Nonprofit sector yields many jobs

By: MELISSA WEINMAN

Posted: 4/30/07

While it seems the rest of the world thinks today's youth are selfish, lazy and apathetic, Dr. Tom Hollad disagrees.

Holland, director of the institute for nonprofit organizations and a professor of sociology, has watched interest in nonprofit management grow over the last seven years at the University.

Holland began the Master's in Nonprofit Organizations program at the University in 2000.

"A colleague and I went around campus and looked for relevant courses," said Holland. "The faculty we talked to fell in love with the idea."

With best-selling books such as Robert D. Putnam's "Bowling Alone" claiming that the number of young people volunteering and donating has declined since the 1970s, it would seem programs such as the University's, which cater to nonprofit organizations, would not succeed.

Holland said that's not the case. He said the current "transient culture" is doing more short-term volunteering and joining, rather than less volunteering as a whole.

There are 97 schools in the country that offer graduate courses in managing nonprofits, said Holland, and only six schools that offer a full degree. The University's program is the only one in the Southeast.

Since it began in 2000, the program has seen 49 graduates who are working for a variety of organizations all over the U.S.

"I would have expected people to spend more time in assistant positions; they're moving on up," said Holland about the high success rate of his students after completing their master's degrees.

There are two different reasons for the high job placement rate for the MNPO graduates.

Holland said that in the nonprofit sector, there is a "huge labor force gap," with a 60 percent increase in demand over supply of trained managers. This is due partly to the large number of nonprofit organizations and partly to the retirement of older employees.

Many nonprofit organizations were started in the 1950s and 1960s, said Holland, translating to a high number of managers at retirement age.

Holland said there is a common misconception that there is no career in nonprofits, when in fact, the nonprofit sector is growing faster than the for-profit sector.

Julie Michaelson, a graduate student completing her master's degree in public administration, said she worked for nonprofit organizations for 13 years before returning to school to earn her master's degree.

Despite her work experience, Michaelson said it was hard to get the skills she needed within organizations, and she needed to learn management skills.

Michaelson, who has taken Holland's classes, said she enjoyed them because, "his classes incorporate a lot of hands-on work."

"Having gone through many years at a nonprofit, coming back to grad school helped me figure out what I was good at," she said.

Katie Griffith, a senior from Marietta, said she loves the program because of its flexibility. Griffith is earning her bachelor's degree in romance languages and master's degree in nonprofit organizations.

Griffith said one of her favorite aspects of the program is that it requires students to get internships. Griffith is working as a development and communications intern for Medshare International.

"I'm flying out to interview with Google in the Human Resources department," said Griffith, when asked about her future plans. She said in the future, she sees herself working in the field of international development, but for the present her options are open.