As May ends and I celebrate another birthday, I’m reflecting on a season of new beginnings. Many of my friends have children who are graduating this month. For young people, commencement can be a time of hope and enthusiasm — as well as uncertainty — about the future. It’s a time to not only celebrate accomplishments, but also think about next steps.
If you or a young person in your life is wondering what those next steps look like, I encourage you to consider the charitable sector.
I’m passionate about getting more young people involved in nonprofits and philanthropy. This is a sector where you can build your entire career, with many opportunities to grow and lead. It’s a sector where you can make both a living and a meaningful contribution to society. The next generation is full of changemakers, and our sector needs their passion and innovation.
Dr. Akilah Watkins
My own work in the social sector began at age 14, as I led efforts to convert a vacant lot and abandoned home into a community center in Roosevelt, New York. For eight years, I worked to bring power back into our neighborhoods as a community organizer. This early experience shaped my career and instilled in me a deep commitment to social change.
Volunteering is another way to gain experience and learn more about the charitable sector. As a young person, I volunteered at my local food pantry and registered Americans to vote. This experience brought me even deeper into the community, and it helped me understand the vast complexity of people’s lives and contexts.
Volunteering allows you to develop empathy, hone your skills, and find your purpose. And, as a volunteer, you give back by helping your neighbors, serving your community, and providing your expertise. Volunteering is a critical form of engagement with nonprofits that strengthens the nonprofit workforce. Independent Sector members VolunteerMatch and Points of Light are two great resources where you can find volunteer opportunities and nonprofits in your local community.
Other Independent Sector members are involving young people in the charitable sector through service and civic engagement. Service Year Alliance works to engage young people in year-long, paid service programs, providing real-world experience at nonprofits and public organizations. Young Invincibles and America’s Promise Alliance are nonprofits that empower young people to drive social and policy change through education, training, and collective action.
In fact, as a young person, you may have already participated in one of the many high-impact nonprofits that support youth development. Independent Sector members like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the YMCA of the USA, and KABOOM! provide safe spaces and programs across the nation for kids to play, learn, grow, and thrive.
The beauty of the charitable sector is that there are many paths to getting involved, and many paths to contributing to civil society. And a career in the nonprofit sector is an opportunity for you to choose a path that not only makes money, but that also helps you feel deeply fulfilled.
Additionally, working in the nonprofit sector can help you alleviate student debt through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 10 years of qualifying payments for those who work full-time for a qualifying employer — including many nonprofits. It’s a key incentive for joining and staying in the nonprofit sector, and it helps the sector attract, retain, and invest in its workforce.
At Independent Sector, we’re committed to making nonprofit work even better. The federal government currently provides for-profit employers with tax credits for offering benefits like retirement plans, paid family leave, and child care for their workers. Many nonprofits give good benefits to their employees, but they’re left out of this federal incentive. That’s why we’re advocating for policymakers to extend federal business tax credits to nonprofit employers, so that nonprofits receive fair treatment, and so that the sector becomes an even better place to work.
As we celebrate this season of graduation and new beginnings, let’s bring the next generation into the nonprofit workforce. If you already work in the charitable sector, talk to a young person about your experience. Pass this article and resources along to a recent graduate thinking about their next steps.
Together, we can inspire a new generation of nonprofit leaders and changemakers, working to build a healthy and just nation where all people thrive.
Dr. Akilah Watkins is president and CEO of Independent Sector.
