MBA News: MBA Grads Take For-Profit Social Responsibility Roles

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, more MBA graduates are going on to do “good” work, but just not in traditional nonprofit arenas. Although fewer than 5% of graduates from top business schools work for nonprofit organizations straight out of school, many students are taking positions in social responsibility at Fortune 500 companies or working for companies that address environmental concerns, global poverty or energy access. So while MBA grads understand the importance of charity and social entrepreneurship, they also seek the financial security that does not necessarily come with nonprofit work. According to the article, salaries at nonprofits can be as much as 33% below salaries at for-profit companies. For the 9% of the Class of 2011 at the Yale School of Management who accepted nonprofit jobs, the average starting salary was $80,000, compared with $120,000 for those graduates who went into consulting. Not only do these socially minded MBAs benefit financially from working at larger, multinational, for-profit companies in a social responsibility role, but also, many feel they can make a greater impact with that broader scope.