Kicking off this series, this week, we are looking at non-profit work and organisations. If you have ever felt called in this area, or are curious about its goings-on, this article is definitely for you! What has God put into your heart when you first heard that word?
by Samuel James Sivanathan
Imagine walking into an ATM spot and finding out that your Debit Card is not with you? The disruption, the frustration and the time taken.... 2023 doesn’t have to be chronic that way. In fact, it could be right the opposite if maybe…just maybe……you and I knew what we are called to do in the coming year. As a kickoff to this series, here are three self-review questions everyone needs to ask:
1) What is our journey? 2) Where are we in this journey’s timeline? 3) Who are we seeking guidance in this journey? What is our journey?
I love the Christian Church and as a child I am always talking about the unity of the Churches.
This I thought would happen if I get myself ordained as a part-time Anglican Priest (while securing a secular job in the marketplace). After 47 years of life, I still love the Christian Church and I am still talking about the unity of Churches. However, I did not seek ordination, neither in any denomination nor in any pastoral capacity. So, it is the same person, but different path. As a child, what was your lifetime dream? While we honor the on-demand occupation like being a medical doctor, software engineer, lawyer, teacher, actor (and the noble list goes on), we are not talking about ‘career trainings’….just childhood dreams.
What has God put into your heart when you first heard that word? What was that word that caused a stirring in your soul? An impression that left you speechless? That ‘wow’ memory (or that ‘what-on-earth-is-happening’ moment).
You might be having a self-talk like this: “I know where this is going but my parents have drilled into me that I needed to be in this particular line of work if I needed to survive in a country like ours.”
Here is the thing, firstly, your parents are right by investing into your future, and secondly, you are called to thrive and not just survive.
So, we may have other questions like ‘my dad broke his back to pay for my MBBS studies so that I could be a doctor one day but, I have an unbreakable passion for marginalised children. How is that going to work out?’ GOOD NEWS! (or rather, GOD NEWS!). This kind of situation is in essence a heavenly combination, where God partners with us.
A good earthly dad who invests into our future and an absolutely good heavenly dad, who invests into our purpose.
You could have any kind of career training but your passion for a cause, is your end goal. At this point, I would love to stress that non-profit work could be the best fit for you. You could be a software engineer who was unfairly dismissed from work but could pioneer a non-governmental movement that upheld a healthy work environment for tech staff. You could be a very experienced pediatrician but are completing your medical career stint in fieldwork for a non-profit (say one that operates in war- torn nations).
You could even be a fresh graduate with a degree in social work itself but serving in the capacities of a key decision maker in a government body that regulates charities in our nation. You could be anyone, doing anything, like the catch phrase from the animated film ‘Zootopia’: “Anyone…Can Be Anything”. Allow me to add that ‘can-be-anything’ is best viewed with our journey’s timeline.
Where are we in this journey’s timeline?
Although I have had over 18 years of work experience in various industries before stepping into this world, I would consider myself a junior in non-profit work with just four years in the bag. Here is the most crucial fact of our journey – nothing is wasted, absolutely nothing!
Every boss that you thought ignored your contribution, every academic degree that felt irrelevant, every experience that doesn’t click, every relationship that devastated your very being than your happy self before - everything is a segue to a divine build-up, for a limitless future.
God allowed its orchestration to starve us of our egoistical false self and set our true compass to a brighter future, one that we can only succeed with Him. It is not the boss or papers or people that makes us…it is what we make out of all that.
Others cannot make me. They cannot make me angry, feel undeserving, and they cannot make me suffer.
One of my teaching pastors quotes this phrase quite frequently - “Only I can give meaning to the event.” A life event only makes me better. It does not destroy me. My many years in other work industries, with its ups and downs, had been solely for this - preparing me to achieve successes in non-profit work.
