Charity Fundraiser
What is the work like?
As a fundraiser, you would be responsible for raising as much money as possible for your charity. You must constantly think of new and imaginative ways to raise funds and market your charity.
Your job could involve some or all of the following tasks:
- media and marketing – creating press, television, radio and poster appeals to attract donors
- corporate fundraising – arranging company sponsorship or schemes for staff or customers to donate
- trust and legacy fundraising – persuading companies or individuals to set up trust funds or leave money in their will
- organising occasions such as charity balls, galas or sporting events
- organising traditional street or door-to-door collections
- direct mailing to ask for donations
- overseeing trading operations such charity shops or mail order sales
- recruiting and managing volunteers
- managing budgets and reporting on fundraising performance to the charity’s trustees and donors
- giving talks, and writing press releases to raise awareness of your charity's work
- meeting targets for amount of money raised.
In larger charities, you would tend to specialise in one or two of these areas. If you worked for a smaller charity, you might be involved in all kinds of fundraising activities as well as charity management duties.
What qualifications and experience will employers look for?
You could come to fundraising from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Employers will usually be more interested in your skills and commitment to working in the charity sector than in your formal qualifications.
Charities often prefer you to have a track record in fundraising, so previous experience as a volunteer fundraiser would be an advantage. Experience in business, sales, marketing, public relations or events management would also be helpful.
It could be useful to have a degree or BTEC HND in business or marketing and communications, but this is not essential if you have the right skills and experience for the job.
You can find out about local volunteering opportunities from Volunteering England (or the equivalent organisations for Northern Ireland, Wales or Scotland).
If you are thinking about working in the voluntary and community sectors, you may find it useful to take one of Working for a Charity's short taster courses. These include:
- Introductory Programme – two evening seminars including basic fundraising
- Foundation Course – seven one-day seminars plus a 20-day charity placement
- Effective Voluntary Sector Management – an online course that takes around eight months of study.
Visit Working for a Charity's website for full details.
What further training and development can I do?
Your training will vary depending on the charity and its budget. Larger charities may offer their own in-house structured training schemes. However, in most cases you will learn on the job and attend occasional short courses run by organisations like the Institute of Fundraising and the Directory of Social Change.
The Institute of Fundraising and the Directory of Social Change jointly run the Fundraising Programme, a series of short courses at three levels – for people who are new to fundraising, for experienced fundraisers and for current or future fundraising managers.
The Institute of Fundraising also offers the Certificate in Fundraising Management, a professional postgraduate-level qualification for experienced fundraisers.
See the Institute of Fundraising and the Directory of Social Change websites for more details about their training programmes.
Another option with experience could be to take a postgraduate course in charity management and fundraising. You can find relevant distance learning and part-time courses at a small number of universities, in particular (links open new window):
- City University
- London South Bank University
- Sheffield Hallam University
- Open University Business School.
Where can I go for more information?
London
NW1 2DP
Tel: 020 7391 4800
Regent's Wharf
8 All Saints Street
London
N1 9RL
Tel: 020 7520 2512
12 Lawn Lane
London
Tel: 020 7840 1000
If you would like to discuss your career options with a learning adviser at Careers Advice, call 0800 100 900 or use our online enquiry form
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What salary and other benefits can I expect?
- Starting salaries for full-time work are usually between £18,000 and £21,000 a year.
- With experience, this can rise to £24,000 to £30,000 a year.
- Fundraising managers in larger charities could earn up to £50,000 a year.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
What are the hours and working conditions?
In a full-time job you would work around 35 to 40 hours a week. Weekend and evening work is common, especially in a job that involves organising events. Part-time work is also common, particularly in smaller charities that may not have the budget to employ a full-time fundraiser.
You might be office-based or work mainly from home. You would often be responsible for fundraising in a local area or larger region, and you would usually need to travel around that area to give presentations and attend meetings.
What skills and knowledge will I need?
- creativity and imagination
- excellent written and spoken communication skills
- good presentation skills
- drive and enthusiasm
- the ability to motivate and manage others
- excellent organisational skills
- the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- budget management skills
- commitment to your charity’s cause.
What opportunities are there?
You could work for national or local charities, political pressure groups or other ‘not-for-profit’ organisations such as hospitals, schools or community groups. Competition for paid work is strong, especially with well-known charities.
Jobs may be advertised in the local, national and charity press, employers' own websites and specialist recruitment agencies.
Promotion prospects can depend on the charity’s size and finances. You may need to move to a larger charity to get promotion or a higher salary. With experience, you could move into charity management, or become a self-employed fundraising consultant.
You may find the following links useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open new window):
Professional Fundraising
Third Sector
Institute of Fundraising Jobs and Careers
UK Fundraising
Working for a Charity (recruitment links)
Society Guardian
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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