Doha: The pay and perks might not be very lucrative in non-profit ogranisation sector, but 48 percent of Middle East and Africa (Mena) professionals would love to work for non-profit organisations according to a poll conducted by Bayt.com.
Data for the ‘Non-profit Careers in the Mena’ poll was collected online from March 4-April 14 2014, with 7,692 respondents from the Mena region and beyond.
According to 52.3 percent of respondents, working with a non-profit organisation means sacrificing more of your health and family time than would be required in other careers. Salaries are also considered to be less attractive than in other sectors, as stated by eight out of 10 (77.9 percent) respondents, while 75.2 percent also believe that job security is lower in the sector, too.
People working for non-profit organisations are considered by 60.5 percent of residents to have fewer opportunities for career growth, while having to endure less benefits and perks on the job (according to 79.3 percent). More than half (52.8 percent) of the polled professionals considered employees of non-profit organisations to be as competitive or even more competitive than their peers in other sectors. All these factors may to large extent explain why 86 percent of poll respondents believe that turnover is higher in non-profits than anywhere else.
However, despite the above mentioned concerns associated with working for a non-profit organisation, the majority of Mena respondents maintain they would be keen to work for one. Half (47.5 percent) would ‘love’ to work at a non-profit, while 41.9% would consider it. Only 5.4 percent said they would ‘never’ work for a non-profit. For those that would consider working in a non-profit organisation, 88.2 percent expect to be paid – and 51 percent maintain they would even expect to receive top market salary for their work.
When it comes to general perceptions vis-a-vis professionals employed in the sector, employees of non-profit organisations are perceived to be more ‘mission-driven’ by 91.6 percent of respondents, while eight out of 10 (83.3 percent) consider them to have more pride in their employers. 78.2 percent even feel that non-profit employees tend to feel more excited about their job.
Opportunities in the sector seem limited however in many parts of the region. For four in 10 respondents (42.8 percent), there are few opportunities to find employment with a non-profit organisation in their country of residence.
A third of the respondents to the poll (31.2 percent) maintain there are no opportunities in their country of residence, while 26 percent claim that in their country, there are many.
The Peninsula
