Working in the Voluntary Sector

Working for A Charity

Voluntary work and the not-for-profit sector or the third sector as it can often be referred to can be highly rewarding and a great way for you to develop experience not only for your future career but also personally.

Working In The Voluntary Sector

Voluntary work can be taken in the UK or abroad. In the UK the sector includes organisations registered with the Charity Commission, as well as a vast array of others, including housing associations, universities and colleges, schools, places of worship, NHS trusts, trade unions, sports and recreation clubs, and small voluntary groups.

Working For Charities

working for charity we all know can be a rewarding experience. However, belive it or not working for a charity can be a highly profitable decision in the long term from the transferable skills you receive.

General charities not only include household names we see everyday when we walk down our local high street – the likes of Oxfam, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation – but also the far more numerous smaller, local charities whose budgets and staff numbers are but a fraction of the so called ‘super charities’ just mentioned.

Which charitable causes are the most popular?

Evidence from research carried out by the Charities Aid Foundation shows the top ten causes by voluntary donation 2003/04 as follows:

• international
• cancer
• general religious causes
• heritage and the environment
• arts and culture
• children
• religious missionary causes
• animal protection
• general social welfare
• disability.

Over the last 25 years, events such as Live Aid and, more recently, coverage of disasters such as the Asian tsunami in December 2004 have made people very aware of international problems, and international causes are now the most popular to give to. Also, as people have become more aware of health issues, charities focusing on areas such as heart problems and cancer have also become more popular. Arts and culture causes have increased in popularity, largely due to National Lottery funding. However, charities working with people who have a disability have become less popular over the years. This may be due to different attitudes in society as people with disabilities are seen less as victims and more as empowered individuals.

What roles are available working for a Charity?

There are meant roles available within the voluntary sector. tThese include the following:

• Advice worker
• Charity fundraiser
• Charity officer
• Community arts worker
• Community development worker
• Information officer/manager
• International aid/development worker
• Marketing executive
• Personnel officer
• Secretary/administrator
• Training and development officer/manager
• Volunteer work Organiser

Volunteering Experience

Doing substantial voluntary work in the field that you wish to work in ensures that you will develop the right skills and a better understanding of the ways in which the charity operates. An understanding of, and experience in, the sector will make you far more attractive to employers than qualifications alone. Not everyone can afford to do volunteering full time so you should consider alternatives such as offering to work one day a week or during holidays. Becoming an active member of the charity will also help develop sector knowledge and create opportunities for networking.

Starting early, for example during your undergraduate studies, is a real advantage. Many universities have a volunteering society that you can join and take part in volunteering activities in the local community. These can be one-off projects or more long-term opportunities that involve a weekly commitment.

Applying for advertised posts

The majority of voluntary and community organisations do not actively recruit graduates, though they do advertise posts that require a degree. Experience is usually the biggest requirement for professional or specialist advertised posts and this might deter recent graduates from applying. Specialist posts commonly occur in personnel, IT, accounting and marketing/PR. Alternatively, graduates may apply for lower level administrative roles, which don’t require a great deal of experience, in organisations of particular interest, with the view to taking advantage of internal opportunities for training and progression. Making speculative applications to some smaller voluntary and community organisations may also prove useful.

Voluntary Sector Graduate Training Schemes

There are only a few of these in existence and the ones that do run are extremely competitive. Crown Agents and Cancer Research UK are well known for their schemes.

Voluntary Sector Offers Transferable Skills

The voluntary sector typically benefits from the skills and talent of individuals gained elsewhere. Students can be creative about using a range of paid opportunities to get substantial experience and develop transferable skills, such as management and business, marketing and finance, for specific roles within voluntary and community organisations.

For more information on working for a charity contact:                            www.crownagents.com

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