​Earlier this week, Stuart and Georgie had the pleasure of visiting Auditory Verbal UK’s London Centre in Bermondsey. The organisation work with pre-school aged deaf babies and children and their families and train more specialist therapists to help deaf children to learn to listen and speak. This is the account of their meeting this small, yet incredibly valuable charity. ...

​A week or so ago we sadly bid farewell to Pete, our fantastic Community and Events consultant here at Charity People. Pete, and his abundance of energy, will definitely be missed around the office.In honour of Pete leaving, we hosted a cake bake sale raising money for HOPE not hate, chosen by Pete himself. HOPE not hate is an amazing anti-racism and discrimination charity t...

​Where to start? Neil Hogan and I from Charity People traversed up 17 stories, stood with a panoramic view over-looking London with members of the London Air Ambulance. I wore my best Top Gun jacket, felt appropriate on the day. (Neil and Stuart…or Maverick and Goose?) We do not appreciate the level of efficiency and commitment that goes into this inspiring service. Two pilo...

​Good job there’s GoodJobsThe process of recruiting fundraisers is about to be tweaked to help expand training of fundraisers, and improve the diversity and inclusion of fundraisers.GoodJobs is a new jobs board for fundraisers. There’s nothing new about jobs boards of course - there are plenty to choose from for fundraisers, and have been for 20 years or so. GoodJobs, say it...

​Fundraising Futures: Innovation with Flying CarsCharity People is hugely excited to be hosting an exclusive, interactive event with the brilliant innovation collective Flying Cars.Fundraising is changing. As fundraising leaders, decision- makers and change-makers we would be delighted if you would join us for this one-off innovation event. The future is here. Don’t get left...

​Big shout out to Better Bankside for having organised, yet again, such an amazing campaign that has coordinated Christmas gift donations for homeless, vulnerably housed and elderly people throughout Southwark. This is the fifth year that Charity People have been involved.We had a great couple of afternoons mucking in and wrapping some of the donated items! If only there was...

Recently, I had the pleasure of volunteering for an incredible charity called Dallaglio Rugbyworks. The charity works with Pupil Referral Units, short stay schools, specialised schools in a mentoring and coaching role. The charity provides a staple in their curriculum's that develops the students in a sporting environment, with specialist coaches working with the group and i...

In November, I had the pleasure of helping a room full of fundraising managers reflect on their personal leadership brand. And yes, I know it sounds like a horrible piece of management jargon, but actually it is something simple and powerful that can really impact your career.You see you already have a leadership brand. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the...

​When you apply for roles within a charity you will usually have to submit a copy of your CV. It’s the most important document you have to show your experience to date. For this reason, it’s vital that this gives a truly coherent overview of what you have achieved, as well as your main skills and your education. It also needs to be written with your audience in mind. The r...

Our guest blog this week comes from Jane Curtis, a former fundraiser who runs her own consultancy."I have moved around a bit during my 20 years as a fundraiser. I have managed big and small teams, had permanent jobs, interim roles and contract positions. And now as a consultant with my own business, I know only too well how important training and looking after your career ...

​How to be a star in competency-based interviewsOver the past couple of weeks, three things have had me thinking more and more about interview preparation.One of my candidates thanked me for sending them the Charity People interview guide. I also had a really enjoyable pre-interview preparation session with another candidate. And finally, I came across a tweet about some bri...

​Bringing a fundraiser into your organisation for the first time is a huge step for any charity. It means that you are ready to grow and engage new individuals with your cause and start making (more) fundraising asks. Before you start to write a job description and person specification or to put out a job advert, there are some vital steps to ensure your charity is Fundrai...

​​The Job description is one of the most important documents in your arsenal when working in a candidate-short, competitive market, in order to engage the right people in your role. It is important that the job description covers: what will be required of the person in detail so that potential applicants are able to understand if the role matches their requirements for their...

​Conscious that I have an innate tendency to talk at a million miles an hour and with the added pressure of public speaking, I wanted to share some of the ideas and thoughts that came out of Tuesday’s Career Mapping conversation with the Institute of Fundraising in Manchester. It’s probably quite on topic, as public speaking is one of the areas I’m working on personally at t...

​The best questions to ask at the end of an Interview. The questions you ask in an interview are very telling. Here are some top tips from our consultant, Ben Garner…In order to make an informed decision about whether this is the right move for you there are a range of questions you can ask. You will have your own expectations on what you're looking for; be it career progres...

​Cover Letters - Prescriptive or not? - Top Evaluation TipsClients often tell us they struggle to evaluate and appraise Cover Letters effectively but nonetheless they are a common tool used in selecting new recruits. Tips on how to get the most out of this stage of recruitment.Evaluating a Covering LetterPeople write their CVs in all sorts of weird and wonderful formats, len...

Writing a cover letter can be a chore, especially when applying for a number of roles. As consultants, we know they can be difficult and often go back to candidates to help them amend ones they’ve submitted.Knowing what to include and what to leave out can drive one to distraction. So here are a few things you need to know to make sure that your cover letter stands out:Your ...

​Employment testing is not unique to the charity sector. However, there are several reasons why it makes sense to use these tools when looking for new recruits in this sector.Psychometric testing has been around since 1905. Today’s evidence shows this type of testing is increasing among employers. One body of research indicated an 18% rise over a two-year period. Yet employm...

​Kemar Walford has over 10 years of experience in Fundraising and the wider Third Sector, which includes working with mainstream charities such as London Youth, Caritas Anchor House, Ladies Who Learn and the Bromley by Bow Centre. He worked for the Big Lottery Fund for the bulk of his career in grant assessment, management and more recently supporting groups in the West Midl...

"Fear of failure was stopping my personal development." Read how Ellen took the plunge.​Fear of failure. I can safely say I have that in abundance; a definite born worrier. I've always been quite risk averse, but until it came to writing this blog I hadn't fully identified that it might actually be bordering on self-sabotage.I have always been pretty steadfast in my professi...