UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Question: What employment sector has a do-good mission, rising salaries, expanding opportunities and an appetite for seasoned workers?

If you were to ask the 700 or so attendees of the recent “Philanthropy Day” gathering, the consensus would most likely be: the not-for-profit industry, which encompasses organizations ranging from Canine Companions for Independence to the National Organization for Women.

This is a field of interest for all those corporate types looking for second or third careers, as well as the younger generation of workers bred with an instinct to give back even before they have taken very much.

Those entering the field years ago may have seen themselves as what one author calls “accidental fundraisers.” But now there is “a growing body of knowledge on the subject of philanthropy,” says Marsha Gittleman, president of the Long Island, N.Y., chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, which sponsored the day of workshops, networking and career development sessions.

And that knowledge and interest in the field have given rise to educational programs such as the certificate for development and fundraising management at Molloy College and a master’s degree in public and nonprofit management and policy at New York University.

And while salaries may not be at investment-banker levels, there is less disparity between the for-profit and not-for-profit paycheck than people expect, according to Ann Brancato, who spoke at a “Philanthropy Day” roundtable session on “Strategic Planning for Your Career.” She’s president of Ann Brancato & Associates, a recruiting and consulting company in Manhattan, Long Island and Virginia.

Still, people from both the profit and nonprofit sectors face similar career issues. Roundtable participants looked for direction with such issues as plotting a course that will lead them to a chief executive spot, determining if it’s time to move on to a different career, or deciding whether or not to jump ship to a different agency.

Reflecting a generation that is talented and eager to move ahead, one 20-something with less than two years in her job at a national nonprofit spoke of the frustration of the lack of advancement opportunities. “How do you keep yourself feeling fresh,” she asked, “when there’s no room to be promoted?”

One suggestion from Brancato: Consider moving from the field office to headquarters.

The young woman later got some one-on-one coaching from Katherine M. Fritz, senior director of income development for the American Cancer Society, who suggested she ask her employer for “a retention plan” that would provide “incremental growth opportunities.”