I have recently spoke with a number of students that have an altruistic purpose in their career direction--that is, their ambition is to help people. For some, this means that they will be working for non-profit organizations to help people. While this is certainly an admirable goal, it can be hard to get your foot in the door with a reputable organization. What's more, applicants need to bring skills--they need to add value to the organization, especially if it is a paid position. (almost by definition, non-profits usually don't have a ton of cash to throw at employees)
I have been working with a few students on how they might build their skillsets to make them more appealing to non-profits. One way is to learn the latest trends, and skills on how the organization may spread the word or cause to a broader audience. A natural way to do this is to take advantage of the internet, and specifically, social networking sites. Done well, this can be an effective way to reach a broad audience with little money and time.
I have posted an article that I recently read on Mashable.com about this very tactic that is becoming more popular with non-profits. This is a good read for anyone, but espeically those that are interested in going into this sector!
JV
http://mashable.com/2010/05/03/non-profit-social-media-results/
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