Fundraising assistant to fundraising manager
A fundraising assistant already meets 26% of what the fundraising manager role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.2/ 100
1 How much of what a fundraising manager is expected to do is already part of a fundraising assistant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the fundraising manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fundraising manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a fundraising assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- coordinate events
- develop professional network
- develop promotional tools
- funding methods
- manage budgets
- perform fundraising activities
What stands in the way is 18 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fundraising manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fundraising assistant background worth leading with.
- already held establish contact with potential donors communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage donor database information skills
- already held monitor charity's budget information skills
- already held perform fundraising activities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage the handling of promotional materials management skills
- already held develop promotional tools communication, collaboration and creativity
All 12 carried skills, including the 6 the fundraising manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn create a financial plan required
- still to learn enforce financial policies required
- still to learn fix meetings required
- still to learn manage fundraising activities required
- still to learn manage staff required
- still to learn perform project management required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- still to learn strive for company growth required
- optional, not held manage volunteers optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn social media marketing techniques required
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- still to learn advise on financial matters required
- still to learn liaise with managers required
- optional, not held inform on government funding optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
- optional, not held write charity grant proposals optional
- still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
- still to learn analyse market financial trends required
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held carry out strategic research optional
- optional, not held execute feasibility study optional
- still to learn follow company standards required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fundraising manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corporate social responsibility study this
- 02 advise on financial matters practise this
- 03 analyse financial performance of a company practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held coordinate events skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held develop promotional tools skill
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held perform fundraising activities skill
- already held deliver a sales pitch skill
- already held establish contact with potential donors skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held manage donor database skill
- already held manage the handling of promotional materials skill
- already held monitor charity's budget skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manage volunteers optional
- optional, not held apply for government funding optional
- optional, not held carry out strategic research optional
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held coordinate advertising campaigns optional
- optional, not held develop public relations strategies optional
- optional, not held execute feasibility study optional
- optional, not held inform on government funding optional
- optional, not held manage government-funded programmes optional
- optional, not held plan health and safety procedures optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use consulting techniques optional
- optional, not held write charity grant proposals optional
9 held skills the fundraising manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role brief volunteers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain event records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage consumables stock skill
- not needed by the target role manage website skill
- not needed by the target role perform business research skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role perform office routine activities skill
- not needed by the target role support managers skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn corporate social responsibility required
- still to learn financial analysis required
- still to learn financial management required
- still to learn financial statements required
- still to learn social media marketing techniques required
- optional, not held content marketing strategy optional
- optional, not held public relations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fundraising assistant become a fundraising manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fundraising assistant already covers 26% of what a fundraising manager is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 6 of which the fundraising manager role treats as required.
What skills does a fundraising assistant need to become a fundraising manager?
18 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is corporate social responsibility.
How hard is the move from fundraising assistant to fundraising manager?
Its learning distance is 74.2 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.