Careers Briefing Roundup: Getting ahead in fundraising

Following our successful Careers Briefing during Fundraising Week, we’ve put together a roundup of the key highlights of the day, containing helpful advice on how to get ahead in fundraising for candidates and employers alike... 

Michael Docherty 

The day kicked off with a series of presentations aimed at candidates who want to boost their fundraising careers or indeed join the sector. Our first keynote speaker, Michael Docherty from Cancer Research UK, offered his advice on making the jump from a corporate role to one in fundraising, drawing upon his own move from the corporate world to his current role as digital and strategic marketing planner for the charity. He explained that the interview process for fundraising positions can sometimes be more casual than for corporate roles but that the sectors have some clear similarities; both have to resolutely work to overcome the challenges around working with limited funds and resources. 

TPP Recruitment’s Ashby Jenkins and Alice Wood were up next to share these tips on moving from corporate roles to fundraising:

1. Demonstrate your value:

Consider what extra value you bring to your current role that could help you stand out to your next employer. Have you done any volunteering or been successful at internal relationship management? Communicate your soft skills and don’t forget to support your statements and what you say on your CV with examples.

2. Push your relevant experience:

If you’re a line manager or have had managerial experience, talk about the way you’ve managed people and how many people you’ve managed. If you’ve helped train an apprentice or an intern - talk about that too.

3. Be clear about the funds you’ve raised and know your KPIs:

Talking about how much you’ve raised as well as being able to show how you did it will help you stand out from other candidates. You’re no longer just competing with other fundraisers, you’re competing with people from corporate positions where it is easier to clearly report their KPIs.

4. Talk about your targets:

Fundraising is quite similar to sales; you need to be able to effectively demonstrate your targets by showing how you generate substantial proportional income in your role. This way you can gain credibility with your interviewer.

The floor opened to some interesting questions as well as an active round of participation from the morning’s breakfast briefing members. All in all - an informative session ending with a helpful CV clinic run by TPP Recruitment.

Our afternoon session held a more intimate gathering for recruiters, focused around the importance of candidate attraction through social and brand engagement.

“Recruiters and companies aren’t just looking for skills and qualifications anymore, they are looking for people who share their values” WJP Floyd’s Joe Rodgers told the group.

“For companies to get their ethos across and attract the right candidates it’s important to get their brand across in the right way”, he continued.

Dan Spicer from Hootsuite further embellished on this point as he talked about the importance of putting structures in place to recruit through social media and having advocacy campaigns to promote your brand. Candidates are now relying heavily on social media to research employers, seeing who works there and what the company does - it’s becoming a great way to attract passive candidates.
 
Fundraising Week’s Careers Briefing was a day full of learning opportunities, enjoyed by all. It was a unique experience that we look forward to sharing with even more of you come next April.

If you are an employer looking to affiliate yourself with our dedicated careers content at a future event, please contact Steve Forsdick, Sales Manager, on 020 8267 4138 or email steven.forsdick@haymarket.com.