Non Profit Cover Letter: Samples & Ready-To-Use Templates

For some, work is just a means to an end.

For others, it is a passion. 

For you, it is a calling.

Wanting to help other people is admirable, but on its own insufficient to land a non profit job. 

You must show that you can make a bigger impact than anyone else for someone to spend their limited budget on hiring you. 

In this guide:

• Two non profit cover letter examples: one for someone with experience in the field, and one for someone with no experience.
• How to profit from a flawless cover letter format.
• An oven-ready-to-use template that you can update with your information inside 15 minutes.

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I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your cover letter.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous cover letter was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

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Let’s learn by example. Here are two non-profit cover letter examples. See how they manage their resources to get themselves to an interview. 

Non Profit Cover Letter Examples

The first one comes from Carolyn. She is writing a non profit cover letter for a position of Case Manager, which requires case management experience and service/treatment provision, and coordinating integration activities.

Carolyn has some previous experience and her non-profit cover letter makes use of her achievements to underline that she can step up to the challenge. 

Example #1: Cover Letter For a Non Profit with Experience

Save hours of work and get a cover letter like this. Pick a template, fill it in. Quick and easy. Choose from 18+ cover letter templates and download your cover letter now.

Create your cover letter now

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your cover letter.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous cover letter was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your cover letter now

Text version

Wow, Carolyn is going places, you can be sure of that!

Is this example a little overwhelming? Worried, because you don’t have as much experience?

Don’t fret. 

Here’s a non profit cover letter sample with no experience in this field of work.

Mary is applying to be an intern at a non profit. 

The position calls for someone that will be tracking and analysing legislation, drafting letters of support for key legislation and policies, and developing relevant databases. 

She is still studying, but makes best use of her activities and achievements to show her suitability for the job.

Here’s her non profit cover letter.

Example #2: Cover Letter For Non Profit Internship 

Text version

With a nonprofit cover letter sample like either one of these, you’re gonna be in the conversation. 

Have you written your CV yet? Here’s are our non profit relevant CV guides: 

Social Work CV—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

Internship CV Examples—Template & 25+ Writing Tips

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our good cover letter examples.

Let’s write your own nonprofit cover letter. 

How to Write a Non Profit Cover Letter

Here’s how to write the perfect non profit cover letter:

1. Square Up The Cover Letter Format

Stick to the classic business formatting. 

Make the information readily available, don’t make them work for it.

Here is the standard business cover letter format:

• Make sure it’s the same font as your CV font. Pick one that is easily readable: Calibri, Cambria, Times New Roman, etc. 
• Always ‘Align Left’. There is no need to use justification.
• Use 1.15 line spacing, and leave an empty line between every section and paragraph.
• Use at least a 1-inch margin on every side.
• Perfect cover letter length? 1 page.

Then it’s time to consider what to include in your cover letter.

2. Make a Header With Your Contact Information

You don’t want to have person reading your non profit cover letter have to flip pages, if they decide to give you a shot. 

Make sure the header of your cover letter matches your CV header.

When entering contact details, many people skip the address entirely now, and depending on the job it may be okay, but don’t accidentally forget your email. 

Underneath, enter a space and put down the city and date, and below it, paste the details of the person you are writing your non profit cover letter to. 

We can compare notes:

Cover Letter For Non Profit Organisation: Header 

Expert Hint: Looking to become a full-time social worker? Check the pathways to becoming a social worker in the UK. 

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

3. Introduce Yourself By Identifying The Position You’re Applying For

Demonstrate your ability to get to the point.

Once somebody picks up your non profit cover letter, make sure they can get everything out of it and get out inside the minute. 

So get to the point.

First of all, show that you’ve done your research and address your cover letter by first name. If you don’t know who you’re writing to, use LinkedIn, or just call them up and ask.

At the start of your cover letter, identify which position you’re applying for, and right away give them a reason to keep reading—an achievement, or something that will set you apart from the rest.

You can fill in these [blanks] to get you started. 

Non Profit Cover Letter: Introduction

4. Give Them Reasons To Hire You

At a non-profit, you need to be a problem solver. 

They don’t exist to earn money, they exist to solve problems.

Consider—what are their problems right now? 

It’s easy.

The answers are within the job posting. Scour it for the most important skills and characteristics, and think how you can relate your own past achievements to prove you can handle it with ease. 

This is what makes the second paragraph of the non profit cover letter.

Back it up from numbers and achievements from your CV.

See this paragraph from one of our sample cover letters for non profits: 

Non Profit Cover Letter Sample: Second Paragraph

Expert Hint: A lot of people entering the non profit sector have a volunteering background. How to describe it to stand out from everyone else’s volunteering gap year? Check out the guide to putting your volunteering experience on your CV and non profit cover letter in the best way.

5. Present Your Research Of The Employer 

Let’s not kid ourselves. 

People are often steered into this sector by conviction. By ideological reasons.

It is fine to display this. What is better, however, is to display having done genuine research into the organisation that you’re applying to join. 

Find out what they’re really about. There will be one little nugget of info somewhere that is important to the person reading your non profit cover letter. Try to find it. 

Fill in the [blanks]:

Non Profit Cover Letter Sample: Third Paragraph

6. Request An Interview and Sign Off 

Non profit cover letters come a dime a dozen.

There aren’t a lot of openings. A lot of candidates come from academic backgrounds.

There’s gonna be a lot of ‘hope to hear’-ing. 

Let them hope. 

When signing off your cover letter—

Explicitly ask for a call or a meeting.

Like this:

Non Profit Cover Letter Example: Sign Off With a Call to Action

Expert Hint: If you’re applying online, there are some specific issues to keep in mind when sending your non profit cover letter electronically, which our email cover letter guide will clue you up on. 

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Key Points

As you write a cover letter for nonprofit positions, remember to:

• Match the cover letter header to your CV header, and check that the contact info is up to date—both for you and the hiring person. 
• Identify the position you’re applying to, and introduce yourself with a relevant achievement in the first paragraph.
• List your best achievements that match the requirements of the job, and back them up with numbers and evidence in the second paragraph of your non profit cover letter. 
• Show some genuine interest in the organisation and the cause, do some research, and write about something that struck a chord with you in your last paragraph. 
• Request an interview and sign formally. 

Do you have any more questions about writing a cover letter for non profit jobs? Did you find our non profit cover letter examples helpful? Leave us a comment, I’ll be more than happy to hear from you!

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