From managing healthy relationships to stewarding resources, from integrity in financial management to setting team goals. Nothing is wasted. Where are you in your journey? Make an inventory of the past and you will be surprised that it has been a game- changer for the current. Don’t rush the processes of life and embrace the stretch. But then when it gets too comfortable, reconsider. Either stretch the embrace or move out. Both are not time-sensitive but they are threshold sensitive. This is where and when we look for guidance.
Who are we seeking guidance in this journey?
Primarily, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Period. But many a times, the Spirit of God is lovingly louder through people, signs and wonders.
People include wise counsel from extraordinary folks and the not so extraordinary.
For example, if we overtake dangerously while driving on highways and then get flashed at for doing so, that is most likely a wise counsel from the not so extraordinary people (God’s way of protecting us His Children).
Signs could be as simple as being offered a role in some organisation you may not think highly of (while being jobless) and then you happen to read Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” before you got this news.
I have been working for a Christian mission (which naturally falls under the category of non-profit) since mid-2019. As mentioned earlier, I am still a junior in my field with just four years of experience (and yes, I am one of the non-profit babies that grew up to be a toddler during the pandemic).
The lead up to that started with a church-run leadership and discipleship program I was part of in 2018.
Praying pastors called out my life calling like ‘mission’ and childhood dreams like ‘unity of the church’. But I couldn’t jump straight into the work of ‘mission’ and ‘church unity’ until I completed another assignment.
For a period of five months before that, I was involved with another non-profit. Honestly it was pretty run down. My role as a consultant was to save it or recommend re-branding or shut it down. It wasn’t a walk in the park but my very negative experience here and yes a short-lived one, made me realise how blessed I am at my current non-profit outfit I am attached to (I mean, I am probably going to retire here!). Defining Non-Profit
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, ‘non-profit’ is not conducted or maintained for the purpose of making a profit. Therefore, a ‘non-profit organisation’, as defined by the National Council of Non-Profits (NCN, US), are (charitable) to feed, heal, shelter, educate, inspire, enlighten, and nurture people of every age, gender, race, and socioeconomic status, from coast to coast, border to border, and beyond. They foster civic engagement and leadership, drive economic growth, and strengthen the fabric of our communities. People often use the words “non-profit” and “tax exempt” interchangeably. The one common condition is not paying out profits (“no part of the organisation’s net earnings can inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual”). In Malaysia, the non-profit organisations (commonly, globally abbreviated as ‘NPO’) are usually part of the charity tripod (the other two being ‘non-governmental organisations’ and ‘social enterprises’).
The typical starting point for any in the tripod is the Registrar of Societies (RoS) and the Companies Commission of Malaysia (Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia).
Upon registration, the setup will fall into one of these 4 types: ‘Foundations’, ‘Trust Fund’, ‘Companies Limited by Guarantees’ or ‘Society or Organisation’. Why? It is fundamental to know that upon its accurate definition, non-profits are then governed autonomously by various ministries and various agencies linked to the ministry, depending on the nature of the cause.
The post setup task that the Companies Commission does visibly, is to encourage the Malaysian non-profits to adhere to the general MFRS (Malaysian Financial Reporting Standards).
Here is a tip for you ‘future NPO personnel's – professionally governed NPOs are well taken care of financially, but more importantly, stewards the timely production of accounting documents (apart from some thick annual reports and interim fancy story updates). Why should I get involved?
I become the natural means for supernatural intervention. It is a revelation what the Apostle Paul wrote to the people in Galatia - “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
This is from Galatians chapter 6 verse 9, reading from the New King James Version. This is an earthly venture with a heavenly outcome. Why not be part of the divine transaction? Nothing to lose and everything to gain when we say yes to non-profit work. How do I get myself involved?
One of the best ways to get employed is to volunteer in an existing non-profit establishment and build a network of like-minded friends.
Ninety percent of our staff in my workplace were volunteers first, before joining us.
There are other benefits too which may not necessarily be related to non-profit work. Unintentional meetings with future bosses (from other industries), future employees, future vendors and even….your future spouse!
Samuel James Sivanathan THE COURAGE CATALOGUE
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