Charity Marketing Jobs - PR & Digital Recruitment

Does size matter? It’s a question we’re certainly not the first to tackle - if that’s the word - but what size of charity is best for your career? The bigger the better? Or do the best things really come in small packages? Here's what our fundraising team and deputy CEO Faye Marshall had to say in a 2019 article for The Fundraiser (relevant for most other charity jobs too), updated here for the blog. Should you be working for a large or small charity? As specialist recruiters we work with charities of all sizes, helping fundraisers find those best aligned with their priorities. For some the environment or location will be more important than progression, for others career development may be paramount, and for many of course, the cause in question will be top of the list. Sometimes only one type of charity will do, but in many cases there are both larger and smaller options, each with their own advantages. So how do you know where to go? Appropriately enough there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but what we'd recommend generally depends on three things: where you are in your career, your experience to date and where you ultimately want to go. Let's start at the beginning. Starting out If it’s your first charity job, the best place for your baby steps may be the biggest organisations. That might sound counter-intuitive but as with any new job, there’ll be downtime while you learn the ropes and won’t be fully productive. You’ll also need training, and someone with the time and resources to deliver it. All of this means there are costs, which are often unaffordable for small charities operating on little more than Hobnobs and hope. However their larger counterparts are more likely to have support for new starters in place, as philanthropy manager Annabelle Burt told us of her role at NSPCC: "Starting my charity career in a large organisation has without a doubt been the best decision I’ve made. The organisation invests a great deal in personal development, and they’ve already given me countless opportunities to attend nationwide conferences and training with the best in the business. I’m given all the support I need to succeed in my role and really value being able to learn about different areas of the charity sector from collaborative working with other departments." Stick or twist? Perhaps you’ve now got a couple of years under your belt, doing direct marketing for a major charity. You're enjoying it, maybe even to the point you can't imagine doing anything else - but nevertheless it’s usually wise to diversify. Specialising too soon may limit your options later – for example after six solid years when you see the perfect direct marketing job, but the candidates you’re competing with have four years in DM and two in other fields. Many employers will favour your competitors for their more varied, well-rounded experience. And the same of course applies should you change your mind and want to branch out later. So it’s worth trying different things: don’t put yourself in a pigeon-hole unless you’re prepared for the possibility of living there permanently. Like beanbags, debt, and conversations with people who’ve taken up CrossFit, they’re easier to get into than out of, and best avoided if possible. Shifting down can be the best way up Moving to a smaller charity is often a fantastic way to branch out. Leaving that large DM department behind, you might now be a team of one - and it's unlikely to be the only thing you do. Whatever your job title might suggest, in a small team you’ll always need to help each other out, which could mean events, community projects, partnerships with local businesses and more. And with few support staff you’ll likely do more than just fundraising, which could mean admin, marketing, media relations, procurement (somebody’s got to buy the teabags) or even catering and hospitality, because those cakes for the big event won’t bake themselves. It's a challenge for sure, but a great way to develop existing skills and discover others you didn't know you had, while gaining diverse and multifaceted experience that's likely to broaden your future options. Speaking of which... Further into your career: where next? By now you’re perhaps looking for your third or fourth fundraising job, and having worked for both larger and smaller charities you’ve got the experience to go in either direction. The best move now largely depends on where you're ultimately looking to go, so it's a good time to take stock and think hard about where that is. Then, consider what you've done and more importantly, what you haven't yet done to help you to get there, and aim to plug any gaps that could hold you back. If you’re aspiring to a directorship with a top ten charity for example, you’ll need to start boosting the big-name experience on your CV. Ultimately it may just come down to the environment you prefer, and on which side of the whole big fish/small pond question you feel more at home. Both have their advantages (and drawbacks) of course, so here are some that we've yet to cover: ► Autonomy can be huge part of the appeal: if you’re the entire corporate fundraising team, guess who’s in charge? If you’re used to following procedures and losing even your most brilliant ideas to multi-layered, glacially-paced approval processes, the