Charity and volunteering
‘We rise by lifting others.’ (Robert Ingersoll)
‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ (Mahatma Gandhi)
A charity is defined in law as an organisation which exists for the benefit of the public. Usually, a charity delivers its services to those it works with, free of charge.
Have you engaged with a charity recently?
Fitzwilliam College is a charity for the promotion of education.
If you’ve been to church, a church is a charity for the promotion of religion.
If you’ve donated or bought something from a charity shop such as Oxfam, Oxfam is a charity for the relief of poverty.
If you’ve stayed in a Youth Hostel, the Youth Hostel Association is a charity which promotes health, recreation and education.
What does this career mean for you?
A career in the charity sector brings many of the same challenges as one in the corporate and public sectors – funding, a strategic and operational plan, an annual budget and risk mitigation. Some of the roles in the charity sector are similar to those in the other two sectors – leadership, management, HR, IT, finance, investment, property.
A career in the charity sector brings the unique experience of front line work with the charity’s beneficiaries, transforming their lives, engaging and bringing hope. Volunteers are as important to a charity as the paid staff.
Social enterprise
’Don’t give poor people a fish and feed them for a day, teach them to fish in the hope of feeding them for a lifetime’. (Thomas L Friedman)
‘Social entrepreneurs will not rest until they have revolutionised the fishing industry.’ (Bill Drayton)
A social enterprise is an organisation which works for a triple bottom line, financial, social and environmental. A social enterprise sits in between the charity sector, which is not for profit and the corporate sector, which is fully for profit. The Judge Business School in Cambridge has a Centre for Social Innovation to help social enterprises to grow.
A career in social enterprise brings more commercial challenges than one in the charity sector, but also has the same job satisfaction of making the world a better place.
Paul Gibson 11 November 2016