Fundraisers want to be counted in jobs stats

Posted on 13 Nov 2024

By Matthew Schulz, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

Australia’s fundraisers are on the cusp of formal recognition for their unique skills, which if successful will create a big boost for the profession.

After a four-year campaign, Fundraising Institute Australia (FIA) is hopeful that fundraisers will be added to the national list of occupations by December.

Currently, fundraisers are classified under “business, human resource and marketing professionals”, a categorisation that FIA chief executive Katherine Raskob said underplays her members’ skills and knowledge.

The new Occupational Standard Classification for Australian (OSCA), managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), is due for release on 6 December after a $23.7 million revamp, replacing a 20-year-old list.

The updated classification describes all occupations in the country and is used to design educational pathways, manage skilled migration and develop workforce strategies.

The review is expected to also affect the following sectors, several of which involve not-for-profits and charities:

accounting
administration
aged care and disability
childcare
computer system design and related
education and training
financial and insurance
library and information services
management and related consulting
market research and advertising
scientific research
statistical
welfare and social assistance.

In many cases, proposed changes have significantly expanded the job descriptions, skills and tasks of these professional areas.

“How is a profession that is responsible for raising billions of dollars for the neediest in our communities, our society, our country and the world not afforded a classification in the ABS’s own jobs dictionary?”

Katherine Raskob, FIA

While an ABS media spokesperson said "we can't confirm what occupations will and won't be included until the final decision is announced", Raskob said FIA’s most recent talks with the authority had been promising, and those authorities “now appeared very interested and open to considering changes to the classification”.

“It’s an exciting development and we’re cautiously optimistic as we await further news on when and how this will progress.”

Raskob said it made no sense that fundraising was not a separate occupation given the $13.9 billion given to charities each year.

“How is a profession that is responsible for raising billions of dollars for the neediest in our communities, our society, our country and the world not afforded a classification in the ABS’s own jobs dictionary?”

Ms Raskob hoped the listing would help address a “critical” national skills shortage in the sector by attracting talented people, including overseas workers.

The head of FIA membership and marketing, Sally Shepherd, a long-time professional fundraiser, said fundraisers need a large skill set, including strong donor relationship building, exceptional communication skills, adherence to high ethical standards, the ability to craft “audience-centric marketing” aimed at many donor “personas”, and the ability to tell great stories that connected with donors. Fundraisers should also be skilled in strategic planning and campaign management, be able to conduct detailed data analysis, have excellent digital and social media skills, be able to conduct and manage events, be able to solve problems creatively, be financially literate, understand philanthropic trends, and display perseverance in the face of a tough fundraising environment, she said.

Shepherd said many skills from other professions were transferable to not-for-profit fundraising, and people wanting to break into the field should develop skills in areas such as communication, relationship management, and data analysis. She said they should also seriously consider professional training and FIA courses. Often, volunteering could provide insights into the field, she said, as could attending the FIA conference and similar events, making industry connections or recruiting a mentor.

She said successful fundraisers needed a strong commitment to mission-driven work and should keep themselves informed of fundraising trends.