Why Non Profit?

Many moons ago I regularly wrote a blog. I rarely had trouble coming up with a topic to blather on about. For some reason I had trouble coming up with a topic. So not me, I have an opinion about everything and am not afraid to share. Crystal suggested talking about  a "day in the life of" or why I work in non profit. 

I stumbled into non profit work. I started my career in the building supply industry as a file clerk. I worked my way up to bookkeeper, accountant, then credit manager. I was on maternity leave and the day before I was due to go back to work I got laid off. After fourteen years. It was a tough blow but I figured I would take the summer off with the new baby and my older two kids and look for a job in the fall. Well, the economy just took a nosedive from there and there were no jobs to be had that summer, that fall or that winter. Then, in November my husband got laid off from his job of eight years. Long story short, we were unemployed/underemployed for quite a while. I went to college to get my degree in accounting to help the job search.  My husband finally gets called back to his job only to be diagnosed with cancer three months later! (Spoiler alert- He's ok 🙂)

By now the baby I had at the beginning of the story is four years old and ready for preschool that we can't afford. A neighbor told us about the Head Start program. We looked into it and were able to enroll our daughter. It was great! She learned so much and had a great time. The agency that ran the Head Start also had home energy assistance and we qualified for a one time assistance with our electric bill. What a blessing! 

Hooray! I am done with my degree and my daughter's time with Head Start is coming to an end. At the end of the school year we get the newsletter. This newsletter had something new- job listings! The agency is looking for a staff accountant. I applied and got the job! Since then I have risen through the department and am now the CFO. I love that I can use my skills to give back to the community. We help over 20,000 people a year in one way or another. It is an honor to be a part of that. Some crazy circumstances led me to non profit but I love it.