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Purpose still drives fundraisers, but CharityJob warns on the talent pipeline
Howard Lake | 6 August 2026 | News
Making a difference remains the single biggest reason people are drawn to fundraising, cited by 89% of current fundraisers and 83% of newcomers, according to new research from CharityJob. The same research, however, points to barriers to entry and rising pressures that could threaten the sector’s ability to attract and keep good fundraisers.
The findings come from The Voice of Fundraising: 2026 Report, published this week by CharityJob, “the UK’s largest specialist job board for the charity and voluntary sector”. The report builds on last year’s edition and draws on the views of current fundraisers, aspiring entrants, former fundraisers, and those weighing a return to the profession.
Among the headline findings:
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- 45% of newcomers and returners said they did not know how to get started, or get back, into fundraising.
- 69% of current fundraisers said a higher salary could tempt them to leave fundraising.
- 48% said they experience work-related stress usually or always.
- 54% said they were concerned about the effect of AI and automation on fundraising roles.
- Two-thirds of former fundraisers said they would consider returning.
Taken together, the figures describe a profession that people join for the right reasons but find hard to enter, and, once in, hard to sustain. The salary and stress findings will be familiar to many fundraising leaders, and the point about newcomers not knowing how to get started is a practical prompt for charities that struggle to fill vacancies.
Why did fundraisers leave?
One of the questions that the research asked was why former fundraisers left their role or the charity sector. The top four answers will be familiar to many, but are a reminder of actions that charities can take to tackle retaining effective fundraisers.
The next five reasons were all similar and mostly address values, culture and a sense of being valued. A ‘higher salary offer’ elsewhere was toward the bottom of this top nine list.
Raya Wexler, Co-founder of CharityJob, said the report highlighted “several challenges that employers should be paying close attention to,” from attracting new talent to supporting and developing existing fundraisers, adding that the findings offered “valuable insight into how the fundraising workforce is evolving.”
The full report, The Voice of Fundraising: 2026 Report, is available to download free from the CharityJob website.
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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.