Do you sit home every day and think: "God I wish I could be helping somebody."?

These days breaking into non-profit can be a difficult thing to do. There are so many people out there that want to change the world. Working for a non-profit organization is one way to try. Below you will find some helpful tips on how to get into non-profit if you are a recent college graduate or wish to change your career path.

What is a "non-profit" organization? A non-profit organization is defined as an organization that is not conducted or maintained for the sole purpose of making a profit. There are many "non-profits" out there from health care related organizations to education and human rights organizations. Your job is to match your interests and talent with the organization that will suit you best.

Often, the best way to see if the organization is a match for you is by contacting the organization. Many non-profits list web sites and contact information in search directories like 'Yahoo' or 'Excite'. You can begin your search there. However, not all organizations have web sites. In this case, you might want to try your local telephone directory.

Once you have pinpointed the organization that you think you might be interested in, give them a call. Ask them to send you a packet of information on the organization. You might even want to ask for a copy of their annual report. An organization must file an annual report every year so that the IRS can easily keep track of what the organization has done. For example, an organization that has the status of 501c3 must maintain records of funding sources in order to maintain its status as a "non-profit".

An annual report can be a good starting point for you to see if the organization matches your goals. It is a very detailed report of everything from to education, outreach, and advocacy campaigns to special events and other fund related activities.

Next you might want to find out whether or not the organization offers volunteer positions or internships. Often the best way to learn about an organization is by volunteering for the organization. It's a sure fire way to get your feet wet in non-profit. And it is a great way to add some experience to your resume.

Below you will find some of the top volunteer opportunities listed by organizations:
1. Outreach/Education workers.
2. Data Entry.
3. Day of Event Staff (Often if an organization holds an annual Walk-A-Thon or other special event, the organization will seek help on that day so that the event will run smoothly.)
4. Advocacy Volunteers (Some organizations seek people whom are passionate enough begin letter writing campaigns or even visit their local elected officials to advocate for more funding or perhaps to persuade a politician to vote on a specific bill.)
5. The Phone-A-Thon.

By volunteering your time to help with events such as these, you will definitely learn about the inner workings of a non-profit. If you are a college student looking for college credit you might want to apply as an intern for the organization. Internships generally last a semester, depending on the college as well as the organization's requirements. In fact, many colleges require that an internship is conducted in order for the student to graduate.

Human resource directors within non-profits often rate those who have done volunteer work higher than those who may not have participated in activities within other organizations. Show them you care... Volunteer for a non-profit. It may actually open some doors for you.

Once you have lined up a volunteer position, take notes. Notice how many full-time staff work at the organization. Often, a key to learning if you will succeed in the organization is by finding out how big or small the organization is. Are there four full-time staff or four hundred? If the organization is a small one don't lose hope. Just because an organization is small does not mean that it isn't going to want to hire you. Many organizations actually strive because they are smaller than others. It just means that you will have more competition in your search.

There are other things that are important to research as well. Find out how long the organization has been in existence. When was it founded? Who was the founder? It's the who, what, when, where, and why that you want to know. How the organization was created is important to know as well, however, this might take a bit longer to learn. But go for it. You will gain the insight that you need to compete with others in the field.

Now that you have some experience, and have learned the history and scope of the organization, you will need to learn one more thing if you are interested in succeeding in the organization. This piece of information can in fact be the most valuable piece of information that you will ever learn about the organization and its success to date. What is this vital piece of information, you ask? Well, the answer is simple really. What you need to learn is about turn-over within the organization. Turn-over can determine the actual success of the organization in the future. An organization with a high turn-over rate may not necessarily mean that the organization is going to fail, but it may not meet your own personal goals and objectives. Sadly, there are many nationally recognized organizations that have become revolving doors because of several factors.

One factor in an organization becoming a revolving door may be a feeling of incoherence or inconsistency of the organization. This feeling may stem from a boss who does not seem to care about his or her staff, but other times can grow out of the idea that not enough is being done for the community with which the organization is affiliated.

Sometimes staff within an organization will feel like the organization is falling apart, but to an outside audience the organization appears to be just fine. This is often because there is a lot of internal frenzy within the non-profit world. Not always in a bad way, but because there are a lot of organizations that do not have enough support staff or volunteers, there may be a cause to panic if staff do not feel they can pull an event off. Nine times out of ten the event will turn out great in the public eye, but not to management. This can lead to a person's decision to leave the organization as well.

Often, people choose to leave non-profit because fund-raising is never guaranteed, and that may lead to an overwhelming feeling of disparity or insecurity. Trends constantly change in non-profit. What might be a popular organization today may not be a hot place to be two or three years from today.

After finding out whether or not the organization has a high turn-over rate you can decide for yourself if you want to be affiliated with the organization. The choice is yours... you now have the power to choose.

You must design your own path. Don't let others tell you what is right or wrong, you have the key to unlock the door to success in the non-profit world... Now you must open the door to success in non-profit!