Industry insights - Charity and development work

Overview

• The charity and development sector is also known as the voluntary sector, the voluntary and community sector (VCS) and the third sector.
• There is no set career path to enter the sector as a vast range of opportunities are available, each requiring different skills.
• The voluntary sector has grown significantly in recent years, with a 23% increase in the amount of employees (from 1999 to 2008).
• Over a third of the sector's workforce hold a degree (The UK Civil Society Almanac, National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)).
• The current economic climate and the high risk of funding cuts are key issues currently affecting the VCS.

What kind of work can I do?

• Administration.
• Community development.
• Finance.
• Fundraising.
• Human resources.
• Campaigning, communications and public relations - organisations rely on communicating their key messages to the target audiences using different methods such as major public events, media and celebrity endorsements.
• Policy and research.
• Volunteer management and co-ordination.

What’s it like working in this industry?

• Individuals working in this sector are expected to be highly committed to their employers and the organisation’s cause. Working in this sector seems to inspire high levels of motivation and pride.
• As a sector, it can be one of the most progressive and fulfilling workplaces, offering opportunities for part-time employment, flexibility, work-life balance and volunteering.
• Over recent years, salaries have increased within the charity sector with the average employee earning £25,000 in 2008/09 compared with £19,900 in 2004/05 (charitiesdirect.com, 2010).
• However staff working in the charity sector generally get paid 10% less than their counterparts employed in the private sector (Croner Reward Survey - personneltoday.com, 2010).
• The pay for CEO's within the charity sector is generally 21% lower than their counterparts within other sectors (charitiesdirect.com, 2010).
• Salaries will vary depending on the organisation as well as the nature of the role and responsibilities. Those in larger organisations may earn more than those employed within a much smaller organisation. However, salary increases are not necessarily greater in larger organisations.
• Positions in the charity and development sector are often advertised as 35-40 hours per week.  However heavy workloads, limited staff resources and budget constraints can increase the working day considerably.  Being paid overtime is rare.  Some positions and organisations may sometimes require weekend and evening work. To counteract this, organisations may offer a time of in lieu system.
• There are many part-time positions in the sector at all levels. Job-sharing is also offered at many charity and development organisations. Volunteering is also popular within the charity and development sector.
• Due to increased funding constraints, many jobs within charity and development work are offered under a temporary contract. This can be from six months or a year, to two or three years. The lack of job security can have financial and lifestyle implications.
• The equal opportunities within this sector are generally much better than in business sector.

How big is this industry?

• 668,000 were employed in this sector in April 2008. This is over 2% of the overall workforce in the UK (NCVO’s UK Civil Society Almanac, 2010).
• From 2004/05 to 2008/09, the number of employees in the charity sector grew by 11,000, with the biggest increase in operational job roles (charityfinancials.com, 2010).

Where can I work?

• The majority of national/international charities and development organisations have their headquarters in London and the South East of England. Due to this, a vast proportion of jobs are based in this area. 
• Many organisations also have regional offices based around the UK, resulting in some regional opportunities.  

Job roles

The following profiles are examples of key jobs that exist in the charity and development work sector. To find the job roles that best match your skills and interests, login to what jobs would suit me?

• Advice worker
• Charity fundraiser
• Charity officer
• Community development worker
• Information officer
• International aid/development worker
• Marketing executive
• Public relations officer
• Volunteer coordinator
• Youth worker

For even more career ideas, take a look at types of jobs.

Entry and progression

How do I find a job?

Many larger organisations advertise in national newspapers and specialist trade press.

These include:

• Charity Action Recruitment  
• CharityJOB  
• People Unlimited  
• DevNetJobs  
• Forum 3  
• Goodmoves  
• HarrisHill  

An increasing amount of organisations only advertise jobs on their own websites to save money, so check the relevant sites if you're interested in specific charities.

Careers Services Desk  can inform you of relevant careers fairs either at your own university or at open events at other universities. Careers fairs provide a valuable way to meet organisations face to face, to network and find out about specific career and volunteering opportunities. 

Forum 3  is an annual professional recruitment, volunteering and networking event for the not-for-profit sector. Many leading charities choose to exhibit there. 

