At For Purpose, we partner with many fantastic mission-driven organisations to provide graduate roles. We invited one of our previous graduates from Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Lydia Redmond, to speak to our current graduates about social entrepreneurship and specifically, the work of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland.

Lydia commenced her career with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland in 2019 as a Development Assistant, as part of the For Purpose Social Impact Graduate Programme. Since then, she has been promoted to Development Executive and most recently, Programme Manager.

In her current role, she works on the STEP programme, with a particular focus on the Ideas Academy and Action Lab. They support early stage social entrepreneurs identify a social problem they wish to address and move from idea to action.

What is a Social Entrepreneur?

Social entrepreneurs are society’s problem solvers, who have a unique insight into a social problem with an aim to provide a solution. They have a strong commitment to executing their idea with resilience, determination and a clear vision.

Social entrepreneurs must identify: 

1. A specific issue within the problem
2. The key stakeholders 
3. Viable solutions

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland

Social Entrepreneurs Ireland has supported more than 500 social entrepreneurs across the country. Some of their alumni include FoodCloud, CoderDojo and MyMind. They are passionate about supporting social entrepreneurs to change Ireland for the better. Their mission is to find individuals with solutions to social problems and support them on every step of their journey. They do this through their programmes, direct funding and community of alumni, funders, and sector leaders.

Lydia explained that Social Entrepreneurs Ireland run a nationwide campaign each year where social entrepreneurs can submit their ideas and be accepted onto their programmes. She spoke with our graduates about what social entrepreneurs need to consider when submitting an application.

Important considerations when reviewing social entrepreneur applications: 

1. Unique insight into a social problem  
2. Ideas that have the potential to solve the problem  
3. Ability and commitment to execute the idea  

Graduate Learning Session

In recent years, there have been many fantastic social entrepreneurs tackling social issues in Ireland. It is extremely important for our graduates to learn more about social entrepreneurship as they commence their careers within social impact organisations.

Hereafter, Lydia invited our graduates to complete an interactive task in groups. She asked each team to consider a specific social issue and how they would tackle this problem. It was important for our graduates to understand the process of becoming a social entrepreneur, the potential issues you may face along your journey and how to still achieve your social vision.

“I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the work of SEI and in particular, how one idea can make such a big difference on society. This was a fantastic learning experience and improved my knowledge of social entrepreneurs greatly.” – Aoife Duff, For Purpose Graduate.

Contact Us

If you are interested in learning more about the For Purpose Social Impact Graduate Programme, or the organisations we partner with, visit our page. For more information on current opportunities, visit our Current Vacancies. To speak with the Head of For Purpose directly, contact the Head of For Purpose, Rhonda Wynne.

Yesterday, we hosted our final For Purpose Tuesday session of 2022. Three of our graduates, who are nearing the end of their graduate roles, presented to our other For Purpose Graduates. They discussed their role, the impact of their organisation, highlights of their graduate role and plans for the future. This was a fantastic learning opportunity for our graduates to learn more about their peers’ specific roles and how they plan on developing within the nonprofit sector.

Sarah – Epilepsy Ireland

Sarah applied for the Fundraising and Development Executive Role with Epilepsy Ireland through the For Purpose Graduate Programme in December 2021. Sarah described how much she learnt during her year with Epilepsy Ireland. She explained the different types of fundraising activities within Epilepsy Ireland, and how importance of understanding the condition, the organisation, services, and challenges facing those with Epilepsy when fundraising.

In her position, Sarah worked on the following areas:

1. Community Fundraising
2. Epilepsy Ireland events, such as Purple Day
3. Grants/State Funding
4. Corporate

Sarah described how she developed deep connections with the service families during her time at Epilepsy Ireland, noting that the fundraising work carried out within her team was especially touching and shared some personal fundraising stories from her organisation. Sarah concluded her presentation and looked forward to the future, as she continues her career within the Irish Red Cross as Policy and Advocacy Officer for International Humanitarian Law.

Gavin – Foróige

Our next graduate, Gavin, joined the For Purpose Graduate Programme in February 2022 as the Leadership for Life Programme Co-ordinator. Foróige is Ireland’s largest youth development organisation, engaging 50,000 young people aged 10-18 annually. Gavin joined their training, learning and development team and throughout his graduate role, he focused on the coordination and administration of the Leadership for Life Programme, while also supporting the broader training, Learning and development team in the development and delivery of a variety of different programmes.

