The following are welcome to post on Idealist: nonprofits, government agencies, community groups, recruitment firms, consultants / vendors to nonprofits, social enterprises, and for-profit businesses with social-impact positions.
Nonprofits
Also known as non governmental organizations (NGOs), nonprofit organizations exist for public benefit and their revenue is used to further their mission, rather than distributing it as profits or dividends. To be included in Idealist's nonprofit database, nonprofits must be fully operational.
Organizations based in the US must be legally registered as nonprofits or have some other kind of documentation (such as a website or brochure) that clearly states their mission and describes their nonprofit activities.
Organizations based outside the US must be able to provide documentation that proves their nonprofit status in their country.
Government Agencies
Government agencies are organizations that are administered by local, city, state, or federal government. For example, a city’s department of parks and recreation or a public school district.
Community Groups
Community groups can be any organization with a social mission that doesn’t fall into our other categories. Community groups may include mutual aid groups, common interest groups, grassroots organizations, and more.
Consultants/ Vendors to Nonprofits
This category refers to companies that provide services or sell goods to nonprofit organizations such as communications, fundraising, certain types of software, etc. Both consultants and vendors must clearly demonstrate, via their website or other documentation, their work with the nonprofit community.
Recruitment Firms
Recruiting agencies that offer staffing services to nonprofits are allowed to post openings on behalf of their clients as well as their own internal staff opportunities on our site.
Businesses - Social Enterprises and traditional for-profit companies with social-impact missions
Social Enterprises are social impact-driven businesses. Their primary purpose should be to use the company’s for-profit business model and strategies to achieve a social mission. To be eligible to post on Idealist, a social enterprise must meet the definition above and clearly demonstrate, via their website or other public documentation, that their for-profit business model has the primary purpose to achieve a social mission and that they are currently fully operational with impact-related results.
There is no legal designation for social enterprises in the U.S., but these companies can become certified as B-Corporations or join social enterprise networks. Social enterprises are not required to be legally registered or certified as such in order to be listed on Idealist. The United Kingdom has a legal status for social enterprises, and some other countries also choose to legally recognize these kinds of businesses.
Approved traditional for-profit companies are allowed to post social-impact positions that are dedicated to making the world a better place and can generally fall under these areas: Sustainability, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Citizenship / Engagement / Responsibility, Philanthropy, and Healthcare & Healing. If you would like to post a position that you aren't sure about, please contact us.
- Sustainability: from income inequality to climate change, these jobs and internships are focused on meeting the present social, economic, and environmental needs of the corporation in strategic ways that do not compromise the future of society.
- Diversity & Inclusion: these positions have direct focus on initiatives that empower and include individuals and create a diverse workforce by respecting and appreciating what makes everyone different, including, but not limited to, age, religion, ethnicity, gender, education, ideology, and sexual orientation.
- Corporate Engagement / Citizenship / Responsibility: this type of job or internship focuses on internal and external efforts of the corporation which generally enhance society. This might include volunteer programs, employee engagement or citizenship, community belonging initiatives, or partnerships with nonprofits.
- Philanthropy: these positions focus on corporate giving, whether it is through employee programs, an established foundation, or the general donation of money, goods, and services to organizations which focus on the public good.
- Healthcare & Healing: these jobs and internships either focus on providing healthcare directly to patients or help support others doing the same (like record-keeping or appointment-setting for a doctor).
Idealist does NOT include:
- Any organization that promotes hate or violence
- For-profit or nonprofit military or intelligence organizations
- Organizations with sole purpose of vending to or supporting military or intelligence organizations
- Any organization that engages in violent use of force
- The federal Department of Homeland Security
- Personal projects or webpages
- Organizations that are still in the planning stages
- Any for-profit company which has the primary purpose to sell or distribute tobacco, weapons, or firearms.
Additionally, consultants and recruiters may not post any opportunities for the above prohibited organization types.
Still wondering if your organization is eligible to join the Idealist community? Contact our team!
