Focus on Fundraisers 2026 ========================= **Fundraising staff: a distinct and somewhat polarised experience** Summary ------- The [2025 Scottish Voluntary Sector Workforce Survey](https://scvo.scot/research/reports/2025-scottish-voluntary-sector-workforce-survey) conducted by SCVO, Volunteer Scotland, and Charity Leadership Scotland gathered responses from 1,316 people including over a thousand paid staff and hundreds of volunteers and trustees. The survey explored workforce experiences across recruitment, retention, wellbeing, inclusion, pay, and career pathways.  While the number of fundraisers responding to the survey was relatively low, analysis of respondents working in **fundraising (n=45)** does suggest that they differ from the wider voluntary sector workforce in several important ways. While fundraisers report somewhat **lower levels of job satisfaction** than staff working in other roles, they also demonstrate a particularly strong commitment to their work.  The findings suggest that while fundraisers are highly motivated by the impact and purpose of their work, they are more likely to feel constrained by unrealistic performance expectations, and to feel less supported by management.  The findings also suggest a degree of **polarisation within the fundraising workforce**: many fundraisers report positive employment experiences, while a smaller subgroup report low job satisfaction, high stress and intentions to leave. ** Key stats** * 84% of fundraisers feel that they are doing useful work for society, far higher than what we see in the wider working population * Half of fundraising respondents (54%) are fairly or very satisfied with their jobs. * However, around **34% were dissatisfied with their job**, compared with 23% of respondents in other roles. * Fundraisers are more likely than other sector staff to value **Independence and autonomy** and **the ability to innovate and be creative** * Fundraisers are more likely than other sector staff to report challenges around **Unrealistic targets set by management** and **Poor management and leadership.** **Fundraisers: general job satisfaction** ### Overall job satisfaction Most voluntary sector employees have a very strong sense of purpose and feel that they are doing meaningful work, and fundraisers are no exception. 84% of fundraisers feel that they are doing useful work for society, far higher than what we see in the wider working population (only 57% of respondents to the [CIPD Working Lives Scotland 2025](https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/working-lives-scotland/) agree that they are doing useful work for society): **“The projects I have worked on have made a real difference to the local community.” “Making a difference to local communities, regions, the country and big systems indirectly through my role and empowering service delivery colleagues”** * Half of fundraising respondents (54%) are fairly or very satisfied with their jobs. * However, fundraising respondents overall report **lower job satisfaction** than other respondents. * Around **34% were dissatisfied with their job**, compared with 23% of respondents in other roles. ![Job satisfaction: fundraisers versus other roles (Grouped column chart)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Z7MsA/full.png) \- ### **Factors influencing job satisfaction** Job satisfaction is shaped by a range of factors, such as fulfilment, organisational support, workload, pay and job security. * Contrary to expectations, most fundraisers were **less likely to report increasing workload** than other staff and were slightly less likely to say they felt under pressure at work. * Overall stress levels among fundraising staff were **similar to the wider workforce**, and they were less likely than others to have taken time off due to work-related stress. * Fundraisers were **more positive about pay** than other respondents. They were more likely to agree that they are paid fairly and that their pay covers their basic needs. * However, survey respondents may not reflect the experience of fundraisers in general. Many of the fundraisers who responded to the survey were experienced and senior-level staff on permanent who had been in their role for 3+ years. * Despite many respondents having relatively secure employment arrangements, fundraisers showed slightly lower confidence in the long-term stability of their job and pay and were somewhat less optimistic about the future. * Several of the largest differences between fundraisers and other respondents related to **line management support**. Fundraisers were less likely to strongly agree that their manager supports their development, helps them perform well, treats them fairly, or is supportive when problems arise. \- **A dissatisfied subgroup** ### **A dissatisfied subgroup** Within the fundraising workforce there is evidence of a distinct subgroup experiencing a much less positive experience of work. * Fundraisers who were dissatisfied with their job were **far more likely to be considering leaving**. Around 69% said they were likely to quit within the next 12 months, compared with 17% of satisfied fundraisers. * Dissatisfied fundraisers were substantially more likely to experience frequent stress. More than half (54%) experienced high levels of stress several times a week or more, compared with just 8% of satisfied fundraisers. * Fundraisers experiencing high stress were also more likely to be considering leaving, with 56% saying they were likely to quit, compared with 31% of those experiencing stress less frequently **What do fundraisers value most?