Choosing Your Path in the Charity Sector

When people come to me feeling stuck in their charity careers, feeling like they’re at a crossroads, the question underneath the question is often this:

Do I want depth, or breadth of impact?

Neither is better. Neither is more honourable.
But they are very different ways of working, and understanding which one pulls you more strongly can be a powerful north star.

Let’s explore both.

Depth: Working in-house in a charity

Depth is about going deep into one organisation, one mission, one set of relationships.

When you work in-house, you are immersed. You know the backstory, the politics, the personalities and the long-term strategy. You are part of the fabric of the organisation.

The pros of depth:

• Strong sense of belonging
  Being part of a team, sharing wins and challenges, and feeling rooted in a single cause can be deeply meaningful.

• Long-term impact
  You see ideas through from conception to delivery. You witness change over months and years, not just at one point in time.

• Clear structure and security
  Regular income, defined responsibilities, and access to training, pensions and progression pathways can offer stability.

• Influence from the inside
  You can shape culture, systems, and strategy in ways that are harder from the outside.

The cons of depth:

• Limited perspective
  When you’re deep inside one organisation, it’s easy to lose sight of how things are done elsewhere or what ‘good’ could look like beyond your bubble.

• Emotional over-identification
  Caring deeply can tip into over-responsibility. Many people I support feel personally accountable for things well beyond their remit.

• Pace and pressure
  Being embedded often means absorbing urgency, scarcity and organisational stress as a constant background hum.

• Progression bottlenecks
  Growth can depend on someone leaving or a restructuring, which may not align with your timing.

Depth suits people who value continuity, loyalty, and belonging to something bigger than themselves — and who want to invest their energy in one place.

Breadth: Working as a charity freelancer

Breadth is about moving across organisations, causes and contexts.

As a freelancer, you bring your skills into many different spaces. You see patterns, similarities and contrasts. Your work is often project-based, time-bound and focused.

The pros of breadth

• Variety and stimulation
  Different clients, teams and challenges can keep your work fresh and engaging.

• Perspective and pattern-spotting
  You quickly see what works, what doesn’t, and where organisations get stuck — because you’ve seen it before.

• Autonomy and flexibility
  You have more control over your workload, clients, hours, and how you structure your work life.

• Clearer boundaries (eventually)
  When done well, freelance work can reduce emotional over-attachment because your role is defined and contained.

The cons of breadth

• Lack of belonging
  Not being fully ‘inside’ a team can feel isolating, especially if you miss shared identity or day-to-day camaraderie.

• Income uncertainty
  Feast-and-famine cycles, inconsistent cash flow and the pressure to keep finding work can be stressful.

• Holding everything yourself
  Marketing, administration, boundaries, pricing, and self-belief all rest with you.

• Shorter organisational impact
  You may not always see the long-term results of your work, which can feel frustrating if you’re impact-driven.

Breadth suits people who value independence, variety and flexibility — and who are energised by supporting many missions rather than one.

Depth vs breadth: it’s not a hierarchy

One of the most unhelpful myths in the sector is that one path is somehow more committed, more ethical or more “serious” than the other.

Working in-house is not more noble.
Freelancing is not less caring.

They simply ask different things of you.

Depth asks for commitment and endurance.
Breadth asks for adaptability and self-trust.

Finding your North Star

If you’re trying to decide which route is right for you, I often suggest reflecting on these questions:

• Do I feel most energised by going deep or by switching contexts?

• Do I want to belong to one mission, or contribute to many?

• How important is stability versus autonomy at this stage of my life?

• When I imagine a productive workweek, what does it look like?

• What kind of tired do I want to be, emotionally invested, or mentally stretched?

Your answers may change over time. Many people move between depth and breadth across their careers, and that’s not a failure; it’s growth.

A final thought

The goal isn’t to pick the “right” path forever.

It’s about choosing the path that supports your energy, values, and life now, while keeping sight of what matters most to you in the long run.

Your north star isn’t a job title or contract type.
It’s how you want to feel in your work, and how you want your work to fit around your life.

And remember, it is possible to do good and be well.

Monthly coaching for freelancers provides accountability, well-being support and a cheerleader, in me, in your corner, cheering you on! Interested?