"Grow your own": how to get a fundraising team that delivers

We recently ran an online survey to identify trends in fundraising recruitment. The research reveals that given the choice, 65% of not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) would prefer to develop an existing employee rather than offer a higher salary to get a fundraiser.

The majority of organisations believe there is a fundraising skills gap with almost half of respondents identifying Major Donor fundraising as experiencing the biggest shortfall.

However, instead of wanting to recruit for these fundraisers externally, NFPs are concentrating on developing talent in-house. Budgetary constraints do play a part in the reasoning for this but respondents also point out that the values of individual team members being closely aligned to that of the organisation is crucial. This provides a solid base to build upon, to which they can add the specific fundraising skills required via training, which in turn will motivate and retain staff.

Survey respondent Sarah Harington, Head of Fundraising & Communications at human rights organisation, INTERIGHTS said:

“We’re developing our fundraising team in-house rather than appointing additional fundraisers as we recognise that are we already have exceptional staff that believe in our mission. We want to motivate and retain these people, embedding those skills in the organisation.

David Lale, Founder and MD of Charity People said:

“It’s clear from the research that this time of austerity is impacting the recruitment of fundraisers. It’s not surprising that there is a new emphasis on non-profit organisations training and developing the team members they value to become talented fundraisers. This is truly the time to invest in the loyal staff these organisations employ.”

He adds “This is also somewhat of a wake up call to third sector recruitment agencies that NFPs are meeting the challenge of the fundraising skills gap by cultivating their own teams. We have to consider the long-term implications this has for the industry.”

Additional key findings of the research reveal that nearly 40% of organisations are more willing to consider employing fundraisers with indirect experience or from the corporate sector.

To receive the report, please visit:
http://www.charitypeople.co.uk/fundraising_recruitment_survey_results.aspx