I know a couple of people high up in the corporate / ultrarich family charitable foundation world and it looks absolutely mint. 

They're paid loads, swan around the world to conferences in expensive cities meeting dignitaries, get non-stop funding money blasted at them, and get to feel virtuous about it all at the end of the day. The biggest gravy train going. 

how did they get into it? being chic and marrying right?

I know someone who is kind of a charitable foundation dogsbody and it looks depressing AF so sense there's some glass ceiling for the non-elite in there

I can't really see you cruising round a hot country in a Land Cruiser not really sure what it is that you're meant to be doing other than not being kidnapped.

Not connections, no. Went in from academia into mid-level roles seemed to have a very smooth progression upwards.

Suspect a combination of realising the key skill is managing and impressing the sources of the money, some astute job hops, and boringly just being quite good at it. 

SS - that sounds like my current job but with better weather tbh