How to progress your charity career

Whether you’re starting out in your first job, or you’ve been working in the charity sector for a while, there are a number of ways to progress your career.  

You may want to learn new skills to develop in your current role, apply for a promotion in the same organisation or move to a job at a different charity. Whatever your personal goals are, in this article, we explore how you can develop and move forward in the charity sector. 

Why career progression is important 

When you progress in your career, you are more likely to feel motivated, confident and self-assured. This will give you a sense of purpose. Careers website Indeed explains: “This is because you can get new opportunities that may make you feel relevant in your organisation.” 

Career progression benefits both staff and organisations. It’s good for charities to offer career progression for staff as it increases productivity and performance in the workplace.  

Make a plan

Put together a plan for how to get from where you are now to where you want to be in your career. It will help you to identify your goals, stay focused and monitor your progress. 

Set your goals 

It’s a good idea to set goals to help you stay focused. Make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based (SMART). This will help you to evaluate your goals and keep track of how you’re doing. 

Get a mentor 

A mentor can help you develop your skills and give you a fresh perspective on your work. It’s a great way to get advice on your career and give you some clarity on the skills you need to advance. Mentoring can be a one-off meeting or a longer-term relationship, with regular meetings. 

CharityComms offers a mentoring scheme for communications professionals and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising gives fundraisers the chance to get a mentor. 

Do training 

Look out for opportunities to do some training. There may be some budget at your charity to bring in external trainers or to send staff on training days. This can help to build skills and knowledge. 

Examples of organisations providing training in the charity sector include: the Directory of Social Change, Media Trust and the NCVO. 

Recognise the value you bring 

CharityJob recommends spending time thinking about what it is that makes you special and why you were hired to do your current role. “Once you know what your unique selling points (USPs) are, you’ll know how to start selling your services to the causes you feel strongly about.” 

Network and build relationships 

Once you recognise the value you bring, you can go out and speak to other people about it. Look for opportunities to network, whether it’s attending conferences and events, or joining online communities where you can share your skills and knowledge. This is a good way to build your confidence and develop yourself. 

Building relationships in the sector could lead to future career opportunities. For example, you may meet someone at an event who gets in touch after to let you know about a new job opening at their charity. 

Read tips on how to become a confident networker. 

Use social media 

Update your LinkedIn profile. Tailor your headline and experiences to match the job profile you’re looking for. Make sure you’re following charities you would like to work for so you are aware of new openings. 

Stay positive 

If you’ve been in the same job for a while, it easy to get stuck in a rut. An article on CharityJob says to stay positive as this will help to keep you motivated to look for new opportunities. It will also put you in the right frame of mind when a new opportunity to progress does come along. 

Take on new challenges 

An article on Forbes recommends challenging yourself to try something that scares you. For example, presenting your team’s objectives to the charity or asking your boss for more responsibility. “If you keep doing the same things, you’ll never grow. Get over your fear and jump out of your comfort zone.” 

Doing the new challenge successfully will help you to build confidence and show others that you have initiative. 

Speak to your manager 

Have regular conversations with your manager about career progression. Tell them what your goals are and work with them to put together a long-term plan for your development.  

This will help to make your ambitions known to your manager and you’ll get feedback from them. For example, you can use these meetings to find out what new skills you need to learn to progress in the organisation. 

Before you speak to your manager, make sure you spend time thinking about what you want to achieve and which direction you want your career to go. 

Look after your wellbeing 

It’s important to practise self-care. This will help you to recharge and progress in your career. Otherwise, you may end up with burnout, which will stop you performing as well.