By Tony Moton

According to a recent national survey, 54 percent of nonprofit employers consider volunteer work the most valuable experience a job seeker can have.

Giving your time and energy to nonprofit organizations has benefits that extend beyond those warm, fuzzy feelings. A volunteer effort could actually lead to a satisfying job opportunity that pays.

"A nurse could volunteer at a hospice or community health clinic or do some volunteer work at homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, or even animal shelters," says Jung Fitzpatrick, graduate education and communications coordinator for Idealist.org, a leading nonprofit job site. "The sector is so diverse."

Idealist.org identifies nearly 50 topics of social concern that nonprofit organizations address. Depending on the issue, a volunteer can utilize her educational background to pinpoint any number of specific opportunities.

"It depends on the role you want to play," says Amy Potthast, director of service and graduate education programs at Idealist.org. "But just because you want to work with the environment doesn't mean you have to be an environmental scientist. There's not a strict alignment."

Potthast says educational backgrounds can be mixed and matched with causes, regardless of degree level.

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Potthast encourages people interested in shifting careers to look carefully at themselves and their own backgrounds before launching into a nonprofit job search. Too often, a lack of volunteer experience hurts a candidate's chances - even if her heart is in the right place.

"A lot of people I've talked to have a menu of skills and they want to know who is the highest bidder for that skill set," Potthast says. "You have to think of what skill sets nonprofits need."

Fitzpatrick suggests ways into the nonprofit sector for people with specific career backgrounds:

Accounting - "All nonprofits need bookkeepers and accountants. It might be easier to find these kinds of jobs, but the way we do taxes is different. You could learn by volunteering."

Health Care - "My undergraduate degree is in human biology and I served with AmeriCorps VISTA...[I] learned how to do marketing, and that's what I now do for Idealist."

Management - "These skills are always great. There's always a need for spokespeople and behind-the-scenes people who make things run smoothly."

IT and Computer Science - "People who are programmers or work in systems administration might come from a start-up for-profit company. There's a need for those professional backgrounds and experiences."

Criminal Justice and Security - "You could work with the court to advocate on behalf of social and welfare cases as a child advocate."

Hospitality and Restaurant Management - "One of my colleagues from the industry does event planning for grad fairs. You have to have good customer service skills and being organized. There are nonprofit organizations for the hospitality industry, like Hostelling International and ElderHostel (now called Exploritas)."

Fitzpatrick says there's no better time than the present to get into a giving mode and look ahead to job opportunities with a nonprofit organization.

"Once you open one door, other doors open."