It's all about the money...

What can we do to keep the very best fundraisers fundraising? Retaining them is more cost-effective and easier than recruiting new ones, so it's crucial for our sector to prioritise their well-being.

There isn't a magic solution to the challenges of recruiting and retaining fundraisers. It's a complex issue that requires a personalised approach. I'm always happy to discuss the difficulties in recruiting the very best fundraisers and offer strategies to address each of these challenges. Some of these challenges include hybrid or remote working arrangements, organisational culture, overly broad or narrowly defined roles, excessive experience requirements, poorly written job descriptions, and many others.

Salary - This one is all about salaries...

Perhaps the most significant barrier to successful recruitment is salary.

When applying for jobs, candidates typically will filter by salary. While a competitive salary attracts more applicants, it's not as straightforward as it may seem.

Show the Salary

Firstly, it's important to clearly state the salary in job advertisements. I have never heard a valid reason for not showing it. At TPP, we never advertise a role without specifying the salary. It helps improve diversity, equity, and recruitment. While I won't delve into this extensively here, it's a simple fix that has been extensively discussed.

To have a range or not...

Having a wide salary range can be problematic as applicants often expect to receive the highest figure, while employers may intend to offer the lower end. This can lead to disappointment or even offense. Carefully consider the salary range and if the top end is only attainable after several years of service, it's appropriate to mention this as "rising to ￡xxk after 7 years." If you do have a range, expect to be asked to pay at least the minimum for any candidate you extend an offer to. Be prepared with a valid explanation if you offer less than the top end of the range.

If you only state a single salary figure, you must be prepared to offer at least that amount. Offering less will cause offense. Saying, "We want you, but you aren't worth that much" is a surefire way to deter the candidates you have decided you want. If you are willing to offer a higher salary than the stated amount, ideally you’d post the maximum you can afford to attract potential candidates, but this does lead to the challenges mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Fairness and Retention

It's evident that fundraisers, as well as everyone in the sector, should be paid more. If we want to maintain excellent service and advocacy, we need well-managed and well funded organisations. Salaries must be sufficient for individuals to survive and thrive. While I understand that increasing salaries may not always be sustainable and may clash with existing policies, I recommend examining these internal barriers and attempting to address them. If you can't pay enough to attract new staff because it matches the current staff's salaries, you may not have current staff for very long.

Negotiation and Advice

In my role, I am involved in salary negotiations multiple times a week, working to find a balance between candidate expectations and employer budgets. I naturally advocate for higher salaries as it generally leads to greater satisfaction for everyone involved, and certainly makes my life easier.

I regularly provide employers with guidance on salary ranges, often providing hiring manages with data to support successful recruitment, and convince senior leaders that higher salaries are worth the extra outlay.

Whilst this newsletter is focussed on salary it's essential to remember that it is just one of the challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.

Salary Survey

At TPP we run a salary survey to make sure we understand the trends, challenges and can provide well researched feedback to candidates and client alike.?You can contribute by clicking this link and filling in our survey.

The stuff I have to include to make all this ranting and writing worthwhile:

If you would like to have a chat about how I can make recruiting fundraising professionals pain-free and straight-forward then click this link: Click here to book into my diary to see how I can help you recruit excellent fundraisers.

If you would like to find your next fundraising job, click here to book directly into my diary.

If you would like to get in touch with me at all, you can do that via my LinkedIn profile, by emailing [email protected] or calling 020 7198 6140

You can connect with me, follow me or even block me here: Frederick Hillinger

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