Nonprofit organizations can be a great way to do work you’re proud of and help others at the same time. Additionally, working at nonprofit positions can provide valuable nonprofit or volunteer experience before transferring gained knowledge to a position in a similar industry. If you’re looking to be hired by a nonprofit organization, here’s how to write an effective cover letter.
One of the most important actions you can take to improve your cover letter is to use a personal salutation. In other words, go the extra mile to discover the hiring manager’s name. That way, you can address the cover letter directly to the hiring manager rather than using a generic salutation like, “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Hiring Manager.” This showcases that you’re actively invested in connecting with the nonprofit and not sending out form letters.
In the first paragraph, you need to start with a hook so that the hiring manager immediately wants to keep reading the cover letter. Hiring managers need to read through dozens and sometimes hundreds of letters for the same position, and from the very first sentence, you need to ensure that the recruiter has a reason to keep reading. This applicant indicates his love for the ocean and the fact that he’s currently in college for ecological reasons. The hiring manager will be interested to learn more just by reading the first two sentences.
In the second paragraph, it’s time to prove why you’re the right person for this job role. Include as many numbers and metrics as you can to give concrete examples of how you’ve benefited previous employers. This showcases the type of benefit you can bring to the nonprofit you’re applying for. Here, the applicant mentions his previous experience with a nonprofit and mentions a metric indicating how he benefited them.
Finally, in the third paragraph, you want to summarize what makes you right for this position, followed by a call to action. Close your cover letter with a polite request for a follow-up interview, an opportunity to discuss your qualifications further. The sign-off here is, “Let me know when we can sit down and talk,” opening the door to a job interview.
It’s always a good idea to write a cover letter for a new job, no matter what kind of job you’re trying to get. A cover letter allows you to expand on the most important parts of your resume, giving a more human angle to your job application as a whole. If you’re not confident in your ability to write your cover letter, you can use the ResumeNerd cover letter builder.
Your cover letter should usually be between half a page to three-quarters of a page, around 250-350 words, and should never be longer than one page. This allows you to have enough space that you can talk about all the reasons you’re the best person for the job without being so long that a hiring manager might not want to read the entire letter.
You don’t have to have years of experience to write a cover letter for a nonprofit organization. Many people who apply to work at nonprofit organizations don’t have much experience at all. If you don’t have much experience, emphasize your knowledge of and love for the organization’s mission, as well as your skills and education.
