New to fundraising? Here's what you need to know

One of the phrases you hear most often in the sector is "I fell into fundraising". There are a lot of so called 'accidental fundraisers' out there, and that is genuinely one of fundraising's strengths. 

People arrive with different experiences, perspectives, and skills that make teams stronger and more impactful. Fundraising is a skilled and rewarding job that makes a real difference and that difference is felt even more when people bring real world experience from other fields with them.

The skills you already bring

For anyone starting out, it can be easy to focus on what you do not know yet. Fundraising has its own terminology, regulations, and ways of working. But career changers often underestimate just how much relevant experience they already bring with them. 

Skills like relationship building, communication, problem solving, resilience, strategic thinking, and empathy are all central to fundraising and they exist in many professions outside the sector.

Someone moving from sales may already understand how to build trust and long term relationships. A teacher might feel comfortable presenting ideas and adapting communication styles for different audiences. People from hospitality often bring calmness under pressure and excellent people skills. Those with finance or operational backgrounds can thrive in data-focused or compliance-related fundraising roles.

The challenge is usually not whether you have transferable skills it is learning how to apply them in a fundraising context and having the confidence to recognise their value. 

Fundraising is not a 'nice to have' in any organisation, it is essential to delivering impact, and the skills that underpin it are essential.

Getting to grips with the fundamentals

Early on, it helps to focus on understanding the fundamentals rather than trying to learn everything at once. Reading charity annual reports, attending webinars, listening to fundraising podcasts (including our Let’s Talk Fundraising podcast) or simply asking colleagues questions can make a big difference. Over time, fundraising terminology and regulations become much more familiar. A good place to start is our Fundraising Essentials Collection which includes the key things you need to understand. 

Professional networks can also play an important role in building confidence. Fundraising can feel like a surprisingly small sector once you start connecting with others, attending events, or joining conversations online. Some of the most useful advice often comes from informal chats with people who remember exactly what it felt like to be new.

Resilience is part of the job

One of the realities of fundraising that people do not always talk about enough is resilience. Applications get rejected. Campaigns do not always hit their targets. Events can take months of planning and still not go perfectly. Even experienced fundraisers have difficult days.

But fundraising is also full of incredibly committed, creative, and supportive people. That sense of shared purpose is one reason many accidental fundraisers end up staying in the sector far longer than they expected. 

Building a sustainable fundraising career takes time, and confidence grows gradually through experience, relationships, and continued learning. Career changers often bring exactly the fresh perspective charities need, even if they do not realise it straight away.

How to set yourself up for success

Here are my tips for getting off to a good start, and to help your fundraising thrive…

1. Spend time understanding the different areas of fundraising, including individual giving, community fundraising, events, corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations, major donor fundraising, legacies, and digital fundraising. It can help you identify where your skills and interests fit best.
2. Learn the basics of fundraising regulation, ethics, Gift Aid, and supporter care early on.
3. Use social media intentionally. Follow charities you respect to understand how they communicate with supporters, respond to current issues, and tell compelling stories.
4. Read charity annual reports, cases for support, and impact reports to understand how organisations communicate impact.
5. Spend time with fundraising colleagues outside formal meetings. Listening to how they approach supporter relationships, handle challenges, and talk about their work day to day can be one of the best ways to learn.
6. Join a local, national, or special interest group through the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to build connections, learn from experienced fundraisers, and feel part of the wider fundraising community early in your career.
7. Build relationships across your organisation. Collaboration across services, communications, finance, and fundraising is essential for strong supporter relationships and successful campaigns.
8. Ask questions openly instead of feeling pressure to already know everything.
9. Take advantage of the training, qualifications, webinars, and professional development opportunities offered by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to build your knowledge, confidence, and practical skills. We help people start, grow and stay in fundraising, so we can help you thrive.
10. Accept that confidence develops gradually through experience, support, and continued learning.

You don't have to navigate this alone

One of the best things about fundraising is that people do not navigate the profession alone. There is a strong culture of learning, collaboration, and peer support across the sector, particularly for people entering fundraising from other careers.

At the Chartered Institute we are working with the sector to break down the barriers that stop great people joining and to make sure that once you're here, you feel welcomed, supported, and able to do your best work. 

Through training, mentoring, networking groups, qualifications, and professional development opportunities, CIOF will help you to build your confidence, skills, and career over the long term.

How fundraisers can access training and development

• CIOF's training and qualifications offer covers everything from half day courses through to advanced leadership programmes.
• If your charity has an income of less than £50k per year, it is eligible for free small charity organisational membership, giving you access to a wide selection of training, resources and support.
• Organisational members get access to the Knowledge Hub, an on-demand modular video resources across a wide range of essential fundraising topics, designed to drive insight and deliver impact.
• Individual members receive discounts on training and qualifications.
• All members can access CIOF's library of resources, guides, templates, insight, and on-demand webinars.
• The Data and Insights Hub is your go-to place for the latest trends and headlines from sector reports.

So, once again - welcome. We are so pleased you are a fundraiser!