5 Top Tips for Changing Careers from the Private to the Charity Sector

Do you want to pursue a job that you’re more passionate about? The pandemic might have left you re-evaluating your priorities and potentially even making some fundamental changes to your working life. Perhaps you’ve considered changing careers and working for a charity. But how difficult is it to make the switch from the private sector to the charity sector? And what can you do to give yourself the best possible chance of success?

Here are our top tips for what you should do before you start applying.

1. Consider volunteering 

If you haven’t worked in the charity sector before, one of the first things that an employer is likely to look at is your motivation for joining their organisation. And there’s no better way to demonstrate commitment than through volunteering.

A surprising number of candidates forget to include volunteering on their CV, yet it’s such an important part of their experience.

Don’t worry if your volunteering isn’t directly linked to your paid work—the most important thing is that you’ve devoted time and energy into supporting a cause you feel passionate about.

If you’re looking into changing careers and moving to the charity sector but haven’t done any volunteering in the past, it’s never too late to start. It can be a great way to get a foot in the door with your dream employer and might even lead to some paid work with them further down the line.

Why not take a look at some of the volunteering opportunities available in your local area?

Have you considered becoming a trustee? It’s a great way of getting insight into how charities operate. You might not be aware that you can become a trustee at any age. If you’re still near the beginning of your career, take a look at the Young Trustees Movement.

2. Think about your skills in a different way 

It’s likely that you’ll be competing against candidates with charity experience, so your focus should be on demonstrating why your skills are transferable and beneficial to the organisation.

There are some roles such as finance, HR and software development which are pretty much the same in any sector. Others are trickier. Fundraising is possibly the most difficult to get into if you don’t have a charity background, simply because there’s no direct commercial equivalent. But it’s not impossible.

If your dream is to become a fundraiser, break the job description down into different elements. It’s about building relationships, driving engagement and generating revenue―and these are all skills that you’re likely to have in abundance if you have a background in marketing or business development. Be sure to give concrete examples for each.

3. Check out training courses 

If you’re thinking about changing careers and working in the charity sector, you might want to brush up on your skills. For example, if you want to become a fundraiser, it’s worth getting up to speed with the basics of the role.

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has a variety of fundraising courses and the Directory of Social Change runs training in a range of areas including campaigning, charity management and lobbying.

4. Understand the difference in how success is measured 

If you’re changing careers from a private sector background, you’re probably used to success often being measured by profits. But in the charity sector, things are a little different. For some, fundraising targets will be a big measure. For others, particularly those that operate as foundations or trusts, success is linked to achievements in research, or the number of beneficiaries supported each year.

One thing that almost all charities have in common is that they operate on tight budgets. This is why you’ll need to get used to trying to achieve the maximum possible impact at a spend that is perhaps lower than what you’re used to. Of course, there is a very positive side to this, as it encourages innovation and motivates employees to consider new ways of doing things.

5. Be realistic about your pay 

Moving from the private sector to the charity sector almost always involves a slight pay cut. But you might well find that the increased career satisfaction and better work-life balance outweigh any drop in salary.

Want to know how much you should expect to earn at a charity? When you upload your CV to CharityJob’s CV checker tool, we’ll match your job title and work history with thousands of CVs and job listings in our system to estimate what you could be making in the sector.

Remember, you shouldn’t automatically assume that you should be offered the higher end of the salary range given for a role because you’re a private sector candidate. Be prepared to start low, before you’ve gained a couple of years of experience in the sector.

Ultimately, it’s about demonstrating passion and transferable skills. 

While you’re likely to come across a few challenges, don’t let these put you off from changing careers into the charity sector. Remember to focus on demonstrating your passion and showing how your skills can benefit the work of your chosen organisation. Good luck!

Find the perfect charity role for you today.

This post was originally published in 2021. We’ve updated it to ensure relevance and to reflect the current job seeker experience.