Charity Careers
Recruiting fundraisers - charity careers and fundraising jobs
Finding and keeping fundraisers can be difficult. Fundraising is the lifeblood of most charities, but for many of them recruiting and retaining good fundraisers is a perennial problem.
Increased competition for funds within the sector, combined with pressures to diversify income streams, means that organisations want their fundraisers to demonstrate proven skills and a strong track record. But if you're a small charity, have a low profile or can't afford much by way of salary, it can be difficult to attract the right candidates. And the recent surge in fundraising activity by universities, hospitals and schools has made the race for both funds and experienced fundraisers even more competitive.
It's important to think about your fundraiser's professional development, be it formal training or less formal opportunities such as mentoring.
Consider charity career switchers looking for Fundraising Jobs
The trend for people working in the private or public sectors wishing to switch to careers in the not-for-profit sector can help to address the shortage of experienced fundraisers in the sector.
High-flying career switchers from areas such as marketing or sales often bring with them a range of transferable skills such as presentation and report writing experience, as well as strong commercial skills - essential for charities, given the increasingly competitive marketplace.
Finally, don't assume that switchers will be put off by lower salaries or fewer perks than they are accustomed to. The Institute of Fundraising's 2004 membership survey found that just as many people took a pay cut on entering fundraising as increased their salary.
Train your Fundraising Team
Given the growing demands placed upon them, charity fundraisers now expect the sort of training and personal development opportunities offered in other sectors.
Fundraising has become increasingly professional and there are real career opportunities to be had in the UK..With this in mind, it's important that your potential and existing fundraisers can see opportunities for career development, backed up by an appraisal scheme or regular feedback sessions. Training - from one-off courses to professional accreditation - can help to keep fundraisers motivated while broadening their skills.
Training for fundraisers is not only an investment that should more than pay for itself in donation returns, but is a matter of ensuring best practice.
Please contact us to discuss your charity fundraising training requirements.
Request a brochure
If you are interested in any of our courses we'll put some copies of our brochure in the post.
