There are over a million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and millions more around the world that address important policy issues. Consequently, the nonprofit sector is a major employer of public policy graduates. Relevant positions in the nonprofit world may include management, development, communications, evaluation, and government relations. Most think tanks, interest groups, and trade associations are categorized as nonprofits.
Want to learn more about working in a think tank (including what a think tank is and does)? Read Think Tanks: why and how
General resources
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Top job boards
- AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals employment listings)
- BridgeSpan (Nonprofit employment listings compiled by the Bridgespan Group)
- Chronicle of Philanthropy (Nonprofit employment listings)
- Commongood Careers (U.S.-based nonprofit employment listings)
- DEVEX Jobs (A leading global development job board)
- ExecSearches (Nonprofit employment listings)
- Idealist (A leading source for nonprofit employment listings around the world)
- Jobbank Arts USA (Arts-based employment listings)
- Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (Nonprofit employment listings specific to Minnesota)
- NextBillion (Employment listings for enterprise development work)
- Nonprofit Career Network (A limited job board and a nonprofit directory)
- Nonprofit Jobs (Nonprofit employment listings)
- Nonprofit Jobs Cooperative (Nonprofit employment listings)
- NPO (U.S.-based nonprofit employment listings)
- Philanthropy Journal (Nonprofit employment listings compiled by the Philanthropy Journal at N.C. State University)
- PhilanthropyNY (Employment listings for philanthropic work in the New York City area)
- PND FoundationCenter (U.S.-based nonprofit employment listings)
- ReliefWeb (Employment listings for humanitarian and development work)
- SkollWorldForum (Employment listings for social-sector work around the world)
- SustainableBusiness (Environment/Energy specific employment listings)
- Work For Good (Employment listings for nonprofit professionals around the world)
Associations and networks
- Alliance for Justice (A national association of over 100 organizations, representing a broad array of groups committed to progressive values and the creation of an equitable, just, and free society)
- AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals)
- APPAM (Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management)
- APSIA (Association of Professional Schools in International Affairs)
- ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action)
- ASPA (American Society for Public Administration)
- Coalition on Human Needs (An alliance of national organizations working together to promote public policies which address the needs of low-income and other vulnerable populations)
- Community Shares of Wisconsin (Network of nonprofits committed to social and environmental change)
- Council on Foundations (Provides leadership, opportunities, and tools for philanthropic organizations)
- Democratic Policy Network (DPN is working to gather, package, organize, and champion an interstate agenda of Movement policies)
- Greater Madison Nonprofit Directory (a comprehensive guide to IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organizations located in Dane, Columbia, Green, Iowa and Sauk counties)
- NASPAA (Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration)
- National Council of Nonprofits (The nation’s largest network of nonprofits)
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (Find nonprofits that do things you care about)
- Wisconsin Nonprofits (A network of Wisconsin’s nonprofits)
- YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, connections for under 40s)
Other nonprofit employment resources
- Candid (Connecting people with the information to do good)
- Careers with Youth (A career center for youth development)
- CauseIQ – A “Marie Favorite” for finding nonprofits/think tanks/interest groups, etc by interest area and by state
- Change.org (A platform for creating and supporting petitions)
- Essential Information (Brings to light issues that may be overlooked by mass media)
- Everyday Democracy (Ideas and tools for community change)
- Global Journal, The (looks at global governance, issues and players)
- Idealist Career Advice (Blogs and other info for your career on nonprofits)
- Interest Groups (Searchable by issue, include trade assoc and PACs)
- International Institute for Sustainable Development (Think tank that champions solutions to our planet’s greatest sustainability challenges)
- JobStars
- National Coalition for the Homeless
- NGO Advisor (List of the top 500 NGOs each year)
- NGO Advisor (List of top 100 most influential NGOs)
- Nonprofit Professional Advisory Group (Talent matching service for nonprofit professionals)
- Open Secrets (Where does the money come from and where does it go?)
- Think Tank Finder (Truly comprehensive resource on think tanks updated yearly by UPenn)
- Volunteer Match (Nonprofit organizations in Madison and nationwide)
- Volunteer Your Time (List of Madison, WI Nonprofits)
- What’s the best way to break into the nonprofit sector?
- YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professionals Network resources)
- YouthActionNet (A global network created to strengthen and expand youth-led social ventures and entrepreneurship)
- Nonprofit Ratings and Rankings
- Charity Navigator (Comprehensive charity reviews)
- Charity Watch (Charity Watchdog)
- GiveWell (Comprehensive charity reviews)
- Great Nonprofits (Comprehensive charity reviews)
- Guidestar (Free, up-to-date information and data on nonprofits)
Sample employers
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Development and health
- American Red Cross Careers
- American Youth Policy Forum
- California Wellness Foundation
- Carter Center, The
- Center for Community Change
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)
- Clinton Foundation
- Endeavor
- Freedom House
- Global Communities
- Institute for Sustainable Communities
- InterAction
- International Center for Research on Women
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
- International Economic Development Council
- International Institute for Environment and Development
- International Institute for Sustainable Development
- MetaStar – Health Policy and Research
- National Center on Education and the Economy
- National Low Income Housing Coalition
- Planned Parenthood National Office Job Listings
- Woodstock Institute
Environmental and grassroots
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- CERES – Environmental Responsibility
- Clean Wisconsin
- Earthworks
- EnviroLink
- Environmental Career Opportunities – EcoJobs
- Environmental Working Group
- Fund for Public Interest
- GrassRoots Online
- La Follette Page – General Environmental Job Resources
- Nature Conservancy
- Obama Foundation
- Outrider Foundation
- River Alliance of Wisconsin
- Second Nature
- Smart Communities Network (ESRI)
- State Public Interest Research Groups
- Tellus Institute – Environmental Research and Consulting
- Trust for Public Land
- US Green Building Council
Foundations
- Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- California Wellness Foundation
- Charles Steward Mott Foundation
- Clinton Foundation, The
- Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
- Enterprise Community Partners
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
- Ford Foundation
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
- Neighborhood Funders Group
- Obama Foundation, The
- Rockefeller Foundation
- United Way of America
Policy and research
- Wikipedia’s list of over 200 US Think Tanks (Broken down by area of specialization)
- Wikipedia’s list of International Think Tanks (Broken down by country)
- Think Tank Finder (master list maintained by UPenn)
- APPAM – Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
- ASPA – American Society for Public Administration
- Aspen Institute
- Benton Foundation – Public Interest Communications
- Brennan Center for Justice
- Brookings Institution
- California Budget Project
- Capital Research Center
- Cascade Policy Institute
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Center for Civil Society Studies
- Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
- Center for Strategic & International Studies
- Child Trends
- Children’s Defense Fund (CDF)
- Good Jobs First
- Human Rights Watch
- Institute for Research on Poverty (UW-Madison)
- Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP)
- International Multicultural Institute
- Mercatus Center at George Mason Univeristy
- MetaStar – Health Policy and Research
- MDC – Policy Analysis in the South
- National Center for Children in Poverty
- National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC)
- People’s Action National Training and Information Center
- Pew Charitable Trust
- PolicyLink
- Population Council
- Public Policy Forum
- Social Science Research Council
- Urban Institute