How to write a CV for a fundraising role

With most CVs being sent and read digitally, it’s important to make sure the formatting of your CV document doesn’t get lost in translation and end up looking like a jumbled-up mess on the recruiter’s laptop. The best way to avoid this is to keep your CV design simple. Use standard fonts, margins, and styles that’ll be compatible with different versions of Microsoft on different devices.  

Your work experience should be in reverse chronological order, with your most recent experience at the top, where it’s clearly visible. If you haven’t had a fundraising role before then any voluntary experience you have, fundraising events you’ve been a part of or related hobbies will be of more importance on your CV, and should therefore take up a larger section than they would do otherwise.  

Just stating the skills you gained from certain experiences isn’t very useful or convincing without adding evidence. Try to back up your key skills and achievements with statistics and evidence. For example, this could be in the form of projects you completed (including how success was measured), services you delivered or amount of income you generated.  

What kind of fundraising role are you applying for, and at what sort of charity? Generalist roles may require you to highlight skills such as communication, organisation, leadership and creativity. Whereas more specialised roles such as corporate fundraising may require more niche skills such as analytical thinking and an understanding of digital trends.  

Look out for keywords in the job description about the essential skills and experience required for the role you’re applying for. In your CV, make sure you address all of these and include evidence.  

It’s important when applying for a charity job that you show your alignment with, and passion for, the cause. Even more so if you’re coming from outside the sector. This can be demonstrated through including in your CV anything you’ve done that directly relates to the charity or the cause it supports.  

For example, if you’re applying to an environmental charity and have experience of conservation volunteering. Or if you’re applying to a mental health charity and organised a bake sale to raise funds for mental health support. Anything you can include will demonstrate that you care about the work the charity is doing, and will give the recruiter a little insight into your personality too.  

Many of the key skills needed for fundraising are not role-dependant. What’s more, even though there are no direct equivalents to fundraising in other sectors, there are many roles that include aspects of it.  

For example, if you have sales or marketing experience then you’ll know how to talk with clients, be persuasive and think creatively. The key is to convince the recruiter that you already have a lot of the skills needed to excel in a fundraising role. Make sure you show how your experiences have allowed you to gain the skills that are in the job description.  

If you genuinely don’t have experience in certain areas, then the best thing to do is be honest. But clearly demonstrate your eagerness to learn, too. Show how you’ve managed to grow and gain new skills quickly in the past.  

Charities are often reliant on their volunteers to keep things running and they understand just how valuable this role is. As a result, volunteer experience is highly thought of and valued when applying for roles in the charity sector. 

Make sure that volunteering experience has a prominent place on your CV. Include a brief, evidence-backed description of your main tasks, responsibilities and accomplishments in the same way you would with paid experience.  

Even without any previous direct fundraising experience, putting together a CV for a fundraising role isn’t as hard as you might think. If you put your transferable skills and any volunteering experience front and centre, then you’re well on your way to a new fundraising role.