Part 1: What is it like to work in a Faith-Based Organisation?

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by John Evans
Career Coach

Impact Job-Seekers are often unaware that there are abundant job opportunities at Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs).

As part of a unique series, Impactpool and Career Coach John Evans have worked together to answer 3 main questions about faith-based organisations that operate in the impact/development sector. 

This 3 part series seeks to provide some initial answers to three interrelated questions that arise and which can be summarised like this:

Q1: What is it like to work in a faith-based organisation; what should I consider when applying?

Q2: I am not a believer. Am I welcome in a faith-based organisation?

Q3: Career prospects in a faith-based organisation?

 

About the Author

John Evans has been coaching for more than 20 years. He recently co-designed the coaching and mentoring education programme for the global Humanitarian Leadership Academy. John was formerly Global Practice Leader at World Vision International, where he pioneered the charity’s global leader orientation, talent and succession management, and education processes, leadership assessment and leadership coaching services. Previously, as Global Consulting Development Leader for Hewitt Associates (now Aon), John led the global consulting-focused “Hewitt University” and European organisational development consulting practice. He has worked with clients including The CHS Alliance, Vision Fund International, World Vision International, numerous INGOs, UK and foreign governments and in partnership with Development Decisions International, Cranfield and Ashridge Business Schools. John has a Master’s degree in Management Development; post-graduate Diplomas in Management and Career Guidance; holds a Certificate in (Cognitive Behavioural) Coaching and is an accredited and experienced MBTI, Life Styles Inventory and Insights Discovery practitioner. John has considerable international experience gained in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.

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Rebecca Andruszka is an activist and non-profit professional who has focused on social justice issues. She has extensive experience in the non-profit sector, doing everything from research and communications to fundraising and project development. Recently she wrote:

“I started working in non-profits nearly 10 years ago. And in the beginning, my career choice often got me pity (and some slightly disgusted looks) at cocktail parties: “That must be, um, rewarding?” folks would say, sneaking a glance at my scuffed shoes. Then, about five years ago, the perspective changed. By then, the number of non-profits had grown by nearly 25%, and Millennials, entering the workforce in the shadow of 9/11, were more interested in giving back to their communities. Suddenly, those same cocktail party attendees were excited to talk to me about what I do. They had watched TED talks or Clinton Global Initiative videos of experts in health, education, and democracy, and it finally made sense why someone would want to change the world.  “Oh!” they would say. “That must be so rewarding!”

As an early adopter of a non-profit career, I’m tempted to scoff at this surge of interest—but as a fundraiser and occasional hiring manager, I’d much rather leverage it. The fact is, non-profits can offer fantastic opportunities for individuals who are willing to work hard to make the world a better place.”

  

I agree with everything Rebecca Andruszka writes, and I also believe you could replace every reference to “non-profit” in her article with “faith-based organisation” and it would still be true. I think it is also correct to state that, just as there is much misunderstanding about what a “non-profit” is, particularly as soon as one leaves the U.S.A., there is a similar lack of uniform understanding about exactly what a “faith-based organisation” is!

To answer the question, “What is it like to work in a faith-based organisation; what to consider when applying?” we will explore the nature of faith-based organisations, faith's intimate relationship with poverty and development, and a number of related questions. Along the way, using this icon, we will pose some questions for career development that arise.



FBOs constitute a broad group of diverse organizations that distribute social/humanitarian aid with a religious identity and motivation. Faith plays the central role in both gaining donations and running the organisations. Common characteristics involve “affiliation with a religious body, a mission statement with explicit reference to religious values, financial support from religious sources, choice of programs, and intended outcomes” (Ferris, 2005; Sider and Unruh, 2004). These organisations reflect a clear influence of faith at all stages, from the establishment of the institutions to the campaigns they run and the benefits they provide.

 

 List of some of the largest and most well-known Faith-Based Partner Organisations:

 

 

Many NGOs make use of competency-based or behavioural questions in their selection processes. Alongside these, now quite well-known and often open-ended “tell me about a time when …?” questions, there will be a question on the candidate’s value proposition. A typical question might be: “What are the three values that are most important to you? How do these translate into (or find expression within) your work?”

