Atul Satija feels that a sense of generosity and giving was instilled into him during his childhood. He grew up watching his father support his extended family in a selfless manner. When he turned 30, he started to think about his long-term goals and what the rest of his career would look like. In this process, he started volunteering with a Delhi-based non-profit organisation called End Poverty, working in the rural livelihood space.
The/Nudge Institute intends to work towards building resilient livelihoods through all of its impact streams and programmes. They continue to strive to be an inclusive and diverse organisation with areas that allow their employees to grow.
According to Satija, the more one understands the challenge, the more complex he or she realises it is. Seeing the incredible generosity of various stakeholders and the powerful partnerships that are working together towards poverty alleviation makes him hopeful. There are bright minds and innovative solutions contributing to this cause, keeping him optimistic.
He also feels that talent plays a critical role in the functioning of an organisation. In the development sector, even more so as the impact, they wish to create and the very purpose of their work relies on the people and their vested interests. They think that it is essential to nudge top talent into the development sector and allow them to contribute their valuable skills in this space. It is equally important to continue to offer opportunities for growth, and this is what they strongly believe in.
Stating his beliefs, Satija goes on to say that their employees need to feel connected and passionate about the work they do and the end goal they are hoping to achieve. Over the past six years in The/ Nudge’s journey, they have discovered more and more about the role the organisation plays in solving problems. In this process, he too has learnt about his own role within this sector and the journey of growth has been simultaneous.
Through the work they do at the institute, Satija gained a better understanding of what it takes to alleviate poverty. The challenges they have faced have been opportunities for growth, for him as an individual as well. They are a non-profit organisation and are entirely funded by philanthropic support from various organisations and individuals.
Short-term goals include continuing the execution of the work they are doing through their centres. As mentioned earlier they have built a strong foundation and are creating greater impact through their direct and indirect work.
Satija also states that they will continue to focus on livelihoods but also enhance their ecosystem of support to other organisations and stakeholders who share the common vision of large-scale social change. He hopes to be a part of a flourishing ecosystem that allows effective solutions to scale up and create transformational change, within his lifetime.