Corporate fundraising: the best of times, the worst of times February 23rd 2012
Image source: IOF
A corporate fundraiser faces even more challenges now that companies are focusing most of their efforts on simply staying afloat. Yes, it’s tough out there, but it’s also a great time to think creatively about maintaining and strengthening current relationships, and developing new ones.
Money+
When I was leading on the corporate relationships work at an animal protection charity my role included raising hard cash, but it was much broader than that. In fact, as a small organisation with limited budgets, we measured the value of working with corporate supporters in terms of how they could help us to reach stakeholders that we could not. With a lot of hard work, persuasion and leveraging all the connections we could muster, our corporate supporters donated a huge amount of PR and media support, in-store promotions, sponsorship and pro bono professional support – all of which meant that we could focus our financial resources on other aspects of the organisation’s work.
You say ‘corporate fundraiser’, I say ‘head of partnerships’
I have been at the coal face of corporate partnership development, and I’ve also recruited plenty of great corporate fundraisers: and it’s been interesting to see the change in role descriptions and job titles. There seems to be a shift away from the job title ‘Corporate Fundraiser’ and towards roles that have been designated ‘Head of Partnerships’, ‘Corporate Relationship Manager’, or ‘Corporate Account Manager’. If you look beneath the job titles you will still find that corporate roles focus on income generation, but increasingly they reflect the acknowledged value of developing longer-term, broader and deeper relationships with corporate supporters.
Why companies give
If companies all gave for the same reasons it would make the job of a corporate fundraiser so much easier! There are plenty of theories and models of giving that describe the various motivations that influence corporate giving. If you’re already working with companies, you’ll be familiar with the various versions, but if you’re not, the models include:
- Ethical or altruistic (provides support out of true philanthropy)
- Corporate Performance (support helps the bottom line)
- Stakeholder Influence (support helps to reach and influence the company’s many internal and external stakeholders)
- Political (the company will benefit from a relationship/endorsement from the charity)
Corporate fundraising ’101′
If you’re thinking about a career in charity corporate fundraising, or your charity is considering corporate fundraising as part of the fundraising mix, then The Office for Civil Society and the Institute of Fundraising have produced a video called ‘Corporate Fundraising in Five Minutes’.
National fundraising convention
Charity fundraisers know that the place to be from 2-4 July is the Institute of Fundraising National Convention. It’s a great opportunity for networking and for staying up to date with the latest fundraising trends. I’ll be heading for the corporate and digital fundraising sessions, so maybe see you there!
Corporate fundraising: jobs and careers advice
Senior corporate fundraisers are always in demand by my clients, so feel free to get in touch if you’re thinking about a career move.
Posted in: Career Advice, Corporate Fundraising, Latest Charity Jobs | Tags: Careers advice, Corporate Fundraising, Work
Part two: Ready for a career change? Find a charity job you love February 19th 2012
Trying to find a job that you love can be exciting and stressful in equal measures. In part one of my career change guide we looked at some first steps, so here’s part two to help you get a flying start on the road to your new career. I am focusing on the charity sector, but these strategies will also help if you’re working in other sectors.
Prevarication is the enemy of creativity
If you’re thinking about a career change, try to maintain the momentum by setting yourself targets until you reach your final goal. An effective way to do this is to develop a career change ‘activity plan’ to help you focus and track your progress. Changing careers can be stressful, so reward yourself every time you hit one of your targets.
Stay focused and flexible
We talk about a career crossroads as if you only come to it once, but during your job search you’ll arrive at lots of crossroads, t-junctions and dead-ends! So, don’t be surprised to find that your plans and goals change as you progress; the key is to find a career that fits with your values and really motivates you. If you stay focused and flexible, the process may reveal opportunities that you have never considered – and skills and strengths that you never knew you had.
Use your networks
What you know may get you the job, but who you know will often lead you to it. When you start to consider new career options, map out everyone that you know including friends, family, current and ex-colleagues. You will be amazed at the number of roles and sectors you’re connected to through your networks. And for an easy way to develop and use your connections during your job search, I’d recommend signing up to Linkedin if you haven’t already.
Feel the fear
A little fear is a good thing, but if you find that you’re pursuing a career that is causing you lots of sleepless nights and palpitations, there’s a good chance it’s not really right for you.
Let people know
When you decide what you want to do, let people know. I’ve often discovered or been referred to great people for charity digital comms and other roles over coffee! Let people know you’re available and looking for opportunities. You’ll need your ‘career toolkit’ ready for the next phase, which should include a powerful CV, a confident interview technique and an effective presentation style – all of which I’ll be covering in the coming weeks.
If it’s all about charity
If you’re interested in a charity job, you’ll find lots of support and advice online about jobs in communications, campaigns, fundraising and many other disciplines. People in the charity sector are very passionate about what they do and they are usually very happy to talk about their experience. I include myself in that group, so feel free to get in touch if you’re looking for a digital fundraising or communications role. Even if I can’t help, I usually know someone who can!
What’s the best piece of careers advice you’ve received? Please feel free to share it in the comments section.
Posted in: Career Advice, Personal Branding, Top Tips | Tags: Careers advice, Charity Jobs, Work
Raising awareness of human trafficking: Anya17 January 19th 2012
With only two months until its première on 7th March 2012 in Liverpool, I’d like to spotlight this incredible arts project that I support – a unique, contemporary and highly topical new opera: Anya17.
Composed by ‘British Composer Award’ Winner Adam Gorb to a libretto written by Ben Kaye, Anya17 aims to raise awareness of the secret world of sex trafficking, where up to 800,000 young women and children are trafficked into the EU every year.
Anya17 exposes the intertwined lives of those sold into sexual slavery as they fight to survive.
The opera has its première in Liverpool on 7th March followed by a performance on 9th March at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
Why I support Anya17
I first heard about Anya17 when I was developing this charity comms and careers blog with designer Anna Celeste Watson. Anna had just started to talk to Ben Kaye about a website for Anya17 and I was shocked to hear about the living hell that trafficked women and children face every day.
NGO’s estimate that there is likely to be a sex trafficking victim forcibly working in a house or flat just 20 minutes’ drive from your own doorstep, no matter where you live in the UK. Just think about that for a moment. It’s a horrifying thought isn’t it, and one that should make us all want to stand up and do something to end this modern day slavery.
With my charity comms background, I’ve been doing my bit with online promotions and helping to recruit the project’s two digital marketing managers. But there’s much more we can all do to get involved. And here’s why we should come together to fight this despicable trade. 
Posted in: Campaigns, Charity Communications, Digital Marketing | Tags: Awareness Campaigns, Charity Comms Consultant, Charity Communications
