Whether you’re a recent college graduate or a workforce veteran looking for a career change, the job search can be tough if you don’t have a goal in mind. Do you want to work for a small company, or a large one? Do you want to be close to home or are you open to travel? When you answer questions like these and narrow down your wants and needs for your career, you can go on to pursue a more focused and efficient job search. If you have been considering searching for a nonprofit job, read on to answer some fundamental questions to discover if a nonprofit job is something you should put high on your “to search for” list.

Do you enjoy volunteering?

About a quarter of Americans over the age of 16 volunteer. In fact, approximately 25.3% of them volunteered though or for an organization between September 2010 and September 2014. If you’re one of the many Americans that enjoy giving your time to a charitable organization, then a nonprofit job may be worth considering. Many times, nonprofit organizations will even hire great volunteers that have proven themselves to be great workers for paid positions.

Would you like to have options?

In the U.S. today there are over 1.53 million nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. This includes 1,061,916 public charities, 102,055 private foundations, and 368,278 other types of nonprofit organizations. With numbers like that, you are sure to find an organization that sparks your interest.

Are you looking to earn a steady income?

If you are looking for nonprofit jobs, the cause of the organization is something that is likely to be your big motivator. While you may not get rich working in the nonprofit sector, nonprofit salaries are not always terrible. In fact, in 2010, 9.2% of all wages and salaries paid in the United States came from nonprofit organizations.

Do you want to give back to your community or give your time and talents to a specific cause?

This is arguably the most important question to ask yourself if you are considering seeking employment with a nonprofit. In order to see the value and purpose in your work, you must truly be dedicated to the cause whether that be helping those in poverty, helping animals, caring for children, etc. If you are passionate about the cause, you will be likely to find satisfaction in a nonprofit job.