What Is a Program Associate and How to Become One

A program associate fills a variety of roles in nonprofits and professional associations, including that of office administrator, project manager, and strategic planner. In this career, you often work to sustain your organization by managing donor programs, fundraising, and enlisting support from a corporation or government agencies. Depending on your role and the organization, your job duties may include creating plans and budgets, tracking membership or partnerships, calculating donations or other expenditures, developing program literature, and researching or analyzing data. You need to plan and execute events seamlessly, so organizational skills are vital. Common qualifications for a program associate include a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.

The primary qualifications for getting a job as a program associate are a bachelor's degree in a related field and some experience planning and executing events. Program associates work in a variety of fields, so you may need to choose which industry to focus on before you start working towards a degree. If you are not sure what degrees make sense, talk to the staff at your school or contact companies in that industry and ask what sort of education they want to see. Other useful qualities for starting a career as a program associate include interpersonal skills, research skills, budgeting skills, and the ability to travel as needed.