BTA Blog

Recruitment in Times of Pressure: How to Appoint Confidently

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:51:13 GMT

Across the third sector, many organisations are operating within challenging financial conditions. Funding uncertainty, rising operational costs and increased demand for services mean CEOs and their senior teams are carefully evaluating every spending decision.

In this environment, recruitment can feel particularly difficult. However, delaying or avoiding key appointments can sometimes create greater risk than making them.

The Cost of Waiting

When organisations face financial pressure, recruitment pauses are often considered. While understandable, extended vacancies can create operational strain:

• Existing staff absorb additional responsibilities

• Strategic initiatives stall

• Decision-making slows

• Burnout risks increase

Over time, extended vacancies can strain service quality and organisational resilience.

Strategic Hiring

Rather than asking whether to recruit, many organisations benefit from reframing the question:

What role is most critical to our future stability?

Certain positions directly influence sustainability, including:

• Fundraising leadership

• Finance and governance roles

• Operational leadership positions

• Strategic development posts

In these cases, the right appointment can actively strengthen financial stability rather than threaten it.

Rethinking Role Design

Periods of financial pressure can also create an opportunity to rethink role design. CEOs and senior teams may consider:

• Combining responsibilities differently

• Creating hybrid strategic/operational roles

• Adjusting senior team structures

• Exploring phased recruitment approaches

Sometimes the answer is not postponing recruitment, but structuring roles differently to reflect current priorities.

Interim vs Permanent

Interim appointments offer flexibility and rapid leadership support during periods of transition or uncertainty. They can be particularly valuable when organisations need to maintain momentum while reviewing structures or testing new ways of working.

Permanent appointments, on the other hand, provide stability and continuity when long-term strategic leadership is required. In practice, some organisations use a combination: an interim leader to guide the organisation through change, followed by a permanent appointment once the role and priorities are fully defined.

Both approaches are tools to strengthen governance, maintain operational effectiveness, and support long-term sustainability. The right choice depends on the organisation’s current needs and future ambitions.

Transparency with Candidates

Candidates understand the financial realities facing charities. In fact, transparency can strengthen trust during recruitment conversations. When organisations clearly communicate their context, priorities and ambitions, candidates are better able to assess alignment.

Strong candidates are often drawn to organisations that are honest about both challenges and opportunities.

Confidence Through Clarity

Recruitment during uncertain times requires clarity around three things:

• The organisation’s strategic priorities

• The leadership capability required to achieve them

• The support structures available to the successful candidate

When these elements are well defined, recruitment decisions can be approached with greater confidence.

Looking Ahead

Financial pressure is not new to the third sector. What distinguishes resilient organisations is their ability to continue making thoughtful, forward-looking decisions during uncertain periods. Leadership appointments are one of those decisions.

Handled well, recruitment can strengthen governance, improve operational effectiveness and position organisations more strongly for the future.

At BTA, we support charities and not-for-profits to navigate recruitment with confidence, particularly in times of financial pressure. Our approach is built around understanding an organisation’s strategic priorities and ensuring every appointment contributes to long-term sustainability.

We work closely with boards and senior teams to:

• Define the leadership capability required to meet current and future challenges

• Shape roles and structures that reflect financial realities

• Advise on interim versus permanent solutions

• Deliver recruitment processes that attract high-quality, values-aligned candidates

Our experience across the third sector means we understand the balance between financial caution and the need to invest in the right people at the right time.

If you are reviewing your structure, considering a key appointment, or simply want a sounding board, we would be happy to have an initial, informal conversation.

Salary Expectations in 2026: Are Scottish Charities Falling Behind?

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:05:27 GMT

Salary Expectations in 2026: Are Scottish Charities Falling Behind?

Across Scotland’s third sector, one topic keeps surfacing in boardrooms and leadership conversations — salary. Not in an abstract way. Not as a philosophical debate. But as a very real, practical tension: Can we still attract the talent we need at the salaries we’re offering?

As specialist recruiters working exclusively in Scotland’s third sector since 2007, we are seeing clear shifts in candidate expectations, particularly at senior and specialist levels. The question is no longer whether salary matters. The simple answer is it does. The question is whether organisations are adapting quickly enough.

