38: How to transition from corporate to non-profit

When making a career change from corporate to non-profit, who wouldn’t want that HR perspective? The chance to find out from a Human Resources manager what they’re looking for when hiring. Thanks to nonprofit consultant and coach Niki Lomibao, that’s exactly what you’ll get in this episode!

Niki has 10 years of HR experience in the non-profit world and she’s hired plenty of career changers. As the principal CEO of Desert Blue Consulting & Coaching, Niki gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to transition to nonprofit.

In this episode of Career Switch Podcast, we cover the common assumptions many of us make when we think about switching to non-profit. Niki also shares what you should do NOW before you start applying for non-profit jobs and she reveals three interview questions you’ll likely be asked by HR managers to see if you’re a good fit for non-profit.  


Episode Highlights:

• Myths about working in non-profit
• The biggest difference between working for corporate vs non-profit
• What you should do NOW before you apply for non-profit jobs
• Soft skills HR managers look for in career changers
• 3 interview questions to see if you’re a good fit for non-profit

Find Niki Lomibao at:

Website: www.desertblueaz.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nikilomibao_desertblue

LinkedIn:

Niki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-l-4b980975/

Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/desert-blue-consulting-coaching/

Resources for nonprofit jobs:

 https://www.idealist.org/en

 https://www.indeed.com

 https://nationalnonprofits.org/nonprofit-jobs/search

 https://careers.councilofnonprofits.org/

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Transcript

Lixandra: Hi, everyone. I'm Lixandra Urresta, and this is Career Switch Podcast. This show is here to encourage you to take action with whatever career change you're considering or working on. Maybe you're trying to switch industries or professions or break out on your own and start a business. In some episodes, I talk to people who've made their own career switch, whether by choice or circumstance. They share the good, the bad, and the truth about their journey, including what worked for them and what didn't. In other episodes, I speak with experts who offer their best career advice on challenges that can come up during the process of making a career change. After all, it takes guts to switch things up, and it's not easy. However, it is possible. 

So, I hope you hear something in this episode, an idea, a suggestion, a piece of advice that will spur you into action with your own career switch, whether it's taking that first bold step or trying something new. Welcome. I'm glad you're here. 

When making a career change from corporate to non-profit, who wouldn't want that HR perspective? The chance to find out from a human resources manager what they're looking for when hiring. Thanks to non-profit consultant and coach Nikki Lomibao. That's exactly what you'll get in this episode. Nikki has 10 years of HR experience in the non-profit world, and she's hired plenty of career changers. As the principal CEO of Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching, Nikki gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to transition to non-profit. In this episode, we cover the common assumptions many of us make when we think about switching to non-profit. Nikki also shares what you should do now before you start applying for non-profit jobs. And she spills the beans on some interview questions you'll likely be asked by HR managers to see if you're a good fit for non-profit. 

Hi, Nikki, thanks for joining us today. Let's dive in. I'm so happy to have you here because you offer that HR perspective so many of us would love to access when we're making a career change. What's your background in human resources?

Nikki: I've worked in non-profit for the last 15 years, and transitioned into HR the last about 10 years.

Lixandra: And you've hired career changers who've switched from corporate to non-profit?

Nikki: Yep, definitely being in HR, my main role was recruiting. So really being able to dive in deep into that process and helping people understand switching from for profit to non-profit, there's definitely some differences.

Lixandra: Yeah, and we'll be getting into those differences.

Nikki: What do you do now? I am a non-profit consultant and coach. I'm the CEO of Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching. The work that I am currently doing is really helping multiple non-profits look at their employee experience, right? So I have a background in organizational development and human resources. And so how do we help non-profits? How do I help non-profits really reduce their turnover and burnout among employees and increase their employee engagement? Because we know that if we do those things, the organization and the non-profit is more successful at reaching their mission and vision in the community, which again, we know is important work. So by investing in their employees with specific engagement opportunities, and then also having some very goal-driven strategies around reducing turnover and burnout, we know that there's a return on investment because the organization will just be able to do more of the important work in the community. So the work that I've transitioned to now is again, kind of consulting with different non-profits, and coaching non-profit leaders to focus on again, increasing their employee engagement and reducing turnover and burnout.

Lixandra: Okay, so for many of us, when we think about switching to non-profit, which many career changers, in my experience with the podcast now, a lot of career changers decide to do more meaningful work, and they decide to switch from corporate to non-profit. But we tend to make some assumptions. We automatically assume it'll mean a drop in pay, it means smaller budgets, and definitely a different culture. So let's break down these myths versus the realities. Is it fair to think that you're automatically going to have a drop in pay if you switch from corporate to non-profit?

