Leveraging my current non-proft financial position into something else

[Cam]

I'm reaching out to you folks for ideas here. To quote my journal:

For reference, my current position deals with: invoicing, payroll, running/helping with fundraisers, analyzing fundraisers, writing grant applications, managing donors, and exploring new avenues for funding. There is more too, but that covers most of the position. The goal for this contract is to have policies and procedures created for each of these processes, so someone who is untrained can complete them quickly and easily after I'm gone.

I am getting basic experience in a lot of financial processes, and I have taken the lead on the non-profit's second largest fundraiser by revenue (cash calendar fundraiser). So that is definitely a good project to point to when I want to explain that I can get things done.

The contract ends in August 2025, and I don't think the funding will be there to keep me around, so I am preparing now on how to leverage this position into something else.

A quick run-down of my skills:

1) Actually getting okay at Excel now. Currently taking a course on Udemy on using excel for financial analysis.
2) I have basic experience with TIG welding. I have built several projects with flux cored and stick welding.
3) Basic experience in electrical (got fired after 3 months, but still took in some knowledge)
4) People skills - I can get along with just about anyone just fine. I am very patient and I have been told that I am good at teaching folks.
5) Project manangement - running the cash calendar fundraiser has taught me a lot. The grind of getting sponsors, the relative ease of designing the calendars (through a firm, not me playing around on Canva!), and printing (happening now) then selling all of them. Then keeping organized while sending out cheques to all the prize winners.
6) I am getting better at trouble shooting in general with my differing repair experience. Bike repair, weld repair, electronics repair, picture frame repair...I have done enough that I am starting to see the general concepts of repair appear in my mind.
7) I have basic programming skills. I built a basic grocery simulator app in Flash in high school. I also built a basic "don't get hit by falling objects game". Nothing fancy, but I have a grasp on arrays, for loops, while loops, and declaring variables.

I am leaning towards another office job at the moment. Some ideas I have are: data analysis, financial analysis, contracting myself out to other charities, getting back into programming, or something else entirely. Feel free to shoot any ideas that you think I have missed or am undervaluing. Thanks everyone!

[Laura Ingalls]

I have an acquaintance that is a self-employed bookkeeper to several faith communities (in his case all churches). He has done it a long time. I think he took on one or two a side gig. Eventually it was enough work to be a full time job. It would be easy to back out of paid work to. Just get rid of the gig that was the most hassle til you had no more jobs.

[shaz]

A lot of grantwriting is done by contractors/freelancers. You could build a business on the side.

[Cam]

I like both of those ideas for contract work. Grant writing is something I actually don't mind doing. If you manage to get the grant it's a seriously good return on investment!

That's interesting about the bookkeeper. I don't have any schooling in it, but I feel like for small organizations getting some courses online plus this job experience would be just enough.

Thank you both!

[Gilberto de Piento]

Lots of government jobs do work related to grants.

[delay]

There is a lot of work around grants or subsidies here in Europe. The work is pretty far from reality. A company I worked for was denied a subsidy that described us exactly. A year later we hired a consultant to apply for subsidies, and we got a subsidy for something we kind of obviously could not do. The consultant told us that large companies get even larger subsidies for even weirder reasons, and we shouldn't try to be holier than the pope.

Why don't you look for someone who is where you want to be in five years, and approach him or her and ask for advice?

[Jupiter]

Hi Cam!

This (https://www.international.gc.ca/world-m ... x?lang=eng) might be a possibility, if you are looking for some adventure & learning (and if you are aged between 18-30!). I participated to the International Youth Internship Programme many years ago, and it turned out to be a perspective-shifting experience. It's during this internship that I admitted to myself that I didn't like my current line of studies and that I needed to shift direction, regardless of the downsides (less comfort, less money, more uncertainty, but also more purpose).

My internship supervisor was this very wise non-profit organization funder, with an UN background, very good at economics, coding, and grant applications. He had decided to leave his position at the United Nations to help his fellow citizens and strive for a better democracy through civic tech work. He wasn't that old, but he could command salaries of $200+/h for himself, by being a global civic tech leader. I felt super inspired and empowered by his determination and drive. I could really feel how much the word altruism meant to him. The internship does not pay well, but it makes you travel to countries that are very different from Canada and has great potential to teach you something about yourself.

[Cam]

Thank you everyone for the input. After a lot of thought I am starting to settle on IT as the path forward. I like the payroll stuff and grant writing as part time options, but the IT field seems to be a better fit for my personality if I'll be doing it full-time. For the foreseeable future I will be working full-time, to keep on accumulating savings. I actually know a few guys who work in IT, and they have lifestyles I like. They all work from home, go for bike rides on lunch, and have plenty of time for volunteering while still earning good money. I met them at the bike fix up volunteer sessions, in fact. Anyways - thank you again everyone for your perspectives and input.