June 1, 2010; The Statesman | This Austin, Texas newspaper regularly posts a “Charity Chat” blog written by a consistently clear-eyed observer of the nonprofit sector. We’ve become fans of the blogger’s candid though consistently supportive take on the nonprofit sector. In this article, she questions the common wisdom that unemployed people can volunteer their way into jobs. She is reacting to an article from the Sioux City Journal citing one of the nation’s ubiquitous recession-era job-hunting advice experts who suggests volunteering or “adult interning” might be “a great way for someone . . . [to] be in the right place at the right time when a position comes (sic) available.” The Charity Chat blogger wonders how often that really happens and asks her readers to give her “any stats showing how showing how many people were volunteering for a nonprofit before getting a job there.” We’d like to know too. Email me and read the Statesman’s Charity Chat column, it’s worth the candid questions and answers.—Rick Cohen
About The Author
Rick joined NPQ in 2006, after almost eight years as the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP). Before that he played various roles as a community worker and advisor to others doing community work. He also worked in government. Cohen pursued investigative and analytical articles, advocated for increased philanthropic giving and access for disenfranchised constituencies, and promoted increased philanthropic and nonprofit accountability.
