How to Get Into Fundraising

4 minute read

Fundraisers are one of the most in-demand professions in the charity sector. The number of fundraising roles on CharityJob increased by 9% between 2019 and 2022. These jobs can often be some of the most important positions within a charity and can be incredibly rewarding. If it’s something you’re interested in, then you might be wondering how to get into fundraising.

The aim of charity fundraising is to raise money for an organisation by acquiring donations and it can be an excellent opportunity to start or progress a charity career. You’ll get to experience the inner workings of a charity and will be recognised as a valuable member of staff. Whether you’re starting out, or looking for a career change, fundraising can be a great route into the charity sector.

Learn about the charity sector and consider training courses

Find out as much as you can about the sector and have a look at our career guides and courses. The more knowledge you have, the more you’ll understand what you can offer the charity sector and how to position the experience and skills you have.

When it comes to how to start a career in fundraising, there are no set career paths. No specific educational pathway is required, but you can keep an eye out for entry level positions. It may also be worth checking out some courses offered by our partners at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, as these may be expected higher up the fundraising career ladder.

How to Get Into Fundraising

Present your transferable skills

Fundraising is sales, or marketing, or business development, or PR… This is a fact the charity sector is having to wake up to: not every fundraiser need be from a fundraising background. The real work of a fundraiser is to secure revenue to keep their organisation running. This is very much like a sales person. A sales person’s job is to convince a potential customer that their service or product is the right one for them.

This is essentially the same with fundraising. A fundraiser will aim to convince an individual or organisation of the value of their donation, what it could bring and what it will deliver. Therefore skills and experience in marketing, PR and business development are all transferable to the charity sector. How to get into fundraising is mainly about presenting your skills and experience as being relevant to a fundraising career. We know they are, but you need to convince the charity of that as well.

Show how your sales/marketing skills match up with the fundraising job description and you’ll be much more likely to get a successful response. You’ll always need to make sure you apply with a unique cover letter, explaining your relevant experience. And have a charity sector CV, highlighting how your corporate sector experience is directly relevant to the fundraising position.

Get experience—including through volunteering

Get some kind of experience, then work your way up! Sounds a lot like the corporate sector right? Well in many ways it is. Face-to-face and street level fundraising positions are almost always available and they often require little to no experience. Even direct marketing can be a good place to start! These may not be the most desirable roles, but recruitment can be quite buoyant for them. Performing well at this level of fundraising can allow you to move into other areas of an organisation, or possibly a management position.

If you have the time, or maybe if you’re still a student, you can start getting some fundraising experience by volunteering. You can even volunteer as a fundraiser! When it comes to making that first paid job application you can include volunteering experience alongside work and education. This could increase your chances of getting that fundraising job.

Volunteering is an excellent way to gain charity sector experience. This is true even if you don’t end up pursuing a fundraising career. It’s worth remembering that some charities don’t advertise their positions publicly. So joining in a voluntary role can be a way of getting your foot in the door and seeing what’s available.

Attend events and network

It can sometimes be the case that the charity sector is somewhat of a ‘who you know’ business. Many fundraisers don’t apply through traditional means. Often the successful ones will work hard to build a great network in the sector.

Sending your CV speculatively is not always a bad idea when it comes to fundraising jobs. The art is to ensure that it finds its way to the right person. Do some research and networking. Make sure you know who your application is going to. Follow up with a phone call or e-mail if possible (but don’t pester of course!).

Whether it’s online or at events (run by the CIOF and others) you should aim to meet, interact and network with as many fundraising professionals as possible. Take a look at the events the CIOF offer, there could be something that’s right for you.

Even if you find your way into the charity sector through a non-fundraising role, you can aim to make the transition by building up a great list of contacts and people who could be of help. Fundraisers talk! They are community-driven and always interacting with the sector; these are fantastic practices to start if you’re considering how to get into fundraising.

How to Get Into Fundraising

Ready to get started?

Although it may seem difficult to get into, fundraising careers are highly in demand. Though some adverts may seem to have very high expectations, charities are always on the lookout for great fundraisers and brilliant people who have the transferable skills to become fundraisers. One of the skills you need to get into fundraising is persistence, so you really do need to just keep going!

We have a unique partnership with the Charted Institute of Fundraising and have the widest variety of fundraising jobs in the sector. Have a look at roles available now.

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