The desire to work in the nonprofit sector often derives from a passion for giving back in general or for a particular mission. While dedicating your career to the nonprofit sector or a specific cause might be an easy decision, discovering your exact career path might be more challenging to navigate. Regardless of your aspirations, there are ample educational opportunities — from networking and beyond — for nonprofit professionals to consider.

“It’s the power of community and the power of networking within that community that I think has really been a key takeaway for me, so it’s not just a recommendation that I would have to anyone really who is interested in continued growth and development as a professional to invest in yourself and your continued education and so many of the ways I’m sure we’ll talk about today,” Elizabeth Abel, senior vice president at CCS Fundraising, said. “But it’s to take the one step further to connect with two or three people from that experience to be a part of that community because the nonprofit community is so small and we have so much to learn from one another.”

In this episode of The NonProfit Voice, Abel and Lauren Grow — director of development at West Chester University Foundation and adjunct professor at West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania — join Amanda Cole, editor-in-chief of NonProfit PRO, to explore ways to pursue more educational opportunities to further nonprofit professionals’ skills and careers. Abel and Grow also educate nonprofit professionals at the University of Pennsylvania through its nonprofit leadership program as an instructor and teaching assistant, respectively. Listen as The NonProfit Voice explores graduate degrees, certifications, conferences (as both attendees and speakers), mentorship and more for nonprofit professionals.