We are a Not-For-Profit. Working With Us is Probably Nothing Like You Think
In 2021, we hired our first two interns at Access to Success. Now that we are hiring for two more new roles, I realized that the culture we are building is nothing like what I thought a not-for-profit is supposed to be like. Here’s why:
1. We work from wherever we want
One of our interns split her time between Waterloo and Caledon, while I myself worked while on a 7,500 km road trip last year. Who knew working remotely could be this fun?
2. We set our own schedule
Not a morning person? No problem, we won’t schedule meetings before 10 am. Night owl? Asynchronous communication on Slack it is. And unless something is on fire, it can probably wait until a weekday.
3. We all work as leaders in our areas
We are a small team, so every person leads the area they work on. Our summer and fall “interns” were interns only in name — each of them led our entire marketing, branding and communication efforts and drove massive impact almost singlehandedly.
4. We have each others’ backs
Working in a small team means sometimes things get too hectic. When this happens, one of us will always step in to help a team member who has too much going on.
5. We get to work on some incredibly cool stuff
Our MBA Fellowship program is the only one of its kind in the world for MBA students with disabilities. ATS Labs, our accelerator for accessibility startups, is the only such accelerator in Canada. And in a few weeks, we will be publishing the world’s first report on the state of disability inclusion in MBA programs. These are just a few examples of the kind of unique initiatives we always have going on.
6. We get to see the impact of our work in real time
We all work directly with our Fellowship recipients or founders of ATS Labs’ portfolio startups (or both), which means we all get to see and hear about our impact in real time. It’s a powerful motivator.
7. Side hustles are always welcome
Already got a side hustle or thinking of starting one? Not a problem at all, it’s totally fine to want to make more money or a bigger impact. After all, Access to Success itself started as a side hustle.
8. Our furry friends are honorary team members
We love our furry friends, especially when they make guest appearances on video calls! My own dog has the honorary title of CFO, that is — don’t cringe — Chief Fetch Officer.
9. If it’s not accessible, it won’t be used
Apps, productivity software, meeting platforms, event platforms, venues, processes — no matter what we may need, the decision of what we use begins with accessibility. And if we ever miss something, we acknowledge our mistake and fix it.
We’re still a work-in-progress at Access to Success, and I hope we always keep improving. If you like the sound of what we’ve built, come work with us as our Fellowships Program Manager or Inclusive Design Lead!
Do you know of any other not-for-profits with a similar work culture? Let me know if you do, I think I’d want to be friends with them.