The Market Has Moved — Quietly but Significantly

Over the past three years, several structural shifts have reshaped the recruitment landscape:

• Inflationary pressure and cost of living increases

• Public sectors pay adjustments

• Greater salary transparency

• Hybrid working normalisation

• Increased cross-sector mobility

Senior candidates are no longer comparing roles solely within the third sector. They are benchmarking against public bodies, housing associations, social enterprises, and in some cases private sector opportunities offering significantly higher packages. We are increasingly hearing: “I love the mission — but I can’t justify the pay drop.” That’s not a lack of commitment. It’s reality.

The Risk of Standing Still

Many charities are understandably cautious. Funding pressures are real. Grant income is uncertain. Reserves must be protected. However, what we are beginning to observe is a widening gap between the level of experience organisations expect and the salary they are prepared to offer. When expectations remain high but remuneration does not reflect market movement, three things tend to happen:

1. Shortlists shrink

2. Search timelines extend

3. Compromises are made

Sometimes those compromises are manageable. Sometimes they are costly. A misaligned appointment at senior level can impact strategy, culture, fundraising performance and team stability. The financial saving on salary can quickly be outweighed by the operational cost of underperformance or turnover.

Competing Beyond Salary

The third sector cannot and should not try to compete purely on pay. But it must compete intelligently. Where we see organisations succeeding, they are clear on their full value proposition:

• Flexible and genuinely autonomous roles

• Strong governance and supportive boards

• Clarity of strategy

• Visible impact

• Professional development opportunities

• Transparent leadership culture

High-calibre candidates are not solely motivated by salary. But they are motivated by fairness, transparency and respect for their level of responsibility. Increasingly, candidates are asking:

• Is the salary benchmarked?

• Has this been reviewed recently?

• Is there progression built in?

• Does the board understand market rates?

These are sophisticated questions and boards must be ready to answer them.

When Paying More Is the Strategic Decision

There are moments when increasing salary is not a cost — it is a strategic investment. This is particularly true when:

• The role is pivotal to income generation

• The organisation is entering a period of change

• Governance stability needs strengthening

• Services are expanding

• Reputational recovery is required

We have worked with several Scottish charities who initially hesitated on salary, adjusted their approach, and ultimately secured transformational leaders who delivered measurable growth. The key is alignment between ambition and resource. If the strategic expectation is growth, modernisation or cultural reset — the salary must reflect the capability required to deliver it.

The “Passion Discount” Is Eroding

Historically, the third sector relied — sometimes unintentionally — on what could be described as a “passion discount”. The assumption that commitment to cause would offset lower pay. That dynamic is shifting. Today’s senior leaders are highly skilled professionals. Many have mortgages, families, and competing opportunities. Passion remains essential but it is no longer a substitute for competitive reward. The organisations that recognise this are navigating recruitment with far greater confidence.

What Boards Should Be Asking Themselves

Rather than asking, “Can we afford to increase the salary?” the more strategic question might be “Can we afford not to?”.

Boards should be considering questions like:

• When was this role last benchmarked?

• Has the scope increased without pay review?

• Are we clear on the risk of an underpowered appointment?

• What message does our salary signal to the market?

Sometimes the issue isn’t even the base salary, it’s the lack of clarity, flexibility or progression. Small structural adjustments can make a significant difference to candidates and employees.

A Realistic Outlook for 2026

We do not foresee dramatic, sector-wide salary inflation. But we do anticipate continued pressure at:

• Senior leadership level

• Specialist fundraising roles

• Finance and governance positions

• Volunteer and operations leadership posts

Organisations that are proactive, transparent and market-aware will continue to attract strong candidates. Those that rely solely on mission appeal may find recruitment increasingly challenging. At BTA, we believe salary conversations should be honest, data-informed and strategic — not reactive.

If your organisation is planning senior recruitment this year and would value a confidential discussion about market positioning, we would be pleased to share insight from across the sector.

The right appointment is always more valuable than the cheapest one.

Scottish Pay and Rewards Survey 2025: Communication

Wed, 14 May 2025 08:27:26 GMT

Our BTA Rewards Review 2025 targeted specifically for small and medium-sized Scottish non-profit organisations notes that perhaps unsurprisingly, all respondents used emails and in-person conversations as their preferred communication tools.

Just over a third used notice boards (36.4%) and workplace forums (36.4%), while staff intranets and town hall meetings appear uncommon in the sample. The scores participants gave to the effectiveness of their respective workplace communications ranged from 2 to 4, with an average of 3.3. Notably, no respondent gave their organisation the lowest (1) and highest (5) possible rating.

