Nonprofit PR - Five reasons why it's a great career

By: Hannah Wagner

Purpose. Possibilities. Passion.

Those are the three words Michele Glaze reiterated throughout her entire presentation. As the previous CMO & Developing Officer for the Boys & Girls Club of Austin, TX, she spent her session showing how passionate she is about the non-profit world. With over 1.3 million active non-profits around the country, she defines ones as “a delayed business that’s purpose is to utilize income to achieve goals rather than distributing it as profit.”

Glaze encourages those who are interested in that field of public relations to pursue your passions. Here are her top  reasons who working for a non-profit is a great opportunity:

• Numerous career opportunities: Nonprofits give you experience in events, giving, grants, marketing, community engagement and much more.
• Pay isn’t as bad as you think: "Many people assume non-profit jobs pay less than corporate or agency," Glaze said. "This just isn't true. I have friends in the non-profit sector making six figures, it just depends on the area, the company and the position."
• Direct Impact to the bottom line: Glaze shared how her favorite part about working in a non-profit is that you know your work is directly helping someone in your community. She was able to interact with children regularly and see how the work she did impacted their lives for the better.
• Experience in business strategic development: You will get hands-on experience in sales and cold calling, designing  a organization messaging strategy and work one-on-one with the board of directors who are often leaders from your community with experience in large companies and various businesses.
• Cool people & Cool events: Glaze gave the example of the Austin Duck Derby where they dumped 17,000 rubber ducks into the Colorado river and raced them. People paid to buy a certain amount of ducks and won a prize if they won. This event raised over 225,000 dollars! 

 “Community engagement is what drives your passion – you may have a great job but you have things that drive you outside of your regular work day.” – Michele Glaze