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Charity fundraiser

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Charity fundraisers seek to encourage donations by building relationships, organising events, and exploring fundraising opportunities

As a charity fundraiser, you'll raise awareness of the work charity organisations do, with a goal of seeking donations. In a larger organisation, you'll usually specialise in one specific area, but in a smaller one, you may cover several types of fundraising.

As such, networking is an important part of the role, since success depends heavily on being able to forge positive relationships with supporters.

Types of charity fundraiser

Your fundraising title will normally be categorised according to the types of donors you focus on, as detailed on the Chartered Institute of Fundraising website:

  • Corporate fundraisers form partnerships and develop relationships with businesses to raise money. The charity benefits from a proportion of income and, in many cases, volunteering hours, while the company increases its level of social responsibility and acquires new skills for its employees.
  • Trusts, grants, and foundations fundraisers are set up by a group, company, or individual that has decided to put aside money specifically for providing charitable support. Usually this involves writing a formal application explaining what the money is for, how the charity's work impacts beneficiaries, and how donations will be spent. For this reason, it may appeal to people who enjoy research, preparing proposals, and budgets.
  • Community fundraisers are the main point of contact for most mainstream fundraising that involves members of the public. Community fundraising will suit those who work with people from all walks of life and who are keen to get involved in a variety of activities.
  • Major donor fundraisers focus on researching opportunities and building relationships with key supporters who can donate high-value gifts. Often this is a role that experienced fundraisers progress into.
  • Legacy fundraisers work closely with supporters who are looking to leave a gift to charity in their will. This type of fundraising may suit people with an interest in, and understanding of, legal and administrative aspects of legacies.
  • Events fundraisers focus on running events all year round, from fairs to galas, as well as auctions and sponsored activities. This would suit those who enjoy event management, are well organised, and have stamina.

Responsibilities

As a charity fundraiser, you'll need to:

  • motivate and facilitate supporters to maximise the funds they raise
  • inspire new supporters to raise money, while maintaining and developing relationships with existing donors
  • organise traditional activities, such as sponsored sporting events and house-to-house collections of donated goods and money
  • develop new and imaginative fundraising activities
  • raise awareness of the charity and its work at local and national levels, e.g. giving talks to groups or seeking photo opportunities with the media
  • develop and coordinate web-based fundraising, online auctions, and merchandise sales
  • increase funds by researching and targeting charitable trusts whose criteria match the charity's aims and activities
  • develop and implement a strategy for individual and corporate supporter recruitment and development
  • recruit, organise, and manage volunteers to carry out various functions within the charity
  • oversee corporate fundraising, including employee donations and matched funds from employers
  • manage and update databases to record donor contact and preference information
  • write applications and mailshots, using direct mailing to reach a wider range of potential donors, as well as current ones
  • carry out risk analysis and balance time-cost ratios to focus efforts on the fundraising activities that are most appropriate and will have the highest chance of success.

Salary

  • Average salaries for charity fundraisers in the UK are around £38,000, but can start from £23,000.
  • As you rise to a more senior position, you could be earning up to £50,000 per year.
  • At director level, it's possible to earn an average of £72,000.

In Scotland, many charities follow the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Salary Scales when setting wages.

Performance-related pay is generally discouraged by the bodies that monitor the activities of charities, although it's not impossible.

Charity fundraisers may also be provided with a company car. Additional employee benefits can include travel, as well as health and wellbeing

Working hours

You'll generally work 35 hours per week, usually across five days, but this can differ depending on the charity you work for. Larger organisations may offer flexible working. Availability to work out of hours is often required, e.g. to attend evening or weekend events and meetings. Time off in lieu is a possibility.

According to a report from Community Foundation North East, 36% of organisations saw an increase in part-time workers in the voluntary (or third) sector. Job-sharing, career breaks, as well as self-employment and freelancing are all possible.

Around 40% of people working in the voluntary sector do so from home, according to the UK Civil Society Almanac 2024.

What to expect

  • Charity fundraisers are increasingly based at home within regional offices, which may be some distance away. You'll be expected to be out meeting supporters for a significant portion of your time and may be required to travel frequently during the day, with occasional absences from home overnight.
  • Event management can be physically demanding and taking part in events does involve significant amounts of verbal communication.
  • Charity Job and NCVO both report that almost 70% of staff in the voluntary sector are women.
  • Short-term contracts are common, especially in event fundraising, which can result in job uncertainty.
  • Vacancies arise throughout the UK, although most opportunities occur in larger population centres. Some types of fundraising, such as corporate and major giving, are more commonly based in London.

