Charity Recruitment Team

Are you a champion of causes and want a career that gives as good as it gets?If you’re the person getting behind the latest cause, have a way with words and the ability never to take no for an answer then working for a charity could be the perfect career for you. Paid charity work can cover nearly every career option from marketing and public relations to policy and hr, and comes with a healthy dose of job satisfaction. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Fundraising

What they do
Feverishly generate cash to ensure the smooth operation of the charity’s work. A hands on role where you can be expected to recruit individuals, groups and organisations to the cause through planned sales activities.

What you need
Excellent communication and social skills are an absolute essential. If going out and meeting new people is not your thing then this might not be the job for you. Being able to talk to anyone from celebrities at a party to the head of a company is crucial to success, not to mention being a team player. Unbridled creativity and tenacity are all factors of a successful fundraiser.

Earning potential
Initial salary may start at around £20,000 or so for fundraisers just starting out, rising to well over £30,000 for management positions.  

Perfect for
People who want to forge a career in the charity sector.

PR/marketing

What they do
Support the charity in improving visibility of the cause & brand building, usually includes public relations, copywriting, event organisation, campaign management and a range of other tasks.

What you need
As with most marketing roles, creativity is key. Drive, ingenuity and the ability to work well under pressure are all definite strengths when looking to work in marketing.

Earning potential
Depending on experience you can usually look to earn between £20 -£25,000 and upwards.

Perfect for
People who appreciate good advertising campaigns.
 

Events

What they do
Plan organise and promote a range of events, from bake sales through to fashion shows and more. If you’re the life and soul of the party then working in events is the job for you.

What you need
You’ll be representing and reflecting your charity at all times, so the ability to maintain effective relationships with donors as well as excellent planning & organisational skills are absolutely essential. There are no specific qualifications needed to become an Event Manager but experience throwing parties helps.

Earning potential
Starting salary can be around £18,000 rising to above £20,000 with additional experience.

Perfect for
People who love putting on a show.
 

Top tips

Visualise the job you want 
The first step is the hardest step. Set your goals. If the end goal is a stretch too far at this point, break it down into realistic and achievable steps.

Know your abilities 
Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses, brutally honest, know where you are in relation to your goal, but don’t let this put you off. You’re on a journey and that journey may take you onto some ‘B’ roads before you hit the highway.

Get hands on 
Experience can be vital to break into the charity sector. If you’re just starting out, work experience and internships are both great ways to begin your journey. Entry level positions are also achievable with some transposable skills.

Talk to someone who is where you want to be 
Find someone doing what you want to do. Now that you have a role model ask yourself what is it about them that has made them successful. Maybe sit and have a coffee with them and talk about their career journey. Find out their secrets-of-success. You will find that people are often more than happy to talk about themselves and offer this key information quite freely.

Connect with others
Build connections with people who can help you. Join communities and professional networks – these may be specific functional groups or skill specific associations. Build a LinkedIn profile. Be relevant to their conversations and be prepared to hold your own opinions. It’s important to share your passion but stay on piste and develop an antenna to tamper down when necessary.

Brush-up on your knowledge 
Keep abreast of your profession, read sector related magazines and journals attend events and talk to people in commerce to get a fresh and up-to-date perspective.

Finally...
Passion and ambition is infectious. Your drive and energy will elevate you to stand out in the crowd. Be generous with your ideas and treat others how you wish to be treated yourself.

The Morgan Hunt  fundraising team has extensive experience in connecting great candidates with exciting vacancies for charities, not-for-profit, education and arts and heritage organisations. Contact us by calling the team on 0207 419 8900 to find out more.

The benefits and sense of fulfillment on offer for those working in the charity sector means that competition for charity jobs – particularity fundraising roles – is high.

If you’re looking to progress your career in fundraising, it’s vital that you adopt the right strategy for your job search to maxmimise your chance of success.

To help ensure you’re on the right track, we’ve provided some handy tips.

Determine your career goals and preferences for your next role

• Decide what your long-term career goals are:
  • Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years’ time? Do you see yourself working for a well established international organisation, specialising in a particular fundraising function; or perhaps you’d prefer to work for a small, lesser known charity, heading up the fundraising division to develop and establish the brand?
  • How will you work towards that goal as you progress your career - what path do you need to take and what experience will you need to gain to get there?
• Make your search as targeted as possible and consider your job preferences:
  • Think about the size and type of charity you want to work for;
  • Pull together a list of charities (5-10 at the most) in which you would want to progress your career;
  • Do some research on what type of fundraising role/function would best suit you and your career goals.
• The key is to be specific - but also realistic - when setting your preferences for your next job.

Maintain an up-to-date CV

• You should aim to review your CV at least every 2 months, ensuring that you add any new skills, experience and achievements as appropriate, as well as any volunteer/charity work performed outside of work;
• Register with Morgan Hunt, upload an up to date CV to and sign up for job alerts to notify you of any new fundraising jobs;
• Register your CV on specialist charity job boards (such as Third Sector and Charity Job) and set up job alerts specific to your search;
• Make sure your CV is publicly visible via these sites if you are openly job seeking.

Enhance your online profile

• Maintaining your online profile and enhancing your online brand should be a key part of your job search;
• Manage and conduct regular spot checks of all your social media profiles to ensure you maintain a professional, positive presence;
• Read our guide on how to maximise the potential of your online brand for more tips on how to get ahead of the competition in the fundraising market.

Don’t be overly ambitious – adopt a targeted approach to job applications

• Don’t waste precious time applying for jobs you are not qualified for – be realistic about your career level;
• Analyse the job description and essential requirements of the role and assess whether or not your skills and experience are a good match before applying.

Adapt your CV and cover letter to the role

• Job applications can be a lengthy process, so it’s important to get it right;
• Tailor your CV and cover letter (or supporting statement) to the job and the charity;
  • Highlight relevant experience and key achievements high up on your CV so that the hiring manager is able to see this information clearly;
  • Do your research on the charity to which you are applying and emphasise your passion for the cause, your career ambitions and how you would ‘fit’ the culture of the charity.

Get on the radar of your employers of choice

• Your Morgan Hunt consultant can approach the charities you want to pursue on your behalf on a speculative basis so it’s important you brief your consultant thoroughly;
• This will demonstrate your desire to work for the charity and will put you on their radar to be considered for current and future opportunities.

Ask for feedback on unsuccessful applications and interviews

• Always ask the recruiter or employer for feedback if you have interviewed for a particular role and were unsuccessful as this will help you hone your interview skills and technique;
• If you have applied for a role that you feel matched very closely with your skills and experience but were not shortlisted for interview, don’t be afraid to ask the recruiter or HR contact/hiring manager for feedback on why you were unsuccessful.

Regularly evaluate your progress and review your job search

• If you’ve been conducting your job search for a while but feel as though you haven’t made any progress, don’t keep ‘plugging away’ and hope for the best; stop and take some time to review your current strategy to identify what may be impeding your progress;
• Speak to your recruitment consultant and ask for advice on how you can improve your CV and job search strategy to increase your chances of securing the right job for you. They can advise on market trends/conditions, what type of roles and charities would suit you and what their clients are looking for in terms of stand-out skills and experience for fundraising posts;
• Aim to review your job search strategy every few months or so at least and continue to do your research and update your CV and online profiles regularly.

Stay motivated and keep that end goal in mind

• Securing the ideal job and making that next career move takes time and perseverance – it doesn’t happen overnight. Keep that end goal in mind to stay motivated;
• The important thing is to make the right move – don’t settle for a job that won’t provide that all important stepping stone to help you reach your career goals.

Morgan Hunt provides 8 point plan to gain more recognition and better pay

The not for profit sector brings many rewards to those working in it. Sadly money is not one of them. But you should not be downtrodden even if you love what you do. The perception in the third sector is often that your role is about the cause and not the money, but this doesn't mean that you shouldn't earn what you're worth.  If you have the skills and experience in the role that you do and you deliver excellence in this regard then you are worth a market rate.

Clearly charities are always looking to reduce their cost base and increasing the percent of charitable pound to their beneficiaries but this does not mean that you should not earn what you believe that you are worth.  
 

