Have you ever volunteered to help an organization in any way? Perhaps you were a candy striper at a hospital or volunteered at the Salvation Army during the holidays. Few could argue with the fact that it can give you a great sense of satisfaction when you are performing a public interest job. If you have ever wished you could continue helping but needed a paycheck you should know that there are paid volunteer jobs. A non-profit organization can allocate a percentage of funds to pay an individual to organize volunteers.
Tip 1
When you are a director of a public interest job you will be responsible for managing people. You will have to recruit volunteers and set schedules among other things. Develop strong interpersonal skills; you will need the ability to be kind but firm. If you think managing people who receive a salary is hard, you will be amazed when trying to manage people who are donating their time.
Tip 2
Volunteer for the organization yourself first. Jobs in public interest are a completely new dimension and each organization will be somewhat different in the way they do things. Volunteering will give you a chance to see the organization up close and personal. While there you may find you have some skills that could improve the organization as well. Besides you do not want to be employed in a public service job where the mission is not something you can support.
Tip 3
Management and or accounting can be good training for this kind of position. Often a volunteer director will have to manage funds and be aware of constantly changing tax codes as they pertain to non-profit organizations. Take the time to become knowledgeable in one or both of these fields.
Tip 4
Be active in your community or the community that the organization services. You will be called upon to work with other civic members and perhaps raise funds for the organization; this will be much smoother if you are not a stranger to the community.
Tip 5
Care about the organization; choose a mission you can believe in. The head of the organization may overlook some experience and training in favor of a true passion for the position. Public interest jobs are never easy and they are even less so if you have no desire to further the organization. For example if you have a strong aversion to animals, then being director over the humane society is probably not a good fit.
Tip 6
Be able to train and manage hundreds of people if need be. There are organizations like non-profit tax organizations that have literally hundreds of volunteers. You may be called on to create or implement a training session or manual. Be prepared for large volume work. This type of management can generally only come from experience. Start out working with a small non-profit organization first to get a feel for it.
Tip 7
A strong computer literacy is imperative; today very few organizations are operating without some kind of computer system. You could be expected to maintain a database of volunteers, create evaluations for volunteers, and keep rotating schedules, etc…. The local community college will often have short courses on computer databases, spreadsheets, and or basic computer skills. Truthfully, any area of employment you are considering could require these skills.
Tip 8
Have strong communication skills both written and verbal. Communication is the key to the success of any business but especially public interest employment. As stated above there are potentially hundreds of people you will have to communicate with including community leaders, organization leaders and your staff, so you should be able to do it well.
Tip 9
You will need outstanding organizational skills. No matter what type of public interest employment you are talking about there will be meetings to schedule, training to organize, tools of the trade to acquire (such as food for a food bank), and speaking engagements to inform the public about the public service your organization provides.
Tip 10
Do not be afraid to be creative. With all that you will be required to do some creativity will be necessary. From designing training and brochures to having annual get-togethers with staff and the public, a creative mind will make it more fun for everyone.
Conclusion
Public interest employment is as much a calling as it is a career choice. For as many management issues as you will be required to deal with there is also a matter of the human element. Reaching out to others can at times be challenging, especially when the need out paces your resources. It is at times like these that you will need the ability to leave the office behind and catch your breath; otherwise, you will burn out much too quickly. All of the above are some key skills and training that a potential organization would look for in a volunteer director. However, even if you do not possess all ten do not be afraid to seek out a public interest job. You never know where an opportunity for a great public interest job could arise.
