亲爱的Annie：我在金融行业工作了27年，过去12年在一家成功的中型会计事务所担任高级合伙人，我正在考虑“退休”并重新找一份有机会回馈社会的工作。过去几年中，我在几个当地非盈利性组织董事会工作过，而且也有一些筹资经验。比如去年，我为本地美国防止虐待动物协会（ASPCA）募集了约20万美元，用于资助我所在地区的动物收容所。但是真要找一份非营利性的正式工作我还真不知道该从何处着手。听说非营利性组织准备聘用商业人士，具体的招聘要求是什么呢？我应该怎么定位自己，才能成为强有力的候选者呢？——热心肠

    亲爱的“热心肠”：最近很多人都问了我类似的问题，这件事很有意思但并不令人意外。根据大都会人寿基金会（the MetLife Foundation）和非营利性网站Encore.org.的调查显示，约有900万婴儿潮一代出生的人（现在44-70岁）已经开始了回馈社会的“再就业”，预计还有约3,100万人对此类工作感兴趣。

    而且现在是行动的有利时机。许多非营利组织都在努力寻求经验丰富的商业人士（而且比起以往，这些机构也更愿意提供与营利性机构不相上下的工资报酬）。休斯敦的猎头公司Alexander Group 最近的一项调查显示，自2007年以来61％的非营利组织已从商界聘任了管理人员，84％的非营利性组织表示，聘任的人员在新职位上如鱼得水。

    Alexander Group总经理珍妮•豪兹帮助非营利性组织招聘了许多高管和董事会成员，他说：“现在营利性组织和非营利性组织之间的界限已经模糊了，我们预计将有更多的人在这两个领域之间转换职业，这将为我们带来机遇。”

    调查显示，非营利性组织在招聘商界人士时，最看重候选者在董事会的工作经验以及筹资技能。过去5年中，超过一半（57%）的组织招聘了新的首席开发官（即募资负责人），排在第二名的是首席财务官和首席营销官，约有45%的非营利性组织至少为其中一个职位聘请了人才。

    豪兹说：“经济衰退给非营利性组织带来了巨大的冲击，所以这些组织想要聘用那些拥有项目融资经验的人士”（也就是像你这样的人）。但筹资可没有直接的企业版本，渴望申请首席开发官的职位就“需要走出去募资”。豪兹说：“选择一个你非常热爱的事业，然后当一名志愿者为这份事业募资。”

    豪兹补充说，现在也可以获得这个领域的正式资格。在过去几年中，越来越多的大学已经开始提供相关课程和学位，如哥伦比亚大学（Columbia University）筹资管理的理科硕士学位，或是印第安纳波利斯的印第安纳大学慈善中心筹资学院（The Fund Raising School at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy）提供的类似项目。

    豪兹建议：“在申请这类职位之前，尽量多向有经验的人取经。筹资有很多种形式，每种形式都需要不同的资质和技能。”

    例如，擅长写拨款申请的人可能难以办好自行车马拉松比赛这样的慈善活动，反过来也一样，而这两种方式都与寻求“计划给予”的捐款（即遗产规划）大相径庭。耗子说：“重要的是要确保了解某个非盈利组织筹资的运作方式，以及自己是否擅长这种方式。不仅要成功，还要要做自己喜欢的事。”

    从何处着手寻找非营利性职位呢？可以试试以下在线资源：

• Encore Career Finder—通过搜索这个网络可找到超过500万个再就业职位

• Commongood Careers — 这是一个关于非营利性组织高管和中层管理空缺职位的小型精选数据库

• Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group — 这是一家搜索公司，发布非营利性组织中的精选职位

• Opportunity Knocks —这是一个非营利性求职平台，信息非常生动且全面

• Bridgestar —这个网站列出了非营利性组织的空缺职位和岗位列表，以及从商界跳槽到非营利性组织的各类资讯

    祝你好运！

    Dear Annie: After 27 years in finance, the last 12 as a senior partner in a successful midsized accounting firm, I'm thinking about "retiring" and trying to find work that gives something back to the community. I have served on a couple of local nonprofit boards over the years, and have some fundraising experience too. For instance, last year, I ran a series of events for the local ASPCA that raised about $200,000 to support a no-kill animal shelter in my town.

    But when it comes to looking for an actual job in the nonprofit world, I'm not sure where to start. I've heard that nonprofits are looking to hire businesspeople, but what specifically are these organizations seeking, and how should I position myself to be a strong candidate? — Hoping to Help

    Dear H.H.: It's interesting how many people have asked me some variation of this question lately -- but perhaps not surprising: About 9 million Baby Boomers (ages 44 to 70) have already launched "encore careers" with a social purpose, and an estimated 31 million more are interested in doing likewise, according to a study by the MetLife Foundation and nonprofit Encore.org.

    Moreover, the timing for such a move seems propitious. Many nonprofits are actively seeking seasoned businesspeople (and, increasingly, they're willing to offer salaries that are closer to for-profit pay than in the past. A recent survey by Houston-based executive recruiters The Alexander Group says that, since 2007, 61% of nonprofits have hired executives from the business world, and 84% of those organizations report that these hires have adjusted to their new jobs "extremely well."

    "The boundaries between for-profit and not-for-profit have been blurring for a while now," says Alexander Group managing director Jane Howze, who has done many executive and board searches for nonprofits. "We expect that opportunities to move between the two sectors will keep growing."

    In bringing businesspeople on board, nonprofit hiring managers look for volunteer board experience and fundraising skill above all, the survey found. More than half (57%) have hired a new chief development officer (read: head fundraiser) in the past five years, with chief financial officers and chief marketing officers tied for second place: about 45% of nonprofits have hired one or both.

    "The economic downturn has hit nonprofits particularly hard, which explains the emphasis on recruiting people who" -- like you -- "have a proven track record of raising money for a cause," Howze notes. Alas, fundraising has no direct corporate equivalent, so anyone hankering to apply for a job as chief development officer "needs to go out and do it," Howze says. "Pick a cause you're passionate about and volunteer to run a fundraising drive."

    It's also possible now to get some formal credentials in the field, Howze adds. In the past few years, more and more colleges have started offering courses and degrees like Columbia University's M.S. in fundraising management, or a similar program at The Fund Raising School at Indiana University's Center on Philanthropy in Indianapolis.

    "But before you go after this kind of job, talk with as many people as you can who are already doing it," Howze advises. "Fundraising takes many different forms, and each one calls for different aptitudes and skills."

    Someone who's good at writing grant applications, for instance, may struggle with organizing a charity bike-a-thon, or vice versa, and both are in turn quite different from soliciting "planned giving" -- that is, estate planning -- donations: "It's important to make sure you understand how a given nonprofit raises its money, and whether you have a knack for that particular approach. You want to succeed, and you also want to love what you do."

    As for where to start looking for nonprofit job openings, these online resources are a good place to start:

• Encore Career Finder — Scours the Internet to find more than 5 million "encore-friendly" job listings

• Commongood Careers — A small, selective database of executive and middle management openings at nonprofits

• Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group — A search firm that posts select senior positions at nonprofits

• Opportunity Knocks — A lively and comprehensive nonprofit job board

• Bridgestar — Listings for board openings and jobs at nonprofits, plus information on making the transition from the business world.

    Good luck!