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The corporate world isn’t for everyone. For Nina Kreis, the pull toward work with purpose was always stronger than the desire to sell products or services. Now, having recently graduated from the Non-Profit Management Certificate program, Nina is ready to grow her career in a sector that aligns with her values, while making an even greater impact in her local community.

Growing up in Germany, Nina says she’d always been interested in international affairs and social issues. After obtaining her master’s degree in political science and English literature, Nina launched her career at an energy company.

“The corporate world felt stiff and not very meaningful for me,” says Nina. “I realized that my interest in social issues and non-profit work was not an accident, and I began exploring other career paths.”

She then took a position managing a reading program for refugee children at the German Reading Foundation and has continued to work at non-profit organizations ever since.

In 2018, Nina moved to Vancouver from Germany and began her current role as a coordinator at the Hastings North Area Planning Association, which operates as the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC). Since 1999, the HSCPC has organized volunteers to help address crime and safety concerns, clean up trash and unwanted graffiti, promote community safety, and ultimately, make the Hastings-Sunrise community better for everyone.

Nina’s role involves supervising multiple programs, as well as recruiting, training and managing volunteers. “We’re a small staff team, so we do a bit of everything,” she says.

Despite her strong background in social media, communications, and volunteer programming and coordination, Nina says she felt she was missing some foundational knowledge as a non-profit manager.

“Non-profit organizations are unique,” she explains. “We work with boards of directors and navigate laws and financial regulations differently than other businesses. I knew I needed to deepen my knowledge, so I enrolled in the Non-Profit Management Certificate program.”

Since completing the program, Nina says she’s gained many practical tools that she’s been able to apply to her work.

“Overall, I feel better prepared to steward the organization and make strategic decisions,” she says. “For example, part of the program focused on the strategic planning process, which I was previously unfamiliar with. Earlier this year, my organization went through a planning process, and I could confidently participate and contribute.”

Another skill Nina gained was learning to read financial information, such as balance sheets and financial statements. She’s now able to get involved in creating fundraising plans, writing grant applications, and lobbying provincial and federal governments.

Beyond building her skills, the program gave Nina a chance to dive into the academic literature of non-profit management. “Maybe this is just me,” she laughs, “but I love reading! When you work full time, it can be hard to follow what’s happening in the academic world. This program sparked my curiosity even more than I expected, and I wanted to read more than I had time for.”

Finally, Nina appreciated the opportunity to expand her network and share best practices and ideas with her peers. “The non-profit world can be lonely at times,” she explains. “The community policing centres in Vancouver are siloed between strict jurisdictions, so the networking and discussion parts of the program were great.”

Reflecting on her learning experience, Nina says she feels grateful: “While a program like this is a commitment and takes a lot of work, I never saw the assignments as chores. I could see how they would benefit my role, and by extension, my community, right away. I feel as if I’ve been able to level up in my knowledge and build my confidence.”

What’s next for Nina? “I’m continuing to learn and grow in my current position, and I’m content where I am,” she says. “However, I am now more prepared to eventually move into a senior leadership position and better serve my local community.”

By Aimee Happ