The Opportunities

Review your management activities and ask whether your appraisals and in-person informal conversations are effective or whether other activities like focus groups, and pulse surveys may support your communications more effectively.

Open and transparent communications can extend employee voice beyond work-related topics.

With a focus on Non-harassment policy since the Worker Protection Act 2023 introduced on 26 October 2024, organisations should be reviewing their risk assessments, and whether they have an up-to-date harassment policy in place. Do you provide workplace harassment prevention training and do you conduct a workplace harassment risk assessment?

Importantly, do you feel that your employees feel comfortable discussing these issues with you?

Want to find out more about Pay, Benefits, Culture, and Communications?

Download the BTA Reward Review 2025, press here.

Scottish Pay and Rewards Survey 2025: Culture

Mon, 12 May 2025 09:39:46 GMT

Our BTA Rewards Review 2025 targeted specifically for small and medium-sized Scottish non-profit organisations, notes that while very important, financial rewards such as pay and benefits, are not the only aspects of employment which employees find valuable. For this reason, the review addresses the topics of organisational culture, communication, and recognition.

Most of our respondents felt their organisations resembled a Clan Culture characterised by being ‘values-driven’ and with ‘strong traditions, teamwork, coaching and mentoring, collaboration and support.’

The top 2 management activities used to gauge culture were performance reviews/appraisals, support and supervision sessions, and individual or team meetings. Focus groups and Pulse surveys were used least, highlighting an area of opportunity for employers.

Thinking about the various outcomes of organisational culture, almost all of our respondents felt that culture positively impacts employee attitudes and 9 in 10 respondents felt their culture positively influenced staff retention and their brand image. Culture was seen as a driver of a sense of purpose and direction for 81.8% of respondents. Lastly, 72.7% of respondents felt their organisational culture has a positive impact on income generation through sources such as fundraising and grants.

Want to find out more about Pay, Benefits, Culture, and Communications?

Download the BTA Reward Review 2025, press here.

Scottish Pay and Rewards Survey 2025: Inflation and Pay Awards for 2025

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 09:25:41 GMT

Based on our recent BTA Rewards Review of small and medium-sized Scottish non-profit organisations, pay awards in 2024-2025 ranged between 2.5% - 7%. The average 4.4% pay award appeared driven largely by increases in the Real Living Wage.

The planned pay awards of our respondents were in the region of 2% - 5%, with an expected average of 3.25%. This is largely in line with the CIPD’s recent Labour Market Outlook which expects a median 2025 pay award of 3%, down from a pre-budget expectation of 3.5%.

Inflation remains the key driver of pay awards in our sample. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Report suggests that ‘Inflation is following a bumpy path. It will increase temporarily in 2025, and likely to rise to 3.7% over the first half of the year, before falling back to the 2% target.’ The Bank continues to caveat this by stating that there may be ‘global shocks’ such as ‘global tariffs or developments in the Middle East’ that may affect their projections.

There is more to pay determination though, with almost half of our respondents considering individual performance, competencies, and market rates when determining their pay awards. Over half of respondents operate no pay structure/framework and of those who do, only 60% are transparent.

Want to find out more about Pay, Benefits, Culture, and Communications?

Download the BTA Reward Review 2025: Press here

Leadership Seminar: Leading your charity successfully through the financial crisis.

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 11:09:04 GMT

Leading your charity successfully through the financial crisis. Are you doing all you can?

Date: Friday 27th March

Time: 9:30am - 3:30pm

Location: Jubilee House, Stirling

Cost: £60 (Half Day) | £95 (Full Day) (Excluding VAT)

Lunch available for an additional £7 per person

Overview

Charities are facing unprecedented pressures on their resources as they try and navigate through the current economic turmoil. With emerging public sector cuts, increased demand placed on Trust and Foundations and public giving being squeezed the prospects, for many, are far from optimistic. But there are things to consider that may help Leaders through.

This Leadership Seminar will provide you with appropriate insight, knowledge and strategies that will help you in the months ahead.

Aimed at Chief Executives, Directors, and Senior Managers, the seminar will explore practical solutions that include helping you:

a) understand the impacts of changes to NIC and other national government policies.

b) sharpen up your fundraising Case for Support and why this matters to funders.

c) explore the world of public sector contracting, learning what it takes to be successful in bidding for work.

d) understand how reshaping your organisation could work to your advantage.

