It has been an eventful year at For Purpose. We are gearing up for the launch of the For Purpose campaign in January 2019, with graduate trainee roles across a range of areas and organisations. 2018 was a significant year for the programme, defined by a number of key moments.

In October, the brand of For Purpose was born. Originating from the 2into3 Not-For-Profit Graduate Programme, For Purpose was established to provide a graduate programme addressing the needs of not-for-profit organisations both large and small and in areas ranging from fundraising to social housing and more. An equal key aim of For Purpose was to offer an entry point for graduates who are seeking purpose into the sector and to provide them with the support and training necessary as this key stage in their careers.

Many graduates often acquire a spark for the sector by taking part in voluntary events while in college, whether that is through joining a charitable society or taking part in a fundraising event. However, what happens after they graduate? With this in mind, For Purpose was launched at the Grad Ireland Careers Fair to communicate to graduates that there is a career path open to them in the sector and there is a place to apply their sense  of purpose. After receiving very positive feedback from organisations, graduates and students we are excited about what’s to come in 2019.

In addition to the launch of the For Purpose brand this year, we also hosted a series of roundtable sessions for graduate trainees on the programme over the year, covering a broad range of topics from governance to social entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Ireland. The sessions offered an opportunity for graduate trainees to learn about topical issues which have a direct impact on their organisations as well as the chance to connect with other trainees on the programme. We have already begun scheduling our series for 2019 and we will be announcing this early in the New Year.

In 2018, we had a total of 8 graduates joining the sector in organisations such as Focus Ireland, Ag Eisteacht, Diabetes Ireland, Action Aid Ireland and Epilepsy Ireland and Sightsavers. Many of our graduates are coming to the end of their traineeships and are greatly looking forward to the next stage of their careers in their organisations.

2019 is shaping up to be an even busier year at For Purpose, with more graduate traineeships on offer spanning across the sector. We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and we look forward to meeting more graduates and organisations in the new year.

On Wednesday 07th November, For Purpose held its final roundtable session for 2018. We welcomed Caitriona Fottrell, Vice President and Director, Ireland of The Ireland Funds into our offices to speak to graduate trainees on the For Purpose programme.

Caitriona spoke about her incredible experience of working in the sector and how she first got involved in The Ireland Funds. She encouraged For Purpose graduate trainees to “find a cause and an organisation that they believe in” in their careers.

The discussion also covered that due to limited resources being available in the sector those who work in it must work harder in order to achieve things. Caitriona stated that to work in the sector a person must have a drive to make a positive impact and be able to work in a sometimes challenging environment.
Caitriona praised the For Purpose programme on how it is addressing a clear gap in terms of bringing graduates into the sector. It was noted that the sector needs innovation and new thinking and that this must come from graduates.

Finally, Caitriona said that she felt “incredibly fortunate to be working in a sector that does have purpose” and praised the current graduate trainees on deciding to choose a career with purpose. She spoke of her time in NUIG and how she is the only one of her class to end up working in the sector and how this must change in order to safeguard the future of the sector.

Last Wednesday’s roundtable finished off a year where For Purpose graduate trainees attended sessions with Eamon Timmins, Head of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement of the Charities Regulator, Darren Ryan, CEO of Social Entrepreneurs Ireland, Kieran Joyce, Sales & Partnerships Manager of Everyday Hero and Diarmaid Ó Corrbuí, CEO of The Carmichael Centre. For Purpose would like to thank all of this year’s roundtable hosts for providing an informative series of discussions throughout the year.

For Purpose will be announcing our upcoming 2019 roundtables hosts over the coming weeks so watch this space for updates on what’s in store for next year!