freedom to chart your own course is both liberating and exhilarating. ► As a result you’ll be very hands-on, designing and delivering your campaigns from end to end. You’ll get to do it all yourself, the only drawback being that you’ll have to do it all yourself, but there’s a lot of satisfaction in making things happen. Whatever you do will be noticed, so you can bask in the credit when it works - though of course with nowhere to hide if it doesn’t. ► That close connection with leadership helps small charities to be more agile, changing course more quickly than their bigger brethren. Getting the whole organisation on board with your new initiative is a lot easier when you can fit everyone in one room. ► Usually you’ll also be close enough to your beneficiaries to see that you’re making a difference – something fundraisers buried far from the frontline in a major charity HQ may envy. ► Having a well-known name can have significant advantages in key areas like fundraising and marketing. For one thing, if you don’t need to explain who you are, you’ve got more time or space to make your case. And there’s no denying it looks good on your CV. That said, while a big name might open some doors, it isn’t always an advantage: a 2018 study by the Centre for Voluntary Sector Leadership found public trust in national charities significantly lower (at just 29%) than in local community charities (43%). ► However, you’ll have more resources to call on in your fundraising efforts, and often on a larger scale: partnering with a major corporation for example, or a national TV advertising campaign, experience you’re unlikely to gain locally. ► Arguably the clearest advantage is the prospect of progression. If you’re the events person for a small charity but want to manage a team, you’ll either need to grow the charity considerably (and fast) or move somewhere big enough to have one. Even if there’s a role above you to aim for, there could be a long wait before it’s a vacancy. By nature, larger organisations will have more opportunities more often, so there’s more chance of moving up without having to move out entirely. What about salaries and benefits? Things are more evenly matched when it comes to things like flexible working and staff benefits. Both large and small charities tend to score highly, but large-scale events and the social side of bigger organisations may give them an edge, depending on your preference. As for salaries, check out the Harris Hill & CharityJob 2019 Salary Report which has market rates for more than 120 different roles in the sector, including differences in pay between small, medium and large charities. While larger organisations do appear to pay a little more in general, as you might perhaps expect, the full picture is rather more complex. Most of the disparity is at senior levels, based on larger remits and scope, but at the junior end there's often very little difference. There are certainly big name charities who offer small starting salaries, knowing their brand alone will bring in new talent, just as there are smaller organisations paying above average to attract potential staff. So at least in the early part of your career, charity size is unlikely to have a huge impact on pay. You might earn a little less at a smaller charity, but that could pay off handsomely in future thanks to your greater breadth of experience. So where should you go next? Most of the fundraisers we work with move between both large and small organisations several times in their career, and it’s a good strategy. The strongest CVs have a balance of both, and the breadth of experience you’ll gain will give you the option to move in either direction. Meanwhile if you’re switching charity sizes, be sure to read the job description in detail. Jobs with the same title may have very different remits depending on the size of charity, so know what you’re in for and be wary of assumptions. Don’t let the bright lights of a big brand blind you to what’s actually a more limited role, for example, or dismiss a superb opportunity on account of a name that you’ve never heard of. And if you’re not sure of your next move, consider where you eventually want to be, and what’s missing from your CV to get there. The chances are that’s your answer. Final thoughts: we've inevitably made some generalisations here, and for every trend we’ve mentioned there are charities busily bucking it. But both large and small charities can offer superb career opportunities, and the best advice we can give is to make the most of them however you can. Plenty of factors can make a great employer, so a charity’s size isn’t everything. Believe it or not, it really is what you do with it that counts. Faye Marshall, director of permanent recruitment and deputy CEO, Harris Hill Search all charity jobs ► More from the Harris Hill blog How to negotiate a pay rise in the charity sector ► Charity Careers 5: meet SPANA's Chris Oak, Associate Director of HR ► How to write a great supporting statement ► The Harris Hill and CharityJob 2019 Salary Report ► Return to the blog homepage

