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Fundraising National Occupational Standards 2008
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“These standards are as much about treating supporters and other stakeholders as partners in the charitable endeavour, as they are about developing the specific skills needed to be a successful fundraiser.”
Tim Hunter, Deputy Director, NSPCC
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This introduction covers who these standards are for, why and how you should use them, and an explanation of their structure and how they relate to the Institute of Fundraising Codes of Practice and the Fund Raising Standards Board.
Welcome to the new occupational standards for fundraising. The fundraising environment has become increasingly competitive, the regulatory landscape has changed dramatically and charities now face the difficult challenge of inspiring more donors to support the work they undertake at a time when there is evidence that the size of the donor pool may actually be contracting.
We have also witnessed a dramatic rise in the use of new fundraising media, with many organizations now using the Internet and mobile technologies to great effect, both in enhancing the donor experience and capturing the interest of a genuinely new generation of supporters.
These past years have also seen a plethora of initiatives designed to improve the quality of fundraising practice. Many fundraisers are now electing to study for the Institute of Fundraising’s Certificate programme and there is increasing awareness within the profession of the value of training and other forms of staff development.
For the first time serious consideration has been given to defining not only the skills that every competent fundraiser should possess, but also the knowledge base that should underpin them.
Fundraising has begun to develop a sense of pride in its own identity and to be clearer about best practice and the thinking that underlies it.
We should continue to build on this base and to learn both from those at the forefront of our profession and the very best of theory and research. The new National Occupational Standards for Fundraising will allow us to do exactly that.
Of course fundraising is already a distinctive profession. The overwhelming majority of fundraisers are volunteers and most of their work is conducted on behalf of an array of very small organisations. In the UK we have a strong tradition of voluntary service and individuals are rightly proud of what their efforts are able to achieve.
To be clear: our new standards are designed for use by everyone, whether they are a volunteer or paid fundraiser, working for a large national charity or a small community group.
They have been assembled to give every fundraiser access to a resource that will help them to perform better in their role, enhance the quality of service provided to donors and, through this, address potential financial or reputational risk and build the resources available to their organisation to make a genuine difference to society.
Contents
Click on the title of each unit below to download each one. The documents are .pdf files which will require adobe reader or similar to access. They are all 50-70Kb in size. If you would like the units in a different format, contact web@ukworkforcehub.org.uk.
All units have been developed and are owned by the UK Workforce Hub unless where indicated by the text in brackets.
ENTO = Employment National Training Organisation
MSC = Management Standards Centre
MSSSB = Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body
X in the Unit reference signifies it is used in more than one cluster within the standards framework.
Codes of Fundraising Practice
The standards have a clear relationship with the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice. For information on all the codes, visit the Institute of Fundraising website.
Want to know more?
If you would like to be kept up to date with information on the Fundraising standards, please email WorkforceHub@Ukworkforcehub.org.uk with "FNOS mailing list" in the subject line. | 
