Why do you do what you do?

I’d like to say that I’ve always wanted to work in the third sector, but that would be a lie. In fact, after graduating last summer I was spending most of my mornings, afternoons, and for that matter, evenings, applying for grad jobs at the big boys in London. However, stumbling into this wonderfully unique sector was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I was finding it difficult to secure a job after university, as I’m sure thousands of other recent graduates were too, so I decided to take up a voluntary internship as an Events and Fundraising Coordinator to fill my days and to gain some proper experience. After just a couple of weeks I realised how diverse and ultimately rewarding, working in the third sector could be – especially within a small charity. I know it’s a cliché, but I was genuinely given real responsibility and my skills were put to good use. I could see the impact I was having, and honestly, I was hooked.

After this, I hit the third sector graduate holy grail – a paid internship. I had managed to convince a well-established international charity that operates in Africa that I was the best person to be their next Communications and Fundraising intern, and so my career in the sector began. I quickly realised I had a flare for online communications and marketing, and being fresh out of university I was able to put this to excellent use to give our charity a sharper edge in the deep dark depths of social media. I was so enthralled by my new found purpose that I even started to go to various sector conferences on my own accord, venturing as far as Geneva on one occasion! I can honestly say that I woke up every morning enthused by the variety of work that awaited me, and by the inspirational people that surrounded me like my CEO, founder of the charity 25 years ago, aged 68 and still relentless in her work ethic.

It was sad to see my six month internship come to an end, but as the old saying goes, as one door closes, another one opens – and indeed it did. I now work for Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, an organisation that supports voluntary and community action across the county as an Events and Communications Coordinator, and I’m enjoying every second of it. The beauty of this job is that I get to work with such a diverse range of community and voluntary groups within the county on a variety of fascinating projects. I’m constantly on my toes and I’m learning so much from what this sector has to offer. Part of my job is to shout about the work that Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire does, which is made easy by the fact that everything we are doing is vital for the sector, the county and most importantly, communities.

It’s safe to say, I’m glad I found my way here.

Find out more about Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire here.

Tell us at DSC why you do what you do, and your story could feature in a future edition of DSC e-news.