Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns ► | Including: Admin & Support, Data Management, IT, Operations, Prospect Research, Supporter Services and Volunteer Management When it’s not being accidentally sold to dubious interests by social media behemoths, data plays an ever-increasing role in the running of charities. So demand remains high for those who know what they’re doing with it. That’s particularly true for data managers and analysts with Raiser’s Edge skills, applying a little pressure on salaries to secure the best. And while the number of in-house charity data experts continues to grow, this is still a field where many are hired from outside the sector to keep pace with demand. Retaining data expertiseTypical tenure for data staff is around two or three years before moving, which has historically been the quickest way to advance your data career. However many charities are now offering data professionals more opportunities for development within the organisation, which in time should help to reduce turnover rates and retain more data talent within the sector. New to the guide this year are salaries for compliance managers and data protection officers, two roles that have substantially increased in number over the past year. This may well be in response to the introduction of GDPR, with organisations keen to ensure their processes meet the required standards. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on again?’Given the growth of digital and data teams, it’s no surprise to see high demand for IT staff who can keep servers and systems running (and keep their cool when someone’s filled them with hilarious cat videos, again). IT salaries at the most senior levels are broadly in line with other functions, but it remains one of the best-paid professions for those at more junior levels, who can often be earning at least £5k more than their contemporaries in other departments. Contemporaries such as those in admin and support functions for example, where salaries for the most junior, entry-level roles remain firmly glued to the floor. With the supply of would-be candidates far outstripping the numbers needed, charities simply don’t need to take any bigger bites out of the budget to fill these roles, which looks unlikely to change any time soon. The evolution of EAsThere’s considerably more movement when it comes to the Executive Assistant/PA role, which has continued to evolve within smaller charities. While the role in larger organisations is more clearly delineated, smaller-charity EAs are increasingly taking on all kinds of additional responsibilities. Often acting as office manager already, roles now frequently include aspects of HR, data management, events, projects, marketing and social media Fortunately for these multifaceted multitaskers, salaries do appear to be gradually rising in line with the increasing importance of the role. Rises too in the world of supporter services, which may be linked to roles becoming increasingly data-led, thereby calling for the requisite skills. Many charities have responded by splitting supporter care into two distinct functions; one handling data management and processing while the other focuses on customer care and communications. Data may also be a factor in salaries for prospect research, where we’ve seen notable increases in remuneration for researchers, frequently in a bid to fill some very longstanding vacancies. Closely linked with fundraising, this area certainly faces similar challenges of candidate scarcity and the advent of GDPR, with tighter regulation having made the job of researching potential donors a rather trickier, erm, prospect.
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