The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job That Makes a Difference Paperback – Illustrated, May 20, 2008

I do hate all career guide books.Except this one. Short. Focused. Keeping it real. And no worksheets.As an executive working for top Human Resources management in a Fortune 100 company, I have read many career guides. And I have been asked to recommend career guides by concerned friends, usually for their kids. And they are all padded, boring, time-wasting books. Especially the ones with tests and worksheets. Did I mention I hate worksheets?Here is a book based on a special perspective -- Shelly Cryer is a professional who is in the streets 24/7 with the real people who really know what it takes to work in the nonprofit sector. She is an expert communicator, and impatient to get her ideas across to you -- you'll feel like she is talking to you as a best friend with inside information as you read. And it is a pleasure to finally read a book not filled with true, but tired tropes about networking and how to inflate your resume.This book is down in the trenches where a good first impression counts, but communicating accurately and tersely gets you noticed. Nonprofits after all have to do more with less, and that includes less time for fluff. Here are two examples which I know to be true from experience, and have never seen in another career book: Do not use the static-ridden, dead-voice cell phone for outreach, stick with a conventional land-line for important calls to get your human nuances across. And here is a big clue, email is a great way to communicate instantly, but do not take any less time crafting your email than you would a serious business letter. How true; email's spontaneous nature seems to sap politeness and logical structure from so many communications I get.The index. This book has an index. Why should a slim volume like this (less than 300 pages) need an index? Well you can not live without Google can you? Think of this intelligently indexed book as having a built in search engine. So many books skimp and think they can get by with a table of contents with cute chapter titles.This book is hard-hitting, with career profiles and interviews with true leaders in the nonprofit sector about their own careers. As proof that Shelly Cryer is saying "yo listen up my peeps!", each chapter has a quick review at the end which makes you really think about what you have just read. Not just the usual warmed-over summary, but a superb safety net to make sure you have caught on.Want to do good in the world?Want to wake up happy to go to work every day?Buy this book; you may find your life's calling here.

A good primer on the sector and some good sources and info to orient you, but ultimately it's such a broad sector and most of the job positions cover so much because they tend to have small staffs. They all also seem to require a lot of experience, only some of which you can get through an internship. I recommend learning stuff about fundraising, even if it doesn't sound fun. Learn Raiser's Edge or something.

As both a career counselor and retirement transition coach, I have found Shelly's book to be an invaluable resource for both clients and me. We think we know nonprofits because we come in constant contact with them. But, if you haven't actually worked or volunteered extensively, there are many things you may not know about the inner workings of this world. Organized in a very thoughtful way, this book explains all aspects of nonprofits. Individual stories are also included to provide first-hand knowledge of the people connected to them. It's easy to read, but also easy to find information if you're bouncing around. Whether you are entering the world with a first-time career, or reinventing your life, this book is a great resource.

This book is required for a course this Fall semester. I shop around i order to find the best price and that is why I purchased this book.

Great book with lots of great information. Bought it for my fiancee and she loves it! Great thing about the book is that it has plenty of personal accounts.

This book is a fabulous read for anyone wanting to break into the nonprofit sector. I would highly recommended it!

Always do your research on what you want. This book was suggested by my mentor Dr. Kala Stroup, as I'm pursuing my Non-profit Management Masters. It is a great tool to help you not only navigate through the Non-Profit sector, but also direct you to how you can be of service to a non-profit. Not a bad read. Not a long read which is good. Very helpful and I would suggest this for anyone with interests in Non-Profits.