I have been involved with the Center’s Nonprofit Management Certification program since shortly after its inception, and continue to marvel at the microcosm of individuals that take advantage of this training resource. Over the years, they have changed. Early on, most of our students were already working for a nonprofit organization and came to polish their skills. As time progressed (and the economy digressed), we saw more and more folks who are actively looking for jobs – deepening their knowledge of the nonprofit sector and looking for connections that might lead to employment.
There is another group that we encounter in nearly every new session of classes – those who have had careers in the for-profit world, and long for a different workplace experience – one that not only stretches them, but also provides that feeling so many of us in nonprofit work have come to take for granted – that sense that our work is worthwhile and significant – that it makes a real difference in our neighborhood; in our community; in our world.
There is another group that we encounter in nearly every new session of classes – those who have had careers in the for-profit world, and long for a different workplace experience – one that not only stretches them, but also provides that feeling so many of us in nonprofit work have come to take for granted – that sense that our work is worthwhile and significant – that it makes a real difference in our neighborhood; in our community; in our world.
I am reminded with each new class, as students introduce themselves and describe their motivation for attending the class that our nonprofit sector offers a kind of employment medicine – that great satisfaction at the end of the day that we’ve done something good; we’ve done something that really matters. We have a “drug” that many in the for-profit world are seeking – and they come to the Center as an entry point to a new kind of relationship with their work.
These students infuse our classes with a perspective that reminds us of why we work in the nonprofit world. They are eager to share their talents and skills, and they form connections and friendships that transcend the classroom.
The Center delivers a high-quality product to them, as evaluations confirm. And we witness the continual transformation of nonprofit organizations through the more effective staff and board members we train. This makes my work at the Center worthwhile and the Center’s place in the community significant.
LouAnne Smith
Instructor and Consulting Associate
The Center delivers a high-quality product to them, as evaluations confirm. And we witness the continual transformation of nonprofit organizations through the more effective staff and board members we train. This makes my work at the Center worthwhile and the Center’s place in the community significant.
LouAnne Smith
Instructor and Consulting Associate
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