July 25, 2002 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Q.I recently left a nonprofit education role. I am working on my master’s in business administration and would like to use it in a nonprofit job. Do you have any suggestions for me?
A. Nonprofit job seekers often find themselves uncertain about which kind of advanced degree would be the most helpful to them, says Kristen J. McCormack, director of the public and nonprofit management program at Boston University. For someone who is retiring from business and moving into charity work, she says, a master’s in public administration would be quite relevant — but it’s not required. “You’re going to be valuable because of your experience,” she says.
If you still choose to go for your M.P.A., make sure you’re choosing a program that reflects your career goals, Ms. McCormack says. Some M.P.A. programs are more public-policy focused, she says, which may be helpful in larger nonprofit organizations, but if you’re thinking of working for a smaller charity, make sure you go for a program that covers the nuts and bolts of nonprofit management. “In the smaller nonprofits — those in the under $10-million area — one needs to have a firm grasp of how to make the trains run on time and how to pay for it,” she says.
For advanced work in management, an M.B.A. is definitely applicable to the nonprofit world, Ms. McCormack says, and is a particularly valuable investment to a person who enters the nonprofit sector without a business background.
Some charities may seek out candidates with M.B.A.s for specific jobs. For example, the Food Bank for New York City seeks M.B.A. holders when hiring for its external-relations department, says Kemba Johnson, the group’s spokeswoman. Because that staff must interact with business executives on behalf of the charity, she says, “an M.B.A. helps staff frame issues in terms that potential supporters in the corporate world can understand and relate to.”
To make your M.B.A. the most meaningful to your future nonprofit boss, Ms. McCormack says, choose a degree program that will allow you to have a concentration in nonprofit management, or at least allow you to take advantage of internships and other opportunities to connect your classroom work with the nonprofit field.
If you’re interested in foundation work, don’t rule out the pursuit of an advanced degree outside the realm of specific nonprofit management fields, says Mark E. Neithercut, vice president of the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, in Detroit. At a grant-making institution, a degree in an appropriate area of expertise, such as environmental health or economic development, might be valued more highly than an M.B.A. or M.P.A.
Here is a list of colleges and universities that offer advanced degrees applicable to nonprofit work. You can also search for programs by degree, by region, or by state at this Web site. Before you enroll in any program, be sure to contact alumni to find out where they’re currently working, to get a sense of the opportunities your degree may offer you, Ms. McCormack suggests.
Be advised, however, that an advanced degree may make the most difference in terms of qualifications to people at the beginning of their careers, says Lin Grensing-Pophal, a human-resources consultant in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., who specializes in nonprofit clients. “There comes a point when experience is equally if not more important than degrees,” she says. “In the nonprofit environment, a job candidate who has a significant track record in fund raising, grant-proposal writing, etc., might be amore attractive candidate than a candidate with an M.B.A. who has less practical experience.”
Got a question about job hunting, recruiting, or managing in the nonprofit world? Send it to us at hotline@philanthropy.com.
