Charity, Not-for-profit & NGO

You might think that the only people who actually pursue careers in the third sector are Bob “give us your (insert swear word here) money” Geldof, Pudsey the Bear and Lance Armstrong (N.B. this is not the first man to walk on the moon). Or that the industry is chock-a-block with holier-than-thou types, whose non-ironic fancy dress of choice is a halo and a pair of wings.

One of the main draws of working in the charity sector is variety. Virtually anything you can think of will be involved with a charity in one way or another. Depending on where your passion lies, you could turn your hand to a number of different sectors: working with animals, raising money for cancer charities or working for environmental charities.

In not-for-profit organisations, every penny of profit made goes back into the cause. The term NGO (sounds a bit militant, doesn’t it?) stands for ‘non-governmental organisation’. The clue is in the name: it’s an independent organisation that is not affiliated with the government. NGOs could be set up in response to something that has happened, such as the recent tsunami in Japan.

Charities aid, promote and raise money for the public good. The ‘raising money’ bit is massively important. Charities operate on a shoestring and are hugely dependent on donations. Fundraisers are the lifeblood of the charity sector. Fundraising schemes are getting far more sophisticated than just shaking a bucket of coins outside a train station (not that a bit of bucket shaking ever hurt anyone).

It’s all about marketing too. Larger organisations will put a lot of time and effort into their marketing strategy. So yes, surprisingly there are marketing jobs in the charity sector. Marketing and charity? Who’d have thought it?

Working in the charity, not-for-profit and NGO sector can be unrivalled in terms of job satisfaction. Just think, at the end of each working day, you, yes you, will have helped to make the world a better place. Ok, you’ll more likely be thinking that there is way more to be done. The main thing to remember though is that it’s not just about ‘giving something back’, but about what skills and value you can bring to an organisation. You’ll need to be personable and have excellent oral or written communication skills. In larger charities, you’ll probably be asked to work on a number of different projects at the same time, so being able to multi-task and manage your time effectively is a must.

Volunteering in the charity sector is essential (and yes, it looks good on your CV too). Some elements of volunteer work are just as worthwhile and effective as paid work. But it can’t help to know that you can work permanently for a charity, NGO or not-for-profit organisation. If you’re really lucky, you might get paid a salary too!