Nikki: I don't think so. There's a lot of dependencies, I think, as far as when it comes to a drop in pay. So some larger non-profits, even national presence non-profits, will have very comparable salaries to for-profit. Maybe not in some of the higher tech industries and like that, but they will definitely have competitive market rates. And just as different size organizations have different size budgets, the same thing is with non-profit, right? Some of those larger ones will have bigger budgets and some of the smaller ones will have smaller budgets. And so I think you're really gonna wanna look at the total benefits package and any good non-profit who's doing a lot of HR and organizational development work will be looking at that, right? They know that sometimes we can't compare to some of those for-profit organizations. So where they really kind of focus on is beefing up those benefits to really make it appealing for people to kind of move over.

Lixandra: And what are some of those benefits?

Nikki: Yeah, I definitely think, you know, the core, right? So medical and all of those kind of regular benefits. I also think flexible work schedules are very, very common in non-profits as well, but maybe, you know, you may not get enough for profit. And I also think that there are some creative ways to, again, kind of make it appealing for people to switch over a lot of work from home and hybrid work. And then also, you know, again, some creative things with medical benefits as far as like paid premiums or some of those, again, kind of creative ways to make it appealing for people.

Lixandra: Okay, so we covered the pay and the budgets. What about the culture?

Nikki: I think the biggest difference when going to non-profit is non-profits are much more relationship based, right? The work is important community work, typically. And so you tend to have a lot more of those relationship driven kind of cultures. And I think that is probably the biggest difference when it comes to switching over there. So hoping people understand what they're getting into, I think, is the biggest thing. And that sometimes those are the longer approval processes, right, or things because a lot of people want to have their hand in the work and they know that it's important to them.

Lixandra: I'm glad you brought that up because I worked at a non-profit for about a year and a half, many moons ago, and yeah, it took some getting used to. Like you said, getting things approved took way longer compared to corporate. So can you shed some light on why things work differently in non-profit because it is relationship-based?

Nikki: Yeah, I think just overall, people work more closely together, right? There's a lot of project teams, I think, that are created within non-profits. And so I think it's really important, especially within the culture for everyone to have a little bit of an input, right, which is sometimes a double edged sword. So, you know, I think getting all those different perspectives on a specific project is great, but then also from the operation side, knowing that that can hinder progress a little bit. So I think for non-profits to just be aware of being this relationship kind of driven culture, but also not letting it stop progress. I think that also the difference within non-profits is the results are not sales driven, right? So I think the impact in the community is really where the results are. And so it's much harder to measure. And I think there is this level of personal connection that has to happen within non-profits for employees as well. And so leadership should always be focused on how can you help employees understand that personal connection to the work.

Lixandra: Since relationships are so important in non-profit, what soft skills do you need to switch from corporate?

Nikki: I think those people skills are definitely going to raise to the top, right? So being team oriented, being able to work well with different personalities, because you are going to be working very closely with people. adaptability and resilience are also going to raise to the top for me, you know, things are constantly changing. And I'm sure that's kind of across the workforce as well, but especially in non-profits, because it is budget driven, and kind of fundraising driven, right. So being that able to adapt quickly, and also being able to be resilient, because things will likely change.

Lixandra: So Nikki, when you and I first spoke about recording this episode, you brought up that someone shouldn't just start applying for non-profit jobs if they're interested, right, in switching. So what do you suggest they do first?

Nikki: I would really help them do some personal development, right? So thinking about why do they want to go into non-profits? I think understanding your own personal why is going to be really important. And what is your personal connection to that mission or cause? If you are passionate about decreasing homelessness, then what is that personal connection to that work and why is it so important to you? I also think about finding local organizations, you know, what are those local non-profits who are doing that work and starting to just volunteer, starting to get involved, because you can definitely get that personal connection, but then also just start to understand the work that they do and how they're doing it, right? So I think, again, starting to volunteer before you even start looking at job postings and job boards, you know, just getting involved in the community is a great first step.

Lixandra: And volunteering will give you a glimpse into what the non-profit world is like, and it can help you decide if you really want to move into non-profit.

Nikki: When you do start volunteering, you can also understand, again, that personal connection for yourself. Do I want to just volunteer, right? Maybe I stay in for profit and maybe I just want to do a volunteer role. And that's definitely OK. But again, it does give you that insider glimpse to see if it's something that you really want to do.

