The Psychology of Unpaid Nonprofit Work

01Nov10

As proud holder of a degree in Arts Studies (with honors, mind you!), I am obviously qualified to debate the psychological aspects that motivate us–both positively and negatively–to work without pay for a nonprofit.

Joking and official academic qualifications aside, I have a lot of practical experience with unpaid nonprofit work, having completed three unpaid internships and volunteered many hours.

As it relates to young people, I envision two primary motivations to work without pay at a nonprofit: service to the community or a cause (volunteerism) and professional growth (internships & professionalism). In many cases, these two motivations are intertwined and one chooses to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector to encompass both service to the community and a modest income.

Though some nonprofit internships are paid, the majority are unpaid. Even some internships at private companies are unpaid! However, many young people are willing to put in their time for an unpaid internship to give back to the community and grow professionally. (Though this “prerequisite” tends to exclude participation by those who are economically disadvantaged, who are often unable to afford working for free.)

The unpaid nonprofit internship often provides a sense of meaning in one’s work, promotes a habit of life-long volunteerism and provides a fertile atmosphere for professional growth. Working at a small grass-roots nonprofit in particular, one is often given opportunities that would normally be assigned to mid-level staff members at a larger, more resourced nonprofit or private company. During my first internship as a college sophomore, I was given a huge opportunity: to plan and coordinate expansion of the annual exhibition-fundraiser-festival which displays over 400 pieces of art, carnival games and all.

Still, when one is establishing a career in the nonprofit sector, the line between volunteering and professionally contributing is blurry. Young people who aim to create a career in the nonprofit sector must, at some point, graduate to seeking and negotiating paid work rather than falling into the habit of accepting primarily unpaid (or chronically underpaid) nonprofit work. As Generation Y leadership and service guru MacArthur Antigua says, let others say ‘no’ [in this case to compensation] rather than assuming all nonprofit work is unpaid.

Nonprofits often rely on contributions of many volunteers to fulfill the organization’s mission–as it should be. This is one aspect that makes nonprofits so effective and unique. However, I have seen nonprofits exploit young talented people who are eager to give and have volunteered for years. Though one is not entitled to paid work or a position after volunteering, it is a disservice to a talented young person when the possibility goes unexplored. Though some organizations respond to interns’ solid unpaid work by keeping interns in mind for paid positions, others have trouble seeing former interns as anything other than a volunteer machine, someone with in depth knowledge of the organization who can be trusted to complete important tasks–all for free or a couple of hours of “on-the-clock” work every once in awhile.

For those who love to network, get their feet wet with multiple projects and causes and/or have trouble saying ‘no’, I’ve found this response serves well: “Though I’d love to help with ____, due to my current volunteer commitments, I am unable to accept additional unpaid commitments at this time.” Beyond your regular volunteer commitments, your competence, dedication and hard work shouldn’t go unacknowledged forever, even if it is for a good cause!

With intentional self reflection and communication to staff and employers about one’s volunteer availability in addition to one’s compensation requirements, the nonprofit sector is an excellent place for young people to engage in meaningful volunteer work as well as a place to establish a career providing necessary, positive contributions to the community–the “real issues” that Generation Y is so eager to tackle, as discussed in a recent article.

Thanks again to Mac for offering me some perspective as I navigated some of these tensions!

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What are your tips for navigating paid vs. unpaid work as a young nonprofit professional? What are your experiences regarding interning and then working for nonprofits?

Photo courtesy of _J_D_R_

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Tags: Career, Gen Y, Job Search, Nonprofit, Purposeful Career