Want to change career and think you might like to become a fundraiser? You’ve come to the right place! Far from just rattling a donation tin on the high street, read on to find out what fundraising is, the different types of fundraising, what charitable fundraisers actually do and which roles might suit you.
What is a Fundraiser?
A fundraiser is a volunteer or a paid employee whose job involves soliciting potential donors — people who might be convinced to give money to a charity or organization. A fundraiser, in fact, might organise a fundraiser, a party that encourages financial support for a cause.
Types of charity fundraiser
Your fundraising title will normally be categorised according to the types of donors you focus on:
- Corporate fundraisers raise money from businesses in various ways, from organising payroll giving to agreeing sponsorship of major events. This may suit someone with a good understanding of business.
- Trust and statutory fundraisers bid for trust and grant money. This may appeal more to people who enjoy research and preparing proposals.
- Community fundraisers are the main point of contact for most mainstream fundraising involving members of the public. Community fundraising will suit those who can work with people from all walks of life and are keen to get involved in a variety of fundraising activities.
- Major donor fundraisers focus on developing relationships with key supporters who can donate high-value gifts. Often this is a role to which experienced fundraisers progress.
- Legacy fundraisers encourage supporters to consider leaving a gift to the charity in their will. This type of fundraising may suit people with an interest in law or accountancy.
Occupation summary
The broad purpose of the occupation is to raise funds for charitable causes. Funds are raised from a range of sources including but not limited to trusts and foundations, digital media, major donors, corporate partners, raffles and lotteries, payroll giving, events, community engagement, individual giving, gift aid and legacies. A fundraiser will typically work within or have a focus on one or more of these areas. In addition, a fundraiser is also responsible for raising awareness and non-financial support for their charitable cause. As part of a fundraising team a fundraiser will contribute to the implementation and execution of the fundraising strategy. projects and plans. They will be responsible for delivering day-to-day fundraising activities that provide the essential income and engagement with supporters for the delivery of the charitable purpose of the organisation. They will also carry out research for opportunities and analyse and provide data to support any proposals for developing fundraising activities. The role is a common entry point for many looking for a career within fundraising and, potential progression into more senior fundraising roles.
Requirements & Responsibilities for a Fundraiser Apprentice
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a range of internal teams such as marketing, media, finance, service delivery, volunteering, advocacy, I.T and procurement. Externally, a fundraiser would interact, either autonomously or as part of a team, with clients, donors, supporters and prospective supporters of their charitable cause, as well as other stakeholders including suppliers, other charities, the media and professional bodies. The role is likely to be home or office-based, although they may spend time away from their base attending and supporting events, meetings with internal or external stakeholders, carrying out specific fundraising activities or carrying out research.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for reporting to a fundraising manager they will undertake the required tasks for the fundraiser. These tasks may require planning and prioritising personal and team activities to meet organisation needs. Due to the nature and level of responsibility it is not anticipated that the role would have any budgetary responsibilities.
Apprentice will be responsible for:
- Building and maintaining relationships to acquire new supporters and retain existing ones
- Securing funds and raising awareness of their charitable cause in line with agreed targets and KPIs
- Managing a portfolio of external stakeholders including supporters, volunteers, corporate partners and eventers
- Contributing towards the management of suppliers
- Maintaining a database of supporters
- Conducting research in order to gain valuable insight
- Developing and delivering fundraising plans as directed
- Putting together creative content to build a case for support
- Contributing towards the development of fundraising plans and evaluating their effectiveness
- Promoting fundraising propositions and using innovation to develop new ones
- Compliance with Fundraising and Data Protection regulations
- Addressing and solving problems within their role
- Sales activities identified in fundraising plans
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 proactive attitude, drive and enthusiasm to carry out projects to conclusion
- the ability to influence others using excellent communication skills
- the capability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- the ability to meet financial targets
- good organisational 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
- a willingness to carry out a range of administrative tasks.
Qualifications
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeships’ English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
Where Can The Apprenticeship Take You?
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 fundraising activities.
Your career path in fundraising might involve moving from volunteering to fundraising officer, then to fundraising manager, head of fundraising in a small charity or a middle management role in a large charity. Eventually becoming a director of fundraising in a small charity, or head of a fundraising department in a large charity.
If you want to specialise in a particular area, such as corporate or trust fundraising, there will be more opportunities in larger charities since they are more likely to have several fundraising teams. Large charities also require the full range of business functions, so you could move into specialist areas such as operations, database management or marketing and communications.
The skills you develop as a fundraiser, such as strategic thinking, project management, networking, and public relations, 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 a growing area where jobs may emerge.
To Conclude…
Being a fundraiser is a hugely varied, rewarding, and exiting job. Many people build a whole career as a fundraiser, developing their skills and experience, moving into managing fundraising teams and departments, or becoming experts in particularly fundraising areas.
Helping others, making a difference, and raising money for a good cause can give you a real boost. No matter how you choose to fundraise, how much you raise or whether you do it regularly or just as a one-off fundraising brings a sense of fulfilment like no other. We can’t think of any better reason to get involved.