Welcome back to Charity Careers, in which freelance writer Nicola Greenbrook invites key influencers in the charity sector to share their career story and how they navigate the professional world. We discover what they've learned along the way, what motivates them to get up in the morning and what their dream breakfast might look like when they do... Kicking us off for 2020, Nicola was delighted to chat to Chris Oak, Associate Director - HR and Facilities for Society For The Protection Of Animals Abroad (SPANA) about his career, keeping your perspective, why he bounces out of bed in the mornings, giving back to the community, and an extraordinary commitment to Doctor Who… Hi Chris. Please tell us a little bit more about SPANA and its mission? Put most simply, we believe any working animal is entitled to live a life free from pain. We facilitate this in a number of ways; free veterinary care, veterinary training (in some of the countries where we operate veterinarians receive no hands-on training whilst studying) community training and education programmes. The cornerstone of our work is the three ‘T’s - treat, train, teach. What are you responsible for? My role encompasses the full range of HR-related functions; looking after selection/recruitment/on-boarding, appraisal and one-to-ones, Learning and Development, organisation design, policies and procedures, support and business partnering for managers and disciplinary and grievance management. I provide support on teams and structures to the senior management team, advice to trustees on HR related matters and off-boarding and exit interviews. I also lead on all IT and premises-related aspects of SPANA which includes, room and desk allocation and IT projects. We’re currently out to tender for an integrated IT service that would include IT, telephony, printing, video conferencing and connectivity across our countries of operation. Is there a particular appeal or campaign you're focusing on in 2020? • Blindness - Every year, SPANA vets treat thousands of working animals facing sight loss. • Traditional practices - From pouring engine oil into an open wound to pressing scorching hot irons onto a working animal’s skin, traditional ‘cures’ seem barbaric. But owners that carry them out are trying to treat their animals in the only way they know how. • Lameness - Lameness is misery for thousands of working animals and is most commonly caused by problems in the feet. This suffering could be avoided with a simple solution – proper farriery. Where and how did you start your career? Were there any key roles along the way that helped your progression to Director? I began my career in Leisure Management, where I continued to work for 26 years in a variety of roles for a variety of employers. During this time I worked as a Manager, Deputy Manager, Gym Manager, coach and Personal Trainer, Marketing Manager and Sales Manager. I’ve also worked as a lecturer in PE, done youth work and was the Records Library Manager at University College Hospital. Had you planned to move into the charity sector? It wasn’t always my intention, but I’ve always been drawn to work where I feel I can make a difference to the lives of others. When I saw the (then-advertised) HR Manager role at SPANA and read the JD, I was very interested, especially when I read further into what the charity did. Although, admittedly, I hadn't heard of SPANA before then, having experience and a background in various forms of education meant I was very interested in the work SPANA does in that field. What advice would you give to, for example, graduates considering a move into charity or emerging leaders about to make their first leap into management or a director role? To graduates I'd say the most important thing is not so much their passion for the charity’s work but rather the role and its main purpose. Being excited about the work of the charity is the icing on the cake; but first and foremost must always be the ability to do the job. For emerging leaders - I’d always say, think of the additional responsibility that comes with moving into management. If you’re taking on team leadership for the first time, ensure you've gained skills in both management and leadership; so you can move beyond technical competency in your current area and towards being skilled at getting the best out of others. Similarly, for moving into a director-based role - there’s always a need for the ability to take the bird’s eye strategic view of the team and the organisation. As people move up the ladder, another key skill is the ability to effectively collaborate with colleagues at all levels and move beyond straight hierarchical methods of managing. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given, who gave it and why does it stick in your mind? Keep your perspective. I can’t remember exactly who said this, but I think it was one of the senior youth workers I worked with when I first started in that field. It sticks in my mind because I so often see - and have occasionally been dragged into the trap of - trying to do everything every day. We should always strive to do the best we can and help others achieve their best…but the world won’t end if the things we selected to do today don’t get done! What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? Bringing other managers to a point where they can recognise their own responsibility as managers, so HR can evolve into the business partnering role it should be; advising colleagues and moving away from being mostly a reactive service. What’s the best/most rewarding part? Seeing people flourish and moving on to new ways of working