My Experience Joining the Non-Profit World
This is an installment in the ‘Still Reading the Handbook’ blog series featuring new members of our team.
In the fall of 2025, I began the search for a new job. Though I cast a wide net, I knew in my heart that I wanted to join a non-profit organization.
I felt like my work not only needed to benefit whatever place I worked for, but also do some sort of greater good in the world. While I had done administrative and research work for a church and violence prevention organization, respectively, most of my non-profit experience consisted of volunteering after school at an animal shelter and dropping off the occasional donation to my local food shelf.
After my first interview at The Water Project, I knew this was the place I wanted to join. I had sent out hundreds of applications to non-profit organizations working across a wide spectrum of causes: mental health, violence prevention, political advocacy, food access, maternal healthcare, and, of course, water access. I wasn’t aiming to end up in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) sector specifically; I just knew that I wanted to do something meaningful when I went to work. Nothing seemed more meaningful to me than The Water Project: I had my heart set on it.
Learning Two New Languages
By joining The Water Project, I have been learning two separate new languages: the language of fundraising and the language of the WaSH sector. In just a few months, I have acquired two new sets of vocabulary words.
In May, I couldn’t have explained the difference between a borehole well and a sand dam, or what a recurring donor is. It’s a huge amount of information to take in, but my new team has been so supportive. Donors are so patient and understanding when I need a few extra minutes to look up a process before I can assist them.
Donors Are Part of Every Conversation
Before joining The Water Project, I had no idea how much donor communication non-profits engage in. I guess I figured people write a check and hope the organization does good work with it. I quickly learned that the relationship between donors and an organization is SO important and valued by all parties.
Donors are part of every conversation, and we value their input, not just their money. Building a relationship based on trust, compassion, and honesty is also an incredibly rewarding aspect of this job that I did not anticipate. Everyone I talk to is kind and so welcoming, and I hear the most amazing stories about why water access is important to different people. I love hearing about school classes collecting recycling to earn money to support a well, or about someone’s deeply impactful trip to Kenya that led them to become an advocate.
The Part I Didn’t Expect
I also did not expect the emotional challenge of always having to turn people away. I think that everyone who works in a non-profit wants to help every single person in need, but unfortunately, that just isn’t possible. It pains me to tell people that we do not have resources or teams to build wells in countries such as Pakistan or Tanzania. It’s important to focus on the good we can do, rather than on those we do not have the capacity to assist, but it is still important to push ourselves to grow our capacity so we can expand our reach.
It’s been a hectic first few months as I learn the world of non-profits and of water access, but I couldn’t be happier with where I ended up. I look forward to learning more, building strong relationships, and feeling good about the work I do every single day.
By Stasia DeWitt
Donor Services Coordinator
The Water Project
Another installment in the ‘Still Reading the Handbook‘ blog series will be available next week!
Check out our live impact map here: https://thewaterproject.org/our-water-projects
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