Gavin’s specific highlight from his role was the annual Leadership for Life conference, a 6 day conference with 300 students. Gavin met a range of people from diverse backgrounds, and planned the event accordingly in the run up. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet a range of young people and help them complete their Leadership for Life Certificate. Gavin continues to develop his career in Foróige as he moves into a new role as the Strategic Planning and Development Officer.

At For Purpose, we encourage our partner organisations to develop their graduates in training and development. Gavin discussed the many opportunities available during his time with Foróige, and the different opportunities he is grateful to have been involved in. We are delighted that Gavin is now continuing his career within Foróige.

Michaela – Co-operative Housing Ireland

Finally, Michaela from Co-operative Housing Ireland, presented her work as Digital Engagement Officer. Michaela joined the For Purpose Graduate Programme in January 2022 with Co-operative Housing Ireland, an Approved Housing Body providing over 4,000 high quality homes to low-income households. As a representative body, CHI champions co-operative principles in delivering homes and supporting communities.

Michaela joined the Communications Team within Co-operative Housing Ireland, working closely with the member engagement team. Her role focuses on social media, internal and external communications, building brand awareness and managing events. Michaela has successfully developed within her role, as her team won the Irish Building and Design Retro Fit Award – Retrofitting / Renovation Project of the Year 2022. Michaela looks forward to continuing within the Communications Team in Co-operative Housing Ireland and would like to manage her own Communications projects in future.

Concluding For Purpose Tuesdays 2022

We commenced our first ever For Purpose Tuesdays session at the beginning of 2022 and have had a fantastic year, with a range of speakers attending our seminars and sharing their knowledge with our graduates. Thank you to our fantastic graduates who provide endless engagement, curiosity and shared learnings within each of our learning seminars. We look forward to another year of peer-learning, development and networking.

If you have any questions about the For Purpose Graduate Programme, visit here or contact Rhonda Wynne directly.

With a variety of opportunities available, choosing a career upon graduating can seem like an overwhelming decision. Many graduates know they want to make an impact, but have not considered a career within a nonprofit organisation. The nonprofit sector is sometimes known as the third or forgotten sector and many people, including graduates, do not think of it as a viable career option. It is often thought of as unfunded, unstaffed and underappreciated.

Therefore, why should a graduate consider working for a nonprofit?

1. Making a difference

Nonprofit organisations’ create a direct social impact. As a graduate, you will be working towards fulfilling your organisations’ mission and making a difference within society. You have the opportunity to contribute to solving social issues such as the housing crisis, inflation or the war in Ukraine. This will provide a great sense of purpose in your career, particularly when seeing the direct results of your organisations’ work.

2. Varied workload

Many nonprofit organisations have an “all hands on deck” approach, due to their smaller size. Oftentimes, you have the opportunity to try a range of tasks and gain experience in different areas within your organisation. This is fantastic practical experience, particularly straight after college when many graduates only have academic experience. This exposure could lead to gaining insight into different areas within your organisation, expanding your experience and improving your knowledge.

3. Growth opportunities

With this varied workload, employees in the nonprofit sector can gain experience in a range of areas. Gaining experience in a short space of time makes your ability to grow within the organisation more achievable. From our 15 graduates in 2021, a large majority were promoted to more senior positions within their organisation upon completion of their graduate programme.

4. Small team

The majority of Irish nonprofits are small to medium sized organisations. A benefit of being a graduate in a smaller organisation is that you gain exposure to senior members of staff more regularly than in larger organisations. This exposure leads to more learning opportunities from sector leaders. Another benefit of working as part of a small team is that oftentimes, there is a positive work-life balance as people, including staff, are at the centre of the organisation.

5. Job Opportunities

The nonprofit sector is a vital sector in Ireland, made up of 33,000 organisations, 170,000+ employees, 300,000+ volunteers and brings in an income of €14.2 billion per year. In fact, the sector employs more people than either the Agri-food or hospitality sectors. Therefore, there are a variety of organisations you could work for, from fundraising, advocacy, accounting, building surveying, housing and more. For Purpose graduates have an array of academic backgrounds. The most important aspect they share in common is their interest in pursuing a career with impact and helping to address social issues in Ireland.

Here are some of the organisations you can work with at For Purpose:

• Tuath Housing Association
• Foroige
• Co-operative Housing Ireland
• Epilepsy Ireland
• Jigsaw
• Aiséirí

About For Purpose Graduate Programme

For Purpose assists nonprofit organisations attract, mentor and develop the future leaders of the nonprofit sector. The programme connects nonprofit and charity organisations with talented graduates who are searching for purpose in their careers and the opportunity to make an impact on civil society.

