We Care A Lot
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday June 9, 2007
Job satisfaction is not the only reward, writes Lia Timson.
Not-for-profit, non-profit, charity: there are many ways to describe organisations that operate for a benevolent purpose and do not distribute profits to members or stakeholders. Increasingly this group of like-minded institutions is being described as "the third sector"; a powerhouse in both economic and social terms. Among the assortment of organisations are those providing housing for low-income earners, sports clubs and international aid charities.The National Roundtable of Nonprofit Organisations, a group of 17 agencies representing thousands of organisations, estimates there are 700,000 non-profit organisations in Australia. At last count, in 2000, they contributed $21 billion a year to the economy.Most organisations are small and staffed by volunteers, yet the sector employs more than 604,000 people, or 6.8 per cent of the working population.Some employees rose through the ranks after volunteering, others transferred from the public or private sectors.David Britton, fundraising and communications director of the Fred Hollows Foundation, left the rat race of politics for a job he says is much less stressful and incredibly satisfying. He was press secretary to former NSW premier Bob Carr and fought state and federal elections for the Labor Party through his public affairs firm."I passionately believed in politics and still do, but after a while I got a bit stale and wanted a fresh challenge," he says of his decision to work in the field of social welfare.Seeing blind peeople who previously couldn't feed themselves have their life transformed by eye surgery puts things into perspective, he says.Wages have been historically low, though organisations are coming up with attractive packages to lure the professionals needed to sustain increasingly complex accountability and governance requirements. Mission Australia, for example, has competitive wages and retail discount schemes. It has more than 50 vacancies Australia-wide.Bronwen Dalton, of the Centre for Community Organisations and Management at the University of Technology, Sydney, says: "We're seeing quite competitive packages. Plus non-profits are more democratic workplaces, not focused on the bottom line."There are only a handful of specialist recruiters for the third sector. Richard Green, director of NGO Recruitment is one. He says the sector is misunderstood by the general population. "They think not-for-profits are only charities offering no employment or bad pay. But there are lots of opportunities because there are skill shortages in all areas. One-third of the people I place come from the corporate sector. Some salaries are at lower levels, but in middle management they are comparable," Green says.Kerry Edgecombe, NSW branch manager of ProCare Personnel, specialises in human services staff: those working in health, welfare and community agencies. She says there are shortages at every level of the industry, from psychologists to in-house carers."Everybody wants candidates, with formal qualifications and high social work ethics, good oral and writing skills and interpersonal finesse," she says.Michelle Burrell, acting director of the NSW Council of Social Service says: "We need people who want to contribute to the community, have a sense of fairness and respect, and the will to be socially useful."
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald