What Is a Nonprofit Company? (Plus 18 Nonprofits To Work For)

Updated July 25, 2023

Two people hold a conversation while walking through an office.

Working for a nonprofit can allow you to make a positive impact on your community and strengthen a variety of your professional skills. Since nonprofits typically offer a variety of employment opportunities, you can enhance your resume and gain experience relevant to your career. Understanding the benefits of these roles and the various organizations to consider can help you decide whether this is the right career path for you.

In this article, we discuss the advantages of working for nonprofit organizations and share 18 of the top nonprofits you may want to consider.

What is a nonprofit?

At their base, nonprofit organizations are created to benefit a cause. Whether it is improving education, raising awareness or helping those in need, the nonprofit organization exists to make improvements, raise money and work with others to improve lives. Some common fields for nonprofit roles are healthcare, educational and social services. They may still sell products like a for-profit company, but the money gained is to be used for the causes they are organized around.

Benefits of working for a nonprofit

There are several benefits to working for a nonprofit organization. They allow you to:

Widen your skill set: Nonprofit employees are often assigned to multiple projects with varied responsibilities that allow them to build their resumes and develop new skills and careers rapidly. Nonprofits tend to lack a strict corporate structure, which can give employees more growth opportunities.
Work with passionate people: Nonprofits generally have a positive work environment filled with people passionate about a cause and motivated by their purpose. All levels of employees typically focus on the organization's mission and collaborate to achieve their goals.
Make a difference: Regardless of which nonprofit you work for, you may be satisfied knowing you're making an impact.
Earn a great salary: Salaries for nonprofit organizations are on par with the salaries within for-profits.

18 nonprofits to work for

Here's a list of nonprofit organizations where you may want to pursue employment opportunities:

1. Habitat for Humanity

This nonprofit organization helps families build and improve their homes. The organization works in local communities across all 50 states in the U.S. and 70 countries. They firmly believe affordable housing plays a key role in stable communities and sees a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Full-time, part-time and short-term roles are available and include office staff, fundraisers, consultants, and even disaster response specialists. Since this is a large global organization, opportunities may be available worldwide.

2. DoSomething.org

DoSomething.org is an online-based nonprofit that seeks to unite young people to make real-world impacts in their communities in the United States and over 130 other countries. Some of their initiatives include clothing drives for homeless youth, cigarette butt cleanups, recycling programs and raising awareness for various issues and causes. They're open about how their money is spent and focus on ensuring their employees are satisfied with their contributions.

3. National Institute of Aerospace

A nonprofit that focuses on research, graduate education and outreach, the National Institute of Aerospace is one of the larger nonprofits on this list. It has been around since 2002 and collaborates heavily with NASA and other research facilities, organizations and government agencies. They aim to research aerospace and the atmosphere, elevate new scientists and develop technologies. They may offer technical and research-related positions, many of which are located at their headquarters in Hampton, Virginia.

Related: The Fundamentals of Nonprofits

4. Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment, Inc.

AVRE's focus is on serving people who are visually impaired. They help their clients get the help they need, whether finding work, a place to live, or education. AVRE serves a large section of upstate New York counties and has been a valuable resource to the blind and visually impaired for almost a century. Their work has allowed many people to live independently while maintaining and improving their lives.

5. Feeding America

Feeding America is the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, with a network of over 200 food banks. Its mission is to reach seniors, children and families who might otherwise go hungry, no matter where they live or spend their time. Its programs include a mobile pantry, disaster food assistance, summer child nutrition programs, a senior grocery program and the Kids Cafe program that provides free snacks and meals to low-income kids.

Feeding America is headquartered in Chicago and has an office in Washington, DC. They also have many remote employees all over the country. In addition, there may be various employment opportunities at their food banks. These positions range from director of health and wellness to accounts payable specialist.

6. Musicians On Call

Musicians On Call collaborates with musicians and hospitals to give live bedside performances to sick patients. Through music, they try to brighten the days of patients unable to leave their beds or undergoing treatments. Though their center is in Nashville, they have locations nationwide to spread the healing qualities music can offer. They offer hybrid working and post new open positions on their social media accounts, so you may want to follow their accounts if you're interested in Musicians On Call.