** ### Best aspects of working in the third sector Fundraisers share very similar motivations to other paid staff in the voluntary sector, particularly a desire to make a difference. * Around **seven in ten fundraisers (71%)** identified _making a real difference to people and communities_ as one of the best things about working in the sector, almost identical to other paid staff (70%). However, fundraisers were somewhat more likely than other paid staff to value: * **Independence and autonomy** (44% vs 40%). * **The ability to innovate and be creative** (29% vs 26%). * **The ethos of the sector** (31% vs 28%). They were less likely to identify: * **The people or clients they support** as a key source of job satisfaction (27% vs 47%). * **Their colleagues and team** as one of the best aspects of working in the sector (33% vs 42%) - this possibly reflects that many fundraisers work alone or very independently, rather than necessarily reflecting poor relationships within teams. (see also the higher value fundraisers place on independence, autonomy and innovation). Overall, the findings suggest that fundraisers are particularly motivated by the wider mission, values and strategic impact of their work, as well as the autonomy and creativity their roles can provide. **What do fundraisers find most challenging?** ### Key challenges Concerns about **low pay**, **lack of pay parity with other sectors**, **poor careers progression opportunities** and **challenging or stressful work** were key negative aspects for fundraisers, and were all reported at broadly similar levels by fundraisers and other paid staff. The areas where fundraisers do stand out relate primarily to management and performance expectations. The most striking finding was the scale of concern about **unrealistic targets set by management**, which was selected by one-third of fundraisers and was four times more common than among staff in other roles: * **Unrealistic targets set by management** (33% vs 12%). Fundraisers were also more likely to identify: * **Poor management and leadership** (36% vs 26%). \- ![Negative aspects of working in the third sector: fundraisers versus other roles (Grouped Bars)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/aFoD1/full.png) \- \- * One in three sector staff cite **challenging and stressful work** as a concern. While the rate of stress amongst fundraisers is similar to that of other sectors staff, qualitative feedback suggests that fundraisers' stress is often driven by a combination of high fundraising expectations, compounded by the difficult current fundraising and funding environment: > _ > “Working as a fundraiser is stressful as a lot of people are depending on me.”_ _“Ever increasing fundraising targets, little recognition of what's been achieved already”_ _"The pressure to succeed” “Current job - very good but weight of responsibility: bringing money in when funds so competitive. Previous job - Unrealistic expectations/workload, chaotic CEO: monumental stress” “The pressure of funding cuts is causing me stress” “A lingering feeling of unease around job security as I see more and more redundancies and similar organisations impacted by funding”_ **Conclusion** Taken together, these findings suggest that while fundraisers are highly motivated by the impact and purpose of their work, they are more likely to feel constrained by performance expectations. Fundraisers’ lower job satisfaction is less likely to be driven by workload, funding insecurity or employment conditions (although these are an issue for many), and more likely to be associated with a perceived lack of management support, and the challenge of working towards overly ambitious fundraising targets. The fundraising workforce also appears somewhat polarised. Many fundraising staff report positive experiences, including fair pay, permanent contracts and manageable workloads. However, a smaller but significant group report low job satisfaction, low pay, low job security, high stress and intentions to leave. **For more on the experiences of the sector's paid staff, volunteers and trustees see the [2025 Scottish Voluntary Sector Workforce Survey](https://scvo.scot/research/reports/2025-scottish-voluntary-sector-workforce-survey)** --- ## About SCVO SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector. Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact. SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector. Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners. Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored, learning opportunities. SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience. Discounts and savings savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org). For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)