Charity sector offers rewarding careers with purpose at the core
The non-profit charity sector is a great place to work, with a wide diversity of people involved and plenty of flexibility.
Charities Institute Ireland (Cii) is the representative body for Ireland’s leading and high-impact fundraising charities. Its 280 members employ 25,000 people and represent 40% of the overall public funding provision within the charity and voluntary sector. The aim of Cii is to promote greater transparency and impact for the sector through best practice in governance, fundraising, and financial standards.
In recent years, CEO Áine Myler has seen an increased interest by graduates for work in the sector: “That is largely because it is so varied with so many different parts to it. There are a multitude of different roles beyond the obvious ones of housing, health and education.” The arc of non-profit and charity is much wider than that, and includes areas such as the arts, animal welfare, museums and mountain rescue — to name but a few. “There are an abundance of opportunities for people from different careers coming into the charity sector, but also people who are starting out on the life path. That direct connection between the work that you do and the impact that it has is an awareness that has certainly grown over recent years, particularly amongst young people who are looking for that purpose in their lives.”
The Covid-19 pandemic acted as another influencer in helping people consider new directions in life, many of whom opted for the non-profit charities sector. “I think people saw how charities stepped up across the board through the pandemic, and an awareness of the work they did came to the fore. People found themselves during lockdown pondering what to do with the rest of their lives, and certainly we have seen people from both the public and private sectors who worked in areas like banking and marketing coming across to the charities sector with fantastic transferable skills — all applicable just as much here as they were from where they came.”
People who came from a commercial, profit driven place began to see that work with a social purpose was now where they really wanted to be: “Purpose became more important in a very changed world, and also helped by the flexibility that charities had developed in their work practices because of Covid.”
The vision for Charities Institute Ireland is: “an Ireland that trusts and values charities for the positive contribution they make to solving challenges in our society.” This is underpinned by a mission statement “to provide leadership in the sector by empowering charities to maximise their impact, particularly through best practice in governance, finance and sustainable fundraising management.”
Supporting charities to create positive social change, Cii works with members to help them professionalise and grow their impact to improve the welfare of others. “We envision an Ireland that trusts and values charities for the positive contribution they make to solving challenges in our society.” Providing educational programmes all across Ireland, its goal is to “help to amplify the voices of charities and highlight the positive role they play in society.”
Having taken up the role of CEO in January 2022, Áine Myler is responsible for leading the mission and vision of Cii. A senior business leader and Chartered Surveyor with many years of industry and board-level experience, she was the Director General of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. Throughout her career, she has gravitated towards working with clients who often needed additional advocacy and support, and now serves as a Director of HAIL Housing Association & ChildVision. She is also a member of the Property Services Regulatory Authority.
Funding for charities has improved in recent times, due to a number of factors, not least of which is the ability of non-profits to demonstrate the impact they are having in a measurable way. “From a corporation’s perspective, being able to partner with a very well established charity who can literally show how many additional people and services are being reached is a fantastic way for a company to be able to demonstrate their commitment to the community.”
The National Philanthropy Policy for Ireland 2024-2028, launched last December, is designed “to deepen understanding and knowledge, create an enabling environment and accelerate engagement with philanthropy in Ireland for social good.” The policy is a recognition by Government of the value of philanthropy and a statement of intent to collaborate and support the development of philanthropy to maximise its potential for public good.
“That is another stream of income that will come into the sector, most likely through corporations and foundations,” Áine explains. “A big part of the work that charities need to do around that is to demonstrate the impact we are having — not just by way of services, but also around our commitment and resources as an important aspect. As charities become more professional, more of the work that they do is shown in that way.”
To anybody out there who is considering a move into the non-profit charity sector, Áine has this advice: “My message would be that it is a great place to work, with a wide diversity of people involved. It is much more flexible than people imagine it to be, and I would strongly recommend anyone to go to networking events and attend webinars to get a good sense of what everything is about. Also, many of these events in the charity sector are free. If somebody has an interest in anything from animal welfare to the arts to education, there will be a charity that will fulfil both their work interest and their purpose for life.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
