What inspires me to work for a capacity building organization

When I graduated from college 5 years ago, I was young, innocent and idealistic. I set out to find a job where I could have a big impact. However, I struggled to find an organization or position that really appealed to me. Nothing seemed “big” enough. Even bold missions like ending world hunger or ­­­­­curing cancer somehow seemed too narrow for what I envisioned as my contribution to the world. Then I stumbled upon the Charities Review Council. Probably not the first organization you think of with a mission to satisfy a young appetite for positive change, but as I saw it, the Council enabled me to support every nonprofit mission – and that is big.

When I deliver on the Council’s mission to strengthen the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, I affect the good work of the hundreds of nonprofits we support by helping them meet the Accountability Standards. Organizations with a strong infrastructure, including good governance, effective financial management and accountable practices are better able to deliver on their missions and garner trust from the public. Therefore, I see the work I do at the Council multiplied by the number of organizations we serve, and then again, by the hundreds of thousands of people served by those organizations. The ripple effect is what I find motivating. By dipping my toe in the sector by way of an organization like the Council, the impact of my work moves through each unique nonprofit I serve and continues to spread out into the broader community.

It is hard to believe I’ll soon be celebrating my 5^th anniversary at the Charities Review Council (fairly significant, since as a millennial, that’s like a couple of decades!). However, in that time, I’ve guided myriad nonprofit organizations through the Accountability Wizard review process and provided them with the support and resources to meet the Accountability Standards. I’ve spent countless hours evaluating organizational practices and policies, as well as providing guidance, assurance and helpful tools to enable organizations to meet standards. My role may be finite, but I continue to be inspired by the broad impact I’m able to have on the sector - by working for a capacity building organization, I also work to end world hunger and to cure cancer.

-Jenna Salinas, Nonprofit Services Manager