Q+A :: How do I get new career doing humanitarian work?
January 7, 2012 | 2 Comments | Leadership, Q+A
QUESTION:
While I love my ministry job and my church, I am becoming increasingly “burned out” and depressed with what I do. Currently our church is having some pretty major financial difficulties, which makes this a good opportunity for me to resign.
I have always felt a unique calling on my life to serve with some sort of humanitarian organization. I see ministries like Feed the Children, Samaritans Purse, Hope for Haiti, Hello Somebody, and Sevenly and I have such a strong desire to do what they are doing. I know that you have very unique ministry, so I am hoping that you could offer me a little bit of advice about how I could begin a new career with an organization like those that I have mentioned.
- Anonymous
ANSWER:
There are really two questions here:
- Should I resign from my current church?
- How do I begin a new career with a humanitarian organization?
I answered the first question yesterday. Click here to read it.
#2 :: How do I begin a new career with a humanitarian organization?
First, determine what you want to do and if you need to get paid.
Second, pray about if there is a specific organization you should work for.
The challenge with step 2 is sometimes God gives us a passion and calling to a general area of ministry, but then we add some of our own extra details and assume our ideas are part of God’s calling. For example, a leader of popular nonprofit told me an average job listings might have 100 applicants but 96 of those 100 will say that God called them to work there.
So pray and be pragmatic, too. Here are a few scenarios for landing a job at a great nonprofit.
5 Routes to Get Your Dream Job
- Any Task / Volunteer (Easy)
If you don’t care what you do and can volunteer while bivocationally work elsewhere, then it can be pretty easy to find a role to fit at a progressive humanitarian organization. Contact them and say you’ll do anything – done. If there is a specific organization you’d love to serve, sometimes this is the only route to go in order to get your foot in the door. Be prepared for it not to be glamorous.
>> I’ve done this before. I shredded a lot of documents. - Any Task / Paid (Moderate)
If you are willing to do anything but also require a paycheck, things get more challenging. The global economy is hurting and fundraising is down for many nonprofits. The causes that are thriving and/or doing cool things may have over 100 people apply for each job position. It helps if you have friends who work there, a well-known reputation, or some remarkably impressive skill.
>> I’ve done this before. I did a lot of manual labor. - Specific Role / Volunteer (Moderate)
What’s your dream job? If you have the skills and competency to do it and can work bivocationally, then approaching an organization by offering to do a specific role for free might just be your ticket to living your dream. When working for free, you can actually sometimes craft a role that never existed before and the organization didn’t even realize they needed. It can be incredibly liberating to be a high level volunteer rather than paid staff – more of what you love, less grunt work, less bureaucracy. It does have its limitations though. Few organizations can successfully assimilate volunteer team members into their organizational rhythm like a paid team member.
>> I’ve gone this route with several organizations. It is the format I used while at LifeChurch.tv for a couple of years, which gave me a tremendous amount of flexibility to float around and work with 7 different departments. - Specific Role / Paid (Tough)
Almost always timing is everything with this. To be available to take a dream role exactly when an organization wants that role filled and has the money to pay you is elusive.
>> I’ve approached organizations and organizations have approached me numerous times, but seldom has the timing been right for both sides. - Start You Own Humanitarian Organization (Tough)
Successful organizations almost always seem cooler from a distance. The closer your get to the core of an organization, the easier it is to see all of their ugly flaws, blemishes, and failures. Your romanticized ideals of a career in humanitarian work probably doesn’t really exist. It could be impossible, but your best chance for getting close to those ideals may actually be starting your own humanitarian organization. If God calls you to start something, one of the sweetest feelings in the world is being in his will regardless of how challenging that may be. However, if you aren’t called, starting something could be one of the worst chapters of your life. Pray about it.
>> I have experienced no greater vocational joy or challenge than to pursue God’s leading to start a nonprofit. However, if you do not feel called, there is a good chance you should stay away from such an undertaking.
3 Keys to Starting a New Career
- Have the skills that pay the bills.
Hopefully you started a decade ago reading the books, learning the skills, and getting the experience you’ll need to competively serve a new career. If you don’t have them, start today and go from there. - Cut through the clutter.
Currently, the U.S. unemployment rate is at 8.5%. Nobody wants the mundane jobs. Causes are cool and among some of the first places people dream about working for. If you seem remotely like everyone else you, are replaceable and boring. How will you impress me? How are you the linchpin I didn’t realize I needed until I met you? Why should I care? Do everything you can to set yourself apart from the other 100 applicants that are boring the HR department. - Follow the Holy Spirit.
Pray, listen, and follow. Doing otherwise could make you miserable.
Questions to Gauge Your Seriousness
- How badly do you want a career like this?
- Would you sacrifice and sell most of your belongings to make it happen?
- Would you sacrifice your other dreams to have the chance to pursue this one?
- Do you want to work at one of the organizations you listed because of what they do (and how they do it) or because they are famous?
Fame is the wrong reason. There are hundreds of nonprofits (often copycats) doing what they do. But the rarity is finding a group that does the “how” well.
If someone came to me offering to work for free, had remarkable skills, took initiative, respected boundaries, and got results, I’d do everything I could to keep that person with my nonprofit. Bringing value along with sincere personal sacrifice is one of the quickest ways to win the heartstrings of a nonprofit founder.
