Charity jobs can be highly rewarding. With opportunities to give back to a community, or to contribute to a broader national and international charity effort, charity work can represent challenging but beneficial employment. Whether as a voluntary or a paid worker, charity work can lead to a range of specialist roles, and can also generate long term rewards and career stability. However, charity work can also be stressful, time consuming, and vulnerable to changing public funding policies.
The following list expands on these pros and cons of working for a charity:
1 – Add Value to your Resume
Getting voluntary or paid charity work means that you are able to demonstrate a range of skills to other employers. Charity work shows a deep level of commitment to a good cause, while also demonstrating a willingness to provide support on a voluntary basis. Experience of organising others as part of a charity team can also help you to develop transferable skills for other jobs.
2 – Getting New Experiences
Charity work can expose you to a number of new experiences. Local charity jobs can give you a much greater insight into the needs of people in your area, while working for a larger charity can lead to international postings and experiences.
3 – Giving Back to the Community
Working for a charity, and particularly a local one, is one of the best ways in which you can give something back to your community. Work might include helping out as part of a voluntary shelter, assisting in hospitals, or helping to coordinate a local fundraising drive for an established charitable organisation.
4 – Stability
Charity work can lead to long term job stability and security. Non profits that provide salaries are less likely to go under, and are more likely to be risk averse in terms of expanding as an organisation.
5 – Rewards
Long term commitment to a charity can mean that you receive employment benefits and security. This security might include everything from pensions to generous annual leave, and special allowances.
DISADVANTAGES
By contrast, there are disadvantages to working for a charity that should be taken into consideration by anyone wishing to change careers.
6 – Difficult to Meet Targets
Charity work can be frustrating due to the difficulty of creating and meeting realistic targets. Unlike other businesses, charity work might involve short bursts of activity and a lot of planning. In this way, it can be difficult to organize your time across the year.
7 – High Stress
Any job that involves a lot of direct fundraising, often on small retargets, is going to be stressful. This stress is only magnified by working as part of a small team, or as part of a charity where you might be expected to take on a lot of different roles.
8 – Time Consuming
Charity work takes up a lot of time, which can be difficult even if the work is rewarding. You may find that you struggle to create a work and life balance, and might feel that you are neglecting your friends and family.
9 – Transition from Voluntary to Paid Work
The transition from voluntary to paid work can be difficult depending on a charity, with places and positions often limited. You may need to build up a lot of experience, or just be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
10 – Public Cuts
The experience of working for a charity can be made particularly stressful by public funding cuts for local services. The pressure that shifts to charities to provide support rises as public services are reduced, which can stretch already tight retargets.
About the guest post author:
Patrick Hegarty is a freelance writer with a passion for advising people about getting charity jobs.