How to find a job with purpose
Aligning your passion with the work you’re paid to do
Inspired by philosopher Peter Singer’s concept of effective altruism, my career goal has always been to find jobs that allow me to make the greatest positive impact on the world. When I first started out a decade ago, it was all about companies donating profits and employee time in the form of philanthropy.
Over time, new programs emerged — skills-based volunteering, corporate foundations, company-wide climate change strategies — which were slowly integrated into a more holistic social and environmental impact (SEI) approach.
As more people became invested in the SEI practices of the companies they support, this approach became more important and now covers everything from product design to supplier standards and more. With this came a raft of opportunities to align your passion for doing good, with the job you’re paid to do. Here’s how I landed my dream job in this space and some tips to help you get started.
Inspiring change from the inside
I started my career focused squarely on social and environmental impact, consulting for Fortune 500 companies on their philanthropy and sustainability strategy. But what I quickly realised was that trying to rally groups of passionate people was nothing compared to the kind of scale and impact I could get with technology. So I managed to get my foot in the door at Google and spent eight years learning how to turn ideas into something that can help billions of users.
I worked across a range of functions, from product management and go-to-market, to strategy operations and sales. And I spent a lot of time with Google.org, which is Google’s philanthropic arm that donates funds to non-profits and social enterprises who use technology to do good.
As one of the largest software providers and corporate philanthropists in the world, I tried to learn how they do it, so that one day I could take these lessons and help others make an impact.
After leaving Google, I started my second for-purpose venture, Generous Jewels, a social enterprise which sells ethically crafted jewellery and donates 100% of profits to fighting global poverty.
The next step on my corporate journey was Xero — a global small business platform. In 2019, I joined as the Director of Social and Environmental Impact, building the function from the ground up and developing a strategy that aligned to the values and goals of the organisation. It’s my dream job — I basically have the opportunity to look at everything from new product ideas, responsible business practices, strategic philanthropy, cross-sectoral partnerships, and more.
What do you need to succeed?
If you’re like me and have a deep-seated passion for doing good, you’ve probably thought deeply about the challenges we face in the world and sometimes wish you were out in the community instead of sitting at your desk. That passion is probably the most fundamental trait you need to be successful in this space.
It will keep you going when you hear ‘no’ a million more times than you hear ‘yes’, or feel like you are overwhelmed with a never-ending list of opportunities with limited resources.
The number of stakeholders you need to work with to develop a strong SEI program is huge, and they often have more decision-making power than you do on how resources are allocated. To succeed, you need to advocate for your ideas and partner with the right people across the business to make them happen. Understanding who you need to lobby, how they work and what they care about, then finding mutually beneficial opportunities to do better, is essential.
Having the business acumen to understand the role of SEI in the greater business is also really important, so you can grow the function and make sure you’re adding value to the business. It’s also relevant if you’re working in a non-profit or government — once you get to a leadership level, you need to think systematically about how things work across the organisation and across sectors, rather than just be focused on one great partner or initiative. If you want to make a long-lasting impact, you need to be a systems thinker.
How I spend an average day
My first months at Xero were about developing an SEI strategy custom-fit to Xero, and getting the executive team and board to sign off on it. Then the real work began. I liaised with all the leaders in the business to gain their buy-in and provide the education they needed to understand that SEI isn’t just about altruism — it’s an absolute requirement for the longevity of the business (but it also feels really good to help someone else).
These days, I spend my time working with people across Xero, from communications and workplace experience to procurement and product. I don’t think there’s a function at Xero I haven’t worked with at some point. I’m always trying to find and nurture opportunities that will yield the biggest impact for communities and the planet, while also achieving our business goals so we have the resources to make more of an impact over time.
The best ideas in the world won’t go anywhere without fuel, so working out how to resource each project also takes time.
Recently, I worked with procurement to make sure our suppliers were aligned to the same social and environmental impact values we care about at Xero. More than ever, governments, regulators, investors, employees and other stakeholders are holding businesses accountable to their values. So we wanted to be proactive and make sure we are using our influence and resources to help suppliers evolve their business practices.
Partnering with procurement and legal was a good opportunity to not only meet our compliance requirements (such as the Modern Slavery Act), but also ensure we take every opportunity to make a positive impact, by trickling down our SEI commitments across the business.
We now have our modern slavery statements, a responsible supplier code of conduct (which includes modern slavery and all of our other SEI principles), as well as some ethics stuff. And we’re holding all suppliers to these standards moving forward, and measuring their performance using SEI as well as other business metrics. Building this into the procurement process was a lot of work, but will make a big impact for communities around the world.
Things you need to consider
If you’re itching to make a positive impact on communities and the planet, here are some things you need to consider.
What do you care about?
There are so many ways you can align your personal values with the work you get paid to do. Take some time to think about what causes you feel most passionate about. Is it helping people in marginalised communities? Is it our environment? It’s also important to clarify what makes you fulfilled at work. Some people feel most satisfied when they work for companies that are having a positive impact on society. Others prefer to keep their passion projects separate to work.
For example, we recently launched our public Xero community appeal, which began as an idea from our employees. Our people wanted to help those in need, so we set up a giving platform where teams can donate directly to a number of charities and for-purpose organisations.
This initiative, along with others like our annual volunteer days, means people can support the causes they care about while staying in a job they love.
How much time do you want to invest?
It’s hard to make a career shift without first making yourself available and giving yourself the space to lean into it. So think about how much time you have to pursue your passion outside your current job. Can you do it as part of your role, or spend some time volunteering on the side? Will you start a side gig in the non-profit space in addition to your job? These days, I spend four days at Xero and run my non-profit, ethical jewellery business, Generous Jewels, on the side.
What I’ve learned is that the number of hours I can spend volunteering on a weekend could sometimes be better spent working an extra day at Xero, because I know the impact I can make in my role is so much bigger. I have a daughter now, which has also made me more selective about how I spend my time. Right now you may want to get experience in a range of different areas, whereas down the track you may choose the opportunities based on the amount of time you have, like me.
What roles are out there?
If you want a job with purpose, then what does that ideal job look like? Is it sitting within a company, government agency, non-profit, consultancy or social enterprise? What is the role and responsibilities for that job? Is it in a big team or small organisation? Big city or small town? Programs, suburb, council, country or international level scope?
The more you think about what your dream job looks like, the better you’ll recognise it when it comes along.
One piece of advice I always offer is to talk to people and do your research. Work varies dramatically between organisations, so understanding what the role might be like on a day-to-day basis is important. It’s also good to remember that sometimes the job you like doesn’t pay as well as the job you have or can get elsewhere. So think about whether you can afford to sacrifice some of your salary for an impactful role in a lower-paying sector or organisation, or if you need to maintain your salary and can adjust your role or scope instead.
Ready to get started?
Thanks to COVID-19, for-purpose organisations have never needed more support than they do right now. So whether you’re looking to make a career change, set up a social enterprise or volunteer in your spare time, it’s a good time to follow your passion and make a positive impact on the world.
If you would like to donate, I also invite you to join Xero’s public fundraiser supporting eight charities around the world, tackling topical issues faced by the communities where we operate. And hey, you could be like me and end up working for a global company that believes in the importance of SEI and has embedded it into the way they operate every day.