Contact Us

If you would like more information, contact our Head of For Purpose, Rhonda Wynne, at rhonda.wynne@forpurpose.ie.

We had our in-person For Purpose Tuesdays on Tuesday 13th September at our head office. We invited our graduates to learn more about governance from Penelope Kenny, Head of Governance at 2into3. Penelope spoke to graduates about governance in the nonprofit sector, outlined best practice for board members, and placed our graduates in smaller groups for practical learning.

Penelope Kenny, Head of Governance at 2into3

Penelope joined 2into3 last year as an Associate Consultant and is now leading the governance practice. Penelope is an experienced Chartered Accountant, with an extensive existing portfolio of directorships. Her experience also extends as Non-Executive Director, Audit committee chair and CFO, with a Certificate in Corporate Governance. Her experience is based upon embedding positive corporate governance practices into organisations, with a focus on business alignment and financial control.

What do boards do?

Penelope explained how board members have numerous responsibilities. They’re involved in the strategy, financial control and risk, creation of governing documents, policymaking, hiring and directing executive employees, amongst many other responsibilities. Board members have a fiduciary duty of responsibility for the corporation’s assets and its shareholders. A good board member must have integrity, leadership experience, and a commitment to the company.

What is ‘bad behaviour’ as a board?

Board members have a responsibility to uphold their position as a director. They are prohibited from benefiting where their personal interests and their duty as directors conflict.

Their position could be undermined by:

• An undeclared conflict of interest
• Undisclosed issues
• Voting for personal gain
• Not acting in the best interests of the company

Graduate Breakout Teams

After learning about governance, what makes a good board member and conflict of interest, our graduates were split into groups of 3 and asked to participate in “what would you do?” exercises. This allowed our graduates to think critically about examples of conflict of interest and how they would respond to a board member presenting a potential conflict of interest.

Q&A

Our For Purpose Tuesdays with Penelope Kenny 2into3 session finished with a Q&A. Our graduates asked Penelope questions surrounding becoming a board member, the skills required, career advice and more. Penelope provided our graduates with useful resources for graduates in the nonprofit sector.

To find out more about For Purpose Tuesdays or the structure of our graduate programme, visit here.

The nonprofit sector has experienced many changes in the past two years. With the impact of the pandemic and the current situation in Ukraine, our nonprofit sector has been placed under pressure. Considering these external factors, it may not seem like the right time to invest in graduate talent. However, with the sector currently under such strain, we need to ensure the future of the sector is in the hands of capable graduates who can cope with any future changes.

Value of Graduate Talent

Graduates bring a range of skills to organisations. They offer a fresh mindset, enthusiasm, flexibility, provide technical skills and are social media savvy. Both the public and private sector adopt graduate programmes as a means to build their talent pipeline. Therefore, it is crucial for the nonprofit sector to invest in them. As many nonprofits are expanding, the sector requires future leaders to grow with their organisation. Therefore, For Purpose aims to recruit graduates who are:

1. Values driven

We look for graduates who are applying for the right reason. We recruit grads with a genuine interest in the nonprofit sector who can demonstrate this during their interview. Many have been active in their communities, volunteering or fundraising, or involved in advocacy and mentoring activities in college.

2. Future-focused

At For Purpose, the majority of our graduates stay with their organisation upon completion of their graduate contract. This is extremely beneficial and a priority for many nonprofits, particularly at the moment with the current strain on many organisations’ services.

3. Talented

We seek graduates who stand out in their application, and during their interview. It’s important for our graduates to embody both hard and soft skills, to be well equipped to enter the dynamics of a busy organisation. These transferable skills are particularly crucial in the nonprofit sector, where employees are often wearing multiple hats.

Consider a strategic approach to recruitment

Many organisations invest in graduate talent by attending careers fairs, university talks and more. These organisations invest a considerable amount into their recruitment drive. Oftentimes, graduates progress to senior management positions within these firms. This improves the company’s brand as leading in graduate training and recruitment.

We want the same for the nonprofit sector. For Purpose is continually targeting graduates on social media, partnering with gradireland and adding new aspects to our programme every year. Our aim is to retain talent within the nonprofit sector, just as other organisations are currently doing in the private sector.

If you are interested in investing in graduate talent for your organisation, and the wider nonprofit sector, click here for more information on our programme. Or, contact Rhonda Wynne, Head of For Purpose.