Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia Career Center will hold its annual Nonprofit Volunteer and Career Expo on Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tate Student Center. With more than 100 nonprofits registered to attend, the expo is designed to raise awareness of the wide spectrum of volunteer, internship and career opportunities available in the nonprofit sector. This years’ event is sponsored by the UGA Career Center, Volunteer UGA and Opportunity Knocks, a division of the Georgia Center for Nonprofits.
Through the UGA Nonprofit Expo, students learn that they don’t have to be social work majors to work for a nonprofit organization. Marketing, public relations, finance and education are among the very broad set of skills for which nonprofits are looking. The expo provides an opportunity for students to get acquainted with nonprofits and talk about mutual interests.
UGA Career Center’s Jim Richardson, career consultant and coordinator of the expo, believes that students from all academic disciplines and majors can benefit from attending the expo. Richardson said that “nonprofit organizations provide jobs and internships where students can work for something in which they believe.”
Previous Nonprofit Expo participants believe the event serves as an effective recruiting device for full-time positions, interns and volunteers – the lifeblood of a nonprofit.
“Each semester, I supervise more than 25 college students and consider them an extension of our staff. All interns and volunteers we have enlisted through the Nonprofit Expo are talented, energetic and amazing assets for our organizations,” said Katherine Keith Sims, executive director for Safe Campuses Now in Athens.
Ed Glauser, primary school counselor with Oglethorpe County Schools, sees what a tremendous difference mentors from UGA make in helping his students succeed in school. He currently has more than 100 UGA mentors and hopes to use the Nonprofit Expo as a way to grow the program even more.
Ryan Tucker, business development director with Opportunity Knocks, feels that UGA’s efforts to prepare students for careers in the public sector are more valuable and important now than ever.
“The current economic and political situations have combined to create a huge demand for the services of nonprofits at a time when resources are most scarce,” said Tucker. “This challenging environment demands talented and dedicated individuals to lead – the very kind of individuals that UGA prepares.”
Details and a list of the 2005 Nonprofit Expo participants can be found on the Career Fairs and Events link at www.uga.edu/career.