Favorite Parts of Being a Freelance Nonprofit Consultant and Project Manager
Manaf most enjoys the "work life integration" afforded by the flexibility of their freelance consulting role, allowing for deep work interspersed with personal time. This career path also enables continual learning through diverse projects and collaborations with "different people, different organizations, different challenges," fostering professional growth and fulfilling their desire for "continual learning and continual giving."
Flexibility, Work-Life Integration, Project Management, Problem-Solving, Client Interaction
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Manaf Mansure
Nonprofit Consultant and Freelance Project Manager
Self-Employed
University of California, Los Angeles
Harvard University, MEd in Organizations, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship
Fine Arts, Music
Education, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Sales and Client Management
Scholarship Recipient, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Flexibility and work-life integration: Manaf enjoys the flexibility of freelancing, allowing for better work-life balance and integration.
2. Variety of work and continuous learning: He appreciates working with diverse organizations and challenges, leading to continuous learning and skill development.
3. Deep engagement with people and organizations: Manaf values building relationships with people and organizations, which is facilitated by his consulting work.
Transcript
What do you enjoy most about being in your current role?
I love the flexibility that my current role gives me. I am able to have probably the most work-life integration that I've ever had in my career thus far.
I don't think I will be a freelance consultant forever, but if I am, I am really going to enjoy the ability to work deeply on a project and then take a break. I can exercise, go for a walk, or make that midday run to the grocery store when it's not too busy, and have that balance in my life as well. So that's something that I've really enjoyed about this work.
Core to the actual work, freelancing and consulting allows me to work with different people, different organizations, and different challenges. As much as those challenges can be tough, we also learn from them and can be better at our own practice because we've attempted to solve them.
I really thrive in getting to know people and organizations deeply. Being a consultant and a freelancer allows me to do that quite well and quite regularly. I feel like I've stepped into a space that really helps exemplify the continual learning and the continual giving that I've wanted to provide to a lot of folks.