Mondays, April 8, 15, 22 (3 sessions), 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

$79 per person

In today's economy, an increasing number of executives are looking to the nonprofit sector for their encore career after retiring early or being laid off. If you are considering a career change and considering making the leap to the nonprofit, it is important to understand some of the challenges in getting hired and the cultural differences that are critical to a successful transition.  Myths abound about the nonprofit sector about salary, working conditions, staffing. There is an enormous variety in the types of nonprofit environments.  Before you make a move and begin making a difference, you owe it to yourself to do your due diligence and gather the information to make an informed decision.

In this class you will:

• Learn the three most common mistakes made by corporate refugees
• Understand the most common barriers to getting hired and how to overcome them
• Get a handle on the cultural differences that are critical to a successful transition
• Get support in repackaging your skills and experience in ways that are meaningful to the nonprofit sector
• Learn what distinguishes those who get hired - and those who are successful in their roles
• Hear from two corporate execs who've made the transition and their key learnings

Instructor Bio

A self-described "recovering attorney"  with twenty years of fundraising experience, Chris McLeod left her corporate job with a large real estate developer twenty years ago to work in the nonprofit sector.  After a summer of teaching horseback riding and cleaning stalls just to clear her head, she waited tables at a high end restaurant and briefly flirted with the notion of becoming a sommelier. Ultimately, she landed her first fundraising job with Habitat for Humanity. Two years later, she recognized that she needed a more corporate environment and accepted a position as director of corporate development at Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC-Chapel Hill. She later worked in the area of medical fundraising  (also at UNC Chapel Hill) and with arts and culture organizations at Foundation For The Carolinas.  Her passion for helping others find their way to the nonprofit sector is truly a calling. Today, Chris is President of GIVING MATTERS INC, a boutique consulting firm that provides planned giving counsel to the most mature and respected nonprofits, churches and educational institutions.