Fundraising manager to fundraising assistant
A fundraising manager already meets 52% of what the fundraising assistant role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.3/ 100
1 How much of what a fundraising assistant is expected to do is already part of a fundraising manager’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 assistant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fundraising assistant role treats 3 of its required skills as things a fundraising manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- establish contact with potential donors
- manage accounts
- perform fundraising activities
What stands in the way is 4 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 assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fundraising manager 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 3 the fundraising assistant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 4 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 perform clerical duties required
- still to learn perform office routine activities required
- optional, not held brief volunteers optional
- optional, not held manage consumables stock optional
- still to learn perform business research required
- optional, not held maintain event records optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- still to learn support managers required
- optional, not held manage website optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fundraising assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform business research practise this
- 02 perform clerical duties practise this
- 03 perform office routine activities 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 establish contact with potential donors skill
- already held manage accounts skill
- already held perform fundraising activities skill
- already held coordinate events skill
- already held deliver a sales pitch 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 manage donor database skill
- already held manage the handling of promotional materials skill
- already held monitor charity's budget skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain event records optional
- optional, not held brief volunteers optional
- optional, not held maintain financial records optional
- optional, not held manage consumables stock optional
- optional, not held manage website optional
32 held skills the fundraising assistant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role analyse market financial trends skill
- not needed by the target role apply for government funding skill
- not needed by the target role carry out strategic research skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop public relations strategies skill
- not needed by the target role enforce financial policies skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role financial analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial management knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role inform on government funding skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role manage fundraising activities skill
- not needed by the target role manage government-funded programmes skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage volunteers skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role public relations knowledge
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role social media marketing techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role strive for company growth skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role write charity grant proposals skill
Common questions about this move
Can a fundraising manager become a fundraising assistant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A fundraising manager already covers 52% of what a fundraising assistant is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 3 of which the fundraising assistant role treats as required.
What skills does a fundraising manager need to become a fundraising assistant?
4 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is perform business research.
How hard is the move from fundraising manager to fundraising assistant?
Its learning distance is 41.3 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.