JOIN USGone are the days when NGO’s or The Third Sector as we call them used be a completely unconventional option among the well educated youth.
Today, the number of successful corporate executives chucking up a rewarding conventional career to make a difference at an individual level is growing more than ever before. The examples range from consultants to bankers to advertising and media professionals. Not so long ago, the only careers that seem to be promising or attractive were either of a government official, engineer, doctor or job in defense sector because of their social acceptance and prestige in our society. But this is no longer the situation any more.
The Third Sector is now gaining momentum and is no longer a second option when it comes to job priority. There are various reasons which have lead to this change. The NGO sector of India today is much more organized in comparison to what it was a decade ago and is coming out of the transition phase. NGOs are ensuring good practices in terms of communication, accountability, governance and of course work culture.
There has been a major investment by multi nationals companies in India which are supporting the NGO’s for various projects. Working with these companies increases the efficiency of the NGO’s as well as help them in being more structured and organized in their approach. In short there is a pull factor by the NGO’s or the Third Sector itself to make it more attractive to the serious intellectual professionals who wanted to grow and learn in an organized professional environment.
Another factor that has also contributed to this environment that has facilitated this change is that the Third Sector is open to all the profiles instead of being rigid in its structure. Though there are specialized courses like BSW & MSW but the sector is open to all profiles and background professionals whether is an MBA, a Finance person, Communication Person, Branding or marketing professional, HR or a content writer, all are free to join a development organization.
The people who are contributing nowadays are much more responsible, intelligent and are able to link such an act directly to their business results. Many professional have left the corporate world and joined hands with NGOs. They are using the same skill sets that were earlier being used by them to boost an organization's bottom line however today they are much happier as their efforts are towards making this world a better place for all of us which is more satisfying and a rewarding career move for them.
Many people working in Smile Foundation comes from a corporate background. If you ask them the reason for this transition most of them will tell you that one might not get super rich working in a third sector but one will have a rewarding life leading to self-fulfillment beyond materialism. Moreover this sector gives you a work life balance; the work culture here is more humane. In Corporate you get big bucks for huge target under immense pressure leaving no time for your personal life. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have targets or pressure in The Third Sector. You have of course deadlines to meet, standard and expectations of highly professional donors to match in this sector also but the kick is that of self satisfaction which you see in the lives of the beneficiaries of your work.
Moreover there are immense opportunities to showcase your talent by trainings, seminars, conducting employee engagement, events etc. The most important thing you can do to rise in the ranks of a non-profit is to display willingness to be a team player and be eager to help out at both complicated and mundane tasks. In Smile you have no set bench mark, you are free to explore and create a benchmark for yourself. We teach basically how to be a complete in charge of your work from getting funds, managing them, utilizing them in a fruitful way and then showcasing the report of your work.
In short we can end by saying that as multinational corporations join the international development community, the lines between sectors corporate, non-profit, government – are blurring. At the individual level, this means people are not only changing jobs, but crossing once rigid sector boundaries. If executed thoughtfully, a corporate-NGO transition can reward the job seeker with new career satisfaction and a sense of meaningful impact.