Charity Fundraiser

Typical Salary

£20,000 To £60,000

Typical Hours

37 to 39 a week

evenings / weekends attending events or appointments

How To Become a Charity Fundraiser

You can get into this job through:

a university course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
volunteering
applying directly
specialist courses run by a professional

College / University

You could do a degree subject relevant to working in fundraising, which may give you an advantage when applying for jobs, especially in corporate fundraising. Subjects include:

marketing
media and communications
public relations
business studies

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could do a fundraiser advanced apprenticeship which could help you get into online fundraising.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start out working for a charity in an admin or support role and move into fundraising once you've got more experience in the voluntary sector.

You can apply directly to get into charity fundraising, if you've got relevant experience from other work, for example advertising, public relations, events, sales or finance.

Other Routes

You could do a specialist course like the Certificate or Diploma in Fundraising offered by the Institute of Fundraising. You'll normally need to be working in fundraising to do these.

Some of the larger charities also offer graduate training schemes.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

customer service skills
persistence and determination
the ability to use your initiative
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
sensitivity and understanding
knowledge of English language
business management skills
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

You could:

research, develop and plan fundraising ideas
manage door-to-door and street collections
recruit and train volunteers
keep records and report performance
manage charity shops and online and mail order stores
control budgets and meet targets
give talks about your charity to the public
write reports and press releases

Working Environment

You could work from home or in an office.

Career Path & Progression

You could work towards a professional qualification from the Institute of Fundraising.

With experience, you could move into charity management, or become a self-employed fundraising consultant.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering is a good way to get experience in fundraising and the other sides of charity work. It's also a great way to start making contacts in the sector, which can lead to paid job opportunities.

You can find out more about volunteering through the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Tips & Information

Career tips

Employers will usually be more interested in your skills, experience and commitment to working in the charity sector than in your formal qualifications.

Further information

You can get more advice about working and training in the charity sector through the Institute of Fundraising and CharityJob.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.