Payrolling or Freelancing for non-governmental or non-profit organisations in Switzerland

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1y ago

Do any of the following scenarios correspond to your situation?

You are seeking to work as a consultant for an NGO or a non-profit organisation:
- You are a Swiss, EU or EFTA citizen, or a citizen of another country with a work permit for Switzerland
- You can have the possibility to access a work permit in Switzerland for other reasons
- You already have or could have access to a Ci permit because you live with a holder of a FDFA legitimation card
You are an NGO or a non-profit organisation looking to work with freelance consultants

Then you can use our payroll services to carry out the mandate.

Non-governmental and non-profit organisations in Switzerland

There are many non-governmental and non-profit organisations in Switzerland.

Many international or foreign NGOs are also located here because of the presence of the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva.

The most important of these are the United Nations (UN), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and many other charitable, cultural and educational organisations.

In addition there are many associations and foundations in Switzerland. The exat number is not known as there is no legal obligation in Switzerland to register a non-profit organisation. They enjoy a high level of credibility.

These organisations play an important role in the promotion of:

Humanitarian law, human rights, migration
Humanitarian aid
Labour, economy, trade, science, telecommunications
Peace, security, disarmament
Health
Environmental preservation and sustainable development

Consultant profiles:

Non-governmental and non-profit organisations in Switzerland regularly recruit freelance consultants and they are in demand of many types of roles, including :

Organisational Development Consultant
Programme evaluation consultant
Project Management Consultant
Talent acquisition consultant
Communication and marketing consultant
Financial Management Consultant
Recruitment and Talent Management Consultant
HR systems and processes consultant
HR and Governance Consultant
Training and Development Consultant
Diversity, equity and inclusion consultant

NGOs, Foundations, Associations, some figures

In Switzerland there are 45 international organisations, 42 of which are located in the lake Léman area and 39 in the Canton of Geneva. There are also 314 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), of which 276 are in Geneva. Geneva also has 750 non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

More than 30 international sports federations have their headquarters in the canton of Vaud.

In Switzerland as a whole, there are more than 12,000 foundations and many more associations.

As of March 2022, 28,740 people work in the canton of Geneva’s 39 international organisations. Taking into account the 4,183 people employed in the permanent missions accredited to the UN or other international organisations and the consulates, the international public sector numbers 32,923 people.

According to Federal Department of Foreign Affairs these NGOs in Geneva also represent :

More than 4,700 visits per year by heads of state and government, ministers and other dignitaries
More than 4,000 conferences per year, organised in person, by teleconference or in hybrid mode and attended by approximately 366,000 delegates from all over the world

Advantages for NGO or non-profit organisations of using a payroll company like Thalent

Organisations can face multiple obstacles when seeking to work with consultants. The most important of these are usually legal issues relating to contracts, work permits and even taxation.

The advantages for organisations:

Quick start without the need for a branch office: by working with a payrolling company like ours an NGO can hire consultants based in Switzerland or in border areas within 48-72 hours

Experts in payrolling, off payroll work for NGOs: you will be advised by our experts who have been working for many years with non-governmental, international and non-profit organisations

International contracts: we can work and set up all types of contracts between you and us for your consultants: mandates, task forces, fixed or indefinite missions, international mandates. All social charges and taxes are paid

Compliant with Swiss law: our contracts comply with Swiss law and guarantee you complete legality throughout their duration. We take care of the relations with the tax authorities or the population office for work permits

Offices in Geneva and Zurich: our offices are located in Geneva, headquarters of many international organisations, but also in Zurich. We also offer coworking and office sharing

Advantages for consultants of working for an NGO using our payroll solutions

Consultants who wish to work with an NGO, INGO, association or foundation without being employed by them can do so via our payroll company.

The advantages for consultants:

You work for the organisation in a perfectly legal and autonomous manner
You become an employee of Thalent and benefit from full social security coverage:
- Unemployment, AVS pension, 2nd pillar LPP, accident insurance, maternity allowance
- You benefit from paid holidays
- We take care of the formalities for your work permit
- We take care of your deductible professional expenses
- We advise you on your taxes
This leaves you free to concentrate on your mandate without having to worry about accounting, legal and administrative matters

Job boards, Swiss NGO, INGO, non-profit organisations

Job offers for mandates in this type of organisations are published on standard job sites but there are also specialised sites.

Here are the most important sites specialised in recruitment for NGOs in Switzerland:

Two examples of NGO consultant profiles:

Elisabeth, communication consultant

Elisabeth is a freelance communications consultant with a passion for independent and international media.

She is single, Canadian, with a C permit and grew up in Geneva, Switzerland. She is fluent in French, English and Spanish, and studied Italian for a few years.

After graduating from university with a degree in communication and international relations, Elizabeth started working for an NGO that supported independent media in developing countries. She has worked on many exciting projects that have contributed to strengthening press freedom and democracy.

Because of her experience and expertise in the field of international communication, Elizabeth was recruited to work as a freelance consultant for a Geneva-based NGO that supports social justice in African countries. In this role, she works with journalists, media organisations and NGOs around the world to promote press freedom and access to information.

As a single woman in her thirties with no children, Elizabeth is, thanks to payrolling, able to focus completely on her mission whilst managing her time flexibly. She travels for her work and outside of it enjoys exploring new places, discovering new cultures and meeting people involved in the press. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, and is very active in her local community.

Salah, organisational development consultant

Salah is an organisational development consultant working as a freelance consultant for a large UN agency.

Moroccan-Swiss, Salah grew up in Switzerland. He studied political science and business management at university in Paris and then started his career in the international field.

Salah worked for many years for a company specialising in financial services, before joining a UN agency as an organisational development consultant. In this role, he helps organisations to improve their effectiveness, sustainability and social impact.

He is married and has two children. His family is very important to him and he spends a lot of his free time with them. Thanks to his parents he has been able to keep a strong link with his culture and roots.

As a Moroccan-Swiss, Salah is passionate about diversity and inclusion issues and works actively to promote these values within the organisation he works for. He is proud of his multicultural identity and feels that this is an asset in his work as an organisational development consultant.

Salah is an experienced and respected professional in his field. He chose to become a consultant four years ago in order to be able to work on a variety of projects and take on new challenges. He is convinced that organisational development is a key tool for building a more just and sustainable world.

Contact us for a free consultation!

Are you a consultant who wants to work with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or a non-profit organisation, or such an organisation that wants to work with a freelance consultant?

Besure to regularly check our homepage and follow us on our social networks for more information regarding payrolling and becoming an independent consultant. If you like our posts we would be thankful if you could give us a like on Linkedin or Facebook!

Author: Kamil Fetouni