What You Will Learn

By attending this seminar, you will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the financial pressures facing the charity sector today, including the impact of National Insurance Contributions (NIC) increases.

• Learn strategies to improve your fundraising efforts, particularly in securing trust and foundation funding.

• Discover effective ways to approach public sector contracting and how to enhance your bidding prospects.

• Explore methods to shape your organisation to be resilient, thus reducing your risks and exposures leading you towards financial sustainability.

• Understand how to build your Fundraising Case for Support which will connect with funders, donors and philanthropic organisations.

• Appreciate what it is like for your peers and similar organisations that are faced with challenges similar to you.

Session Schedule

Morning Sessions (before lunch)

1. Maximising Fundraising from Trusts

Speaker: Deanna Wolf

An overview of how to approach trusts for funding, including strategies for improving applications and building long-term relationships.

2. Creating a Case for Support

Speaker: Shona Blakely

Learn how to create a compelling narrative that clearly demonstrates your organisation’s value and impact to potential funders.

Afternoon Sessions (after lunch)

3. Better Bidding for Public Sector Contracts

Speaker: Gill Joy, Managing Director of Intend

A guide to effectively bidding for public sector contracts and securing essential funding opportunities.

4. Organisational Design for Financial Resilience

Speaker: Andrew Penker

Explore practical steps to design a more efficient and resilient organisation, ensuring your charity remains sustainable in tough financial times.

Why Attend?

This is an opportunity for you to learn from our experts on how their advice and recommendations can help you navigate these financially challenging times. They will challenge you to think about (a) what you can do differently and (b) why embracing alternative strategies just may make the difference.

The session will also give you the opportunity to mix with peers, many of whom will share your own concerns and issues.

Who Should Attend?

This session is aimed at those that have strategic responsibility for the income generation activity of their charity, and for ensuring its long term financial sustainability. You will be a Chief Executive, Director or Senior Managers. We also encourage charity Chairs to consider attending too.

Book Your Place

Spaces are limited, so don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from leading experts. Register now to secure your place at this informative and practical seminar.

Celebrating 18 Years of Expert Consultancy

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 17:02:40 GMT

As we enter our 18th year of delivering expert consultancy, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the journey that has brought us here and the exciting road ahead. For nearly two decades, we’ve been proud to partner with charities, providing tailored solutions, impactful strategies, and unwavering support to help them thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

Today, we’re thrilled to unveil a refreshed look at how we present that support—our newly updated consultancy brochure.

We invite you to take a look at our new brochure and discover how we can help your charity thrive. Whether you’re seeking strategic direction, fundraising expertise, or governance support, our team is here to provide the tools and guidance you need.

Thank you for being part of our journey over the past 18 years. We look forward to continuing to support charities in creating lasting impact for years to come.

Seismic Employment Changes Ahead: How Labour’s New Deal Will Impact Non-Profits and the Social Impact Sector

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 11:10:39 GMT

Are you ready for ‘seismic’ changes to Employment? Writes Andrew Penker Chartered FCIPD MIoL Associate Director of BTA.

The Government’s new Employment Rights Bill termed ‘Labour’s New Deal for Working People,’ will ‘ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights’ but should non-profits, social impact, and charity organisations be worried?

What should you prepare for?

The headline changes are likely to include:

• Ban zero-hour contracts: Legislation will ensure workers have a right to contract reflecting the number of hours they regularly work, with reasonable notice of any change in shift patterns.

• End Fire and Rehire or Fire and Replace: the government will reform the law to provide effective remedies and replace the previous statutory code.

• Provide day-one rights on parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal for all workers, although employers will be able to operate probationary periods while they assess new hires.

• Remove the lower earnings limit on Statutory Sick Pay so it is available to all workers, and get rid of the three-day waiting period.

• Make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, with “employers required to accommodate this as far as is reasonable.”

• Make it unlawful to dismiss a woman who has had a baby for six months after her return to work, “except in specific circumstances.”

• Establish a new Single Enforcement Body, the Fair Work Agency, to monitor the enforcement of workplace rights.

• Set up a Fair Pay Agreement in the adult social care sector. If this works, it will assess whether such agreements could work in other sectors.

• Reinstate the School Support Staff Negotiating Body to establish national terms and conditions, career progression and pay rates for teachers and other school staff.

• Remove “unnecessary restrictions” on trade union activity, including the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act, to ensure industrial relations are based around “good faith negotiation and bargaining.”

