The results are in for the fundraising recruitment survey we ran earlier in the year. Thank you to those who took part and expressed their views on what is happening in the sector. We received 163 responses which have provided a number of insights into the ways you are managing fundraising skills gaps within your organisations.

Congratulations to Diabetes UK who won the £250 donation.

Excerpts from the report:

Key Findings
The current economic climate has had a major impact on how NFPs are funded and, in turn, how they operate. This has ramifications for fundraising within these organisations, affecting the skills required but also the salaries that they are able to pay.

The below, in part, highlights that there is a discord between what is needed by NFPs to succeed and the resources available to be able to deal with current challenges. However, organisations are working hard to deliver their mission and are identifying a number of ways to gain the fundraising skills they require.

The Fundraising Skills Gap
Fundraising is of more importance to NFPs than every before. Major Donor and Corporate fundraising top the list for the types of fundraising seen as most important. This highlights a potential trend for how NFPs will be looking to meet their funding objectives in the future. Mid to Senior level fundraisers are particularly difficult to find, with Major Donor and Community & Events Fundraising teams experiencing the biggest shortages.

Fundraisers Need to Deliver More
Organisations are being asked to deliver more with less resource and the same can be said of fundraisers. Whilst sector and fundraising experience are very important, fundraising candidates also need a provenability to meet or, ideally, exceed targets as well as be able to think and plan strategically.

Indirect Experience is Less of a Barrier
Although respondents would ideally like to recruit fundraisers with very specific experience, close to 40% more are willing to consider new team members with indirect experience (e.g. marketing) or with a background in the corporate sector than they were 12 months ago.

Staff Retention and Development
Organisations are keen to retain passionate, hard-working staff, but with funding cuts affecting staffing levels, employees are having to carry the burden of additional workloads. Developing and training existing staff to is seen by the majority of respondents as the way to manage the skills gap as well as to motivate and retain good staff in challenging times.

To view the complete research results click to register and receive your copy.