We are proud to reveal our new website and brand for the new Chartered Institute of Fundraising, which is part of our evolution as a chartered body.
We started on the process of our new identity two years ago when the climate was very different. Since then we have achieved a Royal Charter from the Queen and we have been working hard to get our systems fit for purpose to ensure we can support the fundraising community in the best way possible. This is even more important in these challenging times.
Fundraising as a profession is now formally recognised alongside the likes of lawyers and accountants, and our role gives added weight and credibility to the work our community does to support the raising of funds for worthwhile causes.
This is something that we can all benefit from in terms of championing our standards of professional competence and driving these still higher by evidencing them, and it will help to positively enhance perceptions of charities and the work we do.
And for our members it represents a formal acknowledgement that in order to be a recognised fundraising professional, you require a unique set of knowledge, skills and behaviours in your role making the world a better place, and these can be learned and shared through education, training and best practice.
One immediate question many people have asked is what benefits it will bring for members going forward.
For all of our members, you are a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. However, for our Individual Members, we are now commencing a new Chartered Journey to be approved to award Individual Chartered Status in a few years’ time. Should we be approved to do so, it will give Individual Members the opportunity to gain a ‘Chartered Fundraiser’ designation – similar to ‘Chartered Accountants’ and ‘Chartered Surveyors’.
We will take some time to engage with members to determine what our approach to Individual Chartered Status could be, but other professions tend to have two routes – a ‘qualified’ route and an ‘experience’ route.
- A qualified route tends to allow those who hold a particular level of qualification to be eligible to become individually Chartered, but there is usually an additional requirement to showcase a comprehensive record of continuing professional development (CPD) activities. CPD could include attending courses, conferences, learning from sector press articles, reading guidance documents and participating on committees.
- An experience route allows those who have a significant amount of experience in the sector but no eligible qualification, to undertake a standalone assessment to become individually Chartered, but again, further supported by showcasing a comprehensive record of CPD activities
It is important to note that the new Chartered Institute of Fundraising continues to be for all fundraisers. Those who do not wish to become a Chartered Fundraiser will continue to be supported in their journeys with us as we strive to make fundraising a profession for everyone.
The coronavirus pandemic has proven that charities have never been more needed. During this exceptionally difficult time, charities and fundraisers have been working especially hard for their causes.
As the impact of coronavirus continues to cause major difficulties for charities across the UK, some fundraising professionals are experiencing, or been put at the risk of, redundancy.
We are committed to supporting the fundraising community, and any individual member who experiences redundancy from their jobs will be offered three months of their membership of the Chartered Institute free of charge. A new ‘My Career’ section on the website will support fundraisers as they sharpen up their skills and CVs.
Anyone can become a fundraising professional, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, class, religion, belief, sex, gender, language, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, age, health or other statues. We are committed to continuously improving equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector through our Change Collective Strategy.
And as a Chartered Body we will also have a stronger platform to continue our work in promoting fundraising as a profession of choice. Whether graduates, non-graduates or career changers, we want to ensure we showcase a career in fundraising as an exciting and rewarding choice so we can grow the number of talented people in our sector – particularly those from diverse groups. One specific initiative we are delighted to be supporting is the development of a Level 3 ‘Fundraiser’ Apprenticeship. The standard has now been approved, and it will allow organisations of all sizes to create apprenticeship fundraiser roles which we anticipate will open up a route into the profession for those who don’t go to university. We will continue to explore other routes into the profession for graduates, non-graduates and career changers with a specific focus on diverse groups.
This is an exciting year with a number of initiatives in development which will help support members even further in their professional development. Some specific things to look out for include:
- Our Fundraising Competency Framework which will help fundraisers benchmark their knowledge, skills and behaviours against a set of standards and plan their learning holistically
- The launch of a refreshed CPD scheme for Individual Members underpinned by new and engaging digital learning content and tools
- A review into our existing professional development offer to identify new areas of development so we can reach even more fundraisers
There is much to do, but this is a really exciting time to be a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Thank you to everyone who supported us on our #IoFCharteredJourney, and we are looking forward to supporting all fundraisers in this new chapter in the profession’s history.