If you want to negotiate your pay, here are a few key tactics to help:

1. Be sure what your skills are worth and be prepared to support with evidence
   It is important to have a clear understanding of the value of your skills in comparison to the market and sector average. So do your homework and research sector salary surveys. This can also help you plan your career or chose an alternative path that you may not have considered before.
    
2. Be prepared to demonstrate your value to the organization.
   It’s important to quantifiably show how you are delivering value and the benefits you bring to the organisation. Highlight your successes and your achievements.
    
3. Be clear about your position in your organisation's future.
   If you can show how you are part of your organsation’s strategic plan and goals it not only demonstrates your understanding of where they want to be but also the part you play in this. If you can show how integral you are to your employers, your worth will increase. Demonstrating your understanding of their long term vision also shows commitment and dedication to the cause.
    
4. Be confident of your total worth.
   Think about your total worth in terms of how much it would cost the organization to replace you and the learning curve that another would need to go through to get to where you are. Your research will have shown you; what the sector is paying and what you bring to the organization, now tot it all up with the additional hiring costs and the value that you bring to the role through having done it for some time.
    
5. Be creative about what non-monetary benefits could add value?
   This may sound a little hard-nosed so remember to keep conversations as negotiations and not demands. We are simply trying to evaluate all benefits that other employers provide that sometimes add up to a better package overall. For example you may finally settle on something that does not include a direct salary increase but as enhanced benefits instead.
   
   Some additional things to consider might be:
   -   Is your role expanding or could you develop it
   -   Can you build on your experience by getting involved in new projects
   -   Is there a learning opportunity in which you can train or take extra qualifications
    
6. Be rehearsed and role play.
   This is not easy to do. Many tough nuts find it difficult too. So practice with a friend or relative. Go over the salient points in your pitch and work on tone and delivery.  Brief your confidante to ask questions and test you.
    
7. Be proactive and request a review.
   Sometimes negotiations go over an extended period of time and it may mean that the increase that you want cannot be provided in the short term so there is an alternative approach which is to make sure you work towards your expectations through a series of performance reviews, setting out clear targets and SMART objectives. This will demonstrate your flexibility and it will be clear that you are not holding the organization to ransom but that you have needs too.
    
8.  Finally …
   The aim is for a win, win situation. The exercise should not be just about what you think you are worth but a more holistic approach to what value you bring to the organization and what the market is paying others with a similar type of skill. Your expectations should be in line with market value.

 
Sector aside, a good employer will want to reward those who add value. If not, it could be time to re-consider your options. For more information on non profit jobs call us on 0207 419 8900 or email us on info@morganhunt.com.

With government cuts affecting many of the impoverished and most vulnerable in society, the role of charities in the UK has never been more important, and effective fundraising is a vital central function to the survival and growth of charities.

Additionally, reductions in public funding for charitable organisations has led to an increased  need for more aggressive and forward-thinking fundraising strategies. There is now also a large demand for candidates who can apply a commercial mindset to fundraising roles.
 

Transferable skills

This need for a more competitive fundraising strategy has made many of the skills that are synonymous with the commercial sector particularly sought-after for charity jobs.

The communication skills and the ability to build relationships that has been developed within the private sector will be of significant benefit if you are looking to build a new career in fundraising. Project management and forward financial planning are two further transferable skills that are a prerequisite for success in a charity fundraising role.

Additional value of the private sector candidate to any charity organisation is the fresh perspective alongside the commercial experience that can revitalise their fundraising strategies and boost operational efficiency.
 

What are the benefits?

The primary benefit of working as a fundraiser within the charity sector is the sense of fulfilment that the job offers. Helping less fortunate, disadvantaged or vulnerable people means that you can go into work every day in the knowledge that you are making a real difference to the world around you, and this sort of job satisfaction is not available in any other career.

The charity sector can also provide a more relaxed working environment, often with a casual dress code, shorter and more flexible working hours, making it ideal for candidates who are looking to start a family or perhaps move into a sector that is more personally rewarding rather than frenetic and fast-paced.

Many of the charity and fundraising positions we recruit for at Morgan Hunt offer an incredibly varied working life where no two days are the same.

If you'd like to find out more about how we can help you make the move into the charity sector, get in touch.