Why do people leave fundraising jobs?
It’s no secret that charity fundraising jobs can be challenging and demanding. Face to face fundraisers need to work long hours (often outside), have endless positivity, have strong communication skills and display incredible resilience.
They also must possess the ability to persuade complete strangers to give money towards a cause or organisation whilst remaining completely compliant and in line with the fundraising code of practice.
Despite the undeniable importance of these positions, many people choose to leave fundraising jobs.
The most obvious problem for charities here is that less fundraisers means less income. That’s not a great prospect in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
Every departing fundraiser means extra costs to advertise, recruit and train up someone new to fill their position.
As a fundraising agency, we also know all to well the pitfalls. Initial unstable income, getting to grips with the role and a general expectation that fundraising is easier than it actually is (!) means that new starters will often last just 12 to 18 months before throwing the towel in.
You don’t have to be a math’s whizz to know that all that’s not good for charities or their beneficiaries.
But for those that do last, beyond the hardships of the role are massive rewards.
Probably most overwhelming is the pride of knowing you’re truly making a difference in your work, giving a huge sense of achievement.
But this still doesn’t stop there being a high attrition in face to face fundraising with many parting ways with the whole third sector.
So where does that leave charities? And what can fundraising agencies and charitable organisations do to stop people leaving fundraising? And what is Charity Link doing?
How can we turn around the notion that face to face fundraising is a throwaway job rather than the bountiful and deeply meaningful career choice it actually is?
The research
As the UKs largest fundraising agency recruitment and attrition are some of the biggest challenges we face. And we’re not the only ones.
In 2019, a survey of fundraisers saw over 51% of all respondents planning to leave their current job within two years.
Worryingly, 30% said they plan to leave fundraising altogether.
In 2022, a digital survey called ‘What Makes Fundraisers Tick?’ of 2,674 fundraisers by fundraising researchers Revoluntionise mirrored the earlier findings.
Here, results showed 46% intend to leave their current employer within the next two years.
Just 9% said they planned to leave fundraising and development altogether within the next two years, showing some improvement on 2019.
The reasons people leave charity fundraising
Money
Money is often cited as problem in fundraising for two different reasons.
Sometimes fundraisers just don’t hit their targets for a number of reasons.
This can be factors that just can’t be helped, like bad weather or unexpectedly low footfall, but sometimes it’s about the approach the fundraiser is using.
Whatever the reason, if fundraisers aren’t meeting their financial needs, they start to question if it’s the right role for them.
What Charity Link do
At Charity Link we find this can typically affect new fundraisers as they learn the techniques and sales skills needed to obtain the donors. Our performance framework encourages fundraisers to tackle the things they can control and to make peace with the things they can’t.
What we do know for sure is that with the right mindset and perseverance, fundraisers will and do get the results they’re looking for.
The second concern about money is the fear of asking during the cost of living crisis.
Asking for money can definitely be uncomfortable.
A recent survey by YouGov for JustGiving reflected current public opinion, which understandably might be felt by fundraisers too.
The poll found that a quarter of the general public would like to fundraise but are worried about asking others for money. 25% of those who wouldn’t fundraise right now are struggling with money themselves with 17% saying they believed nobody would donate leaving little point in trying.
Despite this, 62% from the same survey said that when they had raised money for a charity or good cause previously and expected little or no donations, 53% were pleased with the amount of money they raised.
Feelings of pride, achievement and worth all arose off the back of their efforts.
So the point is, even when they didn’t want to do it, they were pleased that they had!
The truth is that even when people are struggling financially they still want to help. The British public are notorious for their generosity.
Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager at JustGiving echoed those sentiments by saying:
“The generosity of the British public and their want to help others, even when they themselves may be struggling financially, never fails to amaze me.”
Fundraiser burnout
Another major reason that fundraisers leave their jobs is burnout.
Fundraisers often work long hours, including evenings and weekends, and are under constant pressure to meet fundraising targets. This can lead to stress, negativity and frustration, which can ultimately result in burnout.
Burnout can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion, reduced job satisfaction and a loss of motivation.
Burnout equates to high turnover rates, which can be costly for fundraising agencies and charity organisations.
Learn more about how charity fundraisers can spot and deal with emotion burnout here
What Charity Link do
Here at Charity Link we actively encourage our fundraisers to check in with how they’re feeling and take regular breaks.