• Simplify the process of statutory recognition to ensure workers have a reasonable right to access a union in their place of work.

Impact

Peripheral workers will gain more rights to stable employment, and permanent employees will benefit from more flexibility as to how and where they work. This has implications for the training of Managers and Team Leader/Supervisors, who will have to manage probationary periods much more effectively, measuring performance and potential within reasonable but short time periods.

Pay differentials will need to be more clearly defined to ensure that this additional management requirement is recognised and rewarded otherwise Supervisory roles in other sectors will become more attractive.

Assessing whether roles can operate remotely will need to be clearly evaluated and assessed to ensure compliance, and a ‘reasonable’ approach to flexible working requests will need to be defined and put into practice effectively by Managers and Supervisors.

Reward Survey:

Join other organisations in the non-profit and social impact sector and complete the BTA Reward Survey to share your opinion on how legislative changes will impact the pay differentials and roles within your organisation, and discover what other organisations are either doing or planning to do in the future in terms of their future pay awards, rates of pay, and other relevant aspects of employment.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BTARewards2024

The Key to Retention: Focusing on why your team may leave, not just on competitors

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 08:24:34 GMT

Why understanding who your team members may leave your organisation for, may be even more important to you and your organisation than benchmarking against your competitors, Writes Andrew Penker Chartered FCIPD MIoL Associate Director of BTA.

Over the last 3 years, I have been conducting numerous pay and benefits benchmarking exercises as part of my role as an HR Associate with BTA (Bruce Tait Associates), the leading Recruitment and Consultancy for the non-profit and social impact sector.

I have noticed that increasingly organisations are concerning themselves with their benefits in addition to their levels of pay. This is significant as areas such as flexible working have become more prominent in the post-pandemic work environment. Having a structure helps organisations consider the benefits they may wish to offer, and then track their value to the organisation in terms of how they attract, engage, and retain their workers.

Pay and Benefits:

In the most recent BTA Rewards Scoping survey (August 2024), the top 2 key areas of interest for respondent organisations were:

1. Pay rate (current and planned increases (76.7%)

2. Benefits (66.7%)

It is noteworthy that Work-life blend was of interest to 1 in 3 organisations (36.7%).

Benefits can be broken down into the following elements, with some illustrative examples:

Work Hours - flexible working, locations

Financial Pension - Independent financial advice, rewards platform

Health - Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), Health Cash Plan (HCP), Occupational health

Leave Annual -Buy &/or Sell, Family friendly

Learning & Development Induction - Access to courses, conferences, networking

Pensions are often cited as the most important financial benefit given that employers must automatically enrol their workers into a pension scheme and make contributions to their pension if they're eligible for automatic enrolment. The levels of contribution can, however, vary significantly and employers should identify the importance of the contribution levels for workers based on the stage of their career rather than just offering a pension.

Benchmarking:

Most organisations will confine their benchmarking activities to focus on their direct competitors, which may be of a similar size and shape, with similar levels of affordability, and in the same sector. This is helpful but have you ever stopped to ask your team members which organisations they may leave your organisation to work for, and in which sector they may be most attracted to work within in the future?

Having an awareness of these indirect competitors may be helpful when considering the values your workers place on the benefits you provide.

Benchmarking using an external party can provide objectivity and ensure the rewards package offered to your workers is optimised and affordable.

Reward Survey:

Join other organisations in the non-profit and social impact sector and complete the BTA Reward Survey to share your opinion on the benefits you are currently offering, and discover what other organisations are either doing or planning to do in the future with the level and range of their benefits as they seek to attract, and retain their team members.

Link to Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BTARewards2024

Is the 5-Day Office Week Returning? What It Means for Your Organisation’s Future.

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 09:04:06 GMT

Imagine if your employer instructed you to ‘Return to the Office’ five days per week starting January 2025. How would you react? Would you welcome or resist the instruction? Asks Andrew Penker Chartered FCIPD MIoL Associate Director of BTA.

Well, this was the message delivered to Amazon Corporate Office team members recently. You likely saw the message through your usual news feeds i.e. BBC News.

The significant point to note is that it is not applicable to all Amazon team members but to those in the owned corporate offices rather than the leased contact centres, who will remain working remotely.

