Scottish fundraisers 'slightly different breed' reveals new salary survey
Howard Lake | 25 September 2008 | News
Scottish fundraisers differ from fundraisers south of the border in several ways, according to a new Scottish Salary Survey carried out by Bruce Tait Associates.
They tend to stay in their jobs longer – a third of respondents had been in their jobs for more than five years. And fundraising directors in Scotland appear to earn about five per cent more than those in the rest of the UK (outside London).
Further down the scale, more junior posts are paid about 10 per cent less than similar posts elsewhere in the UK.
“Entry level salaries are less than graduates would expect elsewhere,” said Bruce Tait. “It is difficult to recruit fundraisers at all levels, particularly at entry levels, and nothing is being done to attract young people into the sector.”
Charities are looking at other groups including returning mothers and offering packages that include childcare to attract them.
The fundraising sector is ‘hugely female’, said Tait, and the survey shows around 86 per cent of fundraisers in Scotland are women.
The number one reason for people to enter fundraising in Scotland was ‘to make a difference’, with the attraction of job/pay/conditions coming second.
A quarter of fundraisers come from a sales and marketing background with a further 15 per cent joining straight from study.
Tait said the survey would be an annual event. “We wanted to get under the skin of Scottish fundraisers to get a better picture of the sector and the people in it.”
If you would like a copy of the survey, email
in**@br*****************.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.