The mid-career itch to join the social sector

You’ve spent the first decade of your professional experience working in the private sector or in a profession such as medicine, education or legal services. You care about social issues and maybe actively donate to or volunteer for a nonprofit. So how do you navigate a career change into the social sector. And, more specifically, how do you transfer your skills to international development? I joined Grameen Foundation five years ago after spending the first 15 years of my career working in the U.S. nonprofit and public sector on domestic initiatives focused on volunteer service and civic participation. When contemplating a career move in 2008, I knew I wanted to move into the social enterprise space, but I wondered how I could convince an organization that my domestic experience could apply to international contexts. I originally pursued a corporate relations vacancy at Grameen Foundation that ultimately led to conversations about a new initiative it was launching. My skills and experiences were perfectly aligned with what they needed, and they hired me as the director of Bankers without Borders. One of the things that contributes to Grameen Foundation’s strong talent pool and diverse perspectives is the deep and varied expertise of so many of our employees and volunteers. Some joined us after working in technical fields such as software development or banking, while others were previously high school teachers and photographers. Experience is often the best teacher, so we’ve asked four Grameen Foundation employees and volunteers to share their stories and words of wisdom with others. Their stories reinforce the need to have a real passion for the organization, transferrable skills and the willingness to take the risk of leaving your comfort zone. Maribeth Carroll Job: director of talent, Acumen FundEducation: bachelor’s in journalism, University of MarylandPrevious career: human resources at Morgan Stanley Her transition story: Ten years into a human resources career at Morgan Stanley, Maribeth Carroll found herself looking for greater meaning in her work. In her 30s and single, Maribeth questioned whether she was living an indulgent life and how she could better contribute to the world and future generations. She quit her job and took a full year off to explore what brought her happiness and to network and research “social impact” organizations. She ended up volunteering on a human resources assignment with Grameen Foundation through Bankers without Borders — the foundation’s volunteer initiative for skilled professionals — and networked with more than 50 people in the social sector that she had been introduced to through mutual connections. Maribeth returned to the corporate sector after her year off, but two years later she found her dream job as the director of HR at Acumen Fund. Thrilled to work at a nonprofit that operates like a venture capital fund, Carroll said she is able to leverage much of her prior experience. “The day-to-day challenges are very different, but I’m continually learning something new, and I have traveled to India, Pakistan and Kenya, and partner with people whose commitment to this work is inspiring,” Carroll said. “There are days that I miss my former colleagues, disposable income and flying business class, but 95 percent of the time, I consider myself lucky to be contributing to an organization that is truly changing the way the world tackles poverty.” Best piece of advice for others: “Be reflective and self-aware of what your real strengths are (particularly skills that are transferrable), about the compromises you are willing to make, and about what will really keep you engaged and challenged in the long term — as just the idea of “doing good” is not sustainable. Have the humility to realize all that you know to be true may not be relevant in a new sector and you definitely have something new to learn — not just something to teach!” Frank Huster Job: software developer, mobile health, Grameen FoundationPrevious career: photographer, software developer at Microsoft His transition story: After 11 years as a software developer with Microsoft, Frank Huster and his wife left their jobs and traveled the world for a year with their kids, ages two and four. Upon returning to their home in Washington state, they both followed their hearts to the social sector: Frank’s wife went back to school and became a nurse, and Frank became a professional photographer specializing in environmental portraiture and NGO documentary photography. Twelve years later, Frank and his wife changed their careers again – she just got a master’s in public health, and Frank returned to software, working for Grameen Foundation’s mobile health technology initiative. But as Frank likes to say: “This time, I am working in software, but for a cause wholly aligned with my heart.” Best piece of advice for others: “Follow your heart! Nothing beats going to work with a spring in your step.” Kwasi Donkor Job: director, Community Knowledge Worker program (Uganda)Education: Master of Business Administration, Wharton; bachelor’s in electrical engineering, Penn StatePrevious career: sales, banking His transition story: After spending a decade in the United States working in the financial services industry, Kwasi Donkor returned to his native Ghana in 2010 to launch Tigo Cash, a mobile money service offered by Millicom International Cellular. It was during this time that he started working with smallholder farmers who overwhelmingly dominated agriculture and the Ghanaian economy. Kwasi witnessed firsthand the many problems smallholder farmers face, such as limited access to finance for basic inputs, high post-harvest losses and weak marketing structures. The opportunity to help solve some of these more intractable problems using mobile technology and an ecosystem approach led Donkor to Grameen Foundation’s Community Knowledge Worker initiative in Uganda in 2013. As director, his mandate is to leverage the Community Knowledge Worker network to move beyond providing information services to supplying mobile financial services that can help increase farmer’s access to inputs and markets. Donkor has been at Grameen for a few months now and hopes to be able to use the initiative to help improve outcomes for Uganda’s smallholder farmers while making a positive impact on the lives touched by one of the foundation’s flagship initiatives. Best piece of advice for others: ”When taking on a new role, take the time to really reflect and process what drives you so that when you meet challenges you are able muster up the ‘fight’ to overcome them. For me, I am guided by the need to create deep transformational change for my ‘customers.’ This has seen me through the inevitable roadblocks and difficulties inherent in development work in sub-Saharan Africa.” Ann Mei Chang Job: chief innovation officer, Mercy CorpsPrevious career: senior engineering director, GoogleEducation: bachelor’s in computer science, Stanford University Her transition story: Ann Mei Chang has long held the idea of spending the first half of her career in the private sector and the second half in the social sector applying the skills and experience she developed toward social good. The increasing role of mobile technology and innovation in international development gave her the perfect opening to make a transition. As chief innovation officer at Mercy Corps, Ann Mei is responsible for social innovations that harness emerging technologies and new business models. She joined Mercy Corps from the U.S. Department of State, where she served as senior advisor for women and technology in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues through the Franklin Fellowship Program. She previously spent eight years as senior engineering director at Google, where she led worldwide engineering for the company’s mobile applications and services. Before Google, Chang held leadership roles at other technology companies, including Apple, Intuit, SGI and a few startups. Best piece of advice for others: “Private sector experience can be invaluable in the social sector, but it’s easy to get comfortable and keep putting off a move. Make a plan and hold yourself to it!” Are you ready to take the next step in exploring a career in the international development space? Here is some of my own best advice: 1. Get connected. Make a commitment to spend a few hours each week scheduling interviews and meeting with individuals working in the space. Scour your LinkedIn connections to see who is working for an organization or a position of interest. Ask them to share their career stories, words of wisdom and useful connections with you. 2. Imagine yourself in the job. Start looking at job openings in the development space. Ask yourself: “Is this a job I could see myself in? How do my skills and experiences translate? Where do I need to shore up my knowledge of this sector?” And then take the plunge and apply for one. 3. Get some experience. Volunteering on a short-term, skills-based volunteering assignment is a great way to gain experience and learn more about how nonprofits and international development organizations operate. Find opportunities through initiatives such as Bankers without Borders or inquire with an organization you are interested in to see if they might have need for your professional skills on a voluntary basis. 4. Be persistent, flexible and humble. It may take time to find the right job in the right place that lines up with your professional skills and background. Learn more about careers at Grameen Foundation and get helpful advice from others on a career in the social sector. Check out more career advice stories online, and subscribe to Doing Good to receive top international development career and recruitment news.