Philanthropy profiles

Anyone working in the philanthropic sector has been asked the following question at least once: but, what do you do exactly? One of the challenges is avoiding many people’s instinct to associate philanthropy with two groups of people: philanthropists on the one hand and volunteers on the other. It is with the objective of shedding light on this situation and highlighting the diversity of skills, soft skills, expertise and know-how that we have invited over forty professionals of the philanthropic sector to discuss their work or involvement. From this process was born the first version of Careers in philanthropy.

In this document, you will meet professionals who have accepted to talk about their career and what keeps them busy on a daily basis. It will not take long for you to realize that they wear many different hats. They are professionals and volunteers, first-hand professionals and educators, philanthropists and administrators, etc. We are not aiming to be exhaustive, by presenting all of careers in the sector. We are instead hoping to pique your curiosity and to give you an overview of the different characters you will have the opportunity to meet at a fundraising event, when making a donation, in the field, at the allocation of funds associated with a grantmaking foundation, or even in hospital or school hallways.

We hope that this exploratory repertoire will help anyone interested in philanthropy to find clarity around the question of working in the sector. We also hope that it will give a representative portrait to students who want to pursue their education in order to build a career in the sector. Finally, this overview should facilitate the dialogue within the philanthropic sector by allowing for its members to better know and understand each other.

Thank you to all the philanthropists who participated in the making of this gallery for having collaborated in this exercise and maintaining as much spontaneity as possible.