People often associate volunteering with meaningful work—that is, unpaid labor. Are you cursed to work at your boring day job until retirement because you need to pay the rent?
If you know where to look, you won’t be. Like your typical company, many purpose-driven organizations have general job positions to be filled, such as accountants, designers, and programmers. You don’t need a degree in sustainability or environmental science to start making a difference.
Let’s explore job sites where you can find meaningful jobs in socially conscious organizations.
1. B Task
B Work is a partnership between B Lab, the non-profit that established B-Corp certification, and Fitzy from the Ian Martin recruiting company. From internships to upper management positions, you can search and filter jobs in B Work by criteria such as sphere of influence. That way, you can identify companies that are contributing to the work you’re most passionate about.
New jobs are added almost every day. On B Work, all employers posting job ads are Certified B Corporations. Click “Apply” on the job you are interested in and you will be directed to Fitzii to fill out your application.
2. Work for Good
Initially founded in 1999 as Opportunity Knocks, Work for Good is a non-profit organization and one of the first job boards established that seeks to help people find cause-driven careers.
The site has a detailed job filtering system. You can refine the list based on job type, location, salary, experience and willingness to travel. That’s correct; There are remote and worthwhile jobs that allow you to work from home!
At Work for Good, new jobs are added every day or two. You’ll find job advertisements from organizations such as the Georgia Food Bank Association and Habitat for Humanity. To apply for a job, you will need to create a profile on Work for Good. Profiles also have the added benefit of connecting you directly to potential employers with their job openings.
3. Escape the City
True to its name, Escape the City is for those who are tired of their city life and are looking for an invigorating change in their career. The jobs posted on this site are community focused in nature. For example, you’ll find organizations like The Bike Club, Oddbox, and The Wildlife Trust.
New jobs are added frequently. Escape the City’s newsletter sends you a handpicked list of 10 great jobs every Monday, providing the title of the job position and an overview of what each company does. Jobs range from full-time and remote to those in a fixed location.
To apply, you simply need to follow the instructions on the job description, which includes an email address or link for interested candidates to apply.
4. Idealist
Idealist is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping others develop their careers in social impact. The platform hosts grade-school fairs and provides free resources on their site to make it easier for people to step into the world of cause-driven work.
Use Idealist to find jobs and socially-conscious organizations in your area. You can specify and search for remote positions, as new jobs are added almost every day. The job advertisement will contain an email address or external link to an application.
In addition to work, Idealist also aggregates volunteer opportunities and mutual aid groups on its site. If you haven’t found your calling, try connecting with your community through these channels to gain experience and more knowledge through indirect networking.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking site. As this is a comprehensive career site, you may encounter generic ads for the same nine to five corporate jobs. With LinkedIn, the key is how you search for the jobs you want.
In the search bar, you can get results of jobs that are suitable for your area of expertise and values by typing keywords related to social cause. This search method works best after you’ve optimized your LinkedIn profile. This allows search queries to receive the most relevant search results based on your experience and current situation.
For example, if you are a freelance writer with a marketing degree, fill in the required information in your profile. Then, when you search for a keyword like “dog” in the jobs section, the open positions you’ll see will include positions like editor, content writer, or marketing manager — all at pet-related organizations!
6. GoodGigs
GoodGigs is a clean, simple platform to start your search for meaningful jobs. Most of the organizations posting job ads on GoodGigs are based in the US, so the site is more suitable for people who live in the States.
New jobs are added almost every day. You can search for them by category, ranging from data and finance to human resources.
