Guest Julia Devine shares her unique journey and perspectives on navigating the nonprofit sector and transitioning to a consulting practice.
As with many in the nonprofit sector, Julia’s shift to consulting was influenced by the desire for greater flexibility and reduced stress. This led her and a colleague to found their consulting firm, leveraging their deep sector knowledge to aid nonprofit professionals in adapting to new working modalities.
Host Meico Marquette Whitlock shares surprise from the significant statistic that 74% of nonprofit employees are considering job changes, underscoring a widespread desire for better work conditions and alternatives to traditional roles. Julia attributedsthis trend partly to the seismic shifts in work dynamics brought about by the pandemic, which have reshaped expectations around flexibility and remote work.
Julia continues by emphasizing the potential of consulting as a strategic career move for nonprofit professionals seeking autonomy. She notes that consulting could provide a more satisfying work-life balance while still contributing significantly to the sector. Moreover, Julia advises that nonprofits can benefit from engaging consultants to optimize resource allocation and harness specialized skills without the overhead associated with full-time positions.
Julia’s message is that with a mutual benefit structure for both nonprofits and potential consultants: organizations can achieve more with specialized, flexible talent, and professionals can find fulfillment and balance by defining their work terms. Julia’s story is a great example of how adaptive strategies and openness to non-traditional roles can enrich both individual careers and the nonprofit sector at large.