Return to the Office:

The headline turned heads and return to the office is becoming an increasingly emotive subject and one which may be more realistic, as according to the KPMG 2024 CEO Outlook report, which surveyed 1,300 CEOs around the world – including 150 in the UK, more than four-fifths (83 per cent) of UK CEOs expect to see a full return to the office within three years, up 19 percentage points from last year.

Are you thinking about making any changes to the hours of work in your organisation?

Do you know what other organisations in your sector are planning to do?

Employee Value Proposition:

An Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is a unique set of benefits and values that an organisation offers to its employees in exchange for their skills, experience, and commitment.

A strong EVP helps attract, engage, and retain top talent by clearly communicating what makes the organisation a great or preferred place to work.

The elements that comprise an EVP can include:

• Work-Life Balance/Blend: Flexible working hours, remote work options, and leave policies.

• Pay: Salary, bonuses, and other financial rewards.

• Benefits: Pensions, Insurance, and other.

• Career Development: Opportunities for growth, training, and advancement.

• Company Culture: The organisation’s values, mission, and social purpose.

Home or Remote working:

Have you introduced a home-working policy, and do your terms of employment state a specific place of work i.e. the office or your employee’s home? If you changed your working practices to become more flexible post-pandemic, has hybrid working become your ‘new normal’ over the last few tears?

Do you know how important it is for your team members to have flexibility over their place of work?

The answer to these questions may influence how you approach making any future changes to the current working arrangements with your team members.

The How:

Recognising your obligations to consult team members about any changes, and how you wish to be perceived as an employer who listens to their team members, is important if you wish to become or maintain your status as a great or preferred employer.

Reward Survey:

Join other organisations in the non-profit and social impact sector and complete the BTA Reward Survey to share your opinion on flexible working as well as pay and benefits, and discover what other organisations are either doing or planning to do in the future.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BTARewards2024

How to develop your People to create a truly sustainable organisation

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 14:29:37 GMT

How to develop your People to create a truly sustainable organisation

The key to any successful sustainable organisation will inevitably centre on its relationship with people – both staff and those that you serve. But it’s not just a matter of proper consideration of your responsibilities under Employment law, Health & Safety legislation or even your funding criteria – increasingly it is how you truly centre people at the heart of everything you do including your strategy, your values and the culture you aim to promote.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to bring together Governments; Business; NGOs and local communities in a common cause that makes our world more sustainable for everyone, but it is also a challenge to be more accountable for our actions. Whatever the size of your charity, you need to ensure that the voices of your staff, clients and external stakeholders are effectively embedded in the way that you operate and increasingly your funders will be looking for this to be evidenced.

By using the SDG criteria, your organisation can show its level of ambition, how it is embracing Equality and Diversity, tackling exclusion, and improving the quality of life in its community. It can also evidence adherence to Human Rights principles and how your organisation encourages ethical partnerships and collaboration.

Questions that Board members and Executive Leadership need to address on People and Culture issues are increasingly complex, wide-ranging but frequently inter-connected. Some common examples are:

• Do you have a written Code of Ethics policy and how do you record whistleblowing?

• How do you engage with your workforce and client group when developing your strategy?

• What information do you make publicly available and transparent?

• How do you represent your commitment to Human Rights principles, anti- fraud measures, or safeguarding?

• Have you developed any policy or programme over the last two years to contribute to SDG 5 – Gender Equality?

Failure to adequately address these issues can often result in increased risks both at operational and reputational levels. Recruiting and retaining motivated and skilled staff in a competitive environment remains a significant challenge for the charity sector - staff retention levels can materially impact your effectiveness and costs.

Many staff join the charity sector because they are motivated to assist others but in turn, they expect their employers to maintain the highest standards as an employer and contractor. This is also an expectation held by your service users, funders and the public so any failure will inevitably have negative repercussions that can be difficult to address. Your ability to show you have a full understanding of the importance of culture is vital.

BTA has developed a cost effective and pragmatic solution through our new Sustainability Audit and Reporting service which is specifically targeted for the needs of small and medium sized charities and can help you identify gaps, manage risks, and maintain the highest ethical standards. As part of our service, we also offer training and implementation support. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help you on your Sustainability journey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDG-self-assessment

Ann McKechin is Senior Associate Consultant with BTA (Bruce Tait Associates), the leading Consultancy and Recruitment specialist for the Charity sector. BTA’s approach intertwines passion with professionalism, ensuring every organisation they partner with is poised to make a lasting impact.

Ann is a Policy and Communications specialist with a unique range of transferable skills gained from being a member of the senior management team in a multinational company, a charity director, a non-executive Board member, a former Government Minister and experienced parliamentarian and with a past legal career in the private sector.

For more information, please contact Alison Weir, Business Services Manager at BTA on alison@brucetaitassociates.com

How to use Partnerships to grow your charity’s potential

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:28:04 GMT

How to use Partnerships to grow your charity’s potential

In our complex and diverse world marked by volatility and fiscal uncertainty, it is difficult for any size of organisation to innovate and grow simply from its own resources – financial or human. Keeping pace within a fast-changing landscape is vital but change itself carries risks and smaller organisations can find it hard to find adequate capacity to manage transitions. How you interact with your partners will frequently be key to your success and long-term sustainability.

Increasingly, every organisation whether it is small or large is having to spend more time considering how they engage with their stakeholders and how they can use partnerships to remain sustainable. It is no longer simply a matter of just staying connected with people. You need to plan deliberately and carefully how you will communicate with your stakeholders, the messages that you want to communicate to them, the channels you are going to use for that communication and how regularly and at which level you are going to stay connected with them.

Many funders now want to have some record about how you keep in contact with your stakeholders, what methods you use and for the most important stakeholders, especially your client group, how you engage them at an early stage in terms of changes you make to your processes and your policy development.

Having a formal stakeholder engagement process, even a simple one, is a good start because it encourages particularly management teams and charity boards to review their stakeholder engagement regularly and consider whether it is effectively assisting your strategic development or alternatively is an area of weakness that needs to be addressed. It also helps to align your organisation with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which actively promote the use of partnerships and SDG17 “Partnerships for the Goals”. In addition, it can also provide robust evidence that your organisation is pro-actively aware of its obligations under equality legislation and the promotion of SDG 5 “ Gender Equality”.

Funders are also placing a much greater emphasis on encouraging organisations to either increase or start much greater collaborative working with other organisations. There are obvious benefits for funders and charities alike – successful collaborations can maximise efficiencies, share risks, add vital capacity to manage change, and most importantly, scale up the benefit to our communities.

That is why your stakeholder engagement policy becomes even more important to consider when looking at how you put your organisation on the strongest footing, and it can also be used to identify or attract possible new collaborations.

BTA has developed a cost effective and pragmatic solution through our new Sustainability Audit and Reporting service which is specifically targeted for the needs of small and medium sized charities and can help you identify gaps, manage risks, and consider potential new opportunities and collaborations. As part of our service, we also offer training and implementation support. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help you on your Sustainability journey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDG-self-assessment

For more information, please contact Alison Weir, Business Services Manager at BTA on alison@brucetaitassociates.com

How to improve your Income Generation and Fundraising

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 14:47:10 GMT

How to improve your Income Generation and Fundraising

After the onslaught of the COVID pandemic rapidly followed by the cost-of-living crisis, and now swingeing cuts to government and local authority spending, it is no wonder that many in the charity sector feel exhausted simply trying to keep their organisation afloat.

If you are a charity board trustee or part of the senior leadership team, your challenge is to find that vital space away from your day-to-day pressures to be able to plan for a sustainable future and to seek out new sources of income. In this tough fundraising climate, your charity needs to be in the strongest position possible to compete in the race for a share of available funds. Now is the time to strengthen the core of your organisation, build your partnerships with stakeholders and rally your people.

The Scottish business sector, Scottish Government, local authorities, and major philanthropic funders are increasingly using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a significant indicator to measure the social, environmental, and economic impacts of the organisations that they fund. This makes sense. The measurements that underpin the SDGs are a particularly useful guide when used to achieve greater consistency in analysis across different sectors, stronger performance, and enhanced public accountability.

In Scotland, the SDGs are incorporated as part of the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework which guides their priorities for both their budget and policy direction. It also underpins much of the criteria used to achieve a net zero society.

Regardless of an organisation’s size or purpose, the SDGs provide a common language that immediately shows support in the fight for a better future. Having a clear ethical purpose attracts and retains donors; minimises risks to your reputation and gives confidence to your funders and investors.

Meeting the SDGs requires the ability to record and evidence that your charity can add value through a mixture of environmental and social action with the ability to work in new collaborations and partnerships. To support organisations in addressing them will require skills and expertise in both areas.

At BTA we have been involved in spreading the message about Sustainability and the