Alex Haas
Social Impact Entrepreneur
“Big change often starts with something small. The butterfly can create a storm!”
Meet Alex
- Alex is committed to connecting people with a purpose, a mission which led him to create Haagse Helpers in 2017. Almost a decade later, Haagse Helpers works with an extensive network of youth volunteers to support citizens with small tasks or even by simply having a cup of coffee together, making The Hague a more socially connected city.
- “I had talents and I had an education, but how could I use them to impact people?” With an academic background in Human Resources Management and experience across both the private and public sector, Alex says that he founded Haagse Helpers out of a desire to maximise his impact via his work.
- His experience has taught him that local initiatives in The Hague can be just as important as the work of the city’s international institutions. “Big change often starts with something small. The butterfly can create a storm,” Alex shares.
Sector
Social Impact Entrepreneurship
- This desire to help people was what pushed Alex to study HR in the first place. “I get more satisfaction from the joy that my work creates for my organisation, rather than the money,” Alex responds, when asked about his early professional roles.
- Starting as an in-house consultant for a private company, Alex eventually moved to the public sector in an attempt to grow his skillset. “These roles gave me a lot of skills that I still use at Haagse Helpers,” Alex continues, from managerial skills and the value of proper project documentation to collaborating with diverse teams.
- He explains that working in a larger organisation comes with many benefits, including greater resources and concrete structures. However, in Alex’s experience, running your own, smaller-scale organisation allows for greater flexibility as you “start from scratch, and from the bottom-up.” Becoming a jack-of-all-trades, of sorts, Alex has had to pick up key skills along the way, from hiring to accounting, and from project management to fundraising applications.
What’s in the Sector’s Future?
- “There is a lot happening in the world,” Alex admits, and it is an uncertain time for mission-driven industries. In an era of budget cuts and volatile administrations, government priorities do not always benefit small-scale local impact projects.
- “I am very hopeful about the new generation of changemakers,” Alex shares, explaining that the young people he meets via Haagse Helpers don’t shy away from “big challenges like climate change” and “know that we have to change and live differently” to overcome them. At the same time, he identifies that young professionals are not only motivated to “make money, but also to have a positive impact” through their work.
- Alex notes an urgent need for more synergies between The Hague’s international institutions and small, local impact organisations. He says working with those who know the local context best allows you to address local challenges optimally. Alex urges future professionals to be mindful of the potential of local-international partnerships to maximise impact in their work, regardless of which end of the mission-driven spectrum they end up working in.
Skills
Want to find out how Alex landed the job he’s currently in?
- “I believe good education leads to success. However, what is success?” Alex explains that for him, success is relative and not dependent on formal education and master’s degrees. “Some people don’t have degrees, but they are good leaders because they have developed soft skills that a class can’t teach you.”
- Alex stresses the importance of soft skills in one’s professional development. “Hard skills will come eventually; you can learn them in your studies.” Connecting with your colleagues and partners, knowing how to network, and balancing professional dynamics are much rarer skills.
- The top skill he looks out for when hiring for Haagse Helpers’ team is adaptability and how one deals with difficulties. “Everyone makes mistakes, that is normal. What is more important is how you deal with them,” Alex explains. “A CV doesn’t tell me enough about a person, I want to know more” about how they work in the real world.
Advice & Tips
- Alex believes young professionals can gain a lot from volunteering – including becoming humbler and more aware of the world around them. Being more grounded and in touch with the real world can then be translated into their work, whether that is in policymaking, international institutions, NGO work, or even the private sector.
- Importantly, Alex advises young professionals not to underestimate the power of local impact initiatives to drive change. “You don’t have to work for a big organisation to bring about big change,” he goes on, highlighting his own experience at Haagse Helpers, working with everyday people to make The Hague a more socially connected and inclusive city.
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Curriculum Vitae
Haagse Helpers, Founder & Lead Coordinator, [2017-present]
Shelter Christian Hotels Amsterdam, Duty Manager, [2018-2019]
Multiplied B.V., Recruitment Consultant, [2015-2017]
De Geschillencommissie, Intake Officer, [2010-2015]
Covebo Uitzendgroep, Inhouse Consultant, [2007-2008]
Connection to the Hub
As a Hub member, you can often find Alex working at our Campus in The Hague, having a meeting in our co-working areas, or having lunch with colleagues at the Hub Cafe. He has shared his insights as a featured member in the Humans of the Hub series.