If you’re like me, you entered your career eager to change the world for the better. The guidance from most adults I spoke to at the time was that nonprofits were the way to go – “little money, but the impact will feed your soul,” I was told repeatedly. It turned out that when I graduated into the recession in 2010, “little money” meant unpaid internships for nonprofits...which were bizarrely competitive. 

I did eventually clamber my way into a full time role for little money and no benefits. When I decided to leave and make a move to the private sector, I nearly tripled my salary in 6 months, finally got amazing benefits, and found a manager who was absolutely transformative in her steadfast belief in me and my abilities. 

All of that to say, if you’re on the fence about leaving a nonprofit or the sector all together, here are 3 reasons to quit (if you’re still reading, you may have already made up your mind).

1. Your boss sucks. 

I know bosses can be awful in all sectors, but anecdotally, the greatest horror stories I hear from clients and my network are all about nonprofit bosses (#notallbosses) - from workplace harassment and bullying with no policies or HR mechanisms (or sometimes even HR departments) to address it, to a less overt but dangerously insidious skill of demoralizing and shaking confidence.

There are a lot of nonprofit bosses who lack the skills, support, and resources to lead their teams. I summarized the 5 toxic behaviors of nonprofit bosses that I hear about most from my clients in this reel: 

2. Culture is low (or no) priority. 

This one isn’t the fault of nonprofits exactly, but it is a chronic issue. Unfortunately, nonprofits are often at the whims of funders (individuals and foundations) who have heard repeatedly that the best organizations have the least overhead - often as low as 10% is seen as positive.

The result is either seriously sketchy finances made to appear that this is the case or a ridiculous underinvestment in employees and culture. 

3. You’re deeply undervalued.

To some clients (and from reading this post), it may sound like I’m biased against nonprofits, but the reality is, I have a bias for you being valued. It’s a red flag for me when clients share that they have to fight with all their energy for a $5k raise, or justify that it’s ok that they don’t have healthcare benefits because it would take away from delivering services to beneficiaries.

Or, if you are leading an organization and you’re taking big cuts to your pay, working ridiculous hours, or sacrificing your mental health for the work, you might be guilty of undervaluing yourself. You can be undervalued in any kind of organization, but that special nonprofit blend of guilting you for having a life outside work coupled with a belief in finite resources (and you making rent means failing at your mission) is especially shitty. 

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On the other hand, if you’re still reading, you’re probably the kind of person who can spark change within an organization.

What is your biggest, boldest vision for a nonprofit or social impact team? What would you do differently?

Ready to make big moves in your career? Join the Purpose Career Lab for social impact professionals. It's a 3-month career change accelerator (with a support group of peers at the center) where you'll receive weekly group coaching, an always-on community chat space, a digital course, and a complementary printable workbook with coaching practices to give you clarity and courage to pursue the career you truly desire.

If you're done dealing with a boss who doesn't value you, exhausted by the idea of starting to apply for jobs elsewhere or considering leaving social impact work behind, this is your invitation to get the support you need to continue working for the causes that matter to you while being valued for who you are and how you contribute to that impact.

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