Job hunters--order the alphabetsoup.

CFRE, CAE, MA, MSW, Ph.D. Lots of letters.

Many people in the nonprofit sector have letters such as those above after their names. As formal courses and certificate programs in nonprofit and philanthropic studies become more prevalent, more such degrees and titles are likely to appear.

"We believe that people who take our training are more likely to get hired if they have our credential," said Lewis Brindle, director of the George H. Heyman Jr. Center of Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University in New York City, although he did not have any statistics about job placement. NYU just started a master's program in nonprofit/philanthropy studies in the fall of 2006 and was awarding certificates in the field before that.

"It all depends on the organization," said Gayle A. Brandel, president and CEO of Professionals for Nonprofits, a search firm that provides temporary, permanent and consulting staff to nonprofits. It has offices in New York and Washington, D.C., and plans to open one in Newark, NJ. "Some of the older established foundations insist that senior staff have degrees and professional credentials, and it makes an initial positive impression when it is listed on their business cards and resumes," she said.

"The down side is that many hiring managers at other nonprofits see the candidate as either overqualified or, worse, narcissistic," said Brandel. "We always advise our candidates to make adjustments," depending on the client, she said.

"In general, I would say yes if you have a credential that obviously can be a help in any situation," said Lisa Brown Morton, who includes SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) after her name. Brown Morton is the president and CEO of Nonprofit HR Solutions, a search firm in Washington, D.C., that deals exclusively with nonprofits. "Something like an MSW (Master of Social Work) or LICSW (Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker) can be very important."

Brown Morton cautioned that credentials can sometimes be a problem for nonprofits. "Certainly at the senior level it is not unheard of for a for-profit company to insist on some kind of credential," Brown Morton said. "Nonprofits are often less stringent because they have less money to work with."

Larry Slesinger, CEO of Slesinger Management Services in Washington, D.C., which specializes in nonprofit higher-level placement, said the letters can be a modest benefit but lack of one is not a problem.

"If there is a demand, it would be for a CPA," Slesinger added. "Even then it doesn't necessarily mean they're a better financial manager. It's just a matter of licensing."