Healthy communities mean healthy economies and the non-profit sector plays a vital role in ensuring that people in greater Halifax have access to the programs and services they need to live safe, productive lives. What you might not realize is just how much charities and non-profits contribute to the labour market, providing career opportunities and skills development that align with personal values and community and workforce needs.
“In terms of creating a healthy and strong society, the not-for-profit sector is holding this community together,” says Heather Byrne, Executive Director of Alice House, an organization that provides transitional housing for women and children escaping intimate partner violence. “We work hand-in-hand with the government, private and higher education sectors.”
Approximately 6,000 non-profits and charities in Nova Scotia employ more than 35,000 people and generate annual revenues of approximately $2 billion every year.* In 2015, $135.8 billion was spent by Canadian registered charities on salaries and other compensation expenditures.†
Why choose to work in the not-for-profit sector?
Innovative and entrepreneurial thinking is not limited to the private sector. In fact, creativity and the ability to improvise are key to success in not-for-profits. It’s a bit like working for a startup: you have to design and implement responsive services, products and programs with limited financial and human resources.
Liam O’Rourke is Executive Director of Lake City Works, a social enterprise that provides skills training, programs and transition services to community employment for people with mental illnesses. He points to “the opportunity to be creative and take on more responsibility and develop leadership skills,” even in an entry level role.
“The not-for-profit sector is a great stepping stone for youth to acquire business skills and we should be encouraging this career opportunity for university and college grads,” says Chair of the Board for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, Cynthia Dorrington. “These organizations are core to the foundations of our economy. Starting or ending your career in this area provides you with a true understanding of what it takes to move a mandate.”
“You end up getting a really broad experience,” adds O’Rourke. “You might get hired for one position, but take on bits of several other positions. We have to work really hard and make use of the resources available, so sitting down with employees and identifying the skillsets that are hidden there is really important.”
A career in non-profit can mean an opportunity to see gaps and expand your role to fill the space available. “We don’t have an IT person, a marketing person or someone coming in and changing the light bulbs!” says Byrne. “Employees here need to problem solve, duck and weave and function outside the roles defined by jobs.”
“It’s an excellent sector to learn about the social condition if you feel strongly about your social justice values and the vulnerable in society,” adds Joanne Bernard, President and CEO of Easter Seals Nova Scotia, which works to improve mobility, accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. Working in not-for-profit also offers a level of flexibility that is difficult to find in other industries.
Jessie Jollymore is Executive Director of Hope Blooms, a social enterprise focused on youth in Halifax’s North End. She sees the unparalleled leadership, conflict resolution, coping and activist skills that come from taking part in the sector from a young age. “Youth start with us when they’re five and graduate when they’re 18. They develop a strong work ethic, a sense of their own skill capacity, find out what they’re interested in and find mentors. By the time they reach Grade 12, they’re on a path to figuring out what they want to do for a career.”
Professional, rewarding careers that keep people and skills here
“Young people are looking for something inspiring that can have a direct impact on their community,” says Adrienne Malloy, recently retired President and CEO of the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation. “Strategic approaches that are measurable are the only way we can succeed in this sector. Fundraising is a profession employing proven methods and approaches. You have to know what you’re doing.”
Post-secondary education in fundraising and philanthropy is available across the country, including right here at Mount Saint Vincent University’s Nonprofit Leadership program and there are national and international accreditations.
Bernard agrees. “It takes a lot more than just wanting to help people. I run a multi-million-dollar business — I’m responsible to government and donors and my staff. I see a shift in the professionalization and sophistication of skills in what are often very complex organizations with all the issues of a for-profit company, but with intense pressures like compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. It’s not just bricks and mortar and the administrative side. It’s what it means to be a person and help people through the most difficult times of their lives.”
People often come to non-profit from the private and public sectors because they’re looking for something more, even taking a pay cut so they can do work that aligns with their purpose and values. “You have to worry about two bottom lines: the clients are as important as the organization being sustainably run. It can be tricky, but when it works, it’s really cool and awesome!” says O’Rourke.
“The not-for-profit sector is one of the biggest employers in the country,” adds Malloy, describing it as a “wonderful career path” that can keep skilled, young people here in Nova Scotia. The Foundation recently secured a communications officer through the province’s Graduate to Opportunity program, which helps organizations hire recent post-secondary graduates into career-track roles by providing wage subsidies.
Challenges and opportunities
It’s no secret that salaries and benefits in the not-for-profit sector are often not competitive with those in the private and public sectors, even though the skill level required is the same or higher. This poses a number of challenges to recruitment and retention: workers spend a certain amount of time developing in the sector, then move on to other things. And the sector, while providing a flexible place for women to find employment, also often underpays those women, creating a gendered wage gap that is difficult to address.
Byrne believes that a key priority should be making the sector more desirable for the long term so qualified, educated people will come and stay. “If we could be competitive with the salary, benefits and pension, then the organizations would be stronger and do better,” she says.
It’s not all bad news. Malloy believes the wage and benefit gap is starting to close because the recognition of the skills required for fundraising and social justice work is growing. “This career path is very appealing to millennials, who want to have an impact in their community.
It’s the connection to cause and people are paid more fairly than they used to be. It’s a very competitive market and salaries are reflecting that more and more.”
Working for a better Halifax
It’s often said that nothing worth doing comes easily. A career in non-profit offers the opportunity to solve problems in innovative and creative ways and put your values into practice every day. It also means finding ways to manage challenging community problems with limited resources.
“These organizations do a lot with very little money,” says Dorrington. “For-profit organizations can learn from them. I would encourage businesses to look at how they can use their corporate social responsibility strategies to lend support to move the yardsticks for these community organizations.”
“Our sector sheds a light on our shared humanity. In the not-for-profit world you have to dig deep and that’s where the richness is!” says Jollymore. “The sector is prime for disrupting! Remember that you’re never standing alone. We’re always better together, we belong to each other, we look after each other.”
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