 

When considering your application to an FBO, it is critical that you have thought deeply about your answer to this value proposition type question.

 

The following paragraphs may assist you.

 

In 2010, UK Aid published “The Role of Faith in the Charity and Development Sector in Karachi and Sindh, Pakistan” by Nida Kirmani and Sarah Zaidi. This publication helps to address the first part of this question. 

 

FBOs and NGOs on the ground

 

Kirmani and Zaidi recognised that "there is little research on what kinds of FBOs exist, and how they approach and either contribute to or hinder processes of development." They were also aware that "little is known about how, if at all, these organizations differ from 'secular' non-governmental organizations (NGOs)”. Their report sets out to explore “how ‘faith-based organizations’ are understood and operate in the Pakistani context, with a focus on Karachi and Sindh. 

 

You may perhaps be thinking that you are not necessarily aiming to work in these areas and that Kirmani and Zaidi’s findings may not be of great value to you. However, in the absence of a wide range of similar studies, their report is likely to be of considerable value in showing how to answer your question. 

 

Faith’s intimate relationship with poverty and development

 

Religious faith has always had an intense but uneasy relationship with poverty and development. In recent years and today, donors have sought greater engagement with faith-based organisations. This positive shift needs careful consideration, whether you're a donor or a career planner. Faith can be a powerful – yet also a flammable – fuel for change. FBOs are also highly diverse and complex: they are not homogeneous organisations. 

 

Kirmani and Zaidi’s research helps to illustrate some of this diversity. In Pakistan and South Asia more broadly, religion has historically been deeply engaged in efforts to alleviate poverty, most often through philanthropic activities. As Kirmani and Zaidi write: “Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Sikhism all have strong traditions of serving the poor and the underprivileged. Pakistan, although a majority-Muslim country, has benefitted from the philanthropic contributions of all the major faith communities. The emergence of non-governmental organisations, however, is a more recent phenomenon, beginning in the period following Partition in 1947, when voluntary organizations emerged to address the refugee crisis. However, it was not until the 1980s, against the backdrop of the Afghan War and the accompanying influx of foreign aid, that this sector grew exponentially. These developments have shaped the context of contemporary civil society, particularly the voluntary/philanthropic sector, and must frame any discussion of ‘FBOs’ in the Pakistani context.”

 

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John was extremely helpful.  His deep professional experience and seniority enabled me to see the big picture quickly.  Beyond offering advice, his perceptiveness was very helpful as well.  For example, he enabled me to see aspects about my motivation of which I was previously unaware.  Every meeting furthered my understanding of the sector, and I am exceedingly grateful for John's support. - Coaching client

 

Faith and charity

 

Kirmani and Zaidi’s research used a case study approach and examined six case FBOs: the Al Khidmat network, the Alamgir Welfare Trust, the Saylani Welfare Trust, the Edhi Foundation, the Behbud Association and Caritas.  It found that:

  1. With the exception of Caritas, the Christian organization studied, most of the organizations identified as ‘faith-based’ are locally-based and funded through local, individual donations. 
  2. Faith is intertwined in the work of local charities to different degrees; these can be distinguished from professional development organizations, which have no apparent relationship with religion. 
  3. Local charities focus on meeting immediate, individual needs rather than addressing long-term development objectives. 
  4. There is little or no cooperation or dialogue between charities and professional development organizations. 

I would observe that the second part of 2 above is not a conclusion I could see generalised globally. It rather implies that faith-based organisations may be less "professional" than other development organisations. My experience in numerous countries would lead me to disagree with this. Finding 4 is directly contested by my experience, which aligns more closely with “Feedback from The Cross-Sector Partnership (XSP),” published in 2008 by Accenture Development Partnerships, The Partnering Initiative, and World Vision International. This report found that:

 

  • Businesses such as BP, Eureka Forbes, HSBC, J&J, McKesson, Microsoft, Nike, Nokia, Rio Tinto, Shell, Unilever, Vodafone and Accenture; 
  • NGOs and FBOs such as Care International, Earthwatch, Mercy Corps, Oxfam, WWF and World Vision International, and,
  • National government agencies such as GTZ, the US State Department, the World Bank and most agencies in the UN system; together with,
  • Innumerable local and national civil society organisations

 

… are increasingly adopting cross-sector partnership approaches. It is, in my view, not unreasonable to talk about a “paradigm shift”. Here an FBO leader provides their perspective:

 

“The old paradigm – where NGOs do the service delivery, private donors fund it, and governments regulate – is withering away. Companies have become, in effect, the largest overseas development agencies. As recognition grows that trade and markets are the most important drivers of development, lines of responsibility are blurring. Every sector is exploring new roles, working relationships and ways of “doing business‟. Partnerships are fast becoming the preferred mechanism for delivering sustainable development.”

 

Are there particular partnerships that you might find problematic? Why?

 

The inadequacy of Western perspectives

 

At the conclusion of their work, Kirmani and Zaidi state that: 

  • ‘FBO’ is a problematic category in the Pakistani context, as religion operates in complex and varied ways within organizations. 
  • Religion is implicit in the values and functioning of Pakistani organizations that are charitable, except for minority religious organizations, whose religious identity is explicit.
  • Organizations that frame themselves as being part of the ‘development sector’ are generally non-religious or secular in nature. 
  • The role of religion within an organization is tied to its funding structure; its location within local, national and international networks; and the political and ideological profile of its members. 

A number of these considerations are likely to be worth investigating - wherever in the world you are planning to work.

 

Organisational types and the experience of employment

 

Kirmani and Zaidi’s research considers the possibility that FBOs may be a subset of non-governmental organisations (or NGOs). They arrive at the conclusion that “there is a great deal of confusion amongst the general public as well as within the literature about ‘NGOs’ as a category.” 

 

I think that this is entirely to be expected given that NGO is a term that aims to define a category by stating what that category is not! 

Generally speaking, when those in the humanitarian-development sector talk about NGOs they tend to be those relatively modern organisations espousing secular causes, and by and large, with specific purposes. This perception may help to explain why some see FBOs not as a subset of NGOs but as a different organisational type altogether. 

 

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"For people with limited experience in the sector, coaching is a short cut to building understanding and traction." - John's coaching client

 

The advantages of the FBO

 

Kirmani and Zaidi write that “Bano’s (2008a) research provides some clues as to why this suspicion of NGOs has arisen in the Pakistani context. Her survey data from across Pakistan indicated that the general public, as well as groups such as the media, government officials, the religious elite, and activist groups, mistrust NGOs. Much of this is related to a perception that NGOs are profiting from poverty, are not sincere in their efforts, are elitist, and are corrupt. NGOs were contrasted with ‘welfare organizations’, such as the Edhi Foundation, which were seen to be genuinely serving the poor.”

 

A context for this mistrust is created by evidence showing that “the majority of individual donations in Pakistan were directed to other individuals rather than organizations, reflecting a general belief that zakat (see above) is best given in a discreet fashion to individuals personally known to the donor, with priority given to relatives and neighbours in need. This belief may explain the relatively low number of locally-driven explicitly ‘faith-based’ organizations in Pakistan today.  For example, when the research team visited Orangi, which has been described as one of the largest slums in Asia, residents of the area were largely unable to identify faith-based organizations providing assistance. Rather, they said that certain wealthy individuals would periodically visit the area in order to distribute material assistance to the needy”. 

 

The experience of working in an FBO can, and often is, shaped by other features of donor behaviour. For example, Clarke (2006) and Williams and Demerath (1998) argue that FBOs have advantages in drawing on spiritual and moral resources as motivating factors in gaining support and effecting social change. Furthermore, supporters of FBOs argue that they are often highly networked nationally and internationally, giving them a broad base of support from donors and participants. Berger (2003) identifies these networks as sources of ‘social capital’ for FBOs, providing human and financial resources (see also Candland, 2000). Using the example of missionaries, Martin, Chau and Patel (2007) argue that FBOs have a longer-term commitment to the communities in which they work. This contrasts with secular NGOs, which often experience high turnover and frequently transfer staff. 


