If nothing else, that is the basic idea behind nonprofits. But in reality, the situation is nowhere near as cut and dried, as it apparently seems. Many not for profit organizations, most notably among them being UNICEF (the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) and the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) make it a common practice to sell greeting cards, stickers, and the like to raise money for their causes. This is a slightly more complicated situation when it comes to tax exemptions, but as long as they are putting all that money towards the advancement of their causes, they are not doing anything wrong. In fact, most nonprofit organizations do quite a bit of fundraising to support themselves so they can continue doing their work. Sometimes the money they raise goes directly to the people they are trying to help, in the form of either cash or goods and services, and sometimes the money goes towards keeping a roof over their heads and providing business infrastructure while they work directly with their causes. But the one place it does not go into is a CEO’s bank account.
Very often, not for profit companies will take on teams of volunteers or interns rather than putting aside money to pay their employees. This ensures that everyone there really wants to be there, working for the various causes. And if they did not want to be there they were free to leave and get a paying or higher paying job. This saves the companies a large amount of money that they can shunt directly into working towards their goals. In exchange for their services, interns and people in these volunteer jobs often receive college or high school credits, community service hours, and work experience. These things look very good on their resume. Sometimes, in the case of community supported agriculture groups or craft groups, etc. the volunteers may also receive goods in kind from what the group produces.
A common type of nonprofit work is that of the healthcare industry, especially at the international level, although there are many not for profit medical organizations in this country as well. For those looking to pad out a resume for getting some interesting work and/or life experience, healthcare volunteer jobs are great opportunities, where you also get to do some good for the world. Working with non-profits is more for people looking to make a difference in the world and help others improve their lives rather than those looking to make a lot of money, but there are ways to make a living. For example, most people working with the organizational end of a healthcare nonprofit as their primary source of income started with healthcare volunteer jobs and worked their way up to a paid position. It can be a lot of hard work, but non-profits offer some of the most rewarding jobs of all.
