What You Might Be Missing

If you're looking to start or transition into a career that allows you to make a positive impact on the world, a career in social impact may be the perfect fit for you. Social impact careers can be found in a variety of places, including non-profits, social enterprises, government, multilateral development agencies, benefit corporations or certified B Corporations, CSR programs within companies and impact investing funds. The goal of these organizations is to create positive change in society and improve the lives of others. Some of these may also have financial returns as a goal.

There are many different career paths to choose from in social impact, depending on your interests, lived experience and skills. You can work in issue areas such as education, health equity, sustainability, financial inclusion, human rights, and more. Some common early stage job titles in social impact include: program manager, social media coordinator, grant writer, community outreach specialist, and impact analyst.

One of the most rewarding aspects of a career in social impact is the opportunity to make a positive difference in the world and allow you to learn the nuances of an issue area that you may be curious about. That said, careers in social change can also be very hard for a series of reasons:

1. Solving for complex problems is harder than people make it out to be. If it were easy, we could have solved many of the world’s most complex problems by now. Among other things, Social change requires critiquing and attacking the systems and powers of privilege that arise from historical inequities. Often referred to as “systems level change” many complex social and environmental problems require excavating, interrogating, examining and challenging these systems — it’s not always for the faint of heart. The absence of this inquiry leads to palliative solutions, things that can help in the moment, but don't often address the 'root causes' of a particular societal problem.
2. Social problems take an emotional toll on individuals who serve in the sector. Many come into this sector hoping to be inspired by stories of success (which are often ‘served up’ by nonprofits to attract funders.) When they actually do the work, they are confronted by the myriad of challenges that the organization faces and/or the issue at hand confronts. It’s also a job where you will hear about adversity often. For every success story, there are many more failures as well. Make sure you have the emotional strength to hear these challenges repeatedly and/or hold space to process and navigate your emotions doing the work. Self-care is vital in this industry, but hard to come by when funding is tight and community needs are aplenty.
3. Social change requires funding, which is not always easy to come by, particularly for new organizations. Anyone contemplating a career in nonprofits should be ‘eyes wide open’ around the perils of fundraising and conduct due diligence around the financial sustainability of an enterprise before jumping into this sector.
4. The nonprofit sector is not the place for an individual to earn outsized financial returns. That may seem obvious to some, but I'm always surprised by how many people who transition from the private sector believe that they should be paid at a 'premium' in the social sector because they are bringing critical skills. That argument misses the underlying 'business model' of social change and deprioritizes the actual skills that are unique to the nonprofit sector (fundraising, grants management, nonprofit accounting, community engagement, among others.) If outsized financial returns are important to you (no judgement if that's the case), consider working in the social sector later in your career OR pursue your social impact goals as your avocation rather than your vocation.

While working in social impact can be challenging at times, the rewards of making a difference in the world can outweigh these challenges. You will build a network of like-minded individuals who share your passion for social impact. You can feel great about the small and big changes you might be involved in over the arc of your career. You can walk away humbled and inspired by the individuals who have overcome tremendous odds in order to thrive and survive.

Overall, a career in social impact can be a fulfilling and impactful way to make a difference in the world. With a variety of career paths, valuable skills and qualifications, and the opportunity to make a positive difference, it's a great option for those who want to create a better world. If you’d like to learn more about how your private sector skills apply to the world of social change, feel free to DM me.