Time to introduce formal qualifications for fundraisers?

With the charity sector facing a skills shortage and fundraisers more sought after than ever, our new report Accident Prevention proposes a way to standardise routes into and through the profession.

With only 5% of fundraisers actively choosing it as a profession, the majority (44%) become a fundraiser by ‘accident’ with no major decision to choose this as a job, whereby 42% gradually come to the decision to become a fundraiser over time.

The report also challenges the accepted norms of what it takes to become a fundraiser in order to prevent people ‘falling in’ to the role and end unfair and exploitative working practices through the creation of a formally recognised qualification.

Asking questions like:

• What should we value more – qualities or experience?
• Why are current routes into fundraising not fit for purpose?
• How can we actively promote fundraising as a profession?

This also follows the recent publication of our updated occupational standards for arts fundraising.