Behind closed doors, 80 employers set up tables, laid out materials, and reviewed the openings they wanted to fill within their organizations. Meanwhile, in the Campus Center lobby, students and alumni waited—resumes in hand—for their chance to learn more about the organizations and what internship, employment, and volunteer opportunities each had to offer.
This isn’t a standard career fair. It specifically targets those interested in the nonprofit sector. Each year, the IU Indianapolis Nonprofit Expo serves as a connection point for students and nonprofit, government, and community organizations. It’s at this event that the two sides find common ground and fill openings across the state.
Kathy Mikula with Girl Scouts of Central Indiana attended previous Nonprofit Expo events. Mikula said her organization has had success finding students at the Expo to join their team. That’s why they return each year.
“We wanted to come out with everyone else as a not-for-profit and see what has changed,” Mikula said. “We’re primarily looking to fill job openings, but we’re also always looking for volunteers.”
Just as the Expo provides opportunities for well-established organizations to see what’s coming down the nonprofit talent pipeline, it gives up-and-coming nonprofits the chance to recruit volunteers and employees.
Molly Adams’ first trip to the Expo was as a representative for the Million Meal Movement, a hunger relief organization serving Hoosiers statewide.
“We wanted to raise awareness of our mission and organization,” she said. “We were a fairly new group so it was an opportunity to promote volunteerism.”
It wasn’t long before students began to line up at Adams’ table, giving her the chance to introduce them to her organization’s mission. The opportunity paid off for the students who volunteered and for the organization.
“That’s exactly the kind of interaction we needed,” Adams said, smiling. “We wanted to get our name out there and build our volunteer base. We’re a full-time staff of two, so we’re looking for people who can fill in those gaps.”
For students, filling the gaps means gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the nonprofit sector and making face-to-face connections with potential employers.
“I didn’t even realize there were this many nonprofits,” Michele Annee said as she scanned the room. Annee was working on her Nonprofit Management Certificate and minoring in Public and Nonprofit Financial Management during her first Nonprofit Expo.
“I was shocked there were so many nonprofits,” added Brandon Rubacha.
Rubacha planned to build on his Public Safety Management undergraduate degree and pursue a master’s degree in Public Affairs. He said the Expo provided an opportunity to see what was out there in the nonprofit world and how he might fit into that landscape.
“This event helped me see the vast number of diverse groups available,” he said. “We can sit in the classroom and talk about the different areas students can pursue, but meeting the actual companies, seeing what they do and how they work is really important. It gives you an idea of what you want to do.”
O’Neill students and alumni alike see the Nonprofit Expo is a melting pot of opportunities for those looking to improve the communities in which they live.
When Lauren French attended, she was in O’Neill’s Accelerated Master’s Program, earning her bachelor’s degree in Civic Leadership while simultaneously working on her Master of Public Affairs in Nonprofit Management. She said the event was especially helpful for students who aren’t local to central Indiana.
“I’m not from Indianapolis, so attending the Nonprofit Expo was incredibly beneficial,” she recalled. “It provided a better understanding of what the nonprofit landscape looks in Indianapolis and around the state.”
It also provides a critical opportunity for students to take advantage of IU Indianapolis’ urban location without leaving campus.
“It brings the jobs to us,” added Oceanik Garrett, a student who attended the Expo. “One reason I picked this university was because it’s in a big city, where the employers are. Events like the Nonprofit Expo really give students a chance to prepare for bigger interviews that can lead to bigger opportunities.”
The Nonprofit Expo is a collaboration between the O’Neill School, the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, IU School of Social Work, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the IU Department of Health Sciences, Herron School of Art + Design, and the School of Health and Human Services.
