The average ‘lifespan’ of a fundraising role in London is just 18 months. How does this compare with the regions, and what other important differences exist between these two worlds? Bruce Tait reports
The fundraising profession in London and the South East is a different world from the other UK regions. In the North in particular, there are significant differences in the pay, conditions and motivations of fundraisers.
Based in Scotland, but with sister companies in Liverpool and Dublin, BTA recruits around 120 fundraisers each year. In 2015, we undertook a comparative study of fundraisers in the North West of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland (this can be requested by emailing us at brucetaitassociates.com). Undertaken as three separate surveys, each supported by the IoF regional group in each area, the surveys provide a unique understanding of the fundraising communities in the North of the UK.
The findings were presented at the IoF Northern Ireland Fundraising Conference in 2015 and while there were many similarities (fundraisers are predominantly female across the UK, for example), there were also some noticeable differences in each region, which need to be taken into account when charities are thinking about recruiting into their fundraising teams.
Fundraisers in the regions stay at their charities longer
The recruitment patterns in London there are very different from the regions. Fundraisers in the regions stay at their charity for much longer than in the South of the UK.
In London, there is a higher number of charities, and so the people who are excelling have a greater number of opportunities on their doorstep, and the chance to move up the ladder quickly. The average ‘lifespan’ of a fundraising role in London is just 18 months.
In the regions it’s a different matter, and there are more ‘jobs for life’. Almost three-quarters (73%) of fundraisers in the regions have been in their current role for more than three years.
Regionally based fundraisers are more experienced and more engaged
These established, regionally based fundraisers are on average between 40 and 60 years old, work on their own, and had another career before they became a fundraiser. They have no intention of moving role in the next five years, and are highly engaged with their professional community.
These longstanding members of the profession, who have been at the same charity for many years, tend to engage more with the IoF. But they are not just looking for member benefits; they want to give something back, and to contribute to the development of the profession – just like they’d give to a charity.
A new profile of fundraiser is emerging
A younger, more careerist fundraiser has always existed in London – and we are now starting to see this in the regions. These are typically people who entered fundraising straight from education, have been in their post less than two years, and plan to leave that role within a year. They are under 25, not enthused about their particular cause, aren’t members of the IoF and don’t have a fundraising qualification.
Often they go in at administrator level. Sometimes, they’re employed as community and events fundraisers, this area being more about social skills and personality than necessarily professional skills. Younger people don’t tend to be employed as corporate or legacy or trust fundraisers, on the whole.
The younger cohort, who come straight from education into fundraising, are a bit more ambitious and careerist. They tend not to be at the stage yet where they’re ready to give something back, because they’re just starting out – I’ve found that there is a comparatively low level of attendance by younger fundraisers at the various sector conferences or the special interest groups.
While there is an increasing trend towards employing younger fundraisers in the regions, it’s not easy. There are lots of closed doors, and it can be hard to land your first fundraising job. The sector is always looking for experience. But perhaps it should be better at embracing the best young talent on offer, because it’s losing that talent to other sectors that are better at supporting and developing them. I would suggest there is a need for more engagement, more graduate schemes, and more opportunities generally for young people in fundraising.
The huge disparity in fundraising salaries
In our study we also compared the salary levels of fundraising in the regions with the average UK salaries published by Harris Hill in their annual survey. This showed substantially smaller average salaries in the Northern regions than the UK average. While you’d expect to see a disparity in salaries between the North and London/South East, there is nothing like the salary gap that exists between the South of England and the North of the UK as in fundraising. For example, corporate fundraisers in Scotland earn just over £30k on average, whereas the UK average is £42k. Heads of fundraising in the North West of England earn £39.6k, compared to the UK average of £46k. Meanwhile, a fundraiser in Dublin will often be paid 50% more than a fundraiser in London.
I think the problem is that in most of the regions ‘north of Watford gap’, other than in the major centres like Manchester and Edinburgh, fundraising as a profession isn’t given as much credence as it should. I think fundraising in the North West tends to be seen as something done by caring, well-meaning people with good personal skills, rather than as a true profession. While this is absolutely untrue – indeed regionally based fundraisers usually have a very strong and broad view of fundraising – this could explain why a hospice fundraiser in Cumbria will earn significantly less than someone doing the same job in Kent, for example.
So what does all of this mean to a charity looking to recruit a fundraiser in Manchester, Glasgow or Belfast?
Charities looking to recruit in the regions outside of London/South East need to understand their audience and choose their channels wisely.
They need to recognise that the best and most experienced fundraisers aren’t actively job seeking. You won’t find them on the recruitment websites. So if you are looking for someone to ‘hit the ground running’, you’re going to have to engage with them in a close and meaningful way. Remember, they aren’t generally motivated by salary; they want a cause they can commit to. So you need to inspire them, tell them all about the role, the cause, and the opportunities and the challenges that it offers.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a young gun with lots of potential, you have to appreciate that they are going to be differently motivated. While they can be motivated by passion for a cause, they are often just as focused on rapid career development. So be prepared to find that they will want a pay rise, a promotion, a fancier title, etc within months of joining you. If they are good, and you can meet their expectations, then you may find a rising star that will grow with you. If you can’t offer progression, then they’ll be off and you’ll be back at square one. Finding these applicants is easy – indeed they are probably uploading their CV to dozens of recruitment websites right now.
Bruce Tait is chief executive of BTA, a leading voluntary sector recruitment consultancy. Bruce is a fellow of the Institute of Fundraising and a former chair of IoF Scotland.
