We’ve Pivoted: Nonprofit Roles
On October 31, 2025, Pivot with Purpose hosted the second seminar as part of its new “We’ve Pivoted!” series. In this session, Denny Newhouse (American Red Cross), Zachary Morrice (National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP)), Emma Edwards (American Association of University Women (AAUW)), and Damai Vergara-Hegi (Families Forward) recounted their journeys pivoting from international development to nonprofit roles. Annette McFarland (Georgetown SFS) moderated this discussion, and Steve Radelet provided additional commentary.
This session was the second in our “We’ve Pivoted!” seminar series, designed to offer attendees insights and tangible advice concerning the experiences of those among us who have transitioned into new careers successfully.
Since the beginning of 2025, development professionals, like yourself, have had to reimagine what service looks like, prompting many to set their eyes on the nonprofit sector. Whether in health, education, or disaster response, former development have found their footing in nonprofit roles that allow them to continue making similarly meaningful impact.
Just like the rest of us, every panelist was forced into making quick, tough decisions upon learning of their pending unemployment. All spoke to their panic and “spaghetti-on-the-wall” strategies that while cathartic, were ineffective. Burn-out was (and remains) inevitable. Though no easy task, all of our featured speakers eventually transitioned successfully into new roles – and they are certain the rest of us can follow in their footsteps!
The primary piece of advice all speakers offered was to be more deliberate in your choice of where to apply for work and why. Whether you base you search on work preferences (i.e., remote, in person, or virtual), sector, location, or on other factors, it is critical to select one or two key preferences and focus your efforts on the specific roles that meet your needs and criteria. While applying for jobs, building your network, and finding new opportunities (all of which or time-consuming processes), it is important to be protective of your time and efforts.
The featured speakers also stressed how looking into to new sectors or cities may pay dividends in your job search. Of course, this approach will not work for everyone’s needs; however, should you have the flexibility or openness to working in a new city, professional area, or role, there are job opportunities to seize! It is now a common refrain in the Pivot with Purpose community, but it is crucial to remember that you have the background and skills needed to thrive in a wide array of roles. Please feel free to browse any of our other events (housed on the Previous Sessions tab on our website) to learn more about these various opportunities.
In a similar vein, our panelists also implored attendees to review and customize our resumes carefully. Although constantly tweaking resumes is a laborious task, it is vital that we revise our resumes to fit the target audience, update our references, and to ditch the jargon from our previous sectors of employment. Too often, recruiters and fellow job-seekers will simply fail to connect as a result of their resume’s language and formatting. Across the board, our guest speakers all agreed that previous sessions hosted by Steve Dalton and Jeremy Schifeling were particularly helpful in their efforts to craft effective resumes.
Finally, the featured panelists all agreed that leaning on your passions to help direct your work and job-searching energy is paramount. Here, looking into new opportunities in the nonprofit sector may be particularly fruitful. Many nonprofit organizations take part in values- and impact-based work that allows us to draw on our development experiences and personal interests. In fact, two of our speakers were able to forge new career paths by pursuing roles that centered on these interests! While your “dream job” may not be available or immediately attainable, all the panelists encouraged us to let our interests and values guide our job search.
Despite their success in transitioning into new careers, everyone acknowledged how difficult this job market is and how stressful navigating unemployment can be. Unfortunately, there are no quick and easy answers. That said, attendees were reminded of the core skills and competencies they possess, how invaluable these capabilities are, and how priceless their experiences can be in the right situation. We all have the skills necessary to excel in the nonprofit space, and our panelists (as well as the Pivot with Purpose team) are here to help you find your next role!
Other Previous Sessions
Please feel free to browse our other previous sessions to access summaries, video content, and more information about our other events!