Pros
FINCA has a noble mission to reduce poverty through microfinance and at the same time is creating social enterprises for the financially excluded. (The co-founder literally wrote the book on social entrepreneurship.) It has a top reputation for its microfinance work and the ED is leading FINCA into new programs to connect the poor to things like solar lamps and clean water. They are also involved in biometric banking, geodata and other tech to get services to the most remote communities. I was surprised by how driven most staff are given that it started as a small non-profit. People work extremely hard at FINCA, and days can be intense and long. Project deadlines can sometimes cut into personal life but leadership is respectful about it. The culture is friendly and sociable and it feels good to work with people who have a shared mission. At the same time, there is a strong focus on innovation and improvement, so performance expectations are high and change is basically a given. That kind of environment isn’t for everyone. Having FINCA on your resume is a point of pride and former FINCA staff get hired by the top NGOs. Interactions and friendships with staff in FINCA offices around the world are the norm. Benefits are good.
Cons
This is more advice than con for current and potential staff: if you don’t like a fast pace or being creative, this isn’t the place for you. FINCA is all about trying new approaches to solve poverty and trying new things is exciting but can be challenging. Be ready to learn and grow.