The role of staff

Voluntary sector organisations employ people in a wide range of roles. Professionals such as accountants, marketing and communication specialists, administrators, IT technicians and HR professionals can all be found in the voluntary sector. They are employed because of their specialist professional skills which the organisation needs to deliver its services, raise funds and develop new projects. Frontline staff may include social workers, youth workers, vets, water engineers and counsellors.

Sometimes professional knowledge of other sectors is needed in order to shape a service. Those previously working elsewhere in relevant sectors can bring essential knowledge and understanding such as the nursing profession, education, the arts or the caring professions.

Many voluntary sector organisations are complex and need the same skills that might be needed in other significant organisations, or an even wider range of skills. In most small voluntary organisations staff will be expected to work across a range of areas (for example one person will carry out project work with some HR and IT duties).

While it’s true that many move in and out the voluntary sector, others develop careers totally within it, either by using their experience to support the activities of the organisation (such as a fundraiser raising money from charitable trusts) or developing skills related to the service user (such as a care worker in a residential care charity).

As the voluntary sector has evolved – bringing exciting opportunities, more complex funding streams and higher levels of accountability – the importance of having skilled fundraisers has increased, as well as skilled planners and managers, skilled ICT and HR professionals and of course qualified accountants to control the money.

Working in a smaller and a larger charity can be quite different. Larger charities tend to be more professionalised and corporate, but they also tend to have higher salaries and more professional development opportunities and possibly more job security. On the other hand, you might be able to see the difference you are making more readily in a smaller charity. However, the working environment might be less than ideal: perhaps several organisations sharing a small office, older equipment and fewer facilities.

One of the characteristics of many voluntary organisations is a relatively flat career structure with little or no formalised career path. It is often down to the individual’s determination and initiative to create their own pathway. Generally speaking if you have a general professional qualification and role – such as finance, marketing, HR or service delivery such as nursing or social work – there is more likely to be a structure through which you can progress, in larger organisations at least. In smaller organisations and in sector-specific roles such as fundraising, campaigning or volunteer management there may be less headroom and people may need to move to another non-profit organisation to find their next job.