#DonatekartSpills: What It Takes To Be In Business Operations In The Social Sector

Everything that happens within a company — all the processes that help in bringing revenue, falls under the ambit of Business Operations. Basically, all that happens behind the scenes of what the public can see of a company is mostly the magic of the operations head.

We are here to spill the secrets about the operations team in Donatekart and talk about what all is required for anyone who wants to manage the behind the scenes of a thriving social sector enterprise.

“You have to be ready for your phone to ring all the time, so basically get a phone with a good battery life,” says Pranay Vora, Senior Manager Operations and Vendor Relations.

If you think he’s just joking, you’re wrong. Pranay is dead serious. He recalls the time when he and his entire team had been awake till the break of dawn trying to gather more information about oxygen cylinders, concentrators during the horrific second wave.

“We knew about the need of the oxygen cylinders etc only when the requirement was at its peak. And to add to it, we hardly had any idea about how they worked. So research and procurement of the products went hand-in-hand. This is one of the main reasons how handling operations is different in the social sector.”

But apart from being keen on taking up new challenges, the ops team in the social sector has to be comfortable working with very tight deadlines.

“For example, we get campaigns for disasters and there is hardly any breathing space for us because the essentials need to be dispatched as soon as possible as the need is urgent.”

Pranay tells us that the Operations Team at Donatekart takes around 24–48 hours to reach the disaster-struck area — in less than 2 days the relief work is up and running. For other campaigns, the time taken is not more than 3–4 days. The team has to be on their feet always. While their mornings go in sorting out needs from the previous day, the latter half of the day is judiciously spent on looking for newer needs that might have cropped up and figuring out better ways to send the products in need.

“We have multiple clients and a plethora of products that we deal in. The sheer size of our network might be overwhelming at times. But we hire interns and walk them through the entire process so that they know the nitty gritty of the business. After 3 months, if they choose not to join us, I can assure you that the guidance we give would come handy anywhere.”

Last but not least, the desire to do social good and build a lasting relationship with your clients based on trust and mutual respect is the bedrock of operations in a social sector.

“The revenues matter but what matters more is your desire to make a difference and walk the talk. A mix of superb analytical skills, negotiation skills and the ability to learn new things is what makes a great candidate for ops — top it off with a desire to do good and you have the perfect cocktail,” — Pranay quips before he signs off.

We at Donatekart believe in equal opportunities, equal rights, and inclusion. You can find out more about us here.