Graduate training schemes are not that common but some charities offer paid and unpaid schemes. These include:

• Barnardo's  runs a voluntary internship scheme.
• Cancer Research UK  offers a graduate training scheme in areas including fundraising, marketing and communications, corporate services and science. The charity also offers a voluntary internship programme.
• Mines Advisory Group   offers an unpaid internship scheme.
• Oxfam offers a voluntary internship scheme based in the UK.
• Charities Advisory Trust offers graduates paid internship placements.

It is important to note that entry to the sector is increasingly competitive with some organisations receiving around 300 applications for entry level positions. It is therefore important that you follow all the application procedures correctly and make your application as interesting as possible to help you stand out from the crowd. Due to limited resources, many organisations are unable to respond to speculative applications.

What skills do I need?

A diverse range of skills are often required. These include:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong planning, organisation and time management skills.
• Flexibility is required in dealing with the uncertainty that can sometimes go hand in hand with working in the charity/development sector. 
• A good understanding of the sector and how it relates to other sectors.
• Skills sharing and mentoring.
• A good understanding of the importance of volunteers within the organisation.  
• An ability to be resourceful and show initiative.
• Good IT and web based skills.
• Leadership skills, which can be developed through work experience, voluntary work, being an active member of a student society and through your academic studies.

As well as generic skills such as strong administration skills and team working, charities expect candidates to be highly motivated and committed.  Some specialist skills that are specific to particular roles within the sector may also be required. These can include:

• Fundraising skills and experience.
• Campaigning.
• Volunteer management.
• Languages.
• Capacity building and the ability to work within communities.

Where can I find work experience?

Volunteering is a good way to gain relevant experience. It helps you develop key skills and shows potential employees that you have a good understanding and commitment to the organisation and/or sector. However, some charities feel it should be made clear that volunteering does not necessarily lead to a job within the organisation.

Many charities allow volunteers access to their internal vacancy listings and also have volunteer sections on their websites.

Some charities offer the opportunity to work as an intern.

Is postgraduate study useful?

Postgraduate study is not always necessary. For some jobs however, it is very useful and in some cases essential, such as in science roles in medical research charities.

Undertaking postgraduate research on an area of particular relevance to a charity will give specialist knowledge and experience which can be attractive to potential employers.

In certain areas, such as international development, successful applicants to entry level positions often have relevant postgraduate qualifications.

How can my career develop?

Career paths can be less vertical than in the private sector.  Developing your career may mean moving sideways rather than upwards.  Organisations are increasingly allowing employees to pursue secondment opportunities within a different part of the organisation or within similar organisations to enable them to develop their career.  Alternatively you may have to move to a different charity to gain promotion.

Charities often advertise vacancies internally, where an existing understanding of the way the organisation operates is an advantage.

Typical employers

Big players  

Charities Direct  has an extensive directory of 170,000 charities where it is possible to search for the top 500 charities according to income, expenditure and funds.

Some of the top 25 charities according to income include: 

• Barnardo’s
• Cancer Research UK
• CITB - Construction Skills
• Oxfam 
• Royal Mencap Society
• Royal National Lifeboat Association 
• The Arts Council England
• The British Council
• The British Red Cross Society
• The National Trust 
• Wellcome Trust

SMEs are organisations with fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of around £26million. Working for a smaller charity can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the organisation. It can provide you with the opportunity to experience all aspects of charity work.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger organisations, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Your university careers service should have listings of jobs within small charities. See also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Self-employment

Charities are set up by individuals with an entrepreneurial vision who see a need in society and wish to do something about it. The Charity Commission for England and Wales  provides guidance on how to set up a charity. This includes factors to think about before setting up a charity and understanding how a charity must operate.

It is possible to work as a consultant in this sector, often for infrastructure organisations. Having significant experience and knowledge plus a network of contacts will be essential. Opportunities exist for consultants to work in a variety of different fields including fundraising, strategic review and finance.

Find out more about self-employment.  

Opportunities abroad

What are my chances of getting a job overseas?

Many charity and development work organisations identify their missions on a global scale and operate offices and projects overseas. For example, Oxfam GB operates in 80 countries and Christian Aid in over 40. The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has operated in 35 countries.  

There are specialist job roles that exist in international development. For example, health professionals may work in feeding stations or mother and child clinics, teachers may work in rural village schools, and scientists and technical experts in areas such as crops, water resource management and sanitation.

Although overseas opportunities do exist for UK based candidates, many organisations are increasingly committed to employing local staff on international projects. For this reason, competition is tough for positions overseas.

