Guide to Charity and Nonprofit Opportunities

Volunteer, Donate and Paid Positions at Charities and Nonprofits

 By Glenn Frank, Fall 2020

Charity versus Nonprofit

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they may mean different things. A charity is a nonprofit but not all nonprofits are IRS 501(c)(3) qualified charities.

Nonprofits do not need to operate exclusively for charitable purposes; they can operate for social welfare, civic improvement, pleasure, sport, recreation or any other purpose except for profit.

Volunteering for a Charity or Nonprofit

In addition to helping others, volunteering gives retirees the opportunity to make new friends and get out of the house. If you don’t know where to start, think about your interests and what you have to offer in the way of expertise, whether it’s in marketing, finance or IT. Also, reviewing the “Joy Matrix” ( timemoneyandjoy.com ) could lend direction. Note that while volunteering is rewarding in and of itself, it can also be a good first step in providing financial support to an organization because you gain first-hand insight and develop a connection.

Museums, hospitals and libraries are the traditional places to volunteer, but the wave of Boomers retiring has resulted in many new opportunities. For example, Senior Corps, a division of Corporation for National and Community Service, has a foster grandparents program  that gives retirees an opportunity to mentor children. You can also volunteer for National Park Service. Musicians on Call sends volunteer musicians to hospitals throughout the United States. The Peace Corps actively seeks volunteers who are age 50 and older. And Big Brothers Big Sisters of America gives volunteers an opportunity to mentor youth who need an adult role model. Note that during COVID many of these programs have been put on hold and/or have evolved to foster their missions. Research may be more challenging just as the needs are!

You can also check out these websites for more ideas:

Encore.org: Encore’s mission is simple: “The decades of life beyond 50 become a time of social contribution and impact — and we leave the world better than we found it.” For “Encore Seekers” we offer resources, connection and opportunity.

Idealist.org: With more than 120,000 nonprofit organizations and 1.4 million monthly visitors to its English and Spanish sites, Idealist is a non-profit clearinghouse helps people move from intention to action all over the world. | 

Weconnectforgood.org: Cutting edge resource. Connect for Good is your home base for volunteering in the Boston MA area. Whether you’re new in town or newly retired, empty nesters or parents hoping to introduce young children to community service, we can plug you in to the causes you care about.

Donating to a Charity 

If you wish to provide financial support for an organization, these resources can be helpful:

GuideStar USA, Inc: An information service specializing in reporting on U.S. nonprofit companies. In 2016, its database provided information on 2.5 million organizations

Charity Navigator: Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation's largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts have examined tens of thousands of non-profit financial documents. We've used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 9,000 of America's best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities.

Gofundme: Lists well-known and top-rated nonprofits that have branches across the US. It also shares resources that can help you find additional local charities and ways to give back. 

Donor Advised Funds: Several financial institutions sponsor donor advised funds which may provide significant tax advantages when donating securities that have appreciated in value. Post contribution the positions are sold, invested and held until the donor directs contributions to IRS qualified charities. You might consider ESG (environment, social, governance) investments options.

Working for a Charity or Nonprofit

If you would like to work at a non-profit for pay, consider these resources:

Encore.org:  ”We are a coalition of organizations and professionals dedicated to strengthening our communities by engaging the talents of people in midlife and beyond”. Paid staff and contracting opportunities.

Retiredbrains.com: This non-profit Jobs Center has both paid part-time and full-time jobs and unpaid Board of Director openings.

Commongood Careers/Koya Leadership Partners: This search firm places directors and managers into nonprofit organizations

The Philanthropy News Digest: This Jobs Board has openings at foundations and nonprofits. 

The  Nonprofit Job Career Center: Here you can search by keyword, field, location, salary, level (entry, experienced or internship) and required education.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Jobs page lists opportunities in fundraising, executive, programming and administrative areas.

The Bottom Line

As we’ve learned, your time can be even more valuable than your money!