Preparing Students to Work for Nonprofit Employers


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When you think of the fastest-growing segments of the US economy, cybersecurity or data science come to mind.

But "to my astonishment, nonprofits are the fastest growing sector," writes David Meyer in the Atlantic.

"Not just nonprofit hospitals or nonprofit colleges and universities, but 501(c)3sorganizations that are supposed to provide a public benefit, including foundations, charities and social service organizations such as housing providers and shelters, social justice advocacy groups, and youth development organizations."

Today, the US has 1.5 million nonprofit organizations employing about 10% of the workforce, making them the country's third-largest employer, behind retail sales and manufacturing, and ahead of finance, professional services, transportation and warehousing, and the federal and local governments.

One reason nonprofits have grown faster than any other sector: Because they fill essential gaps in the social safety net, politicians outsource many governmental functions to nonprofits and, in the process, undercut government's internal capacity."

Many of today's nonprofits are run by boards of directors that are not accountable to their membership or chapter.

"Stakeholders cannot vote out a board or elect new directors," Meyer writes.

"Insulated from market pressure and public oversight, board-only nonprofits are free to wander off into wacka

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