How to Write a Resume for a Nonprofit Role

If you’re applying to a nonprofit organization, your resume should reflect your passion and commitment to the cause that the organization is working towards.

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 reference:

Entry-level nonprofit resume sample

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:

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Nonprofit management-level resume example

The best way to learn how to write a resume for a nonprofit role is to look at successful resume examples.

Check out this applicant’s resume for a Senior Program Manager position:

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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:

2. Use relevant keywords to target the job description

Adding targeted resume keywords to your nonprofit application makes a huge difference in whether or not you make it to the interview stage.

Here’s how to boost your chances of catching a hiring manager’s attention:

1. Read each job posting carefully and make note of the keywords they use and emphasize
2. Include these keywords in your resume summary or resume objective, your work experience section, and your skills section
3. Use these keywords in your nonprofit cover letter too

This way, 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 green jobs, you should emphasize any experience in environmental, social, and governance sustainability work.

3. Highlight your most valuable skills

Your hard and soft skills are important in the nonprofit sector because they convey that you complete your tasks well and 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 as bullet points in your work experience section.

Hard 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.

Below are some examples of hard skills for a nonprofit professional:

Soft 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:

Nonprofit resume template

This template provides instructions on how to fill out each section of a nonprofit resume:

Frequently asked questions about writing a resume for a nonprofit

We’ve taken a look at your most pressing questions about nonprofit resumes and listed the answers below to help you.

Does working for a nonprofit look good on a resume?

Yes, working for a nonprofit can look very good on a resume as it shows your commitment to social causes, ability to work with limited resources, and experience in roles that require versatility and strong interpersonal skills.

Working at a nonprofit also highlights your passion for making a positive impact, which is valued across many industries.

How long should a nonprofit resume be?

A lot of candidates wonder how long a resume should be. Hiring managers are busy, so try to keep your resume short and concise while still communicating your skills and abilities.

Always aim for a one page resume unless you have more extensive experience. You can cut out all experiences that aren’t relevant or recent.

How do you put nonprofit experience on a resume?

List your nonprofit experience the same way you list all your resume job descriptions.

Place them in your professional experience section with your most recent position at the top of the page. Highlight your most impactful achievements relating to the nonprofit sector.

If you want to list volunteer work in addition to your main role, you can place this in a separate “Volunteer Experience” section or incorporate it into your main job description.

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