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Article: How to recruit digital fundraisers

17 March 202209:00 - 10:00
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Christine Chiu
Charity Digital News Writer

Join the discussion on Twitter: Do you have any tips for helping charities in recruitment? #DTW2022

 

Recruiting both full-time and part-time fundraisers is a priority. They are the face of your organisation and your mission. Charities Aid Foundation says that fundraisers promote a charity’s message, goals, and encourage people to get involved.

 

We share some simple tips to make your roles more attractive to prospective candidates.

 

Be realistic about who you are recruiting

 

The first step in considering who to recruit for the cause is to think about which incomes you’re focusing on. Targeting digital, in-person, one-off, and recurring income streams require different skill sets.

 

Searching for prospective fundraisers with skills across all income types is unrealistic.

 

 

It’s not about the money

 

The mission, impact, and fun-factor outweigh the money for both paid and unpaid fundraisers. In other words, raising money isn’t the main motivation for them. JustGiving notes the top three reasons people fundraise:

 

  • Fundraisers know who the beneficiaries are and that motivates them
  • They feel inspired by a personal connection
  • They are deeply passionate about the cause

 

To recruit successfully, show candidates how you work and what impact you have. As a guide to better reporting, tell fundraisers what you’re fixing, explain the approach, and showcase the achievements.

 

 

Know what skills you’re looking for

 

The transition to digital fundraising hasn’t been easy and it’s put recruiting people with the right skills front and centre. Bringing on paid digital fundraisers zeroes in on writing engaging content, greater knowledge of digital marketing, and better understanding of perfomance metrics.

Charity Jobs, the recruitment agency, says that means taking on the digital strategy, overseeing advertisements, and managing social media outlets. When sifting through applications, check for experiences related to the fundraising channels and audiences that you’re targeting.

 

 

Use a digital platform to recruit

 

Getting charity fundraisers onboard means spreading the word about your opportunity. Digital platforms to recruit volunteers includes Do IT, Reach Volunteering, Simply Connect, Charity Jobs, and Volunteering Matters. To get started, charities should prepare a job specification or description of the person they are looking for.

 

For charities looking for support around a campaign or appeal, tap into the existing audience base. Advertise the event and how fundraisers can get involved. Communicate across all charity channels, including Instagram, Facebook (Meta), YouTube, and email.

 

For charities on a small budget, consider using Meta Business advertisements. Advert owners can predetermine a budget maximum, ensuring that there are no surprises. The main advantage is that the adverts can be aimed at specific audiences

 

When posting online, don’t forget to provide more information on the role and expectations. You may need to link to your own website or provide a bitly link for applications.

 

 

Be transparent about the process

 

Whether it’s a full-time, internship, or event fundraiser role, it’s important to be clear about what is involved. This includes next steps during the interview process and anticipating questions around COVID-19.

 

Speaking with Fundraising magazine, Hannah Laking Principal Fundraising Consultant at Harris Hill says: “Trust is hugely important if people are going to feel secure about coming on board, and if they feel you’re not being totally upfront about the COVID-19 situation, they’re naturally going to wonder what else you might be holding back.”

 

When recruiting, make sure to communicate when you’ll be feeding back to candidates.

 

Share what the benefits are to coming on board

 

Show audiences and potential fundraisers why they should participate and what it would be like. For paid staff, mention the perks of joining your organisation. Hybrid and flexible working, vacation days, and other employment benefits are standard.

 

Let candidates know what additional benefits there are. These include opportunities to work on a mission, accommodating family needs, networking, and so on.

 

 

Engage the peer-to-peer platforms

 

You may have noticed that individuals from previous campaigns aren’t fundraising, or have set up pages but are inactive. Classy recommends communicating encouragement and advice to those who show signs of wanting to be involved.

 

They suggest sending targeted emails or messages re-emphasising the campaign goal and impact. Classy’s tip is to share ideas on how to individually fundraise for the campaign.

 

 

Get your staff involved

 

Don’t leave your recruitment advert hanging in the ethers. Femke Vorstman, Senior Recruitment Consultant at Prospectus says that just launching the job specification is a missed opportunity. To really bring the role to life, she suggests asking staff to share the advert within their networks. This lets candidates know that they have a direct connection with the charity.

 

 

Make it easy to fundraise

 

Hybrid events are the new normal, and both digital and live components need fundraisers. When recruiting, make it easy for prospective audiences and volunteers to join. Empower your new fundraisers to choose how they wish to go about collecting donations – whether in person or online.

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