As the Institute of Fundraising prepares to launch its new Academy next week, Paul Marvell explains why now is the right time to gain further skills and qualifications.  

This month the Institute of Fundraising launches the IoF Academy. The Academy will be the ‘one stop shop’ through which the Institute delivers all of its professional development activities.

The launch is the culmination of over a year’s work of consulting and researching within the sector, talking to fundraisers about their professional development needs and experiences, talking to recruiters about the common skills gaps and recruitment issues, and developing a new qualifications framework and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) system from scratch to match these requirements.

The cornerstone of the Academy’s offering will be the new professional qualifications available from January 2011. Beginning with our Introductory Certificate in Fundraising, fundraisers will be able to progress throughout their career by studying for the Certificate in Fundraising, the Diploma in Fundraising and ultimately the Advanced Diploma, a masters level qualification aimed at Heads and Directors of Fundraising.

Alternatively they can enter the framework at the appropriate point for their career stage. The Academy will also be offering courses and masterclasses in specific fundraising techniques as well as personal effectiveness training in leadership, negotiation and communication. A Career Conversion programme will help those with transferrable skills looking to move into the profession.

As the sector adjusts to the recommendations of the public spending review, the implications of the Big Society agenda and mixed feelings prevail about a potential double dip recession, the thing that keeps me awake at night is wondering whether this is the right time to launch such a venture. At 2.30 in the morning I always come to the conclusion that ‘yes this is the right time’ and I’ll try to describe why I believe that to be the case.

Given the likely increased demands on the sector to play its role in the Big Society, the inevitable cuts in grants and contracts that could devastate previously stable income streams, and the intensified competition for diminishing funds from an ever-wider range of causes, surely I am not alone in believing that investment in skills within the sector is an absolute must. In my opinion, unless fundraisers are at the top of their game, and that means having the knowledge and professional skills to be able to deliver the best possible ROI, they will simply not cut the mustard and their organisation will lose out to a more effective competitor.

The economy and political environment aside, fundraising as a profession needs to continue in its rapid advancement towards maturity. In order to do so the profession needs to take learning and development far more seriously than ever before. The Institute’s role, as the professional body for fundraisers, is to help make that happen; we recognised this when we developed our learning strategy, ‘Career-long Learning for Excellent Fundraising’, and I believe the establishment of the Academy will play a major part in this process.

Paul Marvell is director of learning at the Institute of Fundraising