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Non-Profit & International Development

Careers in non-profit encompasses a large range of professions. Possible work areas include:

  • Programs and service delivery
  • Event and program coordination
  • Communications assistance
  • Finance and operations management
  • Community and social work
  • Educational counselling
  • Volunteer recruitment and training
  • Information systems management
  • Grant writing and fundraising
  • International development

Typical Employers

Typical employers can be categorized into these areas:

  • Non-governmental organization (NGO).  A non-governmental organization (NGO) may be funded by governments, foundations, businesses or private businesses.  Typical employers include but not limited to agencies in international development, advocacy, service-oriented organizations that provide services such as health and education, and think tanks that perform research such as social policy and political strategy.
  • Non-profit organization (NPO) and local communities. A non-profit organization (NPO) aims to advocate for a particular point of view or social cause.  Typical employers include but not limited to organizations in the relief of poverty, civic and environmental advocacy, international relations and development, advancement of health services, education and religion; organizations in charity purposes that bring benefits to communities, and social enterprises that create community impacts and social values.

Industry Profiles

  • (Sector Source)
    Quick facts about nonprofit sector in Canada.

Career Profiles

To learn more about different career options in this sector, visit the following web sites:

  • (United Nations)
  • Career paths with UN. Fields: management and operations support to legal and conference management.
  • (Net Impact)
    Career profiles. Fields: Community development, education, energy and clean tech, entrepreneurship, environment, finance, health, international development, nonprofit.

Career Books & Magazines

Recommended books (available at CaPS):

  • Peace jobs: A student's guide to starting a career working for peace
  • Working in international development and humanitarian assistance: A career guide
  • Compassionate careers: Making a living by making a difference
  • (Idealist.org)
  • (Available in the Ã山ǿ¼é Library)

Articles of Interest

  • (TalentEgg)
  • (idealist.org)
    Resources for a career in non-profit sector.

Job Resources

The following links provide a list of job boards, internships and volunteering opportunities.
Note: To find internships, you can also use keywords like "internship" in some of the job boards to find opportunities.


  • This site provides a directory containing an extensive list of internship programs that offer students and graduates an opportunity to gain practical experience, explore potential careers and enrich their lives. The site is searchable by categories: Business, Health, Technology, Government, UN, Humanitarian, Child-related, and Environment.

Associations & Groups

: Be informed and beware of UN job scams.


Internship Programmes

Explore the following links for internship and volunteer opportunities.


  • Annual recruitment, proficient in English or French.

  • Opportunity for graduates to acquire professional experience; 2 years.

  • Opportunity to familiarize yourself with the UN; unpaid and full-time; 2-6 months.

  • For graduate or post-grad students; 6-month. Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

More internship & volunteering opportunities:


Job Boards

The following sites list UN jobs.

Community Agencies

  • Canada cities/regions: | ´¥Ìý
  • Canadian provinces: | | | | |
  • U.S.cities: | or

International Development, Non-Profit & NGO

  • PDF icon NGO in Montreal
    Partial list of non-governmental organizations (NGO) with offices in Montreal.

Canada

  • (Charity Village)
    Scroll down to see a list of A-Z Directory of nonprofit organizations in Canada. Categories: Community and social services, education, LGBT, human rights, international relief, poverty and social justice, and more.
  • (Chairty Intelligence Canada)
    A directory of 700 Canadian charities.

International

  • (Idealist.org)
    Over 77,000 development and non-profit organizations, searchable by areas of focus and type.
  • (WANGO)
    NGO listings by region, searchable by mission, country, area of focus.
  • s (Devex)
    1000+ community and organizations. Searchable by type and location.
  • (Registration with your Ã山ǿ¼é email is required)
    4,000+ resources, 250 expert articles and inspiring student stories. Visit What Do You Want To Do? -> Top Resources -> NGO for listings.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Companies that incorporate CSR policy/functions (respect for ethical values, people, communities, and the environment) into their business models.

  • (Corporate Knights)
    Best companies on the state of responsible business in a different sectors (energy, cleantech, etc.)
  • (CSRWire)
    Online resource guide listing more than 2,700 organizations working on all aspects of corporate social responsibility in more than 105 countries.
  • (SEC)
    A database that is searchable by areas of impact, location and industry.

Think Tanks

Organizations that performs research and advocacy concerning a variety of topics, such as, social policy, political strategy, economics, military, culture, technology.

  • PDF icon Canadian Think Tanks
    Organizations involved in research and advocacy in a range of fields: Social policy, economy and more.

  • Think tank directory, searchable by country as well as by topics.
Please note that CaPS and Ã山ǿ¼é do not endorse any particular websites/services; the listing is for your information only.
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