International charities may offer UK based employees’ secondment opportunities to visit international projects which can last several weeks or months. Some organisations may allow staff to undertake voluntary work overseas to help them develop their skills and experience.

Will my qualifications be recognised?

Overseas opportunities are available, but these often require specialist qualifications, relevant skills and experience of working in other countries.  Many opportunities will require language skills. 

Having a postgraduate qualification in international development is desirable to employers as it shows a commitment to the sector. The Development Studies Association (DSA)  lists relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses in development.  It also lists postgraduate research opportunities. 

A qualification plus previous paid or unpaid work experience in development will prove to potential employers that you have a good understanding of the context you will be working in. 

More generic skills such as first aid and mechanical skills will also be useful. Employers look for candidates that show resourcefulness, resilience, independence and can show evidence that they can deal with uncertainty and change.

Where are the opportunities?

There are opportunities to work in:

• capacity building; 
• human rights; 
• peace and conflict; 
• refugees; 
• humanitarian crisis relief; 
• environment; 
• education; 
• health; 
• enterprise development; 
• rural livelihoods; 
• governance; 
• infrastructure and urban development; 
• social development. 

Charities including Christian Aid, the Mines Advisory Group, Oxfam and WaterAid offer international opportunities. Other non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including voluntary and religious organisations offer international development opportunities. BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development)  is the UK membership body of NGOs and has a useful website that includes a directory of its members. The CareersGroup at London University has a useful website on Getting into International Development .

Future trends

Communications and the possible impact of technology

The rise of social networking sites such as Facebook, and micro-blogging sites like Twitter, has made it possible for charities and development organisations to reach and enable their target audiences in new and effective ways. It allows them to offer a more mobile form of communication and support, and as social media and micro-blogging are very popular and cost-effective, this trend is likely to increase.

Over the next decade, charities want to provide more personal communication with their target audiences rather than relying on mass communications. To do this, the sector needs to find more effective ways of analysing data about its supporters and communicating messages more suited to the individual supporters needs.

Government and policy

The new coalition government recently announced plans for The Big Society; a society to enable citizens to achieve change in their local area. A short outline of Big Society agenda  has been published and more proposals are expected in the coming months which could impact the sector greatly.

The new policy aims to give voluntary and community organisations a greater role in public services. It also aims to support the voluntary and community sector. 

The economy

Voluntary sector income is still increasing but future funding streams are uncertain. Funding from government is very likely to fall in the coming months. The government recently announced that it will stop funding local authority grant programmes, including many programmes that fund local charities. This means that many local charities will receive no further payments from their local council.

The current economic climate is likely to make fundraising more difficult over the next few years. This will be particularly difficult for smaller organisations that rely heavily on fundraising.

Although the UK is now coming out of a recession, employment is still expected to fall. This alongside an increase of individuals experiencing debt problems could lead to more charities providing advice, counselling and welfare services.

Volunteering

Recent unemployment rises have resulted in increasingly more people seeking volunteering opportunities. This has resulted in an increase in paid volunteering management roles within organisations. 

Jargon buster

Jargon buster

• Advocacy - is about helping people to say what they want, to represent their interests and gain the services they need and/or are entitled to.
• The Big Society - a Government agenda that aims to shift power and opportunity from politicians to people. The new policy aims to give voluntary and community organisations a greater role in public services. It also aims to support the voluntary and community sector.  
• Capacitybuilders - is a non-departmental public body to improve access to advice and support to organisations in the third sector. 
• Civil society - includes voluntary and non-profit organisations of many different kinds, philanthropic institutions, social and political movements and other forms of social participation and engagement. 
• Community Interest Company (CIC) - limited companies with special additional features for people who want to create businesses that pursue profits alongside social and/or environmental change, but without the regulatory regime associated with having charitable status. 
• The Compact - an agreement between government and the voluntary and community sector to work together to improve outcomes for the whole community. 
• Do-It - an online database of volunteering opportunities across the UK.
• Futurebuilders Fund - provides loans and grants to organisations looking to deliver public services, training for public sector commissioners and work to build the evidence on opportunities for the third sector. 
• NGO - non-governmental organisation. 
• Quangos - a semi-public, government-financed administrative body whose members are appointed by government. 
• Social enterprises - profit-driven businesses with social and environmental aims. Third sector - alternative name for the voluntary sector. 
• TimeBank - a national charity inspiring people to volunteer in their communities.
• V - a charity set up to inspire a new generation of volunteers. 
• VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas) - a leading development charity that sends volunteers to work abroad, supporting them throughout the volunteer placement.