that engage a wider audience. Bringing change to the people element of the charity. What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career? Of all time, it was building children’s holiday activity programmes when I used to work in the leisure industry. In one case we started with no programme and no children, building up to a maximum of 130 children per day offering activities for children aged 5 – 16 years every holiday. At SPANA, I think it’s been the introduction of a more focused HR function taking control of a wide range of activities. In my past three roles (all new HR roles for growing organisations) it's been establishing HR as a standalone provision with a purpose, beyond ensuring the admin functions it was originally envisaged for are delivered. Who do you look up to - either in the charity sector or more generally? Very few and very many people! I think we can all take inspiration from the work of almost anyone around us - and should do this. Looking only at the top of the mountain sometimes obscures the great views to be obtained on the slopes. If I had to choose just one, I’d lean towards Richard Branson - more for his support for the development of all of his staff. As for a quote to live by I’d probably go for Charlie Chaplin: 'Life laughs at you when you are unhappy. Life smiles at you when you are happy. But, life salutes you when you make others happy’. Let's finish with some quick lifestyle questions: are you a snoozer or a spring-out-of-bedder? My alarm goes off at 6.00am - and I’m a spring-out-of-bedder! I almost always get up immediately and most days go out for a morning run in the park behind my house. What's your dream breakfast (and your actual breakfast?) Dream breakfast is either scrambled egg and smoked salmon or a full fry up. Most days I actually have either cereal, or boiled eggs with croissants. In either case it is always washed down with a large glass of water (I’m not a tea or coffee drinker). Is there such a thing as your typical day? NO such thing! Much of the work is reactive and unpredicted as I tend to spend quite a lot of time giving support and advice to managers in meetings, which I see as a key part of my role. I deal with organisational matters (payroll, pensions, benefit management etc.) as well as the usual bundle of ‘vital’ emails that arrive every day. What gets you out of bed in the morning, even when it’s cold and raining? I love the morning even if it is cold, dark and wet! I’ve always seen this as a magical time of day when it feels everything is made new ready for us. As a reflection of this, I’ll soon be launching a new activity for people in my local community called ‘Spirit Walks’. This will be held either at sunrise or sunset and once a month throughout the year, providing the opportunity for gentle contemplative walks in our park and to greet either sunrise or sunset with prayers, poems or reading that feel apposite. This will be open to everyone and free; part of what I consider to be my service to the community. What are you reading, watching or listening to at the moment? I don’t really do podcasts but I was watching Grimm recently. I’m a fan of Death In Paradise as well as Doctor Who (I’ve seen all of them in real time except the very first one, with William Hartnell as the Doctor!). I’m reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman as well as Marathon by Hal Higdon (I’ll be running two marathons and an ultra-marathon this year). What else do you do outside work? Lots of exercise has always been a key part of my ‘off work’ time, as well as community work. I served as chair of my local residents’ group for five years, organising various activities during that time. I'm also an active member of my faith; I am Baha’i (a religion teaching the essential worth of all religions, and the unity and equality of all people) and have served the faith in a number of capacities over the years. And finally, what have you committed to do (or not do!) in 2020? As above, two marathons and one ultra-marathon (50 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh) so far. I’ll be doing a couple of half-marathons too. I’m also committed to my monthly Spirit Walks as well as the free walks I lead in my local park every Saturday for all people which encompasses gentle walking with a range of functional exercises. Aside from that, I’ll also be trying to complete my second novel, a children’s story - I’m yet to find a publisher for my first children’s novel, but the search continues… Sounds like a very busy year for you, Chris! We wish you all the very best with your many endeavours, and thank you for taking the time to share your story and career insights with our readers. Nicola Greenbrook - HR Specialist and Freelance Writer Contact Nicola, check out her website, or follow her on Twitter - and to find out more about SPANA just click below to visit their website. More Charity Careers Charity Careers 1: Sara Rees, head of fundraising for Rays of Sunshine ► Charity Careers 2: Hannah Sanders, consumer brand partnerships, Save the Children ► Charity Careers 3: Andy Harris, director of income generation, Shelter ► Charity Careers 4: James Harris, Associate Director of Communications, Marketing and Membership, Rethink Mental Illness ► Back to the Harris Hill blog homepage ►

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