What the charity sector the world over has wrong

First of all, I'd just like to say that working for charities all through my adult life was the best decision I had ever made. If I didn't then I would probably be lying dead in a gutter somewhere with a half drank bottle of vodka beside me and who knows? A heroin needle sticking out my arm? I never said I would, but life has a funny way of testing you. Anyway, stopping drinking and working with people that have my best interests at heart was the way to go for me. It's where I belonged. Even when I took the position at our government, signing on unemployment checks to people, I still wanted to help. Now, I had found somewhere that I could truly help.

My journey through the charity sector was an enlightening one. I went from client, to volunteer, then to member of staff. From there I progressed to teacher, then Manager, then Project Manager. Obviously I had a clear line of progression, but all of this wasn't working for the same charity, or in the same town, but it's funny. It's funny how the higher up an organisation that you travel the clearer the cracks that threaten to crumble them become. 

It's true at the beginning, when you're the one that needs to be helped then the last thing that needs to be on your mind is the internal politics between two managers. Take me for example, I was struggling to be sober, the last thing I wanted to be thinking of was the internal beef between two egos. I get it, charities keep that stuff under lock and key and far out of the way of people that need to be focusing on theirselves.

In my opinion, it's very wrong though. Very wrong. There is no safety without trust, and there is no trust without honesty.

I remember the first place I worked at. I can remember viewing the management cubicle as a somewhat mystical force to be reckoned with; where people of power devise the plans that can make or break lives. By keeping theirselves distant they were creating the illusion that there was something mysterious going on. Truth be told they were just the average people helping others go about their daily lives. It didn't help me one bit though, I went around thinking they were something amazingly great. To me, that is an unrealistic and unhealthy relationship between client and manager. Alas, this was in the past and the place does not exist anymore. Funding was cut, and work fell into oblivion.

I progressed to a supervisor’s position in that place. I remember the world crashing down at my feet when I learned that everyone was just a bunch of people just as crazy as the rest of us. We had rules too; we weren't allowed to hang with clients or give them any details about our personal lives. Our rules were strict and punishments were severe for breaking them. I have an idea why management were so strict about things like this because we literally worked with the dregs of society. We worked with people that had been seriously abused, and also people that were serious abusers. I'll let you work that one out for yourself.

The very last place I worked at was a very progressive charity. They tried to de-mystify every part of what went on in our office. Nothing ever did, really, apart from the odd argument between two co-workers. We had everyone we worked with join us in the office as much as we could. I could talk in any way that I wanted with people just as long as I wasn't giving them the impression that I wanted to have a relationship with them outside of work. Boundaries were good there, it was a new way of thinking. We worked with extremes there too, but there was an honest and trustworthy environment there. Our clients trusted us. It bucked every other trend. It was nice. This is why I say we need to demystify management, keep healthy boundaries, and act like, y'know, humans.

The ego's in charity, wow. Fucking hell.

The first thing I had to learn to do when I was a Project Manager is navigating the human ego. There are people in the charity sector that help a few others live a better life and eventually start to think of themselves as God. "I am amazing, I helped these people" I can understand how that would work when personalities are left unchecked and people are allowed to spiral off into fantasy land, but this is the charity sector allll over. The ego is a main player in there and whenever I wanted something to be done I was always walking in as the underdog, no matter how small and shitty the service I was wanting to network with. I always walked in like I was speaking with the CEO of Harrods, because I wouldn't be allowed any further if I did not. It's sad that this is the case, and that it is allowed to happen. Help should be given freely, and whilst we do it for a boost in esteem we shouldn't allow ourselves to run away with that feeling.

Realism is a big problem working with charities. Egos are massive, and people don't listen. There was a team of us, at our last job, and each of the stories we told from other places that we had worked at were horrific. One lady tells of a story of being paid off because she witnessed a sexual relationship between a manager and a client. She lost her job over that. Then there was me, I had been sexually manipulated when I was a volunteer by a member of staff. Crazy, right? I have another friend, he recounts of being the fall guy for management incompetence of failing to address safety concerns after repeated warnings. That shit is unreal, right? People in charities often forget that we are.. human. Boundaries were made to be broken, and the stricter they are, the harder they will fall!

All that being said I did enjoy my time there. I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for the journey that I went on!

Thanks for reading :)