The ins and out of recruiting for charity fundraising jobs
It’s no secret that Charity fundraising jobs need a very particular kind of people. Even the fundraising basics contradict themselves: Work hard but take everything in your stride; Reach out to people but be ready for constant rejection; Be endlessly positive whilst talking about suffering and need; Sell but don’t forget this isn’t your typical sales role.
So it’s understandable why filling charity fundraiser jobs is such a tough gig!
It’s true that plenty of people are motivated because of a desire to make a difference, but fundraising careers need way more substance than just that. The truth is, only a select few really have what it takes to make a charity fundraising job work for them.
As a result, fundraising recruitment agencies like Charity Link are faced with multiple challenges to not just find, but attract and recruit fresh candidates throughout the year.
Pro fundraisers can come from all sorts of backgrounds meaning we find them anywhere and everywhere. You’d be surprised at how creative and resourceful our recruitment have to be to find our epic field sales team!
Charity Link’s dedicated recruitment team are quick to spot the characteristics a potential fundraiser needs and are even quicker to snap them up! In this interview we talk to our inhouse recruitment team, who take us through the processes, challenges and proudest moments this irreplaceable department takes on.
What’s the role of the recruitment department in a nutshell?
In a nutshell we’re here to help grow the business through the recruitment of great candidates who play their part in helping us to get bigger and better!
We cover head office roles too, but the lions share of our role is to fill vacancies for charity fundraising jobs.
The recruitment team is often the first impression of Charity Link that people have and as that first ‘face of the business’ we have a responsibility to make sure those potential recruits see us in a positive light. That means showing them we’re a nice bunch and emphasising that Charity Link is a great company to work for – because it is!
Describe the kind of things the recruitment team expect to do on day to day basis
Each one of the recruitment team has their individual role and area, but we come together on a daily basis to make sure we’re all aligned and to update on what’s happening and where.
We are always brain storming about how to get in front of new audiences and this involves a lot of general background work and admin to make that happen too.
A key focal point for us is to ensure our recruitment processes are candidate centered.
That means instead of it being all about us, it’s all about the person we’re talking to – making sure they’re comfortable, feel listened to and are fully informed on everything they need to know.
We’ve streamlined our process so that anyone that has dealings with our department has a positive experience, regardless of whether they’re successful.
We also spend a lot of time liaising with HR when fundraiser jobs are offered and with our Team Managers to establish their needs and introduce candidates we think have what it takes.
Area managers decide on head count for particular regions and we take it from there.
We take on board the feedback team managers give us about candidates we put forward and use that as a learning platform moving forward. Equally we take feedback from candidates.
Measuring what’s been successful, keeping within budgets and generally rinse and repeating what is working takes up a lot of space in the working day too.
A daily ongoing task is to always be aware of current market statistics. It’s our business to know how general trends are going and from there we look to adapt the recruitment process to stay ahead of the game.
Obviously we spend A LOT of time interviewing people at the various stages, whether that be the initial call to tell people about the role, the actual interview to dig deeper, or the results call where we let them know if they’ve got the job and what the next steps are.
As well as making the job offers, we also deal with rejection calls too. We see this as really important because we still want to see people do well, even if it’s not going to be with us! That means we’ll always give helpful feedback to every candidate in the hope they’ll use it to go on to succeed elsewhere.
We strongly feel it important to show respect for any candidate who applies with us and will always make sure they’re thanked properly for their time and feel appreciated.
We also want them to think well of us!
The bottom line is that we’re here to make sure we’re showcasing Charity Link as the most desirable workplace as possible.
How much experience does the recruitment team have?
Collectively, we have around 40 years of experience!
Our team have extensive knowledge of the industry and best approaches, which means we know what works and we’re able to fulfil our targets.
“We’re so proud of our excellent team! “
What are the biggest challenges you face?
Charity Link hold our standards really high which is a great thing but it can make our lives harder!
Jobs fundraising are some of the toughest kinds and finding those gems is definitely one of our biggest challenges.
In the old days there was a tendency to recruit anyone and everyone who was interested in face to face fundraising jobs. We’d see who could stick it out.
As a result, our turnover was fast and furious which meant Charity Link were losing money.
The fundraiser job was definitely seen as a ‘throw away’ job back then but things have changed dramatically!
Thanks to a complete overhaul of the way we recruit at Charity Link, we now have proven techniques and strategies that not only help attract the best kind of candidates to us, but improve retention too. This combination helps to keep us well within budgets and the company more profitable.
Another challenge we face is how different the work market is nowadays compared to even pre-Covid.
Right now it’s a candidates market - there are more jobs than people and we’re seeing a real shift in power from companies to the people – Now it’s about what a company can do to impress a candidate rather than the other way around.
Prospective employees have lists of demands which our competitors are delivering on.
Among these we’re seeing a huge increase in flexible working, working from home and generally re-shifting the work-life balance. Obviously things like pay and holiday has to be competitive too!
We need to make sure we’re keeping up with the market and delivering on those as much as possible.
The attitudes to work and WHY people work has changed – It’s no longer living to work, it’s working to live. People just won’t put up with substandard treatment and rightly so. We find the better we treat our fundraisers, the more loyal they are and the better the overall team and company culture.
Tell us about the most rewarding parts of the recruitment job
We love developing people and watching them realise their dreams.
In recruitment, we get to see people from the fledgling state coming into the company and watch some of them fly!
For instance, our Area manager for the North Greg, started at Charity Link in a fundraising job and has done so well. It’s been amazing to watch his journey.
If you have the talent and the drive, there’s plenty of opportunity to progress and to do well.
One of our favourite Charity Link stories is actually one of our own recruitment team who worked with us for a number of years. Her long term goal was always to work for a specific brand and she’d tried and failed three times to get a job with them.
After working at Charity Link and upskilling, she finally got her dream job and although very sad to lose her, we couldn’t be more pleased for her!
Equally with fundraisers, we might see someone come in who we sense has got the personality to make it, but perhaps no experience.
They begin in our entry level fundraiser jobs and over time, we’ll see them go through the Training Academy, work as door to door fundraisers and then ultimately grow in the role until they’re earning great money and are really confident about what they’re doing.
Learn more about our fundraising training academy here
You see them take real pride in what they’re doing and knowing they’re making a difference to others through raising money for charity.
That’s when as recruiters we get the real kick – because you know you’ve changed someone’s life for the better.
What’s the most frequently asked question you get from new candidates about jobs in fundraising for charity?
Obviously people are always interested in how much they can potentially earn – that’s why we all work right?!
Saying that sometimes we get people wanting to work as volunteers too! There are lots of people who are passionate about working in animal charity jobs which is perfect for us since our two longstanding clients are Dogs Trust and Guide Dogs.
But they’re also interested in us as a company – our culture. When we tell them about how much support they can expect, most people are pretty impressed.
Every Charity Link employee receives:
Charity Link employee benefits
On boarding process with full introductions to all departments
A week in our industry lead Training Academy with a blend of online, interactive and independent learning
A further week or more of hand-holding with our Regional Trainers who guide them through the practical role and make sure they’re confident and happy
Ongoing mentoring by Team Manager with regular check ins
Weekly newsletters with updates on our charity partners
Regular open confidential support from HR
Onsite visits from head office teams for bonding and cheering on!
What 3 qualities do you think a fundraiser needs most to do the job well?
Passionate
Even though our fundraisers might not know a charity very well, we can almost guarantee that after learning about the work our charity partners are doing, they’ll almost certainly fall in love with them and get to care about their cause.
Inspiring
We know this is a crucial part of getting people donating. Often this means the fundraiser being a great story teller – being able to bring the fundraising campaigns to life and painting the picture of the charity and the people or animals they’re helping.
Read more about fundraising and the power of story telling
Resilient
Charity fundraising means a lot of rejection - more perhaps than they’ll ever have had before.
We know from experience this can be extremely difficult for some people to deal with and there needs to be an instant dismissal where the fundraiser just isn’t affected.
There are so many reasons people don’t want to interact with fundraisers and none of them are personal.
Although we make it clear in the recruitment process about what the job entails, the reality is that it takes a particular character to keep trying with as much positivity and enthusiasm in the 100th conversation as they had in the 1st
We tend to ask specific questions based on resilience when we’re recruiting because this is such an important characteristic.
If there was one thing you’d love to see done differently would what you change about Charity Link?
Charity Link are always shouting about the successes of our best fundraisers and when people score 100% in their mystery shop reports.
But sometimes we get these gorgeous little day in the life stories which would be great to hear more of too! Showcasing good news stories tends to bounce off of other fundraisers and helps them all feel more united in knowing they’re doing such a great thing.
A good example of this was a story from one of our fundraisers for Breast Cancer Now a few weeks ago. He told us about how a lady he’d spoken to was literally waiting for the results of her tests and couldn’t face talking to him.
However, the next day, she made a point of coming back to find him and tell him she was in the clear. She signed up there and then in the hope that her donations would help others who’d been through the same experience.
These type of stories really bring home the difference f2f fundraising jobs make, not just to the charities and the work they’re doing, but to the general public.
Fundraising companies are about so much more than ‘just’ getting donors – it really is a people business.
If you could choose our next charity partner, which you would you choose and why?
“As someone who’s personally connected to the sector, I’d love to see us work with military based charities”
“Specifically Help for Heroes – because there is nothing more worthy than showing support for those who’ve served for our country to protect us all.
Another charity we’d love to raise funds for is ‘Scotties Little Soldiers’ which is a much smaller charity focused on the children who’d become orphans after losing both parents to serving.
I just think that’s such a worthy cause and brings hope to a hopeless situation”.
How do you think Charity Link are different to our competitors?
Charity Link genuinely care; about their fundraisers, the head office team and of course the charities.
This is more than about just running a business, we really are a people centred organisation.
Everyone is given a voice and everyone’s opinion matters. Even our company hierarchy is upside down with the CEO at the bottom and the fundraisers at the top!
This comes from our founder Carolyn, who really had a strong vision to lead with compassion in the industry. Having started as a fundraiser, she knows full well how challenging the door to door fundraising jobs and private site roles can be.
That’s why our ethos is to make sure we’re always looking after the people who are bringing in the donations whatever the weather. Our fundraisers really do mean everything to us!
Read Charity Link founder Carolyn’s interview here
What’s your favourite thing about working for Charity Link as a company?
“Personally one of the reasons I’ve broken my own rule of how long I stay in a company by literally double, is the people. I genuinely love my team – the kind of culture we have here – how people interact and work together.
There is no bad egg here! Everyone is just nice and we all have the same shared goal – it’s just a brilliant place to work. “
Maybe you’re thinking about a new career in the charity sector, or perhaps you’ve done fundraising before and would like to work with one of the most progressive companies in the industry?
We always welcome anybody that feels they would be a good fit for professional fundraising. Remember, we’re looking for personality over experience!
We hire for full time and part-time fundraising jobs and candidates will often begin their time with us in door to door fundraising jobs with as much support as needed.
Our industry leading training academy makes sure everyone who’s capable is fully trained, supported, nurtured and given every opportunity to succeed.
Check out our job pages for fundraising jobs near me where you’ll find fundraising job opportunities across England and Wales.