By Amisha Shah
22/10/2009
The social sector is increasingly becoming a chosen career option. What needs to be examined, though, are the strategies used by the social sector towards talent retention and prevention of attrition to make this possible. To elaborate further, we spoke to some professionals and organizations to get an understanding of the game plan that the sector has used or can use to motivate talent towards it.
Seeking involvement & fresh ideas through able leadership: Providing youngsters with a platform to initiate their ideas and giving them ownership towards these ideas is one way by which a certain talent pool can be developed within the social sector. At the same time, red tapism, bureaucracy, and corruption can easily disillusion and dissuade the young from staying the course. Thus, talent retention and motivation—despite all odds—becomes the sector’s biggest challenge. However, there have been instances in the past wherein young leaders have made commendable progress in their field and have led by example.
Vishal Talreja is one such individual. It was in the early noughties that India was waking up to the outsourcing trend. Talreja, then in his early twenties, had two choices: to join the mainstream and work his way up the corporate ladder, or to follow his dream. “I realized that spending 10–12 years in a corporate and then returning to work for your cause would be impossible. I wasn’t sure I would be left with as much energy and zeal. I thought it best to start off right then and there” explains Talreja. He and a bunch of friends used to volunteer and teach underprivileged children. He decided to indulge and pursue this movement fulltime. Thus, Dream A Dream—a Bangalore-based NGO that caters to educating underprivileged children—was born.
Today, Dream A Dream has grown phenomenally, working with around 1500 children and as many volunteers who teach everything from computers to sports and the sciences. The organization has about 20 fulltime staff, some with over 17 years of experience and expertise in mainstream corporate sectors.
Employee benefits: Attrition affects not just grassroot organizations but also international ones. One of the techniques that some global organizations have adopted to fend off this phenomenon is providing employees with fringe benefits that few others could afford. Greenpeace, for example, comes up with international conferences and consequent travel and networking opportunities for its employees. Greenpeace is a non-profit environmental organization whose focus on environmental issues such as global warming and whaling has attracted much attention. Parveen Sheriff who manages human resources at Greenpeace’s Bangalore office says, “A majority of our workforce is made up of youngsters. So we formulate our programs to suit this age group. We try and bring in fun elements and perks on the job like international travel on conferences and a chance to meet people from other countries.” Since communication plays a major role in Greenpeace’s work profile, this helps youngsters open up a lot more. Being with an international organization also provides them with the infrastructure required to help their ideas grow.
Job security through uncertain times: Samapti Guha—program coordinator at the Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Tata Institute of Social Sciences at Mumbai—for one believes that all’s well with the non-profit sector. This Centre focuses on the development of change leaders in social sectors for creating sustainable enterprises with a social purpose. According to Guha, “This is one sector where there will always be challenges and work opportunities despite turbulent times.” “The social sector is a substantial employer,” she explains. She feels that in times of recession, more people are becoming aware that what matters most is how much you give back to society. “More people today are taking to the non-profit sector perhaps because they feel the need to find a purpose in life,” Guha concludes.
Chandrashekhar Ponda, general manager (HR) of Child Rights and You (CRY), seconds Guha’s opinion.
“The passion for the cause makes many people apply to our organization. CRY is a value-based organization where every attempt is made to align the working culture with the values that are essential for working in this sector,” he reveals.
Today there are many opportunities—voluntary and paid—sought in both global and localized social sector organizations. According to Guha, “Both grassroot and international organizations are equally important.” “Each has its own function and unique expertise. Hence, they need to work in tandem with one another,” she adds while explaining the career routes in the industry. Social sector, thus, promises opportunities even when the rest of the economy is wobbly.
Better sponsorship & pay: Perhaps the biggest factor that has contributed to the growth of social sector organizations has been increased funding. With most corporates paying salaries that are rocketing skyward, funding is what keeps employees from being lured into mainstream corporate jobs and helps fend off societal pressure to earn and spend more. Talreja attributes the growth of his organization, Dream A Dream, and the retention of social sector workforce to improved inflow of funds. “We used to have a high attrition rate. Usually youngsters view the social sector as a stopover before they head back to work with corporates. But now, with the company’s rising credibility and better funding, things seem to have settled down. Employees feel a certain ownership towards the organization.” He also adds that it helps to have financial support from one’s spouse in addition to one’s monthly income. In fact, familial and peer pressure, in some ways, compelled Talreja to draw a sound working model for his organization. “I always wanted for this organization to pay enough to help employees lead a comfortable life, if not an extravagant one,” he reveals. Today, 16% of the corporate funding for Dream A Dream is used towards operations and salaries. The rest of the money goes towards the organization.
At CRY, 80% of funds are generated by individuals, while 20% comes from corporates. “Fundraising or resource mobilization at CRY is driven with a social justice agenda,” states Ponda. “The primary role is to channelize public action for child rights, in the form of financial and material resources, time, and skills. The endeavor is to get the maximum number of people and organizations involved and lead a people’s movement for the rights of India’s underprivileged children,” he explains.
Self-sustainable plans: Many organizations these days raise funds through events and charity programs. Those like MAYA (Movement for Alternatives and Youth Awareness)—a Bangalore-based organization—have gone to the extent of creating a self-sustainable model of functioning. MAYA addresses two fundamental issues of education and livelihood, while striving to create an empowered and equitable society. The company runs on funds generated by marketing and selling the products created by their taskforce. Their business model involves setting themselves up as a private limited company. An arm of the MAYA group teaches laborers livelihood skills and educating school children in numerous districts across Karnataka and the Andhra region. Mayaorganic is their retail arm, while Labournet is involved with helping artisans and the informal/unorganized sector (which constitutes 90% of India’s taskforce) to develop and market their skills. “We always wanted a sustainable model for the company,” says Alex Rodriguez, Mayaorganic’s director of finance. “We help groups design and develop products. We then put these up in the mainstream markets. This provides the workforce a greater visibility and they get to compete with the best in the industry.” Overall, this forms the backbone to the functioning of MAYA, and the group does not have to rely entirely on external funding.
Formal corporate models within organizations: Many social sector organizations function with set targets, marketing, and sustained flow of funds. This approach is more organized and better planned than an informal work climate. With regard to CRY’s company strategy, Ponda has the following to say: “We, as an organization, have an overall strategy which flows through as key performance parameters for the employees. We regularly review employee performance and create growth opportunities within the organizational structure. Thus, there is accountability that is fixed on every function in the organization.”
Today, the social sector may not compete with the mainstream sector in terms of pay. But there is general stream of consciousness that comes with the knowledge invasion. People are more aware and responsive to the events around them. This has opened up newer thought processes in favor of social causes. It is possible that with each new organization born today, to raise more funds to sustain functioning. The social sector is therefore becoming a more viable career option, fraught with new challenges and opportunities to make a real difference.
Amisha Shah is a freelance writer.