Lixandra: Okay, so let's dive into job interviews now because obviously that's a big part of transitioning into non-profit. What are some questions you've gotten from career changers during an interview?

Nikki: The first question that typically comes up is about compensation, right? So they're already kind of have that perception that I might have a drop in pay. I think, again, any good non-profits, especially that has a very strategic HR department, will be posting the budget on the job posting. Many companies, many states have moved towards that. And I think it's a good practice for HR in any industry to be able to post the salary.

Lixandra: Is that common in non-profit? I would say it's 50-50.

Nikki: I think non-profits are a little bit still traditional, right, depending on the organization and there's some hesitancy around some of that pay transparency, but I definitely see some of the larger, more innovative non-profits moving to, you know, posting the salary. So there shouldn't be any question from candidates. unless they're asking for something way out of the range as far as compensation. And I think from an HR perspective and from a recruiting perspective, we're not only talking about the compensation that they're getting, we're also talking about the whole package, right? What are those premiums? What are the work-life balance? What is the flexible work arrangements? So, you know, not just selling them on the compensation. There's a lot of intangible benefits I think that come with working in non-profits.

Lixandra: Okay, what else do career changers tend to ask about?

Nikki: Work life balance, there's definitely a perception that you know, if you work in non-profit, you're working 24 hours a day, right? The work never goes away. Good non-profits and kind of again, these more strategic non-profits are really, really mindful of burnout. I've heard several people leave non-profit because they feel burnt out, right? They have so much work to do, the work never goes away, which we know it doesn't, right? So I think, again, helping people understand their work-life balance and from an organizational standpoint, you know, really being able to support the balance and some boundaries when it comes to work.

Lixandra: Do career changers tend to ask about the culture like we were talking about earlier?

Nikki: Yes, definitely ask about the culture. At my last position as VP of HR at a very, very large non-profit, we were doing a screening process that we were kind of putting these things out there up front when we would screen candidates. So we were talking about the compensation. We're talking about the work-life balance and the things that the organization's doing to help prevent burnout. We're also talking about the culture and how, you know, it is a shift. If they're coming from non-profit to again, this more kind of team oriented relationship based culture. So we were proactively doing that through our screening process. And honestly, you know, through that screening, some people would self-select out. If they've worked in for-profit for a long time, they're used to a specific salary and, and, uh, you know, specific culture way of working. We were doing that proactively because we know it's not for everyone. And so when we can help candidates realize, you know, some of those things in a, again, kind of proactive manner, I think it helps in recruiting to find the better fit.

Lixandra: Right. It would serve both sides if candidates realize it's not for them. Yeah. Okay. So now let's flip it around. So what are some questions that hiring managers will ask candidates who come from corporate to see if they're a good fit for a non-profit?

Nikki: A common misperception is that non-profits operate differently, and really they don't, right? They are looking for people to help with effective operations, help cut costs, help build infrastructure, right? Some of the larger non-profits, you will see all of the same roles as a company, right? Accounting, HR, finance, IT. The question that some of the hiring managers have is how can you apply your corporate experience or for-profit experience to the work in this specific role or in the non-profit? And there are many, many transferable skills, right? So if you are an accountant in for-profit, you will likely apply those same skills in the non-profit space as well. So I think getting people to understand that it's not always just community work, there is business operations that still need to happen within the non-profit space.

Lixandra: What's a second question hiring managers can ask career changers?

Nikki: The other question, too, is I think hiring managers are looking for that personal connection. Why is this important to you? Why do you want to do this? It's very hard work, and I do think as we're recruiting and as hiring managers are looking for people, they're looking for that person who has the personal connection, right? So why is this work important to you and really understanding that?

Lixandra: What if someone is active in their community, however, they don't have a personal connection to the specific cause of the non-profit they're applying to? Is being active in your community enough?

Nikki: Yeah. Even just as volunteering in the community and starting to understand the issues, one of the most eye-opening things for me is that things are so interconnected. And I think a lot of people don't realize that. Sometimes people think it's a singular issue. You know, you can't focus on education without also focusing on housing and homelessness, right? You can't focus on housing and homelessness without also understanding the food system, right, in a community. So, so many things are interwoven. And I think, again, just as a volunteer and starting to understand the non-profit space, There's a term that we use in non-profit called collective impact. So how are you really looking at the system as a whole and understanding where things are impacting each other?

Lixandra: So I just want to clarify for our listeners who are maybe parents volunteering at their child's school or for their kid's sports team or for anyone who's a volunteer, let's say, board member of their building co-op or neighborhood association. The volunteering doesn't necessarily have to be for a non-profit. It can be any kind of involvement, right?

