Nonprofit Administrative Assistant Resume Examples & Templates
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You have to be a jack of all trades when working as an administrative assistant at a nonprofit. You’ll need an effective resume to show employers that you have the ability to adapt quickly and efficiently to different tasks such as event planning, office operations and fundraising assistance.
We’re here to help with professionally made administrative assistant nonprofit resume examples and guidance to help you land an interview fast.
Start by editing our nonprofit administrative assistant resume samples, or browse our selection of 40+ professionally made resume templates to find the right one for you.
Nonprofit administrative assistant resume example (text version)
Emily Salazar
Portland, OR 97212
(555) 555-5555
example@example.com
Professional Summary
Seasoned nonprofit administrative assistant with over a decade of dedicated service supporting mission-driven organizations. Proficient in managing office operations, coordinating events and maintaining donor databases. Adept at providing seamless administrative support to executive teams, enhancing organizational efficiency and fostering positive stakeholder relationships.
Work History
November 2020 – Current
Oregon Community Foundation – Portland, OR
Nonprofit Administrative Assistant
- Coordinate office activities and operations to ensure efficiency, managing correspondence, including emails, letters and phone calls and redirecting them when appropriate.
- Maintain a database of over 300 donors and increase retention rate by 15% through personalized communication and acknowledgment strategies.
- Assist in planning, organizing and executing five fundraising events, workshops and community outreach programs with an average participation of 5,000 guests.
September 2016 – October 2020
All Hands Raised – Portland, OR
Nonprofit Secretary
- Scheduled, organized, and facilitated board meetings, including sending notices, agendas and meeting minutes.
- Supported the board of directors by preparing materials, agendas and presentations for meetings, reducing meeting preparation time by 20%.
- Composed, proofread and distributed professional business correspondence to internal team members, maintaining record accuracy by 98%.
June 2013 – August 2016
Community Vision Inc – Portland, OR
Nonprofit Receptionist
- Managed incoming and outgoing correspondence, including emails, letters and phone calls.
- Improved board meeting attendance by 10% through timely reminders and scheduling accommodations.
- Served as a point of contact for inquiries and requests from stakeholders, donors and an average of 200 visitors weekly.
Skills
- Database management
- Customer service
- Fundraising strategies
- MS Office
- Data entry and record-keeping
- Nonprofit proficiency
- Time management
- Problem-solving
Education
University of Oregon Eugene, OR
- Bachelor of Science Planning, Public Policy & Management
- Minor in Nonprofit Administration
Certifications
- Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) – (2019)
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) – (2017)
5 essentials of a job-winning nonprofit administrative assistant resume
Contact details
Add your contact information to the top of your resume. Include your full name, city, state, ZIP code, phone number and professional email address. Add your LinkedIn profile and professional website, if applicable. Reference our guide on writing a resume for more advice on creating an effective contact details section.
Personal statement
Your personal statement — also known as a professional summary — is where you introduce yourself and highlight your top qualifications in no more than five sentences.
Your administrative assistant nonprofit resume summary should showcase relevant skills, such as answering phones, greeting guests and assisting with data entry. Include one or two notable accomplishments and touch on how long you’ve been in the industry.
If you are just starting your career, we recommend including a resume objective instead of a professional summary. Your resume objective should focus on career goals and transferable skills such as communication and customer service. For additional guidance, take a look at our guide on writing a resume with no experience.
Skills
The skills section of your resume is where you’ll let hiring managers know what you can offer as an administrative assistant. An impressive nonprofit administrative assistant resume will showcase a mixture of hard skills and soft skills.
Examples of skills you might want to include on your resume are scheduling and coordinating meetings, handling incoming and outgoing mail and email and managing office supplies and equipment.
Nonprofit administrative assistants should have strong communication, organizational and problem-solving skills. They should be proficient in using common office software, such as Microsoft Office and Google Suite, and have experience with database management and record-keeping.
Note your excellent communication and interpersonal skills as well as your technical skills such as experience with data entry and assisting with the preparation of grant proposals, reports and other documents.
