# Fundraisers’ changing learning requirements, & how providers are meeting them - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/07/20/fundraisers-changing-learning-requirements-how-providers-are-meeting-them/ - Published: 2022-07-20T10:28:48+01:00 - Author: Melanie May **Things can change fast in the fundraising world ­– think Covid and the impact it had on events and digitisation ­­­– but even when there isn’t a crisis hastening shifts in practice, there are always developments to keep up with.** So, with the skillsets fundraisers require at all stages of their careers also changing as a result, we ask some of the sector’s education and learning providers what today’s fundraisers – experienced and aspiring ­– want, how this has changed over the years, and how they ensure their courses continue to meet requirements. Read on for their insights. ## Advertisement ![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2022/07/pexels-roman-odintsov-5912200.jpg) --- Professor Adrian Sargeant, Co-founder and Co-director, [Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy](https://www.philanthropy-institute.org.uk/): > “Participants are now concerned more than ever with value for money. In other > words, am I learning ideas and principles that I can actually put into practice > and make a genuine difference today. I think course providers are being increasingly > held accountable for the value that they deliver and that must be a good thing. > It challenges us to distil and synthesise knowledge from a wide range of fields( > such as psychology, social psychology, sociology, economics and marketing/business > administration) that could be making a difference in fundraising and then helping > people apply it. >   > “When I first started teaching fundraising some 30 years ago – there wasn’t really > a “body of knowledge” that one might reasonably expect a fundraiser to know. As > a consequence, fundraising education was very simplistic and based largely on > business practices and ideas. Now, the better programmes have collated and stewarded > a distinct body of knowledge that fundraisers can be exposed to as they develop > through the profession. It has been exciting to see this all slot into place. >   > “Just 10 years ago many fundraisers eschewed fundraising education for business > education because somehow it was held to be “better and smarter.” We would see > fundraisers interested in direct response, for example, take classes from the > Institute of Direct Marketing rather than the Institute of Fundraising. Now, I > think people are focusing more on classes from bodies that specialise in fundraising > education. And they’ll be glad that they did, because these bodies have massively > more to offer – and a profession deserves its own academy and specialist course > providers.” --- Dr Beth Breeze, Director of the [Centre for Philanthropy, University of Kent](https://research.kent.ac.uk/philanthropy/): > “I think people often sign up for the MA Philanthropic Studies with an idea in > mind of what they are most keen to learn such as the latest research on major > donors, or working with volunteers, or insights into philanthropy advising. The > course meets those hopes, but it also introduces students to many other topics > that become passions for some, such as the history of nonprofit action, the role > of religion, or how philanthropy differs across the world. Every year one or two > students enjoy undertaking a piece of original research for the dissertation element > so much that they go on to do a PhD with us. >   > “All of the teaching team at Kent have extensive practitioner experience, and > we are lucky to also have many guest lecturers who continue to hold senior roles > in the nonprofit world. Our closeness to practice means that we can fulfil our > mission of being a bridge between the worlds of academia and practice, and our > goal of advancing the understanding and practice of philanthropy in all its manifestations.” --- ![](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2022/07/pexels-cottonbro-3205403-1.jpg) --- Ben Wittenberg, Director of Development and Delivery, [Directory of Social Change](https://www.dsc.org.uk/)( DSC) > “Because of the huge range of support we have, there’s no one type of fundraiser > that comes to DSC. A lot of new (and accidental!) fundraisers come to us for our > introductory courses, but we also do a lot of advanced training with more established > and specialised fundraising teams. >   > “Increasingly we’re providing more tailored in-house support for charities looking > to review their fundraising strategies in light of the challenges of the last > couple of years. This is one area where DSC really excels, as we’re able to draw > on skills and expertise we have in other areas of our organisation. Our policy, > research, publications and training teams are constantly sharing expertise and > knowledge to make sure our help is as relevant and up-to date as can be, as well > as being delivered within the wider context of what’s going on in the fundraising– > and wider world!” --- Ashley Gatewood, Communications and Marketing Director, [CFRE International](https://www.cfre.org/) > “With CFRE, periodically, we perform a Job Task Analysis (JTA) to ensure our exam > continues to align with the work fundraising professionals perform day-to-day. >   > “We completed our most recent JTA in the first half of 2022. It uncovered that > the types of work fundraisers currently perform had not changed greatly since > the prior JTA in 2015. The findings are notable because they indicate the core > skills required for fundraising success have not altered, even with the pandemic. >   > “Nearly 50% of the CFRE exam questions address Securing the Gift and Relationship > Building. The 2022 JTA indicated that those two areas continue to be central to > today’s fundraising professional’s success.” --- Clare Aarons, Training Manager, [NCVO](https://www.ncvo.org.uk/) > “Our most popular courses are charity trustee, volunteer and people management > courses but we have seen a rise in finance and compliance training. >   > “We use continual feedback from learners and our wider member events, trusted > suppliers, policy and consultancy work to ensure that our training is current > and applicable to the sector. 96% of learners are satisfied or more than satisfied > with the training received and 91% would recommend NCVO training courses to a > colleague.” #### More on the courses these and other providers offer [12 courses for new or aspiring fundraisers ](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/07/13/12-courses-for-new-or-aspiring-fundraisers/) July 2022 [12 further learning courses for experienced fundraisers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/07/13/12-further-learning-courses-for-experienced-fundraisers/) July 2022