Charity and Development Work

Overview of the Sector

In September 2015 there were 164,889 charities in the UK, ranging from small voluntary organisations to large charities with big budgets.

Approximately 75% of charities are small concerns with an annual income of up to £100,000. (www.gov.uk)

MAIN AREAS OF WORK ARE:

Service delivery: eg counselling, youth work, engineering, education.

Fundraising: eg marketing, campaigning, communications, PR, grant applications, co-ordinating donations.

Policy research or strategy: following political developments, identifying key stakeholders in the decision-making process at all levels, researching international trends.

Administration: managing staff and budgets, and volunteer co-ordination (recruitment, training and co-ordination).

Other areas include HR, government liaison, project management, and logistics.

WHAT DO I NEED TO GAIN GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT?

Qualifications:

That depends on the job you want to do. For some roles, such as fundraising, your passion is most important. Experience or degrees in areas such as marketing, PR, events, sales and finance is sought after by charities.

Some areas, including international development, have specific roles for people with professional qualifications, such as doctors, midwives, nurses and teachers. Bachelors degrees in logistics, public health or social policy may also be useful, while having a Masters in international development or a related area may give you the edge.

For community development and volunteer co-ordinator roles, degrees in social work or youth and community are often required.

Experience:

Volunteering - for a paid job in this area it is usually expected that you will have experience of volunteering. This demonstrates motivation and commitment as well as giving you an insight into the sector. This type of experience is also very accessible. See Volunteer SU and Volunteer Now.

Graduate Schemes and Internships:

British Council– 3 year international scheme
Cancer Research – a 2 year scheme, four 6 month placements
CharityWorks– 12 months, leadership training and research
The Wellcome Trust– 2 year scheme with four 6 month placements
IntoUniversity– a graduate training scheme as an education worker
City Year– 1 year volunteering role in schools
Look Ahead Care and Support– housing, 12 month graduate scheme
Sanctuary Group– 2 year graduate scheme in housing charity
People and Planet– often offer a 12 month paid graduate internship, environment role
Amnesty International- research, campaigning and lobbying

The Person:

Motivation: committed to the organisation, Administrative skills, Initiative and flexibility, organisational ability, Language skills: useful in some jobs, Adaptability and the ability to multitask, Negotiation skills, Innovation, Passion for the sector.

KEY EMPLOYERS

Northern Ireland:

Ashton Community Trust	Woman’s Aid
Bryson Charitable Group	Autism Initiatives
Praxis Care	The Prince’s Trust
Barnardos	Inspire (previously NIAMH)
Radius Housing	NIACRO

LOCAL/ NORTHERN IRELAND OPPORTUNITIES

On Campus resources:

Work Experience and Placement Fair (February) – Voluntary organisations such as Autism Initiatives, National Trust and Macmillen Cancer Support have participated in previous years.
MyFuture– paid and voluntary positions advertised

Advertised roles

Charities are unlikely to be able to afford a significant marketing campaign. You’ll need to be proactive and hunt them down:

Sign up for tailored email alerts from job sites for example Reed/TotalJobs/recruitment agencies.
Check local job search websites.
Check vacancy pages on charity websites.
Follow companies on facebook and twitter.

Unadvertised roles & networking

Some organisations may advertise internally or recruit someone through ‘word of mouth’.

Volunteer to get included on internal communications.
Let previous volunteering positions know you’re job hunting.
Connect with groups on LinkedIn.
Contact charities speculatively to show interest.

Northern Ireland Specific (websites with paid and volunteering opportunities)

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA). Umbrella body for voluntary and community organisations in NI
Community NI- paid positions in the voluntary sector in NI
Volunteernow - works to promote, enhance and support volunteering across Northern Ireland
NIDirect- directory of opportunities

Job search websites specific to Northern Ireland include:

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My Go Further Story

Christina Cousins
BSc Biomedical Science
Project Children Summer Internship, New Jersey

UK & GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES

On Campus resources:

‘Going Global’ – database of jobs and internships, key employers and country guides available through MyFuture -> Jobs -> Goinglobal
Opportunities to internationalise your degree (Erasmus, Study USA, EVS, INTO China) Advertised on MyFuture
Graduate Recruitment & Placement Fair– annual showcase (October) of NI and international firms with vacancies

UK & Ireland:

Comhlamh- Supporter organisation for people interested in social justice, human rights and global development issues
NCVO- National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England: the website has useful news and insights into the sector.
SCVO (Scotland)
WCVA (Wales)
Directory of Social Change– Key publications and training
Harrishill– recruitment agency focussing on the Charity sector

Further afield?

There are also numerous organisations that can help you find volunteering projects abroad, but be aware of the costs involved. For example, Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) offers International Citizen Service (ICS), where 18-25-year-olds travel to Africa or Asia on three-month development projects. However you would need to do some fundraising yourself to cover some of the costs. Also check Idealist.org

World Service Enquiry is an umbrella resource

Some employers will have international offices, for example Concern Worldwide, Red Cross and VSO. The Guardian newspaper has a strong charities job section.

Employment opportunities are also advertised on specialist websites, including: