to be a positive – different ways of viewing the world are valuable when building new programs. And many tech companies are fully remote, which I love. Good luck on your journey!

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  36. FormerTeacherFormerMuseumStaff*

    I made this switch two years ago — I went from a career in education (first in museum exhibits/educational programming with a Masters in Museum Studies) to one in environmental consulting and every single day, even on my worst days at New Job, I am so grateful that I made the switch.

    I think the biggest thing that was a shift was the new understanding that who I am as a person and my job deliverables were not innately tied together like they were before. Teaching and education had slipped into every fiber of my being, in and out of work (including my social life) and it was inescapable. We were all expected to be friends, which meant that any direct feedback/critique was an attack on that person’s character. I’m from Appalachia but live in Southern California, in addition to being an autistic woman, and this kind of passive aggressive culture where everyone was pretending to love each other drained me.

    So now that I’m with a consulting firm, there is still talk of the mission and why we do what we do, but there’s also an understanding that this is a business and this is work. I work my 40 hours a week and that’s it. I take days off when I want and I don’t need to provide a litany of reasons why I deserve it — I just…take it. My health insurance is way better (I can go to therapy now!) as is my compensation and general work/life balance. I also have found that, with a few exceptions, I can advocate for myself better and show that if I do good work, I deserve a raise and promotion. My experience in the world of education is that not only were budgets constrained, but there were also so many interpersonal dynamics that influenced who got hired and promoted, and not just how you worked.

    One of the biggest surprises is how many things that I learned how to do in my previous careers because I had to (because there were no staff to do them) became assets that I could market. The first time I heard someone say they were taking 20 hours to prep a 10 minute presentation my eyeballs almost fell out of my head. The fact that we pick up so many skills in the non profit world means that we also have to learn to sell ourselves — things that were just under that infamous line “all other duties as assigned” could potentially mean a job title shift or raise in the corporate world.

    Also the office supplies are free and way nicer.

    I also didn’t realize how much of my social life had revolved around shared commiseration at what we worked through and I’ve come to really value the friendships that remained after I left teaching because those were people who I had actual things in common with, rather than a shared workplace and career. I’m not expected to be best friends with my coworkers, only collegial, and that’s a relief as someone for whom social masking is exhausting. I can listen to podcasts and music all day when I’m off, and I can shift my schedule when needed for doctor’s appointments and when life gets in the way.

    tl;dr — leaving education saved my life and I’m much happier

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  37. Anakalia*

    I spent 20 years in public education and non-profits before joining a startup three years ago. My last role at a regional art museum involved handling accounting, finance, and HR—experience that made me marketable for my current position, which is nearly identical but with a smaller budget and team.

    While non-profit work always resonated with me, I’ve found my true fit in a climate-focused startup. The fast pace, quick decision-making, and professional, respectful colleagues make a huge difference. Here, work is about business, not personal politics. There’s no infighting over resources—everyone is aligned toward the same goal.

    If you’re considering a transition, I highly recommend B-Corps or the climate/environment sector. Your skills will be valued, and you’ll be fairly compensated!

    Reply ↓
    1. LW*

      Thank you! Would you recommend the switch to someone who believes the environment is important intellectually, but doesn’t feel it personally in their bones? Part of my challenge is figuring out the balance between “this mission is important to me” and “I want to have a life outside work.” I’ve worked for missions I believed in but didn’t feel before, and it was okay, but everyone wants you to believe in it with your whole being. Is that the same in the B Corp world?

      Reply ↓
      1. RedinSC*

        I think B-Corps straddle the line between non profits and for profits. You’re going to find people who are more “mission” driven. HOWEVER, Many for profits want their staff to BELIEVE! So, it’s not just non profits that have that focus. I think it’s fine if say, the Environment isn’t your top passion, but you do want to show passion for this, especially in an interview. Why us, why this work? etc

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      2. Anakalia*

        As with everything – it depends. The B-corp certification is more of a litmus test showing a company’s integrated efforts to support the triple goal of “people, planets, profit.” In my experience, the bottom line pressure is less than traditional for-profit organizations, enabling the organization to appropriately invest in their employees and consider their environmental impacts. One of the things I like about my current company is that while everyone is focused on our ultimate climate goals, no one is evangelical about it or judgmental about various life choices.

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  38. Just a city worker*

    I would also recommend looking at government jobs – maybe not federal right now, heh, but county or city for sure! I went from private sector to public government and its been a dream! I don’t care about bottom lines making all the money in the world and hated those jobs that did. Government is still mission based and we’re always thinking of how we make everything the best and easiest for our citizens, but we have a work life balance. When I clock out at the end of the day I’m done, no long hours, no feeling guilty for taking time off, great benefits (maybe not as much vacation as private but way better insurance and retirement). And non-profit work would translate over to government really well!

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  39. Funbud*

    One of the delights of reading AAM over the years has been my constant refecting after reading various posts “Wow, non-profits are nutty places to work!” followed by “Wow, Corporate life is insane!” Only Academia (where I’ve never worked) seems to top both for eccentricity and irrational practices.
    That being said, I took an.administrative job at a nonprofit after working in big corporate for 25+ years. It was a complete disaster. Disorganized, ego driven, rife with practices that would never pass in a corporate environment. I gave up & took early retirement.

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  40. Rat Racer*

    I’ve gone back and forth between non-profit and for-profit, and to be honest, I haven’t found much of a difference. Granted, my industry is healthcare, where hospitals and insurance companies can be non-profit or for-profit and the distinction seems more or less arbitrary. I worked for the for-profit and non-profit sides of Kaiser Permanente, for example, and the only things that changed were the name of my retirement plan and the building I worked in.

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  41. Ann O'Nemity*

    I’ve worked across for-profit, nonprofit, government, and higher education, and I’ve found that transitioning between the nonprofit and for-profit sectors is surprisingly easy since many skills are highly transferable. Getting involved with local networking groups—like those offered by the Chamber of Commerce—can be especially helpful in making connections and learning industry nuances.

    The biggest differences between the two sectors tend to be in language and terminology rather than core competencies. Workplace culture can vary, but in my experience, it often depends more on the size of the organization than whether it’s nonprofit or for-profit.

    For those who want to stay in mission-driven work, roles in social enterprises or corporate social responsibility can provide a smoother transition.

    Overall, expect significantly higher salaries—and a noticeable lack of pressure to donate your time and money to the mission.

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  42. CoffeeCoffeeCoffee*

    I have done this! I left non-profit/higher ed. after 10 years and moved into a private sector role completely outside of education. The impetus for me was in 2022 when the university I worked at was facing financial trouble post-COVID and told everyone that staff/non-union faculty raises and the budget for student aid programs like counseling and food service were going into one pot- so if we wanted a raise we had to be okay with it meaning less $ for students. I can’t imagine a scenario like that in the private sector I work in now. I feel like I have a much better work-life balance, I get paid significantly more and I don’t feel nearly as much pressure to sacrifice my whole life for “the mission” or that being paid fairly meant I was denying services to students.

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  43. el l*

    I’ll speak for myself,* with all the caveats that implies.

    For-profit is much better for a feeling of accountability and (both perception and reality) for getting more things done. And you generally get paid more.

    Non-profit was more relaxed, and there was more of a feeling of mission. There are many who prefer that.

    I prefer for-profit, even with the extra stress.

    *I worked at a non-profit utility for 12 years, and have 3 years now at a for-profit energy firm which does similar work.

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  44. Mouse named Anon*

    I worked in Non-profits for about 5-6 years. One non-profit was an extremely niche arts based non-profit. The other was a well established Social Services Non-Profit. It was not a big adjustment for me. However I do miss the benefits and PTO I got at the Social Services non-profit. The pay wasn’t great at all though.

    In my experience it was easier to work for non-profits. The ones I worked for rarely laid people off or even fired people. The woman whose position I took over for messed up MAJORLY. Like could have gotten the org fined thousands and they just moved her to a different position. I feel like in the corporate world she would have been at the door, box in hand before she could blink. This obviously could vary from org to org.

    Its easier to do fun things at a corporate job IMO. We have lunches and outings all the time. We have holiday themed things, superbowl celebrations, etc. In the non-profit world we rarely had stuff like that due to budget constraints, dietary restrictions (I worked for a Jewish org and they tried their best to keep things kosher) and didn’t want Halloween celebrations. Which was fine with most people. Honestly I didn’t miss it!

    On the plus side, bc it was a Jewish Org we got secular holidays off as well as Jewish ones. September was a great month bc we got Rosh Hashanah and Yum Kippur off. During Passover we got some time too! And although org didn’t provide it, there were some Jewish Co-workers that would bring in awesome treats for the holidays too. One even brought my kids a little Hannukah care package with dreidels, chocolate coins and other goodies. I absolutely loved it there! I was sad to leave

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    1. Eldritch Office Worker*

      “In my experience it was easier to work for non-profits. The ones I worked for rarely laid people off or even fired people. The woman whose position I took over for messed up MAJORLY. Like could have gotten the org fined thousands and they just moved her to a different position.”

      This is one thing about nonprofits that I personally find more of a challenge than a benefit. Incompetent people can stick around for AWHILE, and they can majorly harm culture and efficiency. Frankly it’s never made a ton of sense to me – if the mission is so important, why are we letting these people risk impacting it?

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      1. Mouse named Anon*

        Yes, I can def see how that can also be an hinderance. In my case our org was so big while her actions could have caused issues they didn’t. I guess I meant some Non-profits may be willing to work with you instead of casting you aside. But it could vary from place to place. It also could mean issues for the org too. I guess there are good and bad things about it!

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  45. RCB*

    I went from public sector (government, politics, then nonprofits) and took a private sector job and HATED it. And this company wasn’t bad, it was just corporate, and it drove me crazy with how bureaucratic everything was, I left after 18 months and went back to the nonprofit I had left to take this job.

    One of the big factors for me was PTO. At the nonprofit I have 5 weeks of vacation, 12 sick days, and all federal holidays. At the corporate job I have 18 days of PTO total to cover vacation and sick time, and then most of the federal holidays still. That difference in time off was brutal, and even when I was off I still couldn’t get away from work and always had to check in, so it was just horrible.

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    1. RCB*

      Sorry, I have 5 weeks vacation, 12 sick days, and the week between Christmas and New Years where we closed the office and got those days off without using our vacation time. Plus all of the federal holidays. Going to 18 PTO days and federal holidays was terrible.

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    2. allathian*

      Was the for profit more bureaucratic than government? Yikes.

      I’m very happy with my government job (in Finland), but the one thing that annoys me is that even necessary changes take forever to implement. The flipside is that sometimes a change seems to be for its own sake rather than a rational reason, and that’s my pet peeve. And raises are non-existent to minuscule. In the 17+ years I’ve been at my current job my salary in real terms has decreased because it hasn’t kept up with inflation.

      But I like the flexibility in both work hours and location (I still mostly WFH), the fact that our taxpayers are willing to give us the same kinds of perks that people in the private sector get (free beverages, annual holiday parties), decent occupational health plan including mental health, and fabulous PTO as an employee with long tenure (38 weekdays + 8-11 national holidays + time off in lieu if I have to work longer hours temporarily). I also love the fact that I can basically forget my job when I’m not actually working and that I have a great manager and cool coworkers. I also like the idea that my work is contributing to the common good rather than enriching someone who’s already rich.

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  46. Someone Else's Boss*

    I work in executive search where people transition from working in industry to working for industry all the time. You’ll be happiest to start if you can find a role that straddles this line – with a company who works closely with nonprofits and therefore has adopted their schedules, approach to work, etc. Once you get used to working in another industry, it’s easier to walk away from nonprofit altogether. Good luck!

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  47. SeekYou*

    You can do it! I was in non-profit work my entire career for 15 years in various roles and organizations. I was let go during the pandemic, which was a blessing in disguise. You probably have more translatable skills than you give yourself credit for because in non-profits you end up doing SO MANY different things. I decided I didn’t want to do fundraising ever again, but I was interested in communications. Having been the sole social media content creator, communications strategist, and outreach specialist combined in my non-profit work over the years led me into a consultant role with a marketing and communications firm. They enjoyed that I had hands on, on the ground experience to bring to their company. The pay is much better, the work more focused, and the flexibility is great. I do miss the “helping” aspect of non-profit work sometimes, but I volunteer with local organizations to fulfill that interest.

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  48. Red Panda*

    One thing that I’ve learned from experience and from reading this forum is that the type of non-profit and/or for-profit company can make a huge difference. After working at an international manufacturing company for 6 years, I went back to the non-profit world. The shock was huge for me because it’s what I would call a social services non-profit (e.g. support for individuals with disabilities and their families) and it is so different than the other non-profit I worked at! So much more of the touchy-feely stuff and it took a good 6 months to adjust to getting out of business first mode. Good luck with your transition.

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  49. Frankly, Mr. Shankly*

    I worked most of my career in the private sector before being laid off in 2019 when my back office job was offshored. I landed in a religion based non-profit by happenstance/ desperation in an administrative job and… there’s not a day I don’t long to be back. While my passion certainly wasn’t investment banking, it wasn’t *expected* to be. Yes, I was supposed to do my job well, and did, but I was also supposed to take time off, and when I did, my essential tasks were covered by some of my many team members. Now I’m a department of one, I’ve never been out of the office for more than one day at a time, and when the inevitable mistake happens because I’m overworked, I’m rebuked for not taking more care because I’m not the religion of my org….. so, yeah, can I be a faceless cog in a big machine again, please?

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  50. Anonymouse*

    I made the jump after ~10 years in the nonprofit sector. I went back to school and used my master’s degree to make a big transition (new industry/function/size of organization). I work in clean energy, so I still feel like I’m making a difference; this was important to me.

    Overall, I’m pretty happy. I don’t always love the corporate environment, but I’m making a lot more money, have less responsibility, and actually have slightly better work-life balance. It’s also really nice to not wear as many hats (instead of having to fix the printer, I can just call IT!). Would like to eventually move back into more explicitly mission-driven work, although probably not until later in my career.

    In terms of getting the job, it may be easier than you think if you can find roles that are directly analogous to what you’re doing now. If not, what worked for me was to look for emerging areas where you aren’t competing with traditional candidates because there simply aren’t any for that kind of job.

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  51. S.*

    I spent 5 years essentially running the entire back end of a nonprofit’s fundraising. Everything except for talking to major donors; gift entry, trend analysis, prospect research, setting up campaign pages, shipping, annual registrations/compliance, the works. And then because of a personality conflict between my boss and the CEO (the fourth one in 7 years), they decided to outsource fundraising and I was out of a job.

    Now I’m in the for-profit sector, and it came with a $17,000 raise (and I’m now bonus eligible), and for the most part the work that I do is actually what I was originally hired to do instead of… everything.

    I miss being able to say that I did something for a living other than make someone else money, but I don’t miss the small organization politics or being horrifically underpaid.

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  52. Anne Shirley Blythe*

    It completely hinges on what level you will be at in the for-profit company and the nature of the company.

    There’s not a lot to go on here. Are you seeking C-suite management?

    If you will not be responsible for generating or maintaining business at the for-profit employer, you may hardly notice a difference, actually. I’ve worked in both sectors, but never at the management level.

    My current for-profit company is considerably less corporate-y and stressful than my previous nonprofit company!

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  53. PercyJax*

    I did this a little over a year ago! Some things that helped me was remembering that the people at corporate jobs are still people, just like people at non-profit jobs. It made it all feel less stuffy/scary.

    It was also nice to care a bit less about the work, if that makes sense. I still work hard and do the best I can, but the work itself feels way less meaningful than what I used to do. Of course, this is a double-edged sword. I have days where the feeling of “none of this matters” leads to an existential crisis. But for the most part, it makes everything feel like much less of an emergency, and means I can walk away at the end of the day without feeling guilty.

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  54. Tech Newbie*

    Hi!

    I made this transition a little over a year ago. I was a teacher for three years, then I worked at a nonprofit for almost a decade and now I’m on the philanthropy team at a tech company. It was a niche role that was the same work I had done at the nonprofit, so while my day-to-day work is quite similar, the working environment is different so I’m learning to navigate this new space.

    The good:
    I took two steps down in title but a step up in pay, and I’ll be eligible for a bonus which was not a thing at my nonprofit. So with the bonus and my higher pay, I’m making almost $30k more per year than I was at the nonprofit.
    People are less invested in the work, which means I’m not expected to give my entire soul to work. At the nonprofit it felt like the stakes were really high and I did an unhealthy amount of overtime, even when I was very pregnant but the people who had the power to help me didn’t. There was a lot of guilt thrown at me when I tried to push back at the nonprofit. For the most part, at my corporate job, work is work, not my whole life/personality.
    Additional perks like high quality swag, free lunch, and commuter stipends have saved me money.

    The bad:
    I miss my nonprofit coworkers. Since we were all so dedicated to the cause, I had a lot in common with my old colleagues and we genuinely cared about and rooted for each other. With the hundreds of people that I worked with over the years there, there were only 2-3 that I thought “hmm you are not a good person.” But at my corporate job there are a lot of people that are very different from me, and frankly, I don’t like them. People are a lot less helpful, and there are a lot of political power plays that happen. People are competitive with each other and I experience some coworkers who show two very different personalities to people like me (low on the org chart) and then to high power people which gives me the extreme ick.

    It’s weird trying to convince coworkers that the philanthropic work is important, at my old job everyone agreed on the mission and were driven by it. At a corp, it’s more about the tagline or click rate than the impact of the work.

    This is specific to me, but as someone who grew up in a low income family, it’s a bit grating to work for people who grew up wealthy and then got a $180k+ salary straight out of college. They are pretty entitled, and say things that are pretty shocking and show how they view the world. A lot of stuff that would not fly at a nonprofit.

    I’m glad I made the switch, the money is important to me and my family and I’m glad that I don’t have to work 60 hour weeks during the summer anymore but I miss the comraderies.

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  55. ali*

    I also have an MNM, and I have never actually had a non-profit job. I used it for being on boards (including board president positions) and ended up working at a software company that provides services to nonprofits. It was really useful in talking to my customers because when they learned my background they knew that I understood exactly what they were dealing with.

    I’m now not even non-profit adjacent but I found a job that is meaningful in other ways, still helps people, and I can be passionate about. If you can find that in a for profit company, you’re golden because you get the good feelings and a decent paycheck to go with it!

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  56. Code monkey manager*

    I worked in nonprofits for ten years, then for profit for six, and now am back at a nonprofit. At the nonprofit immediately before I moved, I think my title was “program associate” but I was the only person in the office willing to learn how to use our new database, and then used those skills to get an IT job at a for profit. They took a little bit of a chance on me, I think, but I was able to highlight hard numbers of things I did and it translated fairly well.

    I will say IT pay scales are just off the wall lifechanging compared to “program” nonprofit pay. I don’t think there’s quite as much of a difference if you’re staying in the same general career role.

    There was definitely more money to throw around at the corporate job. It was nice to not have to bring my own pens from home or hand-seal hundreds of letters myself. I was at a company that was overall a good place to work, and had things like a six month managerial training program I’ve never seen at a nonprofit, but I think is fairly rare at for profits too. Honestly it was also really nice to have a job I didn’t care about – if a project went south, I could shrug it off because what’s the downside, a shareholder doesn’t get richer?

    But ultimately I went back to a nonprofit because having a job I didn’t care about wasn’t for me. I realized I’m the kind of person who needs to feel inspired by my work, not just what I do in my off hours. No shade to people who don’t feel that, I think it’s a much easier way to live life overall! Just not for me personally.

    That said, I have higher standards now for future jobs in both the nonprofit and for profit sectors. I need a living wage and regular increases. I need a manager I trust. I need executives who aren’t actively undercutting my work. I need work I think is making the world a better place. I have found all of those things at both for and nonprofits, and the lack of all of those things at both for and nonprofits. Good workplaces are hard to find no matter what sector you’re looking in, but also possible to find no matter what sector you’re looking in.

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    1. LW*

      Thank you for your insight! I worry that I might be one of the people who needs to feel inspired by the work, too – but I might need to try a little harder at not caring so much to confirm.

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      1. Code monkey manager*

        I did have a lot of coworkers at the for profit who were very deeply involved in mission-driven work, just not for pay. Nonprofits need board members and volunteers and community support! (as I know you know!) It’s definitely worth a try to see if that kind of mission driven work outside your paying job, instead of being paid for it, meets your needs to feel inspired and like you’re doing good in the world.

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  57. Blue Pen*

    I think the biggest change is that corporate just feels more professional? So much more structure and predictability. In nonprofit world, it’s very much a feeling of flying by the seat of your pants, you’re working eye-watering amounts of hours “for the mission,” and—IDK if this is across the board—this feeling of “we’re all family here” that began to feel exploitive after a while.

    Corporate is generally boring, and usually, I’ve found you’ll get your wrist slapped if you venture too far outside your responsibilities, so that’s a bit of a bummer. But I enjoy it so much more; my work experience is largely positive, and while I don’t necessarily love my job, I love that it affords me a much better lifestyle by way of salary, work-life balance, benefits, health insurance, etc. Nonprofit could never give that to me, and while I’m so glad there are people out there dedicated to that work, I needed something else.

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  58. Better Babe*

    I did this and I should have done it sooner. I worked for a nonprofit that was voted “best place to work” or something by some big agency for years, which was some Stepford Wives stuff. I didn’t admit to myself that we frequently cut corners, overworked our staff, and mostly did not help the people we set out to help. I was enmeshed with my coworkers to the point where I would get passive aggressive texts at funerals, on vacation, and during my wedding. I would come home sobbing every day and spend all weekend in bed. I didn’t understand how burnt out I was because THE MISSION was more important than my own health. Because my colleagues were such huge parts of my life, I had no other friends, which was openly encouraged by the agency.

    I left in 2016. I moved to the for-profit sector and all my soft and hard skills translated. My first job was an immediate bump in benefits including remote work (in 2016!) unlimited paid time off and double the salary. Plus, we have more checks and balances than nonprofit does.

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    1. LW*

      I’m so sorry to hear that your experience burned you out so severely, and I’m so glad that you found something better for you!

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  59. Rich*

    I’ve done quite a bit of both — leaving my last non-profit job was a tough change because it was an organization and work I loved, but was necessary for personal and professional reasons.

    As some have said, there’s a lot less mission focus — for profits generally _have_ a mission, but it feels like something that’s folded into the business rather than a non-profit’s that feels like it’s built (or should be built) around the mission itself. At a good NP, you feel the mission every day. At a good FP, you can FIND the mission every day, if you go looking for it. For me, this is a big difference in work satisfaction. I’m doing FP work that I believe is worthwhile and good for the world now, but it’s just not the same.

    Depending on your line of work, the difference in how finances work can make a big difference. NPs have different rules about how they retain and use their money, and that can make big changes in how they invest in the business, and invest in people. I was at a pretty large NP (several thousand employees in many states), and I work in tech. It was generally easy for us (and the company) to get stuff, hard to get people. We need to replace gear or build a facility? We can find a way to fund that — through earnings, donors, etc. We need to hire people? That’s hard because the expense on people came year-after-year-after year. Really hard to get that approved. In the FP world, it’s often the opposite — not that it’s easy to get new hires approved, but it’s often easier than big capital investments. Every org is going to be different here, but their relationship with their money definitely changes the work environment.

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  60. Peanut brittle*

    I made the switch and would not go back. I remember asking for a raise at a nonprofit and being told being a manager is an honor and sacrifice.

    Also my first year at a for-profit someone said “annual bonuses are paid out next paycheck” and I said “I’m sorry the what now?” I’ve gotten an annual bonus on the order of 10% of my salary every year since I made the switch. I had no idea that was a thing.

    That said there is plenty of variety and all the dumb shit we read letters about at AAM happens both places. “Your boss sucks and isn’t going to change” happens everywhere.

    But I’m not going back.

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  61. Peety*

    I do have an MBA but spent 10+ years in Higher Education and then left for the private sector 5 years ago. Trust me: It’s worth it. Non-Profits aren’t worth the hassle.

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  62. DJ*

    It so varies depending on size and type of non profit, private sector organisation and even govt (branch vs head office)
    I’ve worked for a small non profit, govt branch and small private company. Also govt head office and large private sector company.
    Govt head office and private companies pay more and have much better facilities ie nice office, cooking facilities, air con, technology, stationary and general equipment, tea, coffee and milk.
    Non profit I worked for wouldn’t buy a microwave and would have avoided a fridge if they’d been able to get away with it. When we asked what was happening with getting owner of office to repair air con told our clients don’t work in air con conditions (I said I’m heading off to the office block property office to report it to be told only joking!!). Also told not committed enough if used Flex Time. Pressure to work for the cause. Had to pay for own Christmas party.
    Govt branch offices can be old, old technology and lack of stationary etc. But depends. Less access to flexible working.
    Small private company, unpaid overtime, losing 1/2 days sick pay for taking an hour off (many private companies will say don’t worry about it unless a full day), counselled if exceeded tiny sick leave allotment. Inadequate office. But at the same time they did pay for Christmas dinner, cake for birthdays etc. provides tea and coffee.
    Large private sector company. Tea and coffee, monthly catered morning teas, quarterly team lunches, Christmas party, uniform if wanted it, good training, flexible working hours, good office facilities etc.
    But it really does vary.

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  63. AnonAdmin*

    I know I’m a bit late, but I actually just made this switch six months ago! I worked for 14 years in non-profit, 4 years at one org and 10 years at the next. I left non-profit in February of last year. The expectations had just become too much and too toxic, and the few perks I had were slowly being taken away due to budget. I was an administrator, but now I’m an executive assistant in a related industry. Differences I’ve loved in my six months here:

    – There’s no expectation to wear EVERY hat and know EVERYTHING that goes on in the company. At a non-profit I was expected to do my job, any other job that was vacant, have an answer for any question that was asked, and be a spokesperson for the mission in everything I did. It was exhausting.
    – The benefits are way better. I make more money, have less responsibility, better insurance, more time off, and better reimbursement policies. They’ll actually pay for training and certifications and there’s an education benefit. And last month I asked for a new chair and they just got it for me? It was crazy.
    – There is actual support in terms of workload. My last non-profit had a staff of less than 10, providing services to people in vulnerable situations 24/7/365. Here I’m just one of hundreds of employees. If I take PTO, the world keeps spinning.
    – My mental health is much better. I was suffering from compassion fatigue big time at my last non-profit. We helped vulnerable people, and the endings weren’t always happy. It was very hard being there sometimes, trying not to feel guilty for any joy and hope when surrounded by so many who didn’t have any.
    – HUGE jump in resources. I don’t have to make due with outdated tech. I have a laptop and giant monitors and access to so much more software here versus my non-profit, where all the computers were giant donated desktops and if we couldn’t get a specific software cheap through Techsoup, we weren’t getting it at all.

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    1. LW*

      Well I am also late to the party so to me you’re just in time! Thank you.

      I have thought about exactly this transition, actually – growing up the joke was that I was my mom’s executive assistant and what would she do without me? In my current job, I am in many ways an unacknowledged executive assistant PLUS all the other things I need to do. I like the idea of being able to put down the other responsibilities and just keep The Boss on track.

      Best of luck with your new job! How exciting :)

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  65. FitToPrint*

    I was just reflecting on this exactly, as yesterday was my one year anniversary at my first job not at a non-profit! My was hired onto staff at age 16 at a historic site I had volunteered at since I was 12, and for over 20 years that was my entire career at various other museums.

    It was unsustainable. Non-profit often means really it is non-profit to the employees themselves. I had to threaten to quit after 6 years to finally get a raise over $12 an hour–I was working every weekend overseeing the entire site and making only a dollar more than the 5 part time employees that I managed. That raise was only to $15 and my boss made a comment about how it was the highest percentage raise anybody has been given at the museum–with seemingly no understanding that if only $3 was a full 25% increase in pay, it may not be something to brag about.

    My parent needing more care towards the end of their life was my reason for leaving that job, but really 7 years there with no room for advancement and diminishing ownership of my role was the main factor. After hospice and some time to myself I reentered the work force and was immediately hired in a field adjacent to what my college degrees were in.

    It was immediately, immensely better. In a single year I have been given two raises, unasked for!, making 75% an hour than the vast amount of time I worked at the previous non-profit jobs. The owner of my new company is hugely supportive of the employees and community as well, so I still able to engage my passion for non-profit causes for being able to take extended lunches for board meetings at getting PAID a limited pool of hours to volunteer.

    One thing I would advise: do not discount your skills even if your work experience feels narrow! My being a tour guide may not seem impressive on a resume, but I was able to demonstrate that it meant I am exceptional at memorizing a vast amount of information quickly and able to condense that into compelling stories that I share in a friendly way tailored to every person. My comfort and experience with talking with the highest donors to the non-profits has also been great in my new job, as those same people are the ones running many of the companies we do business with.

    A year away from non-profit work has vastly improved my life. I am engaged still engaged with the non-profit causes I am passionate about, but my actual career has a future and the frustrations of working many nights and every weekend and not being able to take vacations are all gone.

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  66. Doesn't It Depend*

    I would think so much of this depends on what the exact positions are that your leaving and going to, and the size/style of the businesses too.

    For example, I would imagine going from an EMT at a non-profit volunteer ambulance to an EMT at a for-profit ambulance might not be too much different in terms of the day to day; where as going from a CXO at a community theater company in a town with 1500 population to a middle manager at a Fortune 10 would be worlds apart.

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  67. Criminally Competent*

    My best friend just moved from non-profit to for-profit and she told me sobbed with relief her first week due to finally feeling validated. She’d spent so many years fighting to get people to follow beat practices when they were really just doing the bare minimum. Now she’s in a place where they actually care about standards versus just doing things that they think make them look good.

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  68. Cheap ass rolling with it*

    I’ve moved from non-profit to profit and back several times. I now consult for for-profit and non-profit clients.

    I initially went from profit to non-profit because I loved the nonprofit’s mission. It was great, until the mission changed and the organization became dysfunctional (my boss and boss’s boss left within 2 months). If a non-profit has a noble mission but is an organizational mess internally, then you’ll survive, but not thrive.

    For another non-profit I worked for, resources were limited so colleagues were cutthroat — stealing each other’s work. Of course, this can also happen in for-profit companies, it really depends on the environment.

    What really matters day-to-day (irregardless of profit/non-profit) is:
    1) Is your manager good? Does your manager support your needs (could be career growth or work/life balance).
    2) Is working with your colleagues enjoyable? Is your day-to-day work enjoyable?

    If you believe in the for-profit’s product, then it can be as inspiring as a non-profit’s mission.

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  69. Paul*

    I spent over 20 years in academia, two universities. When I decided to obtain a Master in Library & Information Sciences to be a librarian, I picked up a position at a for profit. I’ve been there 7 years now.
    What I have discovered is that the bottom line is a minimal profit margin to stay a float combined with a ton of regulation to ensure students aren’t being fleeced.
    What I have observed is that most faculty are all in to provide students a way out of their less than idea circumstances and genuinely care, while administrators are just trying to stay afloat and hit the marks/goals.
    It’s an odd dance, but the success stories I witness every graduation are inspiring.

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  70. Religious Nutter*

    I started my career in the non-profit and government sectors. I worked for non-profits for 8 years and Government for 6 before finally moving over into a private-sector job (which I’ve now been at for 7 years!), so I’ve definitely got some observations.

    You won’t be as passionate about (or as proud of) your work – Let’s start with the bad news. Non-profit work is fulfilling. The worst job I ever had was for a non-profit, and I’m STILL proud of the contributions I made while working there. Private sector work is about making money. Even if you’re working on a real product with an actual use, you’re still there to contribute to the company’s profit margins. It’s not as satisfying because you’re not making a real impact.

    The job will ask less of you – Because nonprofits are mission-based and trying to Accomplish Something, they’ll often ask staff to make sacrifices towards those goals. There’s a constant pressure to give over just a bit more of your time and attention to the job. Private sector jobs will still do this (upper management will always wish everyone worked for free and 24/7), but it’s far easier to push back and to see the requests as unreasonable.

    The benefits and pay will be better – Nonprofits underpay people, pure and simple. This goes back to the fact that they’re mission oriented. Everyone is supposed to be Passionate About The Work, so it’s fine that you’re operating on a shoestring.

    The job will be easier – Even if you’re doing basically the same things you were doing before, you’ll be doing them with more resources, longer timelines, and at lower pressure.

    Culture and management will (probably) be more sane – I’d say “definitely” be more sane, but I read Ask A Manager, so… no guarantees. Still, all the non-profits I’ve worked for had a “colorful cast of characters” while my private sector job is a lot more sane.

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  71. Claire*

    5 years in non profit project management, moved to 10 years in consulting firm

    Pros of the move:
    – earning potential over time is higher
    – early years of wearing many hats made me adaptable and good at trying my hand at new things
    – stronger organizational culture because good people don’t leave just because project funding is up, get more lucrative offers elsewhere etc
    – more opportunities for understanding the corporate, executive environment, and how very impactful decisions are made
    – now can support NFPs with higher donations, and sit on boards to both support organizations and get useful governance experience for corporate world

    Challenges:
    – have to look a little deeper to find meaning/passion in role
    – now have experts for every little piece and need to involve them and not go around

    Overall, I am so grateful to have had both opportunities, but I don’t think I’m ever going back into non profit operations.

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