Nikki: Yeah. I think any kind of community involvement, again, I think volunteer work, right? We're paid in not always money, right? We're paid in other ways and, and really being able to understand how we can contribute to different community causes and organizations. And it can definitely be your local PTO or your kids sports team. I think there are intrinsic benefits, right? Intrinsic value for going above and beyond and stepping into those kinds of roles.

Lixandra: Okay, and we're on a roll here. What's a third question that hiring managers typically ask career changers?

Nikki: A lot of hiring managers will ask is about that third aspect that we talked about the people part. How do you work well with people of different communication styles? And I think they are looking for maybe that level of awareness because it is so people-driven and so relationship-driven. I think the best candidates and the best employees do have a level of awareness when it comes to people dynamics and kind of what they bring to bring to the table and bring to the organization.

Lixandra: I just thought of this, Nikki. Could a hiring manager ask, what is your communication style? Is that a question someone transitioning to non-profit should prepare to answer?

Nikki: Yeah, definitely. I think that would be great. I think when people are interviewing, you know, candidates are interviewing for non-profit jobs. I do think that stands out a little bit as far as being a good candidate for the role is a level of awareness when it comes to, again, those kinds of team people and company dynamics.

Lixandra: Now, when someone is ready to start looking for non-profit job openings, what are some resources they can turn to?

Nikki: I definitely think going directly again if they have volunteered for a different organizations or they're aware of organizations in their community that it's doing the work that they're interested in going directly to the websites right so looking at their job postings. There's also some kind of aggregate sites that pull a lot of non-profit jobs together. So Idealist is one. Indeed is always great for anything that they want to search as far as job postings. And then there's also some non-profit specific boards. So there's like the Nationalnon-profits.org. They have a job postings page on their site as well. and then council of non-profits as well. So again, there's some of these aggregate sites that will pull together non-profit jobs.

Lixandra: Okay, thanks for those resources. I'll be sure to link them in the show notes. So we all know that networking is big in corporate. How important is networking in non-profit?

Nikki: Just as important I've been a non-profit for about 15 years in Phoenix, Arizona, which is where I'm located. And, you know, I can tell you again, kind of the big players, the big organizations, the names within the community as I've built my network over that time. So I would say it's just as important in the non-profit space as it is in the corporate space.

Lixandra: Right. And since you're saying that non-profit is relationship based, then it makes sense that networking is a big part of the non-profit world. So for people who are trying to switch into non-profit, they should definitely reach out to any connections who are already in the non-profit space and obviously make more connections on LinkedIn.

Nikki: Yep. Or any networking spaces, you know, there's different organizations or different groups in specific cities that kind of bring non-profits together. So finding out those networking events, finding out those kind of fundraising events, where they can go and meet people is just as important.

Lixandra: Okay. We covered a lot today. It was great getting that HR perspective. So thanks so much, Nikki. For any listeners who may want help with transitioning into non-profit, how can they find you?

Nikki: I am an ICF certified coach, which is the International Coach Federation. I've been ICF certified for three years. So I do definitely one-on-one coaching, especially around transitions in life, career and business. Some of the clients that I have are, again, non-profit leaders, small business owners, or someone looking to make a big transition, like from for-profit to non-profit. So you can find me on LinkedIn, right? Nikki Lomibau and also Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching. You can also find me on Instagram at Nikki Lomibau underscore Desert Blue. And then I do have a newsletter on the website that you can sign up for and get information straight to your inbox.

Lixandra: Great and your website is desertblueaz.com and you have some resources on there too.

Nikki: I have some free resource guides on my website for non-profit leaders or even anyone looking to get into non-profits. Those are just kind of really great, again, resource guides that can kind of help as you're assessing if non-profit is the right space for you. And then again, I do always offer one-on-one coaching to help people just kind of process through if non-profit is the right space for them and any big transitions when it comes to, again, kind of life, career, and business.

Lixandra: Thanks to Nikki Lomibao for being our guest today. You can find Nikki and her company, Desert Blue Consulting and Coaching at desertblueaz.com and on her social media. 

You can find links to the resources mentioned in this episode and more helpful information in the show notes and on our website, careerswitchpod.com. So what's your career switch? Are you motivated to take action after listening to this episode? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. We'd love to know, along with any feedback you have about the show. Let us know too, if you'd like to be a guest. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at careerswitchpod. And please rate, review, and share with your friends and colleagues. It'll help get the show out there. Thanks for listening today. Till next time.