Less experienced fundraisers in wake of recession, survey finds 1

Fundraising | Niki May Young | 3 Dec 2010

Post-recession cost-cutting measures introduced this year could increase turnover and lead to a less experienced staff according to research conducted by TPP Not for Profit for the Institute of Fundraising.

The Fundraising Recruitment Survey 2010 received responses from 400 fundraising professionals and data was collected from over 600 fundraising vacancies in more than 200 not-for-profit organisations. The results highlight 'profound' effects on the sector's employment with efforts to cut costs seeing fewer entry-level staff and less training which could “demoralise staff and increase turnover”.

Not-for-profits' increased use of volunteers and unpaid interns to carry out assistant duties in an effort to cut costs has shifted entry-level positions to officer and executive roles which in turn have seen a reduction in salary.

However, some higher level roles have shown the opposite:
“Overall, most fundraising salaries are reported to have remained static over the past year. However, as charities have been forced to shift strategy as levels of individual donations fall, there has been an increasing demand for highly skilled fundraisers in streams such as major donor and corporate fundraising and at Director level, with the result that salaries in these specific areas are increasing,” the survey reports.

Positions of this sort have been particularly difficult to fill due to a lack of experience and training in these areas, the survey found.

Alex Brooks-Johnson, an ex-director of fundraising who recently joined TPP’s Senior Appointments Team after 12 years in the voluntary sector, warned that the sector must invest in training: "The results of this survey show how important it is for not for profit organisations to start investing in personal development plans for their staff.

"Apart from the fact that they are a very effective motivational tool, they also have a positive impact on staff retention, making your fundraisers feel valued. Investing time, effort and money into the careers of your fundraisers now will help decrease staff turnover and bring down future recruitment costs, and ensure that the most talented people stay in the sector, and most importantly increase income.”

Directory: Institute of Fundraising | TPP Recuitment (Not for Profit)

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James Whitehead
7 Dec 2010

The recession may also present opportunities for the voluntary sector to bring in people with transferrable skills from the private and public sectors - those with experience of marketing and sales particularly. Perhaps it requires proactivity on the part of the voluntary sector to recruit people with those profiles. It also requires support to help them make the transition to working in a different sector and openness in valuing the fact that they will have different perspectives and new ideas to bring that could invigorate fundraising efforts of voluntary sector organisations.

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