Work history
To create the work history section of your resume for a nonprofit administrative assistant resume, start with your present or most recent job and list your remaining work experience in reverse-chronological order.
Remember to mention the job title, employer’s name, company location and the duration of your employment.
Use bullet points to showcase your accomplishments and quantifiable achievements for each role. For example, “Developed and implemented a new filing system that reduced file retrieval time by 50%, resulting in increased staff efficiency and productivity.”
Read our guide on adding work experience to your resume for more advice from career experts.
Education
List your educational background starting with the most recent degree and working backward. Include the name of the schools and the year of graduation. If you did not attend college, provide information about your high school and any relevant courses you have taken since graduating.
The education requirements for a nonprofit administrative assistant can vary depending on the organization and the specific job duties involved. In general, a high school diploma or equivalent is preferred.
However, many employers seek candidates with some post-secondary education, such as an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as business administration, nonprofit management or communications.
See why MyPerfectResume is a 5-star resume builder
Action verbs for a standout nonprofit administrative assistant resume
If you take a look at our nonprofit administrative assistant resume samples, you’ll notice that the work experience bullet points use strong action verbs to make an impact.
Here are some examples of action words you can use for your nonprofit administrative assistant resume:
- Coordinate
- Manage
- Schedule
- Organize
- Maintain
- Prepare
- Develop
- Improve
- Streamline
- Implement
- Research
- Communicate
- Facilitate
- Track
- Assist
- Support
- Respond
- Collaborate
- Prioritize
- Process
Use our nonprofit professional resume samples for administrative assistants to get started or make a resume from scratch using our Resume Builder.
Top skills for your nonprofit administrative assistant resume
Make sure the resume skills you include on your nonprofit administrative assistant resume are relevant to the job description and what the employer is looking for in a candidate.
Here are some examples of nonprofit administrative assistant skills:
- Organizational skills
- Written and verbal communication
- Attention to detail
- Record-keeping
- Data entry
- Administrative tasks
- Microsoft Office
- Google Suite
- Database management
- Social media platforms
- Customer service
- Problem-solving
- Teamwork
- Fundraising
- Nonprofit knowledge
- Volunteer management
- Time management
Candidates who possess these skills and can demonstrate them on their resume and during the interview process are more likely to be successful in securing a job in this field. Explore our library of 800+ resume examples for more inspiration.
Certifications to include on a nonprofit administrative assistant resume
Having relevant certifications, such as a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) or a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP), can also be beneficial.
These certifications can demonstrate to employers that the candidate has a strong understanding of nonprofit administration and best practices.
Create a separate section on your resume for certifications and licenses and list them using bullet points. Here are some certifications you may consider including on your resume:
- Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP)
- Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
- Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
- QuickBooks Certified User
- Salesforce Administrator Certification
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Nonprofit administrative assistant resume FAQ
How do you write a nonprofit administrative assistant resume?
An administrative assistant resume for a nonprofit should highlight your relevant experience and skills with nonprofit organizations and administrative tasks. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Highlight your relevant experience: Focus on your experience in nonprofit organizations, administrative work and customer service. Highlight your specific responsibilities and accomplishments in these areas.
- Include relevant education and certifications: List any relevant education or certifications, such as a degree in nonprofit management, a certification as a nonprofit professional or proficiency in Microsoft Office.
- Quantify your achievements: Use specific numbers and metrics to quantify your achievements, such as “Managed a team of 10 volunteers“ or “Increased fundraising revenue by 20%.“
Make sure to tailor your resume to the job description to catch the attention of the hiring manager. Reference our administrative assistant for nonprofit resume examples for ideas of what to include in your resume.
What is the best format for a nonprofit administrative assistant resume?
Nonprofit administrative assistants are organized professionals with a keen eye for detail. Demonstrate these skills by formatting your resume with clear and easy-to-read sections.
The resume format you use depends on your years of professional experience and on the resume sections that you want to highlight.
