Jane Jonas, founder of Jonas Consulting, provides personal insight into how commercial and non-profit organisations can work together for the benefit of the wider community.
I have been running my own recruitment company for eight years and have over this time given various donations to different charities. I recently decided it would be a good idea to give a specific amount a year to one particular charity and also offer my services in some way as I now have a little more time on my hands.
My youngest daughter was diagnosed to be on the “autistic spectrum” at a young age and I therefore felt The National Autistic Society would be a good choice. My daughter is an adorable child and a delight to be around, however, we do worry how she will manage when she is of an age to leave home and venture into the realms of getting employment.
I contacted The National Autistic Society and offered to give them a donation and also offered my services to help them with fundraising or anything else they thought I may be able to contribute. I was invited into their offices to meet Trevor Anderton, the Director of Fundraising and learnt a lot more about the The National Autistic Society and their recent campaign “Think Differently about Autism” which was launched in February. I attended the launch event at the Houses of Parliament where speakers included Ivan Lewis MP, the Minister for Care Services, and The National Autistic Society President, Jane Asher. Aly Glynn, a performance poet, shared her experiences as an adult with autism through a powerful poem called “Abacus” which urged the Government to “count her in”. Before I started my own recruitment company I had worked in the Houses of Parliament as a PA to the Rt Hon Lord Richard QC so going back as a guest at this launch was very exciting for me - the Palace hadn’t changed at all!
At the launch I was introduced to David Perkins who is the Manager of The National Autistic Society Prospects. The National Autistic Society Prospects is the arm of the The National Autistic Society that has been set up to help people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome find work. David told me about Prospects' exceptional work and explained how Prospects had struck up an extremely beneficial relationship with Goldman Sachs who has taken on 23 employees over the last five years who are on the autistic spectrum. I have since met Richard Bremer of Goldman Sachs who has highlighted his positive experiences in employing people with Asperger’s or autism, in particular a young lad called Gary who was very much an extrovert and loved talking to people which was unlike the description Richard was originally given about AS. Gary’s original placement with Goldman Sachs was for four weeks but as he was so successful they extended it to eight weeks. At the end of this time he promptly left and found a fulltime position outside of Goldman Sachs.
I have since met David at his offices in Islington where I had the opportunity to look at their work more closely and was invited to sit in on one of their workshops, which involved four clients who are on the autistic spectrum being coached on skills they would need in the workplace. David has since asked my advice in respect of how Prospects could follow more closely the recruitment agency model to command a placement fee similar to how we do at Jonas, in order to fund all the necessary first-year support for both the employer and the new employee. This will enable them to have more funds to help continue their essential work, as they have to rely totally on Government grants and charitable donations from people like myself. We have already been successful in commanding a fee from one of David’s customers with my input. I am having regular meetings with David and will be committed to helping him find more employers who will open their minds to taking on people with autism or Asperger’s syndrome. These people have such a lot to offer and we need to educate the general public in understanding autism.
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