The Beginner's Guide to Building an Impactful Career

By Fungai Mettler

In a world overwhelmed by social issues, it's easy to feel apathetic. Yet, deep down, many of us yearn to make a difference. This book is for those who want to turn that desire into action.

I'm Fungai Mettler, and like you, I once faced the question of what I wanted to be defined by. Choosing the road less travelled, I found my purpose in social impact. As a multi-passionate professional, I work across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on projects related to environmental, social, and governance issues. Every day, I wake up grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.

This book is a guide for anyone looking to build a career in social impact. Whether you want to work for NGOs, companies that make a difference, or start your own initiative, this book is for you. No effort is too small to change the world.

Join me as we debunk myths about social impact and philanthropy, and uncover the steps you can take to build a purposeful and impactful career.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 15, 2025
• ISBN: 9781035879922

Fungai Mettler

Dr. Fungai Mettler is a multi-passionate social impact driven professional on a mission to help people and organisations to make a positive impact in their communities. She has spent the last decade driving social impact in Europe, Middle East, and Africa through various roles in academia, for-impact organisations as well as through the private sector. Fungai leads work in driving health equity, strengthening health systems as well as advancing global environmental, social and governance issues. Additionally, Fungai is a renowned social entrepreneur having co-founded Swizimtrust, an organisation that is focused on building holistic community impact in Zimbabwe.

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About the Author

An image of Fungai Mettler the author of The Beginner’s Guide to Building an Impactful Career

Dr. Fungai Mettler is a multi-passionate social impact driven professional on a mission to help people and organisations to make a positive impact in their communities. She has spent the last decade driving social impact in Europe, Middle East, and Africa through various roles in academia, for-impact organisations as well as through the private sector. Fungai leads work in driving health equity, strengthening health systems as well as advancing global environmental, social and governance issues. Additionally, Fungai is a renowned social entrepreneur having co-founded Swizimtrust, an organisation that is focused on building holistic community impact in Zimbabwe.

Dedication

If you remember nothing else in this world—please remember that each and every one can make an impact—all we need is to start somewhere. This guide is dedicated to all of you whose inner drive and passion to make a difference is untameable! Never stop trying to identify ways to make a difference.

Copyright Information©

Fungai Mettler 2025

The right of Fungai Mettler to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781035879908 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781035879922 (ePub e-book)

ISBN 9781035879915 (Audiobook)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2025

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

Writing this book has been a journey filled with learning, growth, and countless moments of inspiration. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way. First and foremost, I want to thank my family for their unwavering love and encouragement. Your belief in me has been my greatest source of strength. I am also grateful to the many individuals and organisations who have shared their stories and insights with me. Your contributions have enriched this book and made it a true reflection of the diverse and dynamic world of social impact. Finally, to my readers, thank you for embarking on this journey with me. I hope this book inspires you to make a difference and pursue a career that is both purposeful and impactful.

Introduction

Only a life lived for others is worth living.

– Albert Einstein

With the great resignation, we have learnt that purpose is the key driving factor for emerging generations. As Professor Debbie Haski-Leventhal pointed out in her article titled The Great Resignation: Purpose and meaning matter more than ever! people left companies in droves due to the fact that they hadn’t ‘become more purpose-driven and the enablers of purpose and meaningfulness for their employees’. [1] Ultimately, her sentiments were that companies need to ‘work to align who they are with their social impact’. [2] You might very well be a part of that brave new stance on the meaning behind careers and a life well-lived. If you are, then you’ll understand why the great resignation is of such importance right now and why it points to the fact that people are no longer finding purpose in the mundanity of wealth amassment and unfulfilling work.

We are seeing a shift in priorities and people’s manner of thinking. [3] We have also learnt that Covid-19 has pushed more people to reflect on what really brings them meaning and now more than ever, want what they deem purposeful. [4]

All of this plus the numerous questions that I receive on how to build an impactful career are a testament to this increasing demand! There is always a common thread to the questions.

‘What is that common thread?’ You might ask.

Well, almost every single one of those messages and calls comes from people wanting to make a difference. Not only that, but they often want to know how they can do so while either maintaining their current 9–5 or diving headlong into the social impact field full-time.

I see so much of myself in these people. These are wild souls—the carefree people that often care the most. These are the people who, much like myself, refuse to live another day without knowing that they will leave the world a better place than they found it. As you might have already gathered, I am a woman on the cusp. I am all things but hardly any of them at the same time. I have learnt to focus on each facet of my passions, some of which I mentioned before, giving each of them my unwavering attention in their own time.

In this offering to you, I will continue to share these sentiments and the experience that I have cultivated in social impact over the years. I share these stories and this experience for anyone out there who is desperately looking for a sign—or permission—to own who they are in their fullness and to achieve their dream of making a difference.

To those of you who are actively defining your own path, or hoping to do so, here’s a little tip: You don’t need anyone’s permission to own your life and to change your path. However, if this is the sign that you’ve been looking for, I am glad that I could be a part of your journey into the next wonderful chapter of your life!

For those of you who are seeking to make a difference while making a living, this guide is for you, and I sincerely hope that it inspires you to take the leap as I did.

Who Is this Guide For?

There are four predominant groups of people that this guide is going to speak to. If you fall into one, none, or all four, this offering is for you. There are of course no guarantees on any of these but hey, knowing that this could steer you in the right direction makes this so worth so, without further ado, let’s explore some groups of people that could benefit from this guide;

Those seeking to build careers in social institutions, such as for-impact organisations (FIO) but are unaware of what they need to do to accomplish this or may not fully understand how they are organised.

Those who want to work for companies that make a difference. People who want to be able to differentiate between ‘greenwashing’ and real impact. They are most likely unaware of what sets companies apart in this context.

Those who not only want to work in a company that makes a difference but want to be a part of those teams driving the impact. If it’s the corporate