7. Wounded Warrior Project

The Wounded Warrior Project has been offering its services, along with a satisfying work environment, since 2003. Created in response to the 9/11 attacks, this nonprofit helps wounded veterans through a great number of programs and services.

They often partner with other nonprofits and organizations to make a difference in the lives of those affected by military conflicts. Wounded Warrior is a strong voice in the communities it serves and the government, where it fights for veterans everywhere. Wounded Warrior Project has openings in many U.S. states in healthcare, management, marketing, and IT. They have also adopted a flexible hybrid work schedule.

8. National Alliance to End Homelessness

This nonprofit's sole purpose is to end homelessness across the United States. They perform research to locate solutions, work with federal and local governments to create policies and resources that support their solutions and then help communities implement those plans. Headquartered in Washington, DC, this nonprofit frequently hires for senior-level corporate positions and may be a great opportunity if you're looking for a leadership role.

9. The YMCA

The YMCA offers programs and services to meet the needs of families in communities across the country. It offers youth development programs to nurture the potential of every child, healthy living programs to improve the nation's health and social responsibility programs to give back to the surrounding communities. The YMCA hires all over the U.S. for their neighborhood centers and for summer overnight and day camps, making them a great organization to seek an array of employment opportunities.

10. Travis Manion Foundation

The Travis Manion Foundation seeks to improve the nation's character by strengthening communities. They reach out to veterans and the families of fallen soldiers to bring people together and make positive improvements in people and communities. Through empowerment programs and community engagements, they have made positive impacts all around the United States.

11. Mercy for Animals

If you're passionate about preventing animal cruelty, you may want to look for employment opportunities with Mercy for Animals. This nonprofit organization focuses on advocating for farm animals to ensure they receive humane treatment and living conditions. They promote legislative change and animal-based food alternatives and aim to protect animals in the agricultural system. They offer positions for independent contractors, paid interns and a variety of other roles involved in animal welfare.

12. Make-A-Wish Foundation

This organization's mission is to grant the wishes of children between the ages of two and a half and 18 suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. With the help of generous donors, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted over 334,000 since it was founded in 1980. This foundation has employees at its national office in Phoenix, AZ, and local chapters in all 50 states, with jobs ranging from data analytics manager to bilingual wish coordinator.

13. Operation Underground Railroad

This nonprofit was founded to help government agencies around the world in the rescue of human trafficking and sex trafficking victims. Once victims are rescued, they work with law enforcement to bring justice to the perpetrators and recovery and rehabilitation to the victims. Their goal is to permanently eradicate child sex trafficking. Operation Underground Railroad has employees in many places in the U.S. and internationally.

14. United Way

The United Way is in nearly 1,800 communities and 40 countries and territories worldwide. The nonprofit is focused on creating community-led solutions that bring education, financial stability and health. Their mission is to create a world where communities are strong, jobs pay livable wages, and children and families can access good schools and healthy environments.

15. Communities in Schools

This nationwide organization works with charter and public schools to empower at-risk kids to stay in school and succeed in life. The nonprofit works directly with over 3,270 schools in 25 different states. CIS primarily hires for positions in their national office in Arlington, VA.

16. Easter Seals

This nonprofit is focused on helping people with disabilities and offers education, outreach and advocacy so those individuals can live, work, learn and play. The organization has additional support areas serving veterans, seniors and their families. Though their headquarters are in Chicago, IL, Easter Seals has staff in all 50 states and many opportunities for job seekers with diverse skill sets.

17. Boys & Girls Clubs of America

This nonprofit provides after-school programs for America's youth. Their mission is to provide safe and fun places for kids to thrive, deliver engaging programs focused on health, leadership and academics and provide caring mentors who can guide and motivate the kids to be successful. With over 1,000 independent Boys & Girls Club organizations in the U.S., there are many job openings to explore with their National Staff or Local Club Staff sections.

18. AARP

This organization advocates for and empowers Americans 50 and older to choose how they live. This company has built a reputation for work-life balance and offers good pay, benefits and the ability to give back to your community. While many of their positions are in Washington, DC, many are in small towns all over the U.S. They also have many remote jobs available.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.