If you have more than 10 years of experience, we recommend using the chronological format. Midlevel job seekers should use the combination format. Administrative assistants who are just starting should consider using the functional format.
Our resume templates are customizable so that you can rearrange sections as needed and apply the fonts and colors that work best for you.
Do’s and don’ts for your nonprofit administrative assistant resume
- Use measurable achievements to describe your experience. For example: “Improved donor retention rates by 15%.”
- Use action verbs — such as streamlined and coordinated — to make an impact on your nonprofit administrative assistant resume.
- Tailor your resume to the nonprofit administrative assistant job you are applying for.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your nonprofit administrative assistant resume. For example, “budget management” and “grant awards.”
- Format your nonprofit administrative assistant resume with clear sections and appropriate fonts so that it is easy for ATS software to parse and hiring managers to read.
- Don’t lie about your nonprofit administrative assistant experience and skills.
- Don’t make vague claims about your skills. Instead, provide specific examples of your experience planning fundraisers or streamlining administrative processes.
- Don’t include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Don’t include irrelevant skills and work experience. Focus on relevant skills instead, such as preparing and submitting grant proposals or implementing a new database system.
- Don’t forget to proofread. A nonprofit administrative assistant is expected to have high attention to detail, and your resume should reflect that.
Top 4 tips for interviews for a nonprofit administrative assistant job
Research the organization.
By conducting thorough research, you can gain a better understanding of the nonprofit organization and position you are applying for, which can help you tailor your application materials and interview responses to the specific needs and goals of the organization.
Here are some areas to consider researching:
- The mission and values of the nonprofit organization: Understanding the mission and values of the organization is important to ensure that you align with their goals and are passionate about the work they do.
- Programs and services offered by the nonprofit: Research the programs and services offered by the nonprofit organization to gain a better understanding of their work and how your role as an administrative assistant will support their mission.
- Organizational structure and culture: Research the organizational structure and culture of the nonprofit to get a sense of how the organization operates and how you can best contribute to its success.
- Current events and issues related to the nonprofit’s mission: Be aware of any current events or issues related to the nonprofit’s mission, as this can demonstrate your interest and engagement with the organization’s work.
Practice your answers.
It is important to prepare for your job interview by practicing commonly asked questions. Here are some behavioral interview questions to prepare for:
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
- Provide an example of how you deal with change
- How would your coworkers describe you?
Make sure that you prepare for job-specific questions in addition to behavioral questions. Here are a few nonprofit administrative assistant questions to prepare for:
- What experience do you have working in the nonprofit sector?
- What skills do you possess that make you a good fit for this administrative assistant role?
- How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects at once?
- Can you describe a time when you had to handle a difficult situation or conflict with a coworker or volunteer?
- How do you ensure that you maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information?
- Can you describe your experience with fundraising and donor management?
Prepare questions to ask during the interview.
Turn your interview into a conversation by asking the hiring manager questions about the organization, culture and expectations.
Here are a few questions you can ask during your interview:
- Can you tell me more about the organization’s mission and how the administrative assistant role supports it?
- How does the organization measure success, and how would my performance as an administrative assistant be evaluated?
- What are some of the most significant challenges facing the organization currently, and how can the administrative assistant role help address them?
- How does the organization involve and engage volunteers, and how would the administrative assistant support volunteer management?
- How does the organization approach fundraising, and how would the administrative assistant contribute to those efforts?
Gather references.
Gather your professional references to share with the hiring manager. Make a list of two or three former colleagues and a former manager willing to speak highly about your abilities and performance as a nonprofit administrative assistant.
Cover letter examples for the next step in your administrative career
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- Receptionist Cover Letter
- Store Administrative Assistant Cover Letter
How we reviewed this article
Since 2012, we have helped more than 11 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
Sources
- CHRON. Article. Brenner, Laurie. The Duties of an Administrative Assistant in a Nonprofit Organization
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
- USAHello. Article. How to be a non-profit program assistant
Nilda is a career advice writer. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
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