Third annual non-profit career fair today

The third-annual non-profit career fair will take place today on the third-floor ballroom of Smith Memorial Student Union. The PSU Career Center, with help from non-profit-career promoter Idealist, has brought together more than 30 non-profit organizations for the purpose of exposing students to non-profit career fields.

From 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. students can talk with representatives of non-profit groups such as Trillium Family Services and the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute.

Dee Thompson, director of the PSU Career Center, has been instrumental in ensuring the non-profit fair continues every year. “The fair is there to give students information about how they can begin careers in non-profit” fields, Thompson said. Different non-profits will be at the fair with representatives and literature.

Thompson suggests students walk around and get businesses cards, “so when they graduate, you know who to contact.” Students don’t presently have to be looking for work, Thompson said, “It’s just for students interested in what’s out there.”

Throughout the fair, panel discussions will take place with non-profit professionals. The careers in fund-raising panel will take place from 11 a.m. to noon. Careers in the international non-profit field is scheduled for the same time. The careers in community development and the non-profit careers in the arts will take place simultaneously from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

At last year’s fair, a previous PSU student commented, “This is my second fair. My first was last year as a job hunter, this year as an employer. I credit this fair with that shift.”

The fair drew 700 students the first year, and “900 students took advantage of the fair last year,” Thompson said.

Idealist has helped Thompson and the PSU Career Center bring the non-profits onto campus. Idealist is “there to help promote the non-profit field,” she said. “They came to us three years ago and said they’d like to put on a non-profit fair.” Listing careers for “promoting the social good,” Idealist.org has an extensive database of non-profit organizations.

“We are very lucky to be the only school in Oregon to have this fair on our campus,” Thompson said. “It’s a great opportunity.”