How to make the switch from non-profit to corporate or something else?

[Anonymous]

I've been in my non-profit career track for almost 20 years, and I've pretty much topped out. I want to make more money, but there's not much headroom for me in my current field.

I'd love to hear from folks who've made this transition mid-career. My speciality is in ops/ admin (managing director, chief of staff, that kind of thing), which I feel should be transferrable, but I'm having a hard time lining up my resume with job postings; the vernacular is very different.

[Anonymous]

How much are you making now and how much are you looking for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How much are you making now and how much are you looking for?

Just under $200k this year.

The sky's the limit for corporate, right?

[Anonymous]

You want to trade with me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You want to trade with me?

I dunno, do I?

Do you have clear goals and expectations? Are your higher-ups driven by ego or by results? Is the next EO more likely to make you more money, or put a political target on your back? And what's your salary?

[Anonymous]

Bumping

[Anonymous]

I pivoted and changed from non profit but years ago. I had been managing director, executive director, regional director, county director, VP, etc. It will most likely be harder with so many people out of work.

When I pivoted I had to take a step down. I am now hiring people and if someone applied without experience in that field normally I think they should be applying one step below or even more. I see people applying for Director positions who have Manager or Director experience in a completely different sector but not everything applies to us. At that level I shouldn’t have to spend months training someone. I recently hired someone who had experience in similar field but not exactly the same and it still took awhile to train and it was for a mid-senior- position.

So apply for lateral moves (maybe for COS) but apply for steps below as well. The entire point is to get in and work your way up.

I worked hard and was promoted less than a year, but that is not the norm necessarily. When you go into a different field listen for the first few months and put your head down and do the work.

Someone was recently hired on a different team and comes in thinking they know everything and it’s awful. They didn’t come in as a change maker. First impressions are important.

I would use your network. Did you meet people at conferences you could talk to about working at their company? I got my job when I changed fields through my network. My former boss knew the hiring manager and contacted them so my resume would be read. You of course have to have the interviews and get the job but having your resume not get held up by Hr or AI is a huge thing.

I also have a large network and am friendly and help others. So word of mouth is I’m a great employee but also helpful. I know others who won’t reply to emails asking for time or who shoo people they think are not important at conferences. That stuff gets out and people are less likely to want to assist or recommend you.

I also realized that it was not raining money especially in the beginning. My healthcare costs a lot more and I have seen people move to private sector who get laid off or basically are held at the same salary as before. Pros and cons to everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How much are you making now and how much are you looking for?

Just under $200k this year.

The sky's the limit for corporate, right?

Sure, the theoretical upside might be greater in corporate, but $200k is a lot of money. At that point you’re getting promoted because of institutional knowledge, personal connections, subject matter expertise, etc. You are going to have a hard time coming in at that rate as a career switcher unless you have a specific skill or hook they are looking for. Most people in corporate jobs never make $200k. If your only reason to switch is more money, it’s a risky proposition.

[Anonymous]

I made this exact pivot last year, after about a year of searching.

I had a functional expertise and was senior (say, Senior Director of Digital Marketing). I originally took the job because it paid well enough and gave me a great title. But like you, I quickly realized there was a real ceiling on total comp and I wasn't so tied to the title or being in a non profit that I wouldn't hop. I also realized the whole "mission driven" thing was total BS at my particular nonprofit.

I had to take a step down to get the new position, but ultimately increased my total annual comp from a trajectory of $225-250k over the next 5 years to $275k-300k over that same time period. There's more room for growth here, with at least one promotion in place and potential to be headhunted by another company.

I was 38. It was a hard sale for some folks, but my advice would be to go while you can. At some point, you're too expensive to pivot.

[Anonymous]

These salaries seem very high for nonprofit.