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My Journey from the Nonprofit Sector to Building Impact-Driven Businesses
- Dharitri Patnaik, Founder Jivada
For more than two decades, I worked in the nonprofit and international development sector, immersed in social justice, grassroots mobilization, and policy advocacy. The work was meaningful. The mission was clear. But somewhere along the way, I began to feel a growing disconnect between intent and impact.
Despite billions poured into development programmes globally, transformative, long-term change remained elusive for the very communities we aimed to serve. What unsettled me most wasn’t just the inefficiency, it was the reality that a large portion of funds meant for impact were absorbed by overheads, bureaucracies, and systems designed more for reporting than for results.
I didn’t lose faith in the cause.
I lost patience with the structure.
So, I decided, not to “leave” the nonprofit world, but to reimagine how I engaged with it. That’s when my entrepreneurial journey began.
Entrepreneurship: A Different Kind of Impact
When I transitioned into business, I wasn’t looking to abandon purpose. I was looking to activate it, through enterprise, innovation, and financial sustainability.
Starting a business from scratch, especially after a career in mission-driven spaces, was humbling. Suddenly, success wasn’t measured in donor satisfaction or policy influence, but in customer trust, profitability, and operational resilience.
It was a steep learning curve, but it gave me something invaluable:
Control over impact.
I could design businesses that created employment, not just livelihoods.
I could reinvest profits directly into communities and causes I cared about.
I could support my nonprofit work through CSR contributions, without compromise or red tape.
I could build a team, culture, and customer experience grounded in purpose, not performative branding.
No White Elephants, Just Focused Impact
Today, I still run my nonprofit, Humara Bachpan Trust on a pro bono basis. The CSR funding from my company supports grassroots work where every rupee counts. We focus on tangible, measurable, community-led outcomes, not bloated overheads or donor appeasement.
This dual role- entrepreneur and changemaker, has shown me that profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive. When anchored in values, businesses can be powerful vehicles for transformation.
Looking Ahead
The path from nonprofit to entrepreneurship is neither conventional nor easy. It demands clarity, courage, and a willingness to stay rooted in your "why" even as your "how" evolves.
But if there’s one truth I have lived, it’s this:
Impact doesn’t only come from outside the system. Sometimes, it’s built from within.
I didn’t switch lanes; I created a new one.
And every day, I walk it with intention.
