After six years at university I left with a couple of degrees. Today, you can probably learn most of what I studied through a myriad of websites and apps from science, arts and commerce topics, for a tiny fraction of my student loan…. From using javascript, learning how to speak Español, finance skills and more. […]

  Charlotte Squire talks with environmental scientist and Ekos founder Dr Sean Weaver about carbon financing, saving rain forests and how to turn your world changing dreams into an “enduring reality.”  We start our interview with a series of hand-made fart noises, because Sean Weaver likes to keep things real (see picture above of Sean […]

Tips on taking care of yourself Doing good can be a tough job sometimes – so if you’re going to avoid burning out, you’ll need to take care of yourself. You might be supporting young people with addictions, former refugees with post-traumatic stress disorder, rehabilitating neglected animals, lobbying for urgent action on poverty or climate […]

Ever wondered which tools super-productive and uber-organised people use to get things done? I am lucky to be surrounded by tech start-ups in the shared office space I work in at the Bizdojo where words like Slack, Trello boards and Zaps get bandied around.  I asked a few charity friends (Pat and Reuben from the […]

Birthright New Zealand supports single parent families and their focus is on allowing children to reach their potential.   Last year Birthright Hutt Valley celebrated its 50th birthday – a half century doing good! I spoke to the lovely Christine who manages Birthright Hutt Valley to find out more.   Describe to us Birthright’s central aims […]

Juggling workloads in not-for-profits can often feel overwhelming. We care passionately about the larger vision our work contributes to and it is very easy to overextend yourself. You know…skipping lunch breaks, working overtime, taking work home to lighten the load the next day. We’ve all done it.  Life in non-profit world is busy. Many organisations […]

Last week I was invited to an event titled “Challenges Leading in the Not for Profit World” hosted by McLaren Associates (a recruitment company, with a focus on the not for profit world) alongside Inspire Group. The speaker at the event was Terry Shubkin the CEO (a.k.a Chief Excitement Officer) of Young Enterprise Trust, a […]

A year ago, Kareena and Jenny came into the co-working space I use for Do Good Jobs to test out their notebook designs, get feedback and validate their idea. Forward on one year and they have just listed a job on Do Good Jobs (woohoo!) to recruit a sales person to join their growing social […]

I recently spent time facilitating a number of interview panel workshops. Part of this training involved participants’ having a go role playing as an interviewer. This meant it was necessary for someone to play the part of interviewee (me!). While the focus of the session was on the panel’s activities, observing numerous mock interviews did give […]

“I enjoy working with people, seeing the improvement in tenants lives as well as their homes. I realise how important it is for people to have a stable, safe and well maintained home and how this contributes to their wellbeing in other aspects of their lives” – Liz Kemp Liz is the Housing Officer for […]

  Ok, you’ve made the resolution. It’s a new job for you this year! It’s time to dust off your CV and give it some TLC – it’s makeover time! We sat down in a Facebook Live chat with Antonia from Blue Dot HR a few months back to help answer some of your CV […]

My good buddy Amelia recently drew this picture. Judging by the response she got when she posted it on Facebook, it resonated with a lot of people with week-one back to work blues. So, how can we make life suck less, and for work to be less dumb after an outstanding holiday break? Here are […]

“The great thing about reading is that it broadens your life” –  George R.R. Martin (Author, Game of Thrones). While Game of Thrones might have added some colour (and gore) to my life, there are a whole load more books which have broadened my not for profit career.   Here is a compilation I’ve put […]

Rod Baxter is a long-time youth worker who has just landed a job as New Zealand Red Cross’s National Youth Development Advisor. Tessa Johnstone caught up with him just before the move as he reflected on how he’d ended up staying 14 years in one organisation, and what he had learned along the way. Youth […]

                                         I remember (or rather I get reminded of) the time I gave my sister one lolly for a Christmas present, as I ate the rest of the box (sorry Rachel!). I was very young and […]

  I don’t think anyone ever said to me “Find the place where you thrive.” I always thought I had to find the place where I could have the most impact, do the most good.  But, I’m learning, you have the most impact if you are thriving.    A writer, yoga teacher, human rights advocate, […]

And now, 7 good bits about working for not-for-profits

7 realities about working in the not for profit space.

“Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings” – WH Auden When I first met Dee Dahlberg at Pablos Art Studio, she introduced me to a place that was clearly doing a lot of good in the Wellington community.  Pablos Art Studio provides people who have experience of mental ill health with free materials, tuition […]

If you are planning a career in the charity sector, being a Jack, or Jill, of all trades is pretty much guaranteed to be in your job description. Knowing a little bit (or a lot) about fundraising can be particularly important. This week’s blog provides some expert advice from Kerri Tilby-Price. Kerri runs Exult and […]