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Monster: What made you want to be a Fundraiser?
Sarah: I have always wanted to work in conservation, and from a young age wanted to do something worthwhile and fulfilling. In my Gap Year I spent 10 weeks in Zimbabwe on a Raleigh International expedition, which involved having to fundraise £3,000 for the charity through door-door collections, street collections in fancy dress, doing a sponsored parachute jump and organising a party.
After studying Zoology at University, I went on to work for Trekforce Expeditions – a conservation expedition charity – and got involved in fundraising, but to a lesser degree. When a Graduate Trainee position came up at the RSPB in 2003, I jumped at the chance. Combining fundraising with working for the UK’s largest conservation charity could not have been better and I’ve never looked back!
What skills and education are essential to your job?
For my specific job I needed a degree or equivalent, and to be a fundraiser employers are often looking for outward facing customer experience to show that you can work well with people. Strong business acumen is an important attribute, as is the ability to work with complex income/expenditure budgeting programmes.
Being able to work on your own initiative, whilst being a persuasive written and oral communicator, is also important to sell projects to potential stakeholders. Being able to demonstrate good negotiation skills and successful management of long-term relationships are also key
I received vital on-the-job training, which comes with being employed initially as a Graduate Trainee. A lot of experience is gained through practice as well as training courses delivered by the Directory of Social Change, which has recently led to my promotion to a Senior Project Fundraising Officer.
What advice can you offer someone wanting to become a Fundraiser?
To be a fundraiser, it’s important to gain experience of working within the Third Sector, whether it’s paid or unpaid. If you work for a company, try getting involved in organising events voluntarily for your local charity. This will give you a good starting point from which to build on and will enable you to network in a different field. Being a team player is key to successful fundraising, and relationship building enables you to negotiate with influential people in businesses and grant-giving organisations.
The Institute of Fundraising offers a wide range of courses to help you progress as a fundraiser, enabling you to obtain professional qualifications as you develop.
What are the best and worst aspects of your role?
Some funding applications take a great deal of time, energy and attention to detail to ensure success. It’s extremely satisfying to expend so much energy on submitting a proposal to a funder, and then hearing that it’s been successful, enabling a vision to become reality. Without the funds the organisation cannot undertake the vital conservation work to achieve its charitable purposes.
The RSPB is a large national organisation, and many people wrongly perceive the organisation as being rich, when in fact, the organisation only holds financial reserves, equivalent to 8-12 weeks running costs. Sometimes, changing people’s perceptions of the wealth of the organisation is challenging, and it can be difficult to tap into some funding streams because of this misperception.
Are there any perks to the job?
RSPB staff receive 20% on all products sold in RSPB shops and within the catalogue. We are also able to visit all reserves free of charge.
What is the end goal in your career?
Ideally, I would like to manage a team, which would include overseeing the whole work programme for the region and the expected income against a range of projects. I have recently spent nine months ‘acting up’ as Project Fundraising Manager to cover my line-manager’s maternity leave, which provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to gain the necessary experience to build up to managing a team permanently. I am currently line-managing two members of staff, which will ensure I continue to develop my skills and allow me to follow a clear career path within the organisation.
Finish this sentence. "This week I have been mostly..."
“…finalising budgets for income projections against projects in 07/08.”
Fancy following in Sarah's footsteps? Check out our latest Fundraiser jobs. |
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