(Columbia, Missouri, May 12, 2022) – There are over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations and charities in the United States. All of them work to make the lives of those they serve better in one way or another. But in order to continue providing these vital services, these organizations must have dedicated employees who carry out the organization’s mission.
While these employees contribute to making the world a better place through the work they do, they also gain benefits themselves—many of which are unique to nonprofit organizations. In this article, we’ll explain all of the benefits that come with nonprofit careers, and why you should consider working at a charity or nonprofit organization.
What Are the Perks To Working at a Nonprofit?
While most people in America take a job primarily for the money, individuals who choose to work at nonprofit organizations tend to do so for reasons other than financial compensation. Here are three of the main benefits that often come with working at a nonprofit:
1. Making a Difference in the World
Perhaps the main benefit of working at a nonprofit organization instead of a normal, for-profit business is that you are truly making a difference in the world with the work that you do. Businesses are generally focused on selling a good or service in order to make money, but what they are selling often isn’t necessary and doesn’t actually help people.
However, each nonprofit has a mission focused on helping specific causes, and does everything it can to further that mission. It is in the very nature of nonprofits that there are no profits to worry about. Instead, their only concern is improving the services and support they offer. This includes each of the nonprofit’s employees living up to the organization’s values and working every day to make things better for those they serve.
While many people think that making the world a better place involves giant amounts of money and extravagant acts, it’s actually much simpler than that. Because of the essence of a nonprofit’s work, everything an employee does is to better the world for someone or something. This is because they are committed to helping others and giving people what they need.
Providing these important services to those who need them also gives nonprofit employees a feeling of satisfaction and improves their self-esteem since they are having a positive impact on the world.
For example, at OATS Transit, we make a difference in the lives of Missourians every day. Our drivers provide safe, caring, and reliable transportation to our riders. They help riders get to the places they need to go, improving their overall quality of life by helping them access essential services and locations.
2. Creating Personal Connections
Another benefit of working at a nonprofit is that you are more likely to develop personal connections with other people. This includes both the other individuals you work with and those you serve. In regular businesses, profits are key, and companies don’t always care about nurturing relationships between their employees. However, in nonprofits, connecting with others is a central part of fulfilling your mission.
On the one hand, you work closely with other individuals at your organization to provide your essential services. It’s likely that you have a lot in common with these individuals since you have all committed to working at a nonprofit to make a difference.
On the other hand, you also create connections with the individuals that your nonprofit serves. You get to help them, but you also get to learn more about them, talk to them, spend time with them, and bond with them. Creating these human connections that make you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself is one of the greatest benefits of working at a nonprofit.
Many of the people who work at OATS Transit have been fortunate to build lasting, meaningful relationships with fellow co-workers, and those in the communities we serve. Our drivers, in particular, create strong friendships with our riders, as they get to see them often and witness the impact they have on their lives. They truly care about one another, and many of our drivers consider some riders to be almost like family.
3. Taking on a Variety of Responsibilities
When you work for a nonprofit organization, you also are more likely to have the opportunity to take on new responsibilities. At most businesses, you are stuck in a very specific job with very specific duties, never having the opportunity to change things up or try something different.
Since nonprofits try to use as much of their funding as possible to provide vital services to those who need them, there is often not enough funding to hire a large number of employees. While this may not seem like a positive thing on the surface, it actually gives nonprofit employees more opportunities to do different kinds of work, develop new skills, collaborate with others, and even advance their careers.
At OATS Transit, our employees are not simply drivers, coordinators, or directors, they are team players who work together to provide the best possible services to our riders, even when it means taking on other responsibilities that may not be part of their job description. In this way, our employees grow and develop through new experiences, making them better able to continue carrying out our mission.
Enjoy These Benefits and More Working for OATS Transit
At OATS Transit, our mission is to enhance the quality of life for Missourians by providing safe, caring, and reliable transportation services. While these services are intended to benefit all of our riders, they also benefit our employees by allowing them to make a difference in the world, create personal connections with those around them, and even take on a variety of responsibilities that allow them to grow and develop.
We also offer employees additional benefits like paid holidays, paid time off, benefit allowance, health insurance, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, and more. If you’re interested in these benefits, consider applying to join our team today so you can start making a difference in the lives of other Missourians!
OATS Transit offers more than just transit services, we offer our riders the care and commitment of everyone in our organization. The individuals we serve are our top priority, and we are always doing everything we can to make a positive impact in their lives.
We’re a leading specialized transportation agency serving 87 of the 114 counties in Missouri with our fleet of more than 700 mini-buses and minivans. Missouri has a population of over 6 million people, with over 2 million residents—about 37% of the state—that live in rural areas. We serve thousands of these Missourians, including senior citizens, people with disabilities, and people of any age who live in rural areas.
If you or someone you know needs help with transportation services, contact us today and we’ll help you get where you need to go safely, reliably, and with care! If you’d like to learn more about what we do, find out how to ride, make a donation to support our work, or apply for one of our available driving positions!
“Enhancing quality of life by providing safe, caring & reliable transportation services.”
NonProfitMegaphone
written by Dom Lincoln
May 2022
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