Offering students an alternative to the traditional private-sector career path, Wharton Women organized a panel to discuss how to get involved in the non-profit sector.
The aim of the panel was to discuss the non-profit sector and to provide the audience with a firsthand account of the experience of working in such organizations.
"Wharton especially is very finance- and consulting-oriented. I wanted to organize this for people who wanted something else," said Wharton junior Maya Williams, who is also the treasurer of Wharton Women.
The panel started by explaining that although there is traditionally perceived to be a great divide between working in the profit and non-profit sectors, the gap has been narrowing in recent years.
Urban Studies lecturer Andrew Lamas, one of the panelists, cited the example of the White Dog Cafe on the Penn campus. Although the cafe is a profit-making organization, part of the profits are donated to charitable causes.
"You can leverage experience from one sector when working with another," said second-year Wharton MBA student Kate Bicknell, also a panelist.
The panel explained that in non-profits, workers are often given access to better opportunities earlier in their careers, whereas in the private sector workers sometimes spend much of their early years completing "busy work."
"You can focus your life work on something that really matters," Lamas said.
However, the panel also warned that work in the non-profit sector can be frustrating at times. One key problem mentioned was the lack of potential for growth within individual organizations.
"I switched jobs every two years because there was no growth for me," Wachovia Regional Foundation Communication/Program Officer Mailee Walker said.
The panelists ended by discussing strategies for college students attempting to start their careers in the non-profit sector. They explained that because non-profits do not often recruit on campus, those looking to work in the field must seek out their employers.
"If you want to work for a non-profit, you have to be creative and put yourself out there," Walker said.
Non-profit employment Web sites such as idealist.org were also recommended.
Students present found the discussion both interesting and informative.
"This kind of discussion of jobs and careers in the non-profit sector needs to happen more," College freshman Kambili Moukwa said. "A lot of students are interested but have many misconceptions."
