The Launchpad by Second Day

Overall estimated read time: 12 minutes

Last updated: July 2021

Throughout our lives, many of us have taken an afternoon, evening, or day on the weekend to volunteer. Volunteers form the backbone of many nonprofit organizations, whether they are soup kitchens, homeless shelters, or after-school programs. Therefore, these organizations also rely on Volunteer Managers to recruit, train, and manage the many volunteers who pass through their doors. If you are a people person, are excited about contributing to a mission driven organization, and believe in the importance of volunteer communities, you will want to consider being a Volunteer Coordinator for your next (or first) job. Working with volunteers is an intensive, energy demanding profession. At the same time,  it can also be incredibly rewarding and will rarely be boring. Being a people person is crucial to both your success and enjoyment of work as a Volunteer Manager. While you may have to deal with difficult people, you will also meet new and interesting individuals who are passionate about the same issues as yourself. After working for a few years, you may choose to continue in the field by taking on a managerial position or use the network you’ve built and the excellent communication and organizational skills you’ll have to succeed elsewhere.

If this career path sounds exciting to you, this guide will take you through everything you need to know about working in volunteer management. To inform our work, Second Day has spoken to experts in the field and gathered the best information out there for upcoming graduates and recent graduates. First, the guide will take you through the  different entry-level positions to look out for in this field. Then, we’ll provide tips on actually getting those jobs in volunteer management. We’ll finish with our next three steps: actionable items you can take to make progress towards finding your first job in volunteer management. Let’s get started!