# Charities need to collaborate to showcase fundraising as a career of choice for bright graduates

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/02/11/charities-need-collaborate-showcase-fundraising-career-choice-bright-graduates/
- Published: 2014-02-11T11:16:48+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**News from the Association for Graduate Recruitment (AGR) that there is expected
to be a 10% increase in graduate positions across the corporate and public sectors
should be the catalyst for non-profit sector employers, and fundraising teams in
particular, to think carefully about their offer to graduates.**

This [increase in opportunities for graduates](https://www.curriculosolutions.com/library/primary-programme-hub/primary-programme)
inevitably means stiffer competition for non-profit organisations to [attract talented graduates into their workforce](https://www.curriculosolutions.com/library/primary-programme-hub/primary-programme).
To some extent that isn’t a new problem; it often feels really hard for charities
to compete with the large graduate recruitment budgets and the high salaries private
sector companies have in their arsenal. Actually, the offer of meaningful work addressing
challenging social problems is more appealing to graduates than a high salary, but
as a sector we don’t make our offer clear or tangible enough.

## First undergraduate degree in fundraising

In some ways, fundraising teams are in a privileged position. Fundraising is part
of the DNA of our sector, and is usually the area of the sector that graduates are
the most aware of when they leave university, with many students having represented
their university’s RAG society or raised money individually. The [first undergraduate degree in fundraising being launched this year at the University of Chichester ](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/2013/07/07/world039s-first-undergraduate-degree-fundraising-start-2014/)
clearly points to a demand for targeted career development in that area.

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Yet that doesn’t mean fundraising is immune to the pressures of finding and developing
excellent people in an increasingly competitive graduate market. As things currently
stand, we don’t think strategically about bringing graduate talent into fundraising
positions in the sector. Like much of the sector fundraising is a discipline in 
flux, buffeted by an increasing demand on voluntary income and shrinking statutory
funding, meaning excellent talent is essential to help organisations secure their
future funding in an ever-changing landscape. No longer can we rely on fundraisers
falling into the sector – we need to attract, develop and retain great people to
drive future success.

Over Charityworks’ first five years of placing trainees in charities we’ve seen 
a marked increase in the number of organisations placing trainees in fundraising
and business development roles. As a result we’ve seen many clear examples of the
impact fresh and motivated talent can have in these roles at organisations of all
sizes and types.

**“Other sectors have long seen investing in graduates as a necessity rather than
a luxury”**

For example, in 2013 Family Action placed trainee Stacey Samuels into a specific
fundraising and development role, where she undertook a strategic review of all 
income streams as well as an in-depth research assignment on recommendations on 
income effectiveness. She worked as an internal consultant for the charity, bridging
the vital gap between marketing, fundraising and development, and has since been
offered a role at the organisation, where she continues to have big impact.

I believe the sector needs to have a more strategic approach to talent at all levels,
and the need to use the graduate talent pool in the way public and private sectors
have used it for decades is just one example of that. Other sectors have long seen
investing in graduates as a necessity rather than a luxury, and have always expected
to see an immediate return on that investment. It is time the non-profit sector 
as a whole starts doing the same.

From our experience, it’s clear that the working in fundraising holds a real appeal
for young people thinking about their careers. We need to take advantage of this
sentiment and make sure our sector can compete effectively, even when corporate 
and public sectors raise the stakes.

_Rachel Whale is the founder of [Charityworks](http://www.charity-works.co.uk), 
the UK non-profit sector’s graduate programme, which is now seeking non-profit partners
for 2014._

 * **[New CEO appointed at Localgiving](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/06/05/new-ceo-appointed-localgiving/)**(
   5 June 2014)
 * **[Fundraisers’ salaries ‘static’ over past year](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/07/14/fundraisers-salaries-static-over-past-year/)**(
   14 July 2015)
 * **[Laura Croudace to join Remarkable Partnerships](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/10/08/laura-croudace-to-join-remarkable-partnerships/)**(
   8 October 2015)

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