For seven years, I have been in the non-profit field, and have worked for a total of four organizations.

In all the organizations I worked I met with the same frustrations, mainly lack of innovation, lack of transparency and lack of an open space to dialog and establish solutions.

While at University, I was attracted to the non-profit sector. Looking back, I think I did so because I simply thought that a non-profit career would guarantee me money. I did have the ideal to serve people but the fact is that I had no real cause.

Anyhow, I started my career working for a non-profit media organization that was heavily bureaucratic and where the director used "divide-and-rule" tactics to keep the office under control.

Suggestions for change and improvement were just met with a nod, and not followed up, so I found myself having to repeat the same things over and over again.

At some point I just broke down, and the result was that I totally cut myself from the organization. So though I was in the office physically, my spirit had left a long time ago.

I did not stop reading. I read a lot especially around management issues, and during that time, I learned a lot about what it takes to make a good organization. I put ideas into practice and found that a lot of the information was practical.

Luckily, I manages to get called for an interview. I was very happy to go to the interview, and I made sure that I put all my cards on the table.

I told the people that were interviewing me all my frustrations and that I was looking to be in an organizations were respect for ideas and dialog was regarded as a value.

They accepted me for the job.

And for a period of time, I thought I had landed the job of my life. The salary was competitive allowing me to live a comfortable life. But as time went on, I began to notice the ugly side of things. In particular, there was an absolute lack of integrity.

I was working in a department responsible for compiling reports on the work that we were doing. On most occasions, the facts and figures were tampered with in order to portray a positive picture to donors.

I felt absolutely defeated and I began slowly withdrawing, not contributing in meetings and complaining a lot.

The management appeared to listen but went off to put in place systems and decisions that did not reflect the common position.

In my other two jobs afterward, I met with the same fate.

Now, I feel that I made a wrong career choice. I have become highly cynical about non-profit work. I absolutely do not think that non-profit organizations have the integrity to deliver on what they set out to do.

I am currently looking for ways to get out of the field. I am concentrating a lot on what I can do bet, which is writing. And I am praying that one day, I can be able to escape the non-profit field to do something which values integrity, truth and ideas.

Learn more about this author, Chief K.Masimba Biriwasha.
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