We have several trained mental health responders and our free healthcare plan covers a range of wellbeing and mental health services, including counselling sessions, exercise classes, meditation sessions and an mProve yourself app which helps through online courses and journalling.
Lack of development opportunities
Another reason for quitting fundraising is a lack of professional development opportunities.
Many fundraisers feel that they have reached a plateau in their career and are not given sufficient opportunities to learn new skills or take on new challenges.
This can lead to dissatisfaction with their job and a desire to seek out new opportunities elsewhere.
The majority of fundraising organisations offer training but there’s no formal qualification you can gain to become a fundraiser.
You can teach compliance and the code of fundraising practice but much of great face to face fundraising comes from having excellent communication skills, good sales skills and a particular personality type.
Although CPD opportunities are limited, earnings can continue to grow based on experience and fundraising talent.
What Charity Link do
Charity Link have several team members that started as fundraisers and grow into different roles. Having the experience of face to face fundraisers gives them a definite leg up in understanding our business as a whole.
A great example of this is our Northern Area Manager Greg, who began as a fundraiser, went on to become a Team Manager and is now a senior member of staff.
We know that organisations that invest in their fundraisers' professional development can benefit from increased employee satisfaction, engagement and retention.
Toxic workplace cultures
Lots of fundraisers feel they’re not treated properly or fairly by their organisations and managers.
They say people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers!
Managing people well is a skill unto itself and there’s a whole myriad of things that make a good manager.
What Charity Link do
Charity Link prides itself on putting the right people into the right jobs – from our fleet of Team Managers right up to the Senior Management Team, our employees are handpicked based on their personality type, skillset, and ability to maintain successful working relationships
Being under-valued
This is not exclusive to fundraising, but it is another cause of the industry’s high fundraiser turnover.
Fundraisers, like anyone else, want to be valued and heard. They want to know about their donors and their team. They want to facilitate a way for people to help others because they know that’s what’s needed.
A Chronicle of Philanthropy article showed 55 percent of fundraisers say they “often feel unappreciated” in their work.
Feeling respected and appreciated is vital to any happy employee, but when you’re working a job that’s (sometimes) filled with rejection and ignorance, being valued goes a long way.
What Charity Link do
Charity Link are careful to celebrate all our fundraiser successes and achievements including non-performance based.
We know how important mindset and attitude are to the role and will frequently highlight excellent conduct, regardless of monetary results.
From our Charity nominated Fundraisers of the Month, our Academy Corner mentions especially for new starters to regular shout outs for high scoring mystery shops and donor commentary we do our best to elevate and motivate.
Regular incentives, appreciation tokens, long service gifts, anniversary cards and awards means we aim to truly value our fundraisers and let them know how awesome we think they are!
We know that organisations that really listen to their employees and treat them as a part of the team will always do better than those that don’t.
Here at Charity Link we have an anonymous online suggestion box enabling any of our team to make suggestions about how we can improve things. The suggestions are sent to the correct department and answers are given within a short space of time.
Not enough support
‘Anxiety and unhappiness among fundraisers was cited as a key issue in The Chronicle of Philanthropy article. It goes on to say
“Too much pressure to meet unrealistic fundraising goals, coupled with too little pay and frustrating organisational cultures is driving away fundraisers.”
There’s a strange anomaly where organisations hire people to fundraise for them but then don’t actively look to help them do their jobs well. It’s very much a case of ‘just get on with it’.
There’s no nurturing, no listening and no support.
If fundraisers feel that their needs and concerns are not being heard or addressed by their superiors, they feel unsupported and become disengaged.
Ongoing, decreased morale and productivity impacts the entire organisation's fundraising efforts.
The bottom line is that when fundraisers aren’t regularly checked in with and offered the appropriate support they can easily spiral into a negative place.
Charities and fundraising agents should never forget that fundraising is a team effort and fundraisers must be made to feel that they’re the most important part of the business.
What Charity Link do
Charity Link provides a whole network of support for each and every one of our fundraisers.
From dedicated Team Managers to the back office staff, fundraisers know they can reach out for help for any given problem.
Our HR team offer unrivalled mental health support and an Employee Assist Program provides free counselling sessions.
Our healthcare plan includes free wellbeing, exercise, meditation, journaling, and mindfulness exercises.
