Charity fundraiser : Career development

Larger charities that have a fundraising department and an established staffing structure may offer scope for promotion and career development within the organisation. In smaller charities, one individual is often responsible for a range of fundraising activities, which provides excellent breadth of experience.

A career path within 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. At the top end, moves may be possible to become director of fundraising in a small charity or head of a fundraising department in a large charity. As in most professions, the higher you climb on a career ladder, the tougher it becomes, as there is stiff competition for a smaller number of jobs.

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 will facilitate a move sideways into the private or public sector. Corporate social responsibility is a growing area where jobs may emerge.