Safe and supportive working culture

Every organisation will have its own identifying characteristics and approach to working life and how best to support their employees and volunteers at all levels of the organisation. A positive and open working culture will lay the foundations of a committed, trusted and engaged working relationship, nurturing employees’ well-being and performance. And, while there may be no singular strategy for success, positive working cultures typically feature the following elements:

When people are united with a shared and unambiguous purpose and/or vision, it gives the organisation a clear identity and focus, building a sense of belonging for all those who work there.  With charitable objectives already in place and employees that share a deep-rooted commitment to the cause, your organisation will likely have a strong connecting force already at its core.  Not only will this common vision and related values strengthen fundraising teams, it connects everyone across the organisation, as well as supporters, beneficiaries, stakeholders and third parties.

• What is your unifying goal or vision?
• Do all employees, volunteers, stakeholders and partners know what this vision is?
• Are there any values or policies the organisation should develop or review to support this?
• How do you continually engage trustees, employees and volunteers with this?
• How do you monitor and communicate progress towards your goal?
• What does this mean for any third parties?

Unless employers communicate openly, well and clearly with staff and volunteers, fundraisers cannot know what is expected of them and where they can get support. Right from the outset, job descriptions and contracts must all be clearly-worded, organisational policies establishing the charity’s approach to any particularly important, sensitive or controversial aspect of its work, with training and induction processes reinforcing those messages. This will help to define the approach and professional conduct expected of all representatives of the charity, along with what to do and who to speak to if things go wrong. 

Employees and volunteers need to know that they are working in an open and accountable culture, where they can raise any concerns and know that they will be dealt with fairly and appropriately. This means understanding their rights and what processes are in place for handling disputes, claims of bullying, harassment and whistleblowing.

How do you keep all your workforce fully informed about the charity’s work with beneficiaries?
• Do all your job descriptions, contracts and working agreements make it clear what is expected of people, including professional conduct in and out of the office?
• Are your HR/employment policies up to date and regularly reviewed?
• Do you have a safeguarding policy and, if so, what does it cover?
• What additional policies do you need for fundraising and other areas? (This is likely to include the acceptance and refusal of donations, complaint handling, financial processes for donations, working with vulnerable people, third parties, commercial partners and volunteers.)
• What processes are in place to handle complaints, grievances, disputes and whistleblowing? Do your fundraisers know where to go for support?
• How is the charity held to account for adhering to these policies?

Everyone should feel valued in the workplace and confident in delivering in their role. A transparent and honest approach that focuses on positive reinforcement will help create a supportive environment that builds confidence across the workforce. 

By celebrating and rewarding success, managers can inspire an atmosphere of positivity, respect and pride, motivating individuals to perform to the best of their ability and to focus on each other’s strengths, fostering a stronger team spirit.  At the same time, a healthy and positive workplace will recognise that mistakes happen, encouraging people to raise any such issues, to ask for support in dealing with them and to learn from the process.  

• How do you reward and recognise individual or team success?
• Do you offer performance-based rewards schemes, either at an individual or team level (this may be pay related and/or feature other motivational drivers)?
• How do you handle mistakes?
• What support do you offer employees when mistakes have been made?
• What policies do you have in place for addressing more serious matters?
• How do you communicate the impact of successful fundraising in meeting the charity’s objectives?

When organisations encourage and facilitate continued learning and development, they will not only bring in new skills into the organisation and help keep pace with a rapidly changing marketplace but give fundraisers greater confidence in their work and nurture a thirst for improvement and progression. 

Learning can come in variety of different guises from training courses, qualifications, conferences and events, to shadowing colleagues, mentoring programmes, networking, third party consultancy services, reading the Code of Fundraising Practice, trade news and views and more. Training will also need to cover the practical skills required, together with any particular risks or demands of the role, which might include safeguarding, first aid, equality and diversity training, dispute resolution etc.

• What training is needed by each individual and for each role?
• What is the training and development budget and who is responsible for ensuring individuals will have the training they need?
• What HR procedures are in place to support a continual approach to learning and development?
• What progression opportunities are there for available?

Good recruitment practice is not just about filling a vacancy. It can help an organisation attract the relevant skills and abilities to meet its objectives now and in the future. When it comes to fundraising roles, recruiting the right person can have a transformational impact on longer-term issues, ranging from expanding the core budget and funding model for charitable services, through to changing the organisation’s skill set and brand reputation. 

Care must be taken to ensure that appropriate background checks are carried out, protecting the current workforce and beneficiaries. For charities working with the elderly and vulnerable (whether that is as beneficiaries, supporters, event participants, employees or more) DBS checks are vital. 

Successful recruits will need to be a good fit with the organisation and the role itself, with the right level of skills and experience.  It is important to encourage a diverse workforce and to commit to equal opportunities, providing fair remuneration and career progression options, never discriminating by age, gender, disability, race, religion or any other factor.

• Are you recruiting for a paid or voluntary role?
• What skills are required and what level of experience is needed to carry out the role?
• What employment policies will you need to ensure a fair and consistent approach applies to how salaries and any other benefits are calculated, annual leave, expenses and more?
• How can you ensure your recruitment processes are non-discriminatory and how will you monitor progress in this area?
• What is the gender pay gap in the organisation, within your senior leadership team and trustee board?
• What is your approach to safeguarding your staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and supporters?
• What background checks do you complete before recruiting someone and are DBS checks required?
• What is the charity’s policy for hiring someone with a past conviction?
• What training and induction processes are in place to help employees and volunteers start off on the right foot and carry out their work safely and effectively?
• How will new recruits be supervised and supported?

As an employer, you have a duty to look after both staff and volunteers, doing what you can to prevent accidents or harm. There are many health and safety requirements and these vary extensively depending on the working environment, related risks, the colleagues, beneficiaries and supporters you work with and the size of the organisation.  

This means that the responsibilities for a large international non-profit working in conflict zones will likely be very different from those of a small community-based local charity, with a handful of employees. 

You’ll need to think about what could potentially cause people harm in the workplace, at fundraising events, meetings, when visiting potential supporters and beneficiaries, and mitigate against those risks. This might include providing appropriate training, first aid equipment, making sure there are toilets and washing facilities, as well as specific requirements linked to fundraising events, charity challenges, travel or other activities.  

Fundraising organisations also have responsibility for the safety of their employees or volunteers who might work from home or those who attend meetings at a private residence, such as a trustee, donor or beneficiary’s home. This might include providing ergonomic assessments of a home workspace and introducing policies that prevent employees and volunteers from visiting private residences alone.

• Have you completed a risk assessment (covering both safeguarding and health and safety) for all those that work with you?

• How do you mitigate against those risks and how often are those risks reviewed?

• Do your employees or volunteers have any special needs that should be supported with equipment, guidance or training?

• What policies have you got in place to protect home workers, those attending fundraising events or activities (particularly in the evening), and travelling or going alone to meetings?

• What future risks should the charity plan for and how will they be managed?

• What is the process for managing allegations against staff, volunteers, trustees, donors and beneficiaries, and for investigating any such issues?

• What policies are required to protect people working in areas of conflict or poverty?

• What safeguarding processes are in place to help protect your beneficiaries, supporters, employees and others from harm? (see NCVO’s guidance)

• How will you protect people’s privacy and adhere to their contact preferences?

• What processes are in place for staff or volunteers to report any concerns about their safety or that of a colleague? This should include your policies for handling disputes, grievances, bullying or harassment claims and whistleblowing procedures.

Fundraising has never been more important to support the delivery of vital charitable services. This means that people are having to work harder than ever to secure donations and to ensure charities are managed as efficiently as possible. This can take its toll on employees and volunteers alike.

The wellbeing of your fundraisers, and all staff, should be of utmost importance, as well as being a major factor on their performance in their role and for retention of employees. Working in a positive environment that nurtures their wellbeing will help individuals and organisations thrive. 

There are many ways that organisations can look after the wellbeing of staff, including celebrating strong performance, providing ergonomically designed working areas, helping employees find ways to integrate an active and healthy lifestyle and a good work/life balance, and encouraging them to keep learning. You can find out more about wellbeing in the workplace from the CIPD.

Employees and volunteers will certainly contribute to how a work culture is shaped, but it is leaders that set the tone for the overarching environment, moral characteristics and identity of the organisation. So it’s essential that managers embody the behaviours and attitude that they want to see replicated across the organisation, including positivity, openness, a desire to learn, willingness to support others and a genuine commitment to the cause. 

At the same time, good leadership and governance must convey that its rules – the policies, which are developed to protect beneficiaries, supporters and employees alike – must not be broken and that the organisation will be held accountable for any such issues.

For CEO and trustees, this means setting the right moral tone for the organisation, ensuring it has sufficient resources, reviewing and overseeing the implementation of standards and leading by example.  

HR will be responsible for preparing and communicating the right policies and procedures, and ensuring that all line managers are fully trained and subsequently reviewed regarding their responsibilities to the staff. 

Meanwhile fundraising managers and directors must guide and support fundraisers in performing their role in line with the organisation’s values, adhering to regulations and industry standards and ensuring that policies and procedures are understood, as well as monitoring progress and supervising the overall wellbeing of staff. 

With people at the heart of any positive working culture, wellbeing should be on everybody’s radar, as important as beneficiary care and financial planning when it comes to ensuring the long-term health and future of the organisation.

• Recognise that how the organisation treats its people (employees, volunteers, trustees, beneficiaries and donors alike) will shape the organisation’s culture and how it is perceived by its target audiences.

• Celebrate success and ensure trustees understand the importance of good fundraising practice for the sustainability of the organisation.
• Consider what you can do to support fundraisers and the organisation’s ability to fundraise.
• Implement an open and honest approach that will encourage your people to share good ideas, give feedback, raise concerns and help improve what the organisation is doing, and let them know their views are valued.
• Set or approve robust but achievable policies that determine how the organisation and individuals should handle any important, sensitive or controversial issue.
• Implement rigorous reporting to monitor progress and ensure policies are adhered to.
• If concerns are raised or a breach of policy or standards is identified, act robustly and transparently, reporting any criminal acts, allegations of abuse or serious incidents to relevant statutory authorities or regulators in a timely way.
• Make sure that whistleblowing procedures are in place, that staff know what they are, and that no one will be treated unfairly if they raise such concerns
• Prioritise safeguarding as a key governance priority (in line with the Charity Commission’s recently revised safeguarding strategy), protecting your staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and more.

There’s a wide range of guidance and information (much of it freely available) to help you in this area. Below are just a few that we’ve picked out that can help charities in this area for further reading and more information: