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Charity and Development Work

The charity sector employs over 1.1 million paid workers in the UK within nearly 185,000 organisations, some of which are very small. This sector is also known as the ‘third sector’ or ‘not for profit’ sector, and includes social enterprises, non-governmental organisations, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It remains a popular sector of work with University of Exeter graduates. However, the recent impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the earlier Covid-19 pandemic has meant a reduction in finances to many charities, with more demand for the services. Despite this, the sector has grown in terms of employees since 2019. Many charities and voluntary sector organisations are heavily supported by volunteers – the most recent government sector overview calculating this to be 924 thousand trustees and over 7 million volunteers. The sector is well known for having salaries that are lower than in the private sector but is often characterised as offering greater job satisfaction and a genuine sense of purpose. 

There are very few graduate training schemes in this field and entry into some organisations can be through volunteering in the first instance before being considered for a paid job.

Those seeking work in the third sector could consider gaining experience elsewhere in areas like finance, marketing, administration and law before moving to the voluntary sector to apply gained skills and experience. Charities often look for a prior commitment to their work. Therefore, it is important to make the most of your time at university and gain work experience or volunteer within the sectors of most interest to you or for the causes you are passionate about. Most of the overseas jobs with voluntary organisations will require prior experience.

Sector overview and areas of work

For an overview of the main areas of work in the charity and development sector, visit the sites below:

Sector careers advice

Sector news

Information and links from professional bodies

If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary, however it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector. In the charity sector, operating in an ethical way is essential for maintaining a charity’s credibility and standards. The sector also has advised standards in continuing professional development (CPD) which will vary depending on the type of job role and the sub-sector the organisation operates within. 

Making contacts

Making contacts is essential for success in this and other sectors. Many jobs in this field come through volunteering, networking and speculative applications. You could start by speaking with the experts – find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice using the Career Mentor Scheme or Ask An Alum.

Events

The charity sector are continually running fundraising events, for example local community events, national campaigns and sponsored sporting activities, so these are a great way to find out more about the organisations and meet people who are involved. There are too many to mention individually so our advice is, to focus on the kinds of work you would like to do most and seek relevant and related events connected to that work. It can be useful to start by focussing on what is taking place regionally, however opportunities to support and get involved with volunteering at charities, stretches nationally and globally. 

Whilst on campus, recruitment fairs, open days, talks, and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.

Job roles

Explore roles in the sector by visiting the job profiles below. Each profile covers typical duties and responsibilities, entry requirements and the key skills required for the position.

Skills employers look for:

Charities offer a broad range of services and with so many different organisations offering so many different things, it is difficult to be specific about the skills sets needed, since they are all used somewhere or other! However, according to Prospects.ac.uk, the most commonly required skills are as follows:

  • Accountancy and finance
  • Administration
  • Advice and counselling
  • Business development
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • Digital skills
  • Campaigning, lobbying and fundraising
  • Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
  • Human resources (HR)
  • Information technology (IT)
  • Marketing and public relations (PR)
  • Project management
  • Research and policy
  • Retail
  • Social care
  • Support services
  • Teaching, education and training
  • Volunteer management and co-ordination

Work experience and placements

Getting a graduate role is competitive. Undertaking relevant work experience will not only make your applications stand out, but it will also allow you to develop new skills, gain a valuable insight into the sector and build networks. Volunteering is common in the third sector, with paid for roles ring-fenced for specific and necessary skills sets. 

Career Zone Podcast - What are the benefits of undertaking a placement in an SME or the Third Sector?  

University of Exeter Employability Schemes

  • Career Zone Internship schemes: Internships can be extremely useful, so try and get relevant vacation work or placements. 
  • Ask an Alum: A fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions. 
  • Career Mentor Scheme: A popular employability scheme which matches a student or graduate with an experienced professional, for sector insight and one-to-one careers advice and guidance, over a 6-month period.
  • Professional Pathways: a suite of sector specific training courses and paid week-long internships that take place in June.  There is a specific programme related to the charity and development sector.

Volunteering

There are thousands of opportunities to volunteer for charities and get involved.  This is a great way to learn more about organisations, develop relevant skills and your network.  Often, volunteering can lead to permanent employment, too.  The following websites will potentially help you identify opportunities you might enjoy:

Graduate jobs and schemes

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.

  • Bond - Jobs in International Development
  • Charity Job is the UK’s largest charity-focussed Jobs board
  • Elevator Café – Jobs with social enterprises, charities, and purpose-driven companies.
  • Third Sector Jobs - The online jobs board of Third Sector magazine.
  • The Guardian has a well known jobs page for opportunities within charities
  • VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) - International volunteering opportunities.
  • Recruit 3 – Search for charity and third sector job vacancies in Wales.
  • Good moves – The website to search for charity and voluntary sector jobs in Scotland.
  • UN Jobs - jobs with UN and IGOs.
  • Reliefweb - jobs providing humanitarian assistance worldwide.

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page, and for a list of general job search engines please visit our general job sources page. You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students.

Graduate schemes

Considering the number of charities in the UK, there are comparatively very few traditional graduate schemes for charities.  However, the following links will be of use to those who would prefer to start their career this way.

Finding companies for speculative applications

As jobs are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before visiting the sites below you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page.

When approaching charities for work experience, be specific about which area of the charity you would like to support (i.e. fundraising events, marketing and communications, operations) so that you can tailor and target your approach appropriately.

You may also find it useful to browse the UK government’s charity register to get a list of all the UK’s registered charitable organisations. 

Further sources of support

For further advice on finding graduate opportunities, visit our Finding a graduate job page.

If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally.

To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal. Log in using your University email address. The worldwide country guides cover everything from job search resources and CV guidelines to cultural advice and visa information. Watch a short training video on how to get the most from GoinGlobal (4 minutes 20 seconds).

Further study and professional development

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. You may have the option to gain professional qualifications after graduating which will show your commitment towards the industry. Use the sites below to research your further study options.

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study. If you are unsure whether further study is for you, you may wish to attend our ‘Postgraduate study: is it right for you?’ session which runs termly. Find these advertised on Handshake.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Many graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To find out the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer ‘Guaranteed Interview Schemes’ (for disabled applicants) or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as ‘Mindful Employer’ or as a ‘Stonewalls Diversity Champion’.

The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.

To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.