The Social Sector is the Place to Work...Eventually.

It was in college that I decided I wanted to be involved in nonprofit management.  I remember it clearly.  I was taking a class in nonprofit leadership at the end of my senior year and read an article about the amount of money that was going to transfer between generations over the next decade.  The article also wrote about the surplus of executive positions in the nonprofit sector coming available due to the baby boomers transitioning out of leadership roles.

I was pleased.  Not only had I spent my time at Seattle University identifying and refining my skills, but I had also found reasonable evidence that a future career in nonprofit leadership would be in demand.

As I wrote this entry, I thought to myself, "when will later come?"  Given the current state of the economy, it seems as though boomers that thought they would be able to retire are now not able to leave the workforce. I have heard numerous anecdotes about someone who thought they would be able retire and now can't - thanks mortgage backed securities!  Consequently, competition for mid-level nonprofit positions is high.

The answer to "when is later" came in the form of a WSJ blog that links to a very interesting report.  The report projects that in less than a decade the US could likely have the opposite problem that it faces now.  By 2018 there may not be enough people in the workforce to fill all the available jobs (see blog and report here).  According to the report, this is particularly true of social service and healthcare organizations. Needless to say, I was excited when I realized that if the projections are true I would face less competition for attractive senior leadership roles later.  However, the good news was tempered by the acute awareness that I need a job now.

Recently, I read a report by the Council on Foundations about identifying and grooming leaders in the philanthropic sector (see the report here).  The report outlines the best reasons and ways to identify and grow leadership in philanthropy.  It focuses not only on identifying and grooming trustees, but also foundation staff.  As a young professional and hopeful future philanthropic leader, my hopes were renewed. 

So while I wait for the projected job growth and shortfall of employees in the social sector, I will continue to hope that philanthropic and nonprofit organizations see the value in hiring young professionals - like myself!