A Frontline Post With The Army

12 July 2008

Not-for-profit jobs are no less challenging, Owen Thomson writes.

ON THE surface, accountants and charity workers don't have a lot in common. But as chief financial officer for the Salvation Army's eastern territory, Ian Minnett spends every day proving the two are more than compatible.

It is the 47-year-old's job to oversee the management and allocation of the organisation's $370 million annual budget.

"On top of that, I really like - when possible - to get out to the front line and see the good work the army's doing and see where the money's being spent, because I find that to be probably the most rewarding part of what I do," he says.

A chartered accountant with considerable experience in the corporate world, Minnett spent 13 years in audit roles at KPMG, followed by several more in the banking sector. He began working in the non-profit sector in October 2000.

"I'm a Christian, so I was keen to try and do something of this nature at some point in my career," he says. "The opportunity presented itself ... It just seemed to be the right time. I just look at the things that the army does and find a great deal of job satisfaction."

Not surprisingly, Minnett says the corporate and non-profit sectors are very different. "Corporate sector drivers are very much focused on bottom-line results," he says. "Whereas the not-for-profit organisation that I work for, and many others, have a strategic opportunity to help people looking to the long term and are not just focused on annual bottom lines or share price."

But even though profit isn't as important in his current role, Minnett says this doesn't make his job any less challenging. "It's not for profit but we're not for loss either," he says. "We're working to try and make sure that we're around for the long term so that we can help people. It needs to be efficient about what it does but not to the detriment of the provision of service in whatever form that might be."

So could he ever go back to dealing with the demands of the corporate world? "Well, I probably could but I don't have a desire to at this point," he says. "I'm very happy doing what I'm doing.

"The rewards are more about seeing the good work done than necessarily the remuneration."

NSW director of Robert Half recruitment, Nicole Gorton, says similar accountancy roles with non-profit organisations are not uncommon but do not suit everyone.

"I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference," she says. "Quite often we see people, as their life progresses, become very specific about the type of organisation they want to work for and the type that they don't want to work for in terms of what it represents. We find that there's definitely an increased percentage of people who do want to work for not-for-profit organisations."

She says moving from the corporate to non-profit sector does not always mean a pay reduction. "There's a general perception that the base salary is smaller than what it is in the commerce and industry sector, but you can't categorically say that," she says. "Depending on what organisation you work for, you may have to realign your take-home salary, but there are fringe benefits that remain exempt from tax for non-profit organisations. In effect you can salary sacrifice for benefits that commercial organisations cannot offer ... like your mortgage, childcare, meals or car parking."


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