Nonprofits are organizations that stand by a mission rather than profit. So if you’re applying to a nonprofit organization for your next job, your resume should reflect your passion and commitment to the nonprofit sector and its goals.
We provide two nonprofit resume examples, a customizable template, and writing advice so you can make a resume for a nonprofit role that accurately fits the organization’s needs and casts you as the best candidate.
Our free-to-use resume builder can make you a resume in as little as 5 minutes. Just pick the template you want, and our software will format everything for you.
Nonprofit resume examples
Whether you’re new to the nonprofit world or an experienced professional, here are two nonprofit resume samples from different job levels for you to view and download:
1. Nonprofit resume sample (entry-level)
Even if you don’t have much work experience, you can still write a great nonprofit resume highlighting your other qualifications, such as your volunteer experience or educational background.
For example, our recent graduate effectively emphasizes volunteer work on their nonprofit resume to best suit a fundraising-specific role:
2. Nonprofit management resume example
If you have a lot of valuable experience but need some guidance on how to present them on your nonprofit resume, look no further.
Check out this applicant’s resume for a Senior Program Manager position:
If you’re short on time, download a free, pre-formatted resume template or try our user-friendly resume builder to ensure your nonprofit resume looks professional and casts you in the most positive light.
Nonprofit resume template
To give you a clearer look at the different sections of a resume for a nonprofit role, feel free to copy, paste, and customize this template so you can get a head start on your application:
1. Resume Header
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Email: youremail@gmail.com | Phone: 303 809 7377 | Address: 721 Burnside Street, Portland, OR 97543 | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile
2. Resume Objective
Highly motivated professional with [number of years] years of experience in the nonprofit industry. Looking to bring my proven [relevant skills] to fill your [Name of Position] position. Excited to achieve [Company’s Name]’s goals by increasing your organization’s exposure and fostering long-lasting partnerships.
3. Work History
Most Recent Job Title
Employer Name | Location | Start Year–End Year
- Write 3–5 resume bullet points to describe your nonprofit-related work or volunteering responsibilities
- Include hard numbers to communicate your resume accomplishments (For example, the grant proposals you wrote or the fundraising goals you met)
- Begin each bullet point with powerful resume action verbs to provide helpful context and make more of an impact on employers (For instance, consulted, operated, recruited)
Earlier Job Title
Employer Name | Location | Start Year–End Year
- Use past tense verbs to describe your work experiences on your resume if you no longer hold the position
- Be as specific as possible (For example, list the exact names of the charities you partnered with, the software you used to track donor information, and the dollar amount of budgets you managed)
4. Education
University Name
Degree Name | Location | Date of Graduation
- Mention relevant certifications or licenses and your highest level of education in your resume education section, such as a master’s or bachelor’s degree
- If you don’t have a degree, add the name of your high school, graduation date (if applicable), your GPA (if it’s 3.5 or higher), and relevant coursework on your resume
For example:
Eagen High School, Eagen, MN
Graduation: 2022
GPA: 3.5/4.0
5. Skills Section
- List 3–6 skills for your resume using bullet points that relate to the position you’re applying for (For instance, stakeholder management, grant writing, networking, a growth mindset, and people skills)
6. Additional Experience
- End your nonprofit resume on a positive note by including other sections such as your volunteer positions, awards and honors, extracurricular activities, foreign languages, or publications
3 tips for writing an impressive nonprofit resume
To help you launch your career in the nonprofit sector, here are three tips to boost your resume writing process:
1. Write a targeted nonprofit resume objective
Adding your objective at the top of your resume is an excellent way to personalize your job application toward your target nonprofit, and explain concisely why you’re the candidate they want.
A good nonprofit resume objective should:
- be short but specific (between 2–4 sentences)
- contain important details like your years of work or volunteer experience, education, and key skills
- mention your reasons for applying to the nonprofit of your choice
Here’s a nonprofit resume objective example from a current student that describes all of the above points:
Example of a student's nonprofit resume objective
Enthusiastic individual studying Mathematics at Baylor University. Graduating in May 2023. Maintain a positive attitude in all situations and interested in intercultural communication and public speaking. Eager to contribute my 1.5+ years of volunteer experience to UNICEF and make an impact as a Goodwill Community Volunteer Ambassador.
2. Include nonprofit-related keywords
Adding targeted resume keywords to your nonprofit application makes a huge difference in whether or not you make it to the interview stage.
To boost your chances of catching a hiring manager’s attention, read each job posting carefully and make note of the words they use and seem to emphasize.
Then, include these words on your nonprofit resume so employers know you can successfully align your own work, volunteer, or life experience with their specific job criteria.
For example, if you’re applying for jobs in sustainability, you should emphasize your green skills and any experience in environmental, social, and governance sustainability work.
Some examples of keywords you might see in a nonprofit job listing include:
Words to use on a Nonprofit Resume
| Advocacy | Benefits | Board meetings |
| Charity | Community outreach | Donor |
| Endowment | Governmental | Grant |
| Humanitarian | Liaison | NGO |
| Not-for-profit | Nonprofit | Philanthropy |
| Social enterprise | Social justice | Volunteer department |
Additionally, some nonprofits use applicant tracking software (ATS) to vet applications. The ATS sets specific words based on their ideal candidate’s skills or experience (e.g., “budget allocation” or “bilingual”), and only accepts resumes that contain their predetermined qualifications.
So write an ATS-friendly resume with the same words as your target nonprofit’s criteria to increase your chances of moving to the next round in the application process.
Here’s an example of how our applicant included the above keywords (highlighted here in bold) on their nonprofit resume:
- Function as a liaison between local benefits agencies subject matter experts and staff to drive awareness of available benefits
- Assisted in planning the organization’s annual charity gala in 2022, which led to an 18% increase in donations
- Collaborate with the Program Coordinator and Program Manager in developing and distributing annual reports to 200+ organization members
- Oversee and delegate the daily activities of 6 interns and 15 volunteers, ensuring the short term goals of the volunteer department are met and exceeded
3. Leverage your top nonprofit skills on your resume
Your hard and soft skills are important in the nonprofit sector because they convey that you can complete your tasks well and how you interact effectively with others.
So show employers you’ll successfully carry out an organization’s work by listing both types of skills in your resume’s skills section, resume objective, or work experience section.
Hard nonprofit skills
Hard skills are specific, measurable abilities that can be learned and improved upon through training and experience.
For instance, a nonprofit organization might require you to track donations and expenses if you seek a donor relations role.
And if you’re applying for a marketing-oriented nonprofit position, you should list your marketing-related experience (if you have any), such as creating effective communications strategies using popular social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok.
Resume examples for different industries
Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.
Below are some examples of hard skills for a nonprofit professional:
- Accounting
- Budgeting
- Computer skills
- Event planning
- Fundraising
- Grant writing
- Program management
- Public speaking
Soft nonprofit skills
Soft skills, on the other hand, generally refer to personal qualities that relate to how you work with others. Nonprofits rely heavily on partnerships and collaborations, so having employees who can help them drive these goals forward is highly important.
These types of skills are crucial for nonprofit roles because they show you’re an empathetic personality who’d be a great cultural fit as well as a future ambassador for your target organization.
Here are several soft skills for your nonprofit resume:
- Building relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders
- Communication skills
- Conflict resolution
- Creativity
- Empathy
- Flexibility
- Leadership skills
- Networking
- Organizational skills
- Passion
- Resourcefulness
- Teamwork
- Time management skills
Once you’ve got your nonprofit resume put together, it’s time to start applying. Find excellent opportunities with our list of the best nonprofit job boards.
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