Why you should consider charity jobs for your next role

Working for a major corporate organisation can offer great perks, but some people seek a sense of fulfilment from their work that may be lacking in the private sector.

Many working parents find that charity jobs offer a good blend of interesting and challenging work, where the overall objective is to make positive changes, rather than deliver profits. There are many paid charity jobs in the UK – including part-time charity jobs – that will suit your skills and experience.

What are the typical paid charity jobs?

Charities need support services like finance, administration and HR support just like any other type of organisation, so if you have experience in these areas you could seek appropriate roles for your level of seniority.

Smaller charities are more likely to recruit people into wide-ranging roles that call for a broad range of skills, while bigger charities tend to have the resources to employ specialists.

Beyond these support roles there certain areas of work that are particularly important to charity and not-for-profit organisations:

• Fundraising. Most charities run on donations from the public or businesses or by applying for grants. Fundraising work will be led by the approach adopted by the particular charity, but it could involve event organising, asking for one-off donations, managing charity shops, applying for funding or liaising with corporate partners.
• Lobbying and campaigning. Many charities focus on driving change to benefit the causes they support by influencing government policy. This involves carrying out research, formulating campaigns, driving awareness and ultimately seeking changes to the law.
• Marketing and communications. Charities generally need to promote their activities to a range of audiences including the public. There are often opportunities in marketing, PR, social media and internal communications. It is generally easier to find work in this area if you already have relevant experience, but there are some entry-level roles.
• Technology. Charities need people with digital expertise to set up and maintain their IT systems and applications. Larger charities may have jobs in IT project management, web development, user testing, security and analytics.

What are the benefits of charity jobs?

The key advantage of working in a charity role is the sense that you are working to achieve something important and worthwhile. Charities tend to have a positive work culture and a good sense of team spirit.

Is it easy to find part-time charity jobs near me?

Depending on the type of role, there are usually flexible options including remote-working and part-time hours. Run an online search in your area to see what’s available.

Are there any disadvantages?

In general, salaries in charities are often a little lower than for similar jobs in the private sector. There are relatively few graduate or school leaver schemes in this sector and so many people find it easier to locate a private sector role and move into charity once they have relevant experience.

Career paths in charity jobs can sometimes be less structured than in other professions and your route to progression may be less clear. For high profile charities there can be a lot of competition for entry level roles – you may find that volunteering for the organisation is a potential route in.

Take a look at some of the charity jobs available with workingmums.co.uk to explore roles that might suit you.

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