Charity job insight: A career in fundraising

Have you ever considered a career in the third sector? Do you think that you have what it takes to make it in fundraising? Or maybe you’re just interested in finding out a bit more what it’s like to do a charity job. If you answered yes to any of those questions, then this blog post is for you! (And even if you answered no, it’s still an interesting read!)

When you think about The Air Ambulance Service, it might be the Pilots, Paramedics. But there is also a lot of staff behind the scenes who work incredibly hard to help keep the service running. Today we introduce you to one of our Fundraising Managers, David Reeves, and he tells us all about how he made fundraising his career and just what it is a job in fundraising entails.

Starting out in fundraising

I know very few people who have chosen to become a fundraising professional, simply because it’s not a career anyone thinks about!

Truth be told, I first got involved in fundraising when a close friend of mine lost a family member suddenly to cancer. I dipped my toe in fundraising as a way of showing support for my friend and her family, and before I knew it I was part of a group of people organising major events for a national cancer charity.

At no point did I ever think of a career in fundraising or any other charity job, but I found myself enjoying it more and more as I was completing my degree. The fundraising supplemented my studies perfectly, and it gave me some great opportunities to develop and demonstrate my skills to potential employers.

My first charity job

 

I consider myself to be very lucky when I left university, as my voluntary work led me straight into a charity job in fundraising, and as a result, to working here at The Air Ambulance Service, and so my career began.

The irony is I’ve always wanted to be a pilot, and I’m currently a proud member of the team at The Air Ambulance Service supporting the launch of The Children’s Air Ambulance, our new transfer service for critically ill children. I can’t fly it, but I’m proud to be part of the fundraising team making it a reality.

The roll of a Fundraising Professional is hugely varied – and degree level education isn’t even necessary.

What does a fundraiser do?

I’m a proud community fundraiser, meaning I work closely with community groups, individuals and local companies to develop fundraising for The Children’s Air Ambulance. This can involve anything from collecting at festivals in the pouring rain and cold (much like at Eurocultured in Manchester this year!), right to delivering workshops to companies, community groups and schools, and networking amongst some of the most influential people in the area. Ultimately, my aim is to give people in the community an opportunity to support our charity and gain a mutual benefit from doing so. We are also the local face of the charity, meaning we are often called to do radio interviews, attend events and accept cheques. I dread to think how many photos of me are floating in the ether of the internet that I don’t know about!

Career development

My career has developed so much in just a short space of time. I now work closely with a variety of Universities to provide their students with opportunities to develop their skills, much like I did at University, talking to them about what having a charity job entails. I am also a proud mentor of a young lady who will soon become an excellent fundraiser for a lucky charity, and I get to share my experiences with groups like the Academy of Chief Executives in the North West.

Fundraising challenges

The biggest challenge of fundraising is juggling the huge variety of projects, big and small, and all of the people involved in them who help increase the profile of The Air Ambulance Service and go out fundraising to support the services we operate. To add to the challenge, we don’t have an office; in fact, we are on the road most of the time visiting supporters, volunteers and networking amongst the local community, meaning we rely on paper notes and simple technology to keep track of everything going on.     

 

Highlights of the job

The best thing about having a charity job is the amazing people you meet. I spend my days talking to people with inspiring stories to tell, from all walks of life, ages and ethnicities. For me, being able to welcome one of our patients to The Air Ambulance Service, and introducing them to the crew that saved their life, is one of the most amazing experiences you can have in your career. I look forward to being able to do the same for those families that need The Children’s Air Ambulance when it launches later this year.