Careers Service Occupations

Charities & Voluntary Organisations

Charities and Voluntary Organisations

About

Find out about careers in charities and voluntary organisations, including the range of jobs available, professional bodies, industry news and careers advice.

Careers advice 

The following external websites provide careers advice about working in the sector:

Industry news 

The Guardian provides information about the voluntary sector network.

Further industry news can be found on Civil Society's website.  

Professional bodies 

These represent and promote the interests of people working in the sector, providing services such as training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates and development for people already working in the sector.

Follow professional associations on LinkedIn, or visit their websites for useful sources of news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Find professional bodies outside the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides. 

Making contacts 

Making contacts is essential for success in this sector. Many jobs in this field are gained through networking and speculative applications. You could start with Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn – find out what our graduates did after graduation and contact them for advice.

Social media 

Social media resources, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, can be useful for making contacts, following employers and finding opportunities.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career

Conferences and charity and volunteering events

Attending conferences and charity and volunteering events will give you the opportunity to find out more about the work of the different organisations and speak to existing staff and volunteers. Do your research before attending any event so you have some informed questions to ask.

Events

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights and Recruitment Events.

Reference materials available in the Careers Service 

The Ethical Careers Guide, Gideon Burrows 

Related sectors 

You may also be interested in:

 

Roles & Skills

Roles in charities and voluntary organisations range from advice workers, fundraisers and youth workers to development roles in communities or international aid.

Have a look at the job profiles in this sector on Prospects and targetjobs to find out more about what these roles involve and how to get into them. These are just some of the profiles available:

Skills employers look for

Skills required vary according to the specific role but the skills most employers in this sector look for include:

  • communication, relationship building and interpersonal skills
  • problem-solving and the ability to operate effectively under pressure and to tight budgets
  • project and people management abilities
  • drive and determination to achieve results, initiate action and motivate others
  • the ability to manage workload, prioritise tasks and delegate when necessary
  • self-awareness and organisational awareness

Gaining Experience

Some paid work experience opportunities are available, but voluntary work is a common route into the sector.

By volunteering you can:

  • acquire new skills
  • learn more about the sector
  • pursue opportunities within your chosen organisation

Check the Volunteering section of the Careers Service website for resources to find volunteering opportunities. These include Newcastle University Students' Union's (NUSU) Volunteering. In addition, you can search for voluntary opportunities on MyCareer.

For further information, see our information about gaining experience in the Development sector.

You can also gain related experience through part-time jobs, eg in fundraising, admin, IT or finance. A background in these fields can offer an alternative entry point into the charity/voluntary sector. See our Part-time Jobs section for vacancies. 

Joining student societies is another way you can gain relevant work experience. 

In addition, NUSU has several societies that campaign and fundraise for humanitarian causes.

Find out how to join a charity as a trustee through the One Swallow Makes a Summer Blog

Finding work experience

A few organisations offer internships - often open to graduates as well as students. These are often voluntary, meaning that they aren’t paid. Despite this, internships in this sector are highly competitive

Internships 

There are a number of organisations that provide internship opportunities.

Cancer Research UK offers 12 week internships. British Red Cross provides UK based volunteer internships available for eight to 12 weeks, part-time, as well as volunteering in Europe projects which last eight to 12 months. 

Interns also work in the International Secretariat (IS) offices of Amnesty International in London, Geneva and New York for four to six months.

Oxfam provides part-time voluntary internships lasting between three and 12 months. Roles in Oxfam range from digital media and marketing to HR and IT.

The following organisations also offer internships:

Student Ladder lists internships in the charities and voluntary sector.

See Internships, placements and shadowing for additional ways to find work experience.

Finding Jobs

Opportunities to develop a career in this sector are wide-ranging once you are working for an organisation, but there are few graduate entry schemes. The small number of graduate schemes on offer are highly competitive.

The resources below will help you find and apply for jobs in charities and voluntary organisations. 

Many charities don't have the resources for graduate schemes and prefer to take on staff as and when they are needed. You may have to begin working at a lower level and progress towards your ideal career. 

Graduate schemes and entry level jobs

The following organisations offer graduate schemes:

Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK offers graduate training schemes in a range of areas including:

  • scientific strategy and funding
  • fundraising and marketing
  • policy information and communications
  • technology

CharityWorks

CharityWorks offer a one-year, full-time graduate programme in a non-profit organisation. Positions include operations, business development, fundraising, campaigns, research, or a combination of these.

IntoUniversity

IntoUniversity recruits graduate trainee education workers.

Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust offers two-year graduate programmes. These include a specific investments programme and another for those interested in other areas, including communications, digital and technology, grants, policy and advocacy, and strategy and performance.

Recruitment agencies 

Specialist recruitment agencies include Charity People and Harris Hill.

Vacancy sites 

North East

For a list of vacancies in the North East, see Voluntary Organisations' Network North East (VONNE)

UK and International

Third Sector Jobs lists charity, fundraising, voluntary sector and social enterprise sector jobs. You can also search for vacancies on My Career.

The following sites list vacancies in the UK and internationally:

There are also:

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside the UK on GoinGlobal

Finding opportunities

Find charities and voluntary organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact.

Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for, showing your enthusiasm for the sector and highlighting any relevant skills. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

The following external websites can help with finding opportunities: 

See Graduate jobs for more vacancy sources.

Self employment

Self-employment in this sector is uncommon, and usually more appropriate for those with substantial experience, but it is possible. For further information read the Guardian's article: Thinking of going freelance? Here's what you need to know.

START UP in the Careers Service offers activities and support for eligible Newcastle University students and graduates interested in self-employment, freelancing or starting a business.

COBRA provides factsheets and reports on starting up and running a business. COBRA can only be accessed through a University computer on the Newcastle campus. 

For more information and advice on self-employment, visit Work for Yourself.