Book Reviews

Issue 29(1)

The nonprofit career guide: How to land a job that makes a difference. (2008). Shelly Cryer. St.Paul, MN: Fieldstone Alliance. 300 pp, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-940069-59-6.

Review by: Reneé F. Borns

Student Success Initiatives

Houston Baptist University

 

Students often find that deciding on a major and finding a job that matches their talents, skills, and interests can be an overwhelming process. For those whose calling is to make a difference in the world, deciding on a major and finding a job can be all the more challenging. The author sums up the meaning of this book in the title; it is a resource book designed to guide those who want to make a difference and find the career and job that most closely matches individual interests, skills, abilities, and talents.

 

Written as a guide to navigate the nonprofit sector, this book relays information to readers who will find information about what the nonprofit sector entails and learn about nine subsectors of the industry, gain knowledge about positions within organizations including sample job descriptions, and obtain appropriate knowledge to land a job in the nonprofit sector.

 

Each subsector of the nonprofit sector (e.g., arts/culture/humanities, education, environment and animal protection, health, human services, international and foreign affairs, public or society benefits, relation related, and manual/membership benefits) is thoroughly explained; the profiles of professionals working in those subsectors are the strength of this handbook. The profiles demonstrate how professionals working within nonprofit organizations make a difference. In one such profile in the public and societal benefit section, a senior attorney working at the Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama for ten years shares her experiences and provides advice for job seekers in this area. In her profile, she recommends organizations and Web sites to investigate to learn more about this sector of nonprofit work. Another profile highlights a young professional who works as the manager of major grants at Harvesters: The Community Food Network. She shares her insights as a new professional starting her career path, which included several internships in different nonprofit organizations to expand her knowledge and experiences.

 

Another strength of this book are the sidebars found in each chapter that provide short helpful hints about each topic. Examples include information about organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, job Web sites for particular subsectors, facts about specific nonprofit areas, and short descriptions of job positions such as youth worker, volunteer coordinator, and executive director.

 

While immediately useful to students investigating careers or professionals making career changes, this book is also useful to academic advisors and career counselors who work with students who want a profession with meaning and the opportunity to make a difference in the world in which they live. While the book’s title suggests the goal is to find a job in the nonprofit sector, it is also appropriate for students searching for internships and seeking to determine which nonprofit sector best fits their interests.

 

Academic advisors working with students who want to make a difference will find that this book is an excellent resource to become better acquainted with the nonprofit sector and to share with students searching for their professional niches.