 

FBO’s essential work

 

In January 2014, the World Bank Group revitalised its engagement with faith-based and religious organisations. They did so based on a recognition that faith-based and religious organisations are often doing the essential work on the frontlines of combatting extreme poverty, protecting the vulnerable, delivering essential services and alleviating suffering. 

 

As they say on their website: “Faith-based organisations are often structured around development and/or relief delivery programs and are sometimes [run] simultaneously at the national, regional and international levels.  Moreover, faith-based and religious entities contribute distinctive assets, resources, and capabilities in combatting poverty and boosting shared prosperity.”

 

However, it would be entirely wrong to see FBOs as a homogeneous sector! FBOs are, in fact, both more numerous and much more diverse than is commonly recognised. 

 

For example, a search for FBO stakeholders in the “Agenda for Humanity” database produces a list of approaching 400 such organisations.  The ACT Alliance is a unique global alliance of churches and faith-based organisations, with around 140 members from all global regions. It is rooted in local churches and faith communities and works in over 140 countries worldwide to tackle issues of poverty and respond to humanitarian crisis irrespective of the faith, ethnicity or identity of the people in need. 

 

Close examination of the “Agenda for Humanity” database reveals that many of these organisations are a world away from the local worship communities, commonly called congregations, that might spring to mind initially. A report commissioned by the U. S. Department of Housing and Community Development Office of Policy Development and Research and published by The Urban Institute in August 2001 noted that in the U.S.:

 

"Congregations may be affiliated with more than 200 denominations, and vary in size, membership, and so forth. Denominational organisations include entities directly involved in church governance, such as a Roman Catholic archdiocese, and a variety of special-purpose organisations such as seminaries, religious orders, and pension funds for clergy.

 

Their service agencies include both decentralised multi-service providers such as the Jewish Federations and specialised service institutions, e.g., a United Methodist Hospital, Notre Dame University. National networks include special-purpose groups formed to mobilise the energies of individuals and congregations around projects and specific goals, such as Habitat for Humanity and the Christian Coalition (Hall, 1999), increasingly referred to as parachurch organisations. Freestanding organisations can be as simple as an independent non-profit organisation spun off by a congregation to pursue a particular ministry (e.g., a CDC or a substance abuse program) or as complex as an interfaith or ecumenical coalition of congregations or clergy.”

 

The same report also noted that: “Ecumenical associations include different denominations within the same faith, e.g., Catholics, Methodists, and other Christian denominations; interfaith associations, literally, include participants of different faiths, e.g., Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists.”

 

An FBO might be seen as one expression of a church, mosque, temple, synagogue or other house of prayer in action. However, FBOs vary hugely by almost every measure applied to them - as we have seen. 

 

The importance of FBO’s in health care in ‘developing countries’

 

The extent of faith-based organisations’ participation within the overall health systems of ‘developing countries’ is unclear. A 2007 report published by the World Health Organisation entitled “Appreciating assets: mapping, understanding, translating and engaging religious health assets in Zambia and Lesotho”, estimated that between 30% and 70% of the health infrastructure in Africa is currently owned by faith-based organisations. 

 

The study focused on Lesotho and Zambia, which had HIV prevalence rates of 23.2% and 17% respectively in 2005. It found that Christian hospitals and health centres were providing about 40% of HIV care and treatment services in Lesotho and almost a third of the HIV/AIDS treatment facilities in Zambia were run by FBOs.

 

To address the degree of uncertainty about the importance of FBO ownership and provision of health care, Rose Kagawa, Andrew Anglemyer, Dominic Montagu and Eduard J. Beck (in late 2011) researched “The Scale of Faith-based Organization Participation in Health Service Delivery in Developing Countries” and, in 2012, published a “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” of their findings. 

 

They were aware, at the inception of their work, that faith-based organisations are thought to play a substantial role in providing healthcare in ‘developing countries’ and that this is often cited “as up to 70% of all healthcare services”.

 

However, they also believed that the data behind these numbers is “sometimes difficult to pinpoint and seems at odds to national and regional survey data.” Consequently, Kagawa, et al, undertook a systematic review of the literature and conducted a new analysis of relevant demographic and health survey data from 47 countries. Their findings suggest that the magnitude of healthcare provided by faith-based organisations is an important component of healthcare in many ‘developing countries’ around the world, particularly in Africa. They also conclude that FBOs “importance in health delivery and infrastructure may be lower than has previously been estimated, but confirm the relevance of FBOs to health systems in many countries”.

