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Best fundraising organisation to work for
Howard Lake | 24 May 2013 | Blogs
For any non-profit organisation that provides an outstanding and supportive environment for fundraisers.
The shortlisted entries are:
- Canal & River Trust
- Outward Bound Trust
- Prostate Cancer UK
Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust has a new fundraising team, but has immediately embraced fundraising as an integral part of the organisation. Senior regional managers have helped to encourage their team to work with fundraising to develop 50 individual local projects.
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An example of integration at its best has been the Winter Works open days run jointly by communications, operations, fundraising and volunteer teams. These are created to provide the public with a behind-the-scenes look at the work undertaken. The Directors, PR and IT staff have provided support to the fundraising team to recruit regular donors through face-to-face fundraising methods at these events, going from a standing start in July 2012 to 2,500 regular donors currently.
The charity provides a flexible working culture, great staff benefits and development opportunities, including a personal development training allowance as well as payroll giving and opportunities to increase holiday allowance.
Outward Bound Trust
The Outward Bound Trust’s fundraising needed a revamp and a restructure has seen it focus on four key areas: high value individuals; corporate; trusts and foundations; and challenge events. From a position of low morale and an income of just under £2m pa, the team has embarked on a journey to improve teamwork and ultimately financial results that finished with £7m in 2012.
A brand new plan was written with key success criteria and milestones in a simple six-page document. A transparent salary structure improved fairness and competitiveness. Each team member has to take an Insights model test so they can understand themselves better and how they relate to colleagues, clients, partners and sponsors.
The team continues to revisit their Insights profiles twice a year in a facilitated session. All managers in the department attend a five-day residential programme focusing on leading teams, on giving honest feedback and setting a common approach for getting things done. A Team Charter sets out the reasons for the existence of the team and the behaviours expected within it. All staff have personal development plans incorporated at appraisal.
Staff retention is now 100% compared with a very poor rate three years ago.
Prostate Cancer UK
In summer 2012 the two biggest charities in men’s health – Prostate Cancer UK and Prostate Action – merged. From back-to-back the merger was completed in four months. Of the 15 or so staff from Prostate Action, 10 were fundraisers and joined the larger Prostate Cancer UK team in Hammersmith. The two teams have achieved a staggering sense of unity quickly and efficiently.
Prostate Cancer UK’s HR, IT and fundraising systems worked relentlessly to make integration into agreed frameworks an achievable reality. Income has grown from £18m to over £25m.
Individual objectives are set for every team member and reviewed regularly. A leadership forum brings head of function and mangers together to learn from each other. Training is organisation wide, fundraising wide and team or person specific.
Today it would be difficult to tell who came from which organisation in the merger because the team is just one team. Staff turnover has been running at over 20%, but this is mostly because of a series of fixed-term contracts ending.
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.