Have you been feeling uninspired at work recently? Does it seem like your job lacks a purpose beyond making your bosses more money? Many people dream of having a job that they find motivating, varied and challenging―and one that can help change the world. But in the charity sector you can! Here we look at six reasons why working for a charity is so rewarding.
1. You get to make a difference
A driving factor for many to work at a charity is wanting to make a difference. We spend so many hours of our lives working, often repeating similar cycles of work over and over. This can lead many people to ask, ‘What’s this all for?’ Charities have a very clear sense of purpose. It’s often laid out in a strong mission statement that aims to drive change and make the world a better place. It can be very rewarding to share in this sense of purpose. Finishing each day knowing you’ve contributed towards this is hugely motivating and can give a deep sense of job satisfaction.
2. You work with like-minded people
Ask most people at a charity why working there is so rewarding and they’ll tell you it’s the people. You’ll meet a really broad range of people from different backgrounds and with interesting life experiences. But you’re also likely to have similar beliefs and motivations in supporting a cause and wanting to make a difference.
Fed up with tense competition with colleagues in the corporate world? You’re less likely to find that at a charity where everyone’s working towards the same altruistic goals. This will give you lots of opportunities to make friends and build strong relationships with co-workers, which can have a hugely positive influence on your career. It’s also easy to network across the sector via communities on CharityConnect.
3. There’s a variety of opportunities
There’s a huge breadth of options for charity roles. They cover everything from IT, finance and customer support to marketing, fundraising and data analysis. In fact, you can do almost any corporate job for a charity. Having experience in the charity sector can also make it easier to move from one specialism to another.
Not only is there a wide range of job roles but there’s also variety within roles. You may find yourself at your desk one day, cheering on a fundraising event the next day and meeting beneficiaries the day after that. There’s always lots going on in the charity sector. So there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in new things and develop new skills.
4. They offer good benefits and flexibility
It’s true that you may have to take a small pay cut if you move into the charity sector. But your job satisfaction is likely to increase, which can more than make up for it! Charities need the best people to work for them, so they offer competitive benefits packages, such as 25 days of annual leave as standard (often with extra over Christmas) and employee support programmes.
While salary might not be one of the sector’s biggest benefits, flexibility certainly is! Charity sector employees are significantly more likely to have flexible or remote working options. Charities are often more open to working arrangements such as job shares too. Plus, work for a national or international charity and you might even get the chance to travel.
5. There are lots of opportunities for development
Charities exist to move the world forward and make life better. So there’ll be lots of forward-thinking and interesting projects to get involved in, as well as chances to be creative and innovative. Smaller charities, where there often aren’t enough staff to have particular role specialisms, can have an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach. This means you get experience of a wide range of activities and the chance to expand your skillset.
6. You can live by your values
If you’re in a corporate job but you’re not motivated by profit, or something just feels ‘off’ and you’re not sure what, you may find your work life is at odds with your values.
Charities value people and their ideas and passions. They need to make money on the fundraising side, but that isn’t their ultimate goal. Whether you feel strongly about a particular political issue, would like some flexibility to spend more time with your family, or just feel it’s important to play your part in something more meaningful, working for a charity can help you live by your own values.
A rewarding career move
Working in the charity sector can be an enriching experience both personally and for your career. So why not browse some charity roles today? It could be the best career move you ever make.
This post was originally published in 2019. We’ve updated it to ensure relevance and to reflect the current job seeker experience.