Contacts and resources

Jobs and work

• Barnardo's Voluntary Internship Scheme  - 13-week voluntary placement which runs in one of Barnardo's offices, children’s services or a Barnardo’s retail outlets.
• Calendar Check  - a database of charity fundraising events which also includes a recruitment section.
• Cancer Research UK’s Graduate Training Scheme  - development schemes for graduates.
• Cancer Research UK  - lists jobs and volunteering opportunities including an internship scheme.
• Charity Action Recruitment  - commercial arm of Red Kite Learning, a registered charity that works with disadvantaged groups to support, inform and empower people to improve their employment prospects.
• Charity Advisory Trust  - lists paid internship scheme opportunities.
• CharityJOB - lists charity jobs.
• Charity People  - lists charity jobs.
• DevNetJobs   - advertising international development jobs.
• Do more - charity job listings and case studies.
• Forum 3 - charity recruitment, volunteering and networking event.
• Getting into International Development - for students and graduates interested in careers in international development.
• Goodmoves - charity and voluntary sector recruitment.
• HarrisHill  - charity recruitment specialist.
• Jobs in Charities - lists charity jobs.
• Mines Advisory Group  - humanitarian organisation that works for the benefit of communities worldwide.
• Oxfam  - international charity working with others to overcome poverty and suffering.

Volunteer opportunities

• BUNAC - summer camp, work abroad and volunteer programmes.
• Community Service Volunteers (CSV) - volunteering and training charity.
• Do-it  - national database of volunteering opportunities in the UK.
• TimeBank  - national charity inspiring and connecting a new generation of people to volunteer in their communities and businesses to develop volunteer recruitment programmes.
• Vinspired  - connects 16-25 year olds with volunteering opportunities in England.
• Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) - international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries.
• World Service Enquiry (WSE)  - UK charity that provides information and career advice to people who want to volunteer, or work, in international development and aid.

Study

• Charities Advisory Trust - runs international development training courses and paid internships.
• Development Studies Association (DSA)  - works to connect and promote the development research community in UK and Ireland.

News

• Charity Times - business and management magazine for UK non-profit professionals.
• Community Care  - news and jobs for everyone in social care.
• The Independent  - social care news and relevant job listings on Thursdays.
• Personnel Today  - human resources news, strategy and community.
• Society Guardian  - social care news and relevant job listings on Wednesdays.

Reference

• Big Society  - has the aim of helping citizens to help everyone achieve change in their local area.
• BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development) - UK membership body for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in international development.
• The Charity Commission for England and Wales - charity regulator.
• Charities Direct - financial information, market intelligence and analysis of the charity sector.
• Charity Financials  - financial information, market intelligence and analysis of the charity sector.
• Civil Society  - independent news, publishing and events company focused entirely on charities and other civil society organisations.
• The Compact - a partnership working initiative between the Government and the voluntary and community sector in England.
• Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) - helping people gain understanding, acquire knowledge, and develop skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world.
• Department for International Development (DFID) - part of the UK government that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty.
• Eldis - sharing the best in development policy, practice and research.
• Experience Development - not-for-profit company and the UK's most comprehensive development sector guide.
• HECSU - news and information about research and development in career-related learning and career guidance in Higher Education.
• Institute of Fundraising - professional membership body for UK fundraising.
• National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) - champions and strengthens voluntary and community action by supporting members in their work.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) - aims to give a shared voice to voluntary organisations and to help them achieve the highest standards of practice and effectiveness in all areas of their work.
• Nothern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) - membership and representative umbrella body for the entire voluntary and community sector of Northern Ireland.
• One World International - leverages participatory media innovatively for a fair and sustainable world.
• Princes Trust - provides practical and financial support to young people to enable them to move into work, education or training.
• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) - national body representing the voluntary sector.
• VolResource - information for voluntary and community organisations.
• Volunteering England - works to support and increase the quality, quantity, impact and accessibility of volunteering throughout England.
• Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) - voice of the voluntary sector in Wales, representing and campaigning for voluntary organisations, volunteers and communities. 
• Working for a Charity - promotes the voluntary sector as a positive career option for those seeking paid employment and the opportunities and benefits of becoming a volunteer.

AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date: 

August 2010

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