 

The importance of FBO’s in advocacy

 

Throughout history, religious groups, which can form national and international coalitions, have been at the forefront of advocacy, including in the civil rights movement in the US and the Jubilee 2000 Debt Campaign. Christian, Islamic, and Buddhist groups have contributed to toppling authoritarian regimes and promoting human rights in South Africa, Latin America, North Africa, and Asia (Clarke & Jennings 2008). 

 

Faith-based organisations often have advocacy advantages compared to their secular counterparts. Partly this depends on their strong moral voice, but it is often strengthened by vast and longstanding networks throughout ‘developing countries’. For instance, Catholic Relief Society (CRS), a part of CARITAS Internationalis, works at the grassroots level in almost every country in the world. When CRS funds a project in a ‘developing country’, it prefers to partner with a local CARITAS diocese, which in turn implements the project in local communities.

 

When Lori Pearson, a senior policy advisor for food, security, agriculture and climate change at CRS, was in Peru a few years ago, around 40 dioceses were doing work throughout the country. This gave CRS, which supports efforts to address illegal gold mining and its toll on the Amazon rainforest, the potential to be a national presence. It also gave the organisation the ability to reach some of the most remote areas through numerous offices.

 

 “And because these national offices have been there forever, they’re also trusted by the communities,” Lori Pearson says. “It facilitates scale and messaging and coordination.”

 

However, values-based advocacy and ethical positions are also contested within and between faith groups. These contested issues include: contraception; gay rights; abortion; capital punishment; gender equality; freedom of religion; blasphemy; HIV/AIDS; and other cultural and religious practices. When FBOs and other partners work together, they need to invest time and attention in building shared understanding.

 

FBOs, water, sanitation and food security

 

With DfID support, Christian Aid’s Zimbabwean partners have achieved extraordinary success. More than 5,000 households (mostly headed by women) have increased their food security, income and access to water, and they have begun to buy cattle, goats, chickens, donkeys and ploughs. The partners have supported farmers to introduce new agricultural techniques to improve productivity and livelihoods.

 

Child sponsorship

 

World Vision International, an unashamed FBO, is far from unique amongst child-focused development agencies in using child sponsorship as a pillar of its development work. (Neither is child sponsorship used exclusively by FBOs). Through sponsorship, it supports a long-term, local community development focus. A long-term, typically fifteen-year, commitment to an area development programme enables sustained engagement, fosters an approach centred on sustainable change for children and their communities, and encourages an emphasis on supporting children’s holistic development. It also facilitates connections among children, sponsors, and their communities. This relatively long-term modus operandi complements the increasing focus on localisation in staffing decisions, which means that in many – particularly, but not exclusively, entry-level roles WVI prefers to appoint local or national staff and will not sponsor the appointment of overseas nationals. 

 

A modern, global FBO

 

The experience of working within an FBO can also depend on its size. World Vision International (WVI) is an FBO, which strives to always be open and clear about its identity. It is most properly referred to as the World Vision Partnership, and it consists of 92 country offices (and 28 microfinance institutions). Of those 92 country offices, 37 are separate legal entities with their own governing boards (in 2019, China transitioned to this status). Most of the remaining offices are branches of World Vision International, 18 of which have recognised advisory councils as a first step toward governing boards (in 2019 Myanmar transitioned to this status). The Partnership had cash income of USD 2,184,166,300 in the financial year ending 2019, employed 37,668 people (including Vision Fund International staff) and had 103,801 volunteers. An organisation of such size will, of course, need leadership, management, accounting, advertising, legal, human resources, and information technology professionals with proven capability, as well as humanitarian development, education, water and sanitation, and disaster reduction and relief personnel. 

 

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Working with a career coach from Impactpool has given me the tools and resources to make a career change later in life. I’m very impressed with John's insight and knowledge of humanitarian/international development work and how he has been able to present a path for me to get there. - Coaching client

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Keep an eye out for part 2 of the series