Supercharge Your Resume by Listing Nonprofit Jobs

How to List Nonprofit Work on a Resume

If you have worked for nonprofit initiatives in the past, then you should include them on your resume, even if the role was unpaid or undertaken as an internship. You should list your nonprofit jobs in your resume work history section, along with your other professional work experience. List up to ten years of work experience in reverse-chronological, providing the company name, job title, and the dates you held the position, as well as your key achievements in that role. For example:

“Social Media Manager - [XYZ] - June 2013 to November 2015

As a social media manager with [XYZ] I was responsible for managing and analyzing social media campaigns. The goal was to bring awareness to our partners and causes. Though [XYZ] works with many Catholic charities, they have secular and social partners too. Recently I led a collaborative project to bring awareness to rising homelessness. I suggested that we consult a social worker during the campaign for specialist insight. The campaign received 20% more traffic than our average campaign and raised $30,000.”

This example is effective because it gives a good idea of the details of the job posting, context regarding the company, and a specific achievement. The achievement this example gives shows skill and creativity. More than this, it suggests professional development as the job seeker was in charge of a campaign rather than assisting. When you list the nonprofit work you have done, you should:

• Be concise.

  It can be tempting to go into more detail than necessary in order to impress a recruiter. Resist this urge, as your resume should be no more than one page in length.

• Be specific.

  Discuss your achievements in specific terms. Use figures and numbers where you can or timescales if you cannot. For example, say you managed a project over one year rather than ‘some time’. Likewise, you should state that you improved something by 15%, etc., rather than just stating that you “improved” conversion or uptake or ROI.

• Use active language.

  Passive language is one of the easiest ways to put a hiring manager off. Be active when you discuss your previous work and successes, such as using “managed” or “maintained” rather than “was responsible for”; take ownership of your professional development.