by Kari Dunn Saratovsky on Thu, 03/19/2009 - 22:26
Today's guest blogger Monisha Kapila shares some thoughts as she begins channeling her decade of experiences in the private and nonprofit sectors into the launch of ProInspire. Her ambitious new venture is aimed at bridging the gap between nonprofit organizations that seek a broader pool of talent with business professionals who want to transition into the sector.
One of the exciting movements among social citizens is increasing interest in jobs that “do good.” People are looking for ways to find meaning through work, and this is particularly true with Millenials and Boomers. The growing number of applications in recent years to programs such as Teach for America and the Broad Residency are a testament to increased awareness and interest in giving back through a career. The current economic downturn and President Obama’s call to service have also caused many people to think about nonprofit careers from a new perspective.
Although nonprofits currently face financial constraints, the sector needs to attract talent to address long term challenges. In early 2008, I attended a conference where Tom Tierney from the Bridgespan Group spoke about the leadership deficit facing the nonprofit sector. He said: “The leadership deficit looms as the greatest challenge facing nonprofits over the next ten years.” In fact, his paper suggests that the nonprofit sector will need to attract and develop 640,000 new senior managers over the next 10 years -- 2.4 times the number currently employed. Even if this number is overestimated, current pools of talent will not be able to fill the gap.
I started ProInspire (www.proinspire.org) to connect business professionals interested in the social sector with organizations that want broader pools of talent. After interviewing a number of nonprofits, I found that many of them face talent challenges in areas such as analysis, financial modeling, technology, and marketing -- skills that business professionals often build through work experience and training. While interest from business professionals to work for nonprofits is growing, there are few clear entry paths into the sector.
Based on our research, ProInspire is launching the Inspire Fellows program for business professionals with 2+ years work experience that want to use their skills to make a difference in the nonprofit sector. This highly competitive 1-year program offers business professionals a clear entry path into the nonprofit sector, positions targeted to their skill set, and training to ensure a successful transition. It provides nonprofits access to top business talent that can make an immediate impact on mission-critical issues.
The ideal Inspire Fellow has 2-5 years of work experience at a top-tier consulting firm, investment bank or corporation--and is looking to build a career in the social sector. A Fellow should have skills in analysis, financial modeling, project management, or strategic thinking through their prior work experience and training. The pilot program begins in August 2009, and Fellows will work for leading nonprofit organizations in the Washington D.C. area for 1-year.
More details about the pilot Inspire Fellows program are available at: www.proinspire.org. Applications are due by Wednesday, April 8th.
Stay connected with ProInspire to learn about other ways for business professionals to use their skills in the nonprofit sector.
Check out the ProInspire blog
Join our group on Facebook
Join the Business Professionals for Nonprofits Network on LinkedIn
What is your advice to business professionals who want to work in the nonprofit sector?
Comments
This highly competitive 1-year program offers business professionals a clear entry path into the nonprofit sector MQL Programming, positions targeted to their skill set, and training to ensure a successful transition.
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