Qualifications

Charity fundraising is open to all graduates and those with an HND. Having a degree will usually give you an advantage and, for some posts, it will be an essential entry requirement.

A qualification or experience in marketing, media, event management, public relations, or business may also be helpful.

The field of international development is particularly competitive, so a relevant undergraduate or Masters degree is desirable.

Taking a training course is another route into a fundraising career, although these often form part of training within employment. For further information about available courses, contact the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.

Skills

You will need to show:

  • commitment to your charity's cause
  • the ability to build and maintain relationships
  • creativity, imagination and an entrepreneurial attitude towards fundraising
  • a capacity for critical thinking and using reason and evidence to make an informed judgement
  • a proactive attitude, drive and enthusiasm to carry out projects to conclusion
  • the ability to influence others using excellent communication skills
  • the resolve to work under pressure and meet deadlines
  • the ability to meet financial targets
  • good organisation and project management skills
  • the ability to motivate others and work as part of a team
  • resilience, particularly when faced with setbacks
  • sensitivity to the needs of volunteers and donors
  • an understanding of confidentiality and the rules around General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and how this will apply in the context of fundraising
  • IT skills, with additional knowledge of social media, content writing, and website development
  • a willingness to carry out a range of administrative tasks.

Work experience

Employers favour relevant skills and experience, and many consider this to be more important than your subject of study. Seeking out opportunities to gain work experience is essential, as charity fundraising is a popular and competitive area to break into.

Consider volunteering or working as a fundraising assistant. Experience in marketing, public relations, events, advertising, sales, and finance is also beneficial.

Some larger charities offer internships, which can provide valuable opportunities that sometimes lead to permanent posts.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

According to the UK Civil Society Almanac 2024, almost one million people worked in the voluntary sector, equating to about 3% of the UK workforce.

Fundraisers are one of the most in-demand professions in the charity sector. The number of fundraising roles on CharityJob increased by 20% from 2023.

Typical employers are charities, although their size, structure and purpose vary tremendously. Other organisations that employ fundraisers include:

  • hospitals
  • educational establishments
  • arts organisations
  • churches
  • political parties
  • other local, national and international fundraising agencies.

The main characteristic of these organisations is that they are dedicated to the promotion of a particular cause rather than to making a profit.

Look for job vacancies at:

The organisation Charityworks runs a 12-month talent programme, which is open to graduates and non-graduates.

Jobs are normally advertised, but some employers will accept speculative applications. Senior posts are often filled from the commercial sector.

Recruitment consultancies specialising in the not-for-profit sector are an important source of vacancies, and include:

The following organisations advertise volunteering opportunities:

Professional development

Charity fundraiser training is done primarily on the job. Expect responsibility and autonomy early on, with opportunities to work in various roles.

It's likely you'll be given the chance to complete some short courses, tailored for the not-for-profit sector. These could be foundation-level courses for new starters or specialist and experienced fundraiser courses in legacy or corporate fundraising, for example.

You can find further details on the following websites:

Undertaking these courses will help you learn about different methods of raising money and securing resources. It will also provide you with useful opportunities for networking.

You can also pursue professional qualifications in order to open new career avenues. Becoming a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising provides evidence of your professional status. It may even become a requirement for career advancement in the future.

Career prospects

Larger charities with a fundraising department and an established staffing structure may offer greater scope for promotion and career development. In smaller charities, though, you'll usually gain an excellent breadth of experience due to being responsible for a range of activities.

Your career path might involve moving from volunteering to fundraising officer, then to fundraising manager, then head of fundraising in a small charity, or a middle management role in a larger organisation. In time, you could become a director of fundraising in a small charity or head of a fundraising department in a large charity.

Career prospects are looking good for charity fundraisers in the UK, as there are now more managerial roles when compared to the rest of the sector. There's also more flexibility in terms of location, opening up a greater number of opportunities.

If you want to specialise in a particular area, such as corporate or trust fundraising, there will be better opportunities in larger charities since they are more likely to have several fundraising teams. Such organisations also require a full range of business functions, so you could move into areas such as operations, database management, or marketing and communications.

The skills you develop as a fundraiser are useful and highly valued by employers, both within and outside the voluntary sector. Highlighting your commercial awareness and business skills may help with a sideways move into the private or public sector. Corporate social responsibility is also a growing area where jobs may emerge.