Not-for-Profits, Ethics and Employment

Not only will you gain a valuable career-furthering opportunity, your work will also contribute to your organisation’s cause. There are a huge variety of NFPs in Australia supporting a range of causes, so you can align your job search to your passion. Among other things, NFPs can be cultural and social societies, sporting clubs, or organisations that help people affected by poverty, natural disasters or sickness. 

NFPs are bound by the same employment laws as any other employer, so they are likely to offer similar pay rates and conditions to anywhere else you may work. 

NFPs are generally small, and you will most likely find yourself in an intimate team where everyone knows everyone. This allows employees to more easily form bonds and create professional networks. The people you meet may also have values that align with yours, after all, most people wouldn’t work for an NFP if they didn’t agree with its ethics. A small organisation will have a flatter hierarchy than a large corporation, so you may find many opportunities to closely observe the daily tasks of senior managers, making the learning experience more intense.

NFPs often have small budgets, which means they aren’t always able to fill all the roles they’d like to. See this as an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and learn a new skill, while furthering the organisation’s cause. You may work in IT but have a passion for writing, so why not offer to help with a blog post if the marketing team’s resources are limited? 

Many of the 6,750+ host companies that Readygrad partners with are NFPs, including Australian Red Cross, The Royal Children’s Hospital and The Leprosy Mission Australia. Whether it’s an internship or a permanent job, getting in with an NFP could be your chance to further your career in an industry you’re passionate about, and would love to influence.