We use every opportunity to bring mental health back to the forefront of people’s minds, and leave the door wide open for anyone to share problems or seek help.
We have three qualified mental health first aiders on the team and a dozen mental health responders.
Low morale
Fundraisers raise invaluable money for things that millions of us care about, but there’s a perception that’s embedded into our culture that asking for money is a bad thing.
In perspective, this notion is ridiculous; of course charities need money and of course they must ask for it! Donors rarely just decide to give without prompting.
And yet, the general public continue to perceive fundraising as somehow intrusive and confronting.
The misinformed belief that somehow, charity is someone else’s problem rather than our responsibility as a whole, gives the ultimate excuse to blame fundraisers. In this instance it’s for making the public uncomfortable. This is cognitive dissonance at its best.
This attitude can lead to low morale among fundraisers who later decide to leave.
Even within some organisations attitudes towards fundraising are negative.
When back office staff say things like “I don’t know how you do this all day” fundraisers will invariably start to ask the same questions.
It’s no wonder then that morale can be affected, so it’s critical to deal with low morale around the actual role of fundraiser and teach resilience.
What Charity Link do
Charity Link believe that face to face fundraisers should be seen in the same light as ambulance drivers or teachers. The work they do is equally as important.
But we’re not going to shift culture overnight.
This is about having thousands of daily conversations to uplift and celebrate the every day heroes that fundraisers are. It’s about the charities themselves talking about how important the work fundraisers are doing is to them. It’s about presenting fundraisers in the best possible light, whether that be on social media, in job descriptions or at talks in schools during careers fairs.
From an organisational perspective, re-affirming and acknowledging repeatedly to the team the brilliant job they’re doing can make a huge difference to individual beliefs.
They didn’t ‘mean’ to be a fundraiser
Interestingly just 5% of fundraisers actually decide to do it as their career. A whopping 44% happen upon fundraising by accident and 42% make the decision over time.
Given those stats, it’s fair to assume that many fundraisers consciously see the role as a time filler before realising what it is they were ‘meant’ to do.
On the other hand, we see many fundraisers leave because it’s not ‘right for them’ which could be attributed to the above too.
At Charity Link our busy recruitment team are always on the lookout to find fresh talent, but we also know that many of our candidates have no prior experience.
That means we’re often at risk of ‘accidental’ fundraisers, but we believe it’s one worth taking when so many of our team end up being excellent at what they do.
Learn more about how we recruit for charity fundraising jobs
Misalignment of values
Lastly, some fundraisers may leave their jobs due to a misalignment of values.
If they feel that the organisation they are working for does not align with their personal values or beliefs, they may choose to seek out a more suitable organisation to work for.
Organisations that prioritise ethical practices and social responsibility can attract and retain fundraisers who share their values.
On another note about values, especially interesting was the ‘What Makes Fundraisers Tick’ report which showed the most important factor to fundraisers was
‘connectedness to cause’.
The study found that the stronger a fundraisers connection to a charity cause, the stronger their sense of commitment to their employer.
This single motivator ‘supersedes everything else’ according to the research. Without this connection, they simply would not last in the role.
Importantly, the study showed that without professional growth, support or control over their own career, they were less likely to be as committed.
What Charity Link do
On that note, Charity Link offer the opportunity for fundraisers to switch charities to ones they feel more passionately and can connect with.
Luckily, we work with some of the biggest charities in the UK who cover a wide spectrum of those in need. Cancer patients, homelessness, animals in need, domestic abuse victims and dogs all benefit from the charities we work with.
By allowing our fundraisers some freedom to move between campaigns, we know we’re offering diversity and challenge as well as giving fundraisers something they’re passionate about.
In conclusion, there are various reasons why people choose to leave fundraising jobs, including burnout, a lack of professional development opportunities, a lack of clear communication and support from management, and a misalignment of values.
Nonprofit employees are hardworking with skills that could easily be transferred elsewhere. They deserve full respect, fair wages, appreciation and nurture.
Addressing these issues can help organisations retain talented fundraisers and ultimately achieve their fundraising goals.
By investing in their fundraisers' well-being, professional development, and alignment of values, organisations can create a positive and sustainable work environment for their employees.
The bottom line is that good fundraisers are hard to come by and if their charity or fundraising agency isn’t caring for them correctly, they should go and work for one that will.
