– First of all, please introduce yourself.

My name is Kaoru Mitarai. I am currently working as a freelance fundraiser, providing advice to non-profit organizations such as NPOs and general incorporated associations on how to raise funds.

 – What kind of career path have you followed up to now?

I have worked in both the business and social sectors. From junior high school, I wanted to become a math teacher, but I thought that teachers with work experience would be more in demand by society, so I looked for a job. At the time, it was a difficult time to find a job due to the employment ice age in Japan. I had studied mathematics at university, so I chose an IT company where I thought I could make use of my mathematics skills, and I got a job at a foreign IT company. I worked there for 15 years, using the company’s internal recruitment system to take on roles such as  IT infrastructure engineer, marketer, and salesperson, to  shape my career in a proactive way.

I was good at putting together and understanding logic, and I also enjoyed the feeling of communicating that to someone else and seeing them understand.  These are the reasons I  genuinely enjoyed my job as an engineer, building IT infrastructure together with clients.

The turning point was when I got married and had a baby. Until then, I had been working hard, competing with  male employees, but after my child was born, I took maternity and childcare leave, and then returned to work while raising my child. However, at the time, working from home was not common, and there was not much understanding in the company for women raising children, so it was difficult to balance work and childcare, and my work performance dropped significantly.

Especially at a time when working overtime was the norm and working hard was part of the company culture, I remember being shocked when I asked my boss how I could improve my performance to match that of my colleagues, and getting a cold response along the lines of “It’s your responsibility for having a child.”

– Before COVID-19, the above  perception was common. What did you think when you heard that?

At first, I thought the above perception was a problem for the company I was working for, but as I talked with women I knew who were suffering from similar situations, I gradually began to think that this might be a problem for society as a whole.

I have always had a strong sense of justice, and I am the type of person who easily feels discomfort and anger at the absurdities of society. I also have a high level of empathy for the problems that people around me are facing and I feel as though these problems are my own/ Therefore,  when I find out about social problems like this, I can’t help but want to do something about it.

So, I remembered about the certified NPO, Florence, which is a pioneer in childcare for sick children and also actively makes policy proposals, and I wanted to become a member of Florence and help solve social problems, so I spent my days checking job listings every day. One day, I found a job listing for “corporate sales and bequest donations” that I was unfamiliar with, and although it was outside my area of expertise, I applied without hesitation and was fortunately hired. So, I changed careers from the business sector to the social sector.

Although I was hired, I had no experience as a fundraiser, so I had to learn about fundraising from scratch, and through a lot of trial and error, I was able to rebuild the corporate donations and start up the bequest donations. I also obtained the Certified Fundraiser qualification, and gradually became fascinated by the depth of the fundraising work. After working at Florence for about five years, I became an independent fundraiser and have been working as one ever since.

– Why did you decide to apply to Shizenkan?

As I gave advice on fundraising to NPOs and general incorporated associations, I often came across issues related to the overall organization, such as management and operations. However, as I was a beginner in terms of management, I sometimes felt frustrated because I was unable to provide satisfactory support to my clients. I had always felt the need to learn about management in a systematic way.

Shizenkan is well known in the social sector, and there are many alumni and current students, so I have had the opportunity to hear about Shizenkan from time to time, and I thought Shizenkan was an attractive place to learn.

This year, I was approached by an acquaintance who gave me the opportunity to learn more about Shizenkan. I learned in depth about the educational philosophy and principles that Shizenkan upholds, as well as the content of the curriculum, and at the same time, I became very interested in the school.

What was most attractive about Shizenkan was that it did not create a barrier between business and social sector, and it created many opportunities to learn about both. When I changed jobs from the business sector to the social sector, I thought that there was still a misunderstanding, or a gap in perception, between the two sectors in Japan, so I thought it would be very interesting to be able to discuss both business and social issues with my classmates from the business sector at Shizenkan. Having given this thought, I applied with the hope that this would be a chance to break down the barriers between business and social sectors.

– What was the biggest challenge you faced when applying to Shizenkan?

My child was a student preparing for an entrance exam, and our daily expenses were high, so the biggest problem was whether we would be able to afford the tuition fees for Shizenkan. However, Shizenkan has competitive scholarship programs, so I applied for a scholarship at the same time as I applied for admission.

– You applied for the Social Innovators Scholarship. What did you think when you heard you had been selected as a first recipient?

I was worried that I would be unable to achieve something as a social innovator…

However, one of my role models, Hiroki Komazaki-san, the founder of the social enterprise NPO “Florence” is now considered to be a leading figure in the field of social innovation, but he too started off by taking action within a “radius of 5 meters around his feet”.

I too want to work to nurture the seeds of social innovation through fundraising, even if it is a small activity.

– What would you say to the candidates who are going to apply for the Shizenkan?

Before, when I heard about Shizenkan, I thought, “I guess it’s not me who will be studying there, but someone else.”

I had the image that it was a place for people who were working hard or business leaders to go.

However, fortunately, I had a chance to learn about Shizenkan, and I had time to think about studying at Shizenkan and my own life. I realized that there was a part of me that wanted to study there.

At the same time, I began to wonder, “Could it be that I have been unconsciously avoiding it all this time, saying to myself, ‘That’s not me’.”

Gradually, I began to think, “No, it’s okay for me to study too. In fact, maybe it’s me who should be doing this!” and that’s how I ended up applying.

Shizenkan places a much greater emphasis on diversity than other business schools, and students with a wide range of backgrounds are enrolled. There are people from the business sector and the social sector, and many parents who are raising children are also studying.

At Shizenkan, you have the opportunity to come into contact with a wide variety of different values. Since enrolling at Shizenkan, I have felt that I have “stepped outside” of my previous worldview. Perhaps I have already started to go beyond the “5-meter radius around my feet”.

At Shizenkan, I think you will be able to see a completely different landscape. Such an experience is not something that comes along very often, so I would like you to take up the challenge.

I too will cherish the insights I gained this time, and I hope to study at Shizenkan with the strong conviction that “it is not someone else who will change society, but myself.”

(October 4, 2024)