From Humanitarian to Grantmaker: Your Path to Philanthropy in 2025

How to get a job in philanthropy from an executive search recruiter

You've spent years on the other side of the table. Writing grant proposals. Reporting to donors. Jumping through hoops for funding. Now you're wondering: what would it be like to be the one writing the checks?

I spent 2024 doing this at USAID/Zambia and it was thrilling! I was able to write the Request for Proposal that would mobilize $40 million in private sector investment into technology and tech-enabled companies.

I was so excited to see this project happen in 2025… oh well.

I would love to see more of us - experienced humanitarians - move into the philanthropic sector. We are exactly what foundations need right now.

This isn't about escaping the fundraising hamster wheel. Foundation staff have to do their own internal politicking and fundraising to get their funding portfolios too. This is about leveraging your hard-earned field experience to drive systemic change from a different vantage point.

• Skip Ahead to RSVP for a special Career Pivot AMA on June 25 at 8AM to learn about foundation jobs!

Why Philanthropy Needs You

The appeal is obvious. As Dominic Bond, Director of Social Impact at Inicio Partners, puts it: you can influence multiple organizations within a sector (or across several), and you're on the grant-making side of the table, free from the relentless hamster wheel of non-profit fundraising.

The sector is also experiencing fascinating shifts that create openings for thoughtful practitioners like you:

• Collective Impact is King. Passion and purpose are driving philanthropists to align their efforts collectively to tackle social issues. This trend sees donors pooling their resources (time, money, intellect, or information), to support and enable the work of nonprofits.

• Technology Integration. Several well-known and large funders have recently said they are happy for applicants to use Generative AI tools like ChatGPT to help write with their applications, signaling how foundations are adapting to new realities.

• Systems Change Focus. The philanthropic community is increasingly focused on leveraging technology and new methodologies to address long-standing systemic issues, which requires people who understand complexity on the ground.

However, philanthropy roles at Inicio Partners are often highly competitive, attracting heavy interest from job seekers.

Your Humanitarian Edge

Here's what most career changers don't realize: your field experience is invaluable for philanthropy.

The best insights into funder practice come from former grantees. Many non-profit leaders carry stories of both exemplary and difficult funding relationships. Bringing this lived lens is valuable, but it does need to be tempered with a dose of philanthropy reality. What can foundations do differently, and where are the constraints?

As Suba Umathevan notes: "Field experience is powerful, when paired with humility and curiosity." Your humanitarian background gives you:

• Deep Understanding of Implementation Challenges. You know what it really takes to run programs in complex environments.

• Cultural Competency. You understand local contexts in ways that desk-bound program officers often don't.

• Systems Thinking. You've seen how interventions interact with existing power structures and community dynamics.

• Crisis Management Skills. You've pivoted programs during emergencies, which is a skill foundations increasingly value.

What's your biggest question about transitioning to philanthropy? Share it in the comments, and let's help each other navigate this shift.

The Skills You Need to Build

What You Likely Already Possess:

Dominic Bond says humanitarians may already be primed to support philanthropies.

• Grantmaking Experience (Sort Of). If you haven't worked in a foundation, think laterally: have you led regranting initiatives, or supported capacity development in ways that mirror a "grant-plus" model?

• Functional Leadership. Leadership roles (HR, Finance, MERL) often provide strong routes into philanthropy. These roles are about organisational excellence, and many foundations actively seek people with systems experience from the non-profit side.

• Partnership Building. The primary role of philanthropies is often catalytic and many philanthropies want to see leverage in their efforts, requiring convening and collaboration skills you've developed.

What You Need to Develop:

Nora Marketos pointed out that humanitarians may need to develop new skills to succeed in the philanthropy sector.

• The Mindset Shift. From doing the work to enabling others to do the work takes real mindset work.

• Strategic Thinking. Strategic thinking, good networking and communication skills with a wide variety of stakeholders - from internal like boards to external ones like grantees.

• Board Experience. It's useful if you start advising on a board (e.g. of a small non-profit), as it can also help with the funding/advisory function.

Getting on Recruiters' Radar

Start with optimizing your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is not just for the corporate crowd. LinkedIn is your social sector friend too!

• Profile Searchability: Make your achievements searchable. Recruiters are looking for keywords they highlight in job descriptions. You can use Generative AI to find those keywords and use them liberally in your profile.

• Active Networking: Don't just apply to job posts. Instead, connect with professionals inside the organizations you're targeting. Comment thoughtfully on their posts, share insights, and gradually build a relationship.

• Engage with organizations. Follow, comment, attend philanthropy sector events. Network with care and intention. Philanthropy roles are frequently filled through networks rather than recruitment, so staying visible and well networked is vital.

When recruiters like Dominic Bond look at candidates, they want to see:

• Thematic and Geographic Experience: Show a real understanding of what life is like in different parts of the world. Recruiters are looking for people who grasp the structural challenges facing local communities.

• Clear Evidence of Impact: Make it obvious what you've done and why it mattered. Think about quantifiable aspects of your work in every statement.

This means you need to list programs you've designed, budgets you've managed, teams you've built, and outcomes you've achieved. And use numbers to quantify your achievements.

Finally, stop the spray and pray approach.

It's tempting to go after every opportunity you see, but in such a competitive market, you're competing against people who are the perfect fit, and you will lose.

Instead:

• Research foundations thoroughly before applying

• Network your way into organizations first

• Always tell a compelling story.

If a cover letter isn't part of the application process, consider putting a brief 1-paragraph emotional hook at the top of your CV that shows why this particular job matters to you.

Foundation Landscape Right Now

The job market is robust, with 243 live job openings currently posted on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's job board alone.

Key areas seeing growth:

• Impact Investing: The size and importance of the impact investing market has continued to grow. To me, it feels like the market is moving from 'early adopters' to 'early majority' in the innovation adoption curve.

• Collaborative Funding: Anything you read on how to fund effectively, how to really affect systems change, or how to make the biggest impact will highlight the importance of working in collaboration.

• AI and Technology Integration: David Knott, CEO of The National Lottery Community Fund, described AI as 'not just another operational challenge' but 'the defining strategic issue of our time'.

What You're Really Signing Up For

Let's not sugarcoat this transition. Hiring panels often default to prior grant-making experience, which puts you at an initial disadvantage.

The compensation might surprise you, sometimes in good ways, sometimes not. Foundation salaries can vary wildly depending on the organization's size and geographic location.

And the pace? Different. Foundation work operates on longer timelines than emergency response, which can feel both liberating and frustrating.

But here's what makes it worth considering: Programme depth can translate well into grant-making, especially if paired with a grasp of how philanthropy operates. It's about knowing the issue, and engaging with grantee partners, assessing fit, and stewarding support through a grant-making lens.

Your Next Steps

The philanthropy sector needs people who understand implementation challenges, cultural contexts, and the realities of social change work. Your humanitarian experience is essential.

If you are serious about moving into foundations and directing philanthropy, then you can consider following this process for employment success:

This Week:

1. Audit your LinkedIn profile using foundation job descriptions as keyword sources

2. Identify three foundations working in your area of expertise

3. Research their staff on LinkedIn and start following their content

This Month:

1. Attend a philanthropy sector event (many are virtual and open to the public)

2. Join a nonprofit board to gain funding/advisory experience

3. Reach out to five foundation professionals for informational interviews

This Quarter:

1. Apply for 2-3 targeted foundation roles that speak to your specific skills

2. Consider volunteering on a foundation's advisory committee

3. Write a thought piece about your sector for a philanthropy publication

Talk With Dominic This Week

Dominic Bond will be hosting a special Ask Me Anything at 8AM on June 25 this week to discuss the executive search secrets you need to get a job in philanthropy.

Paid Career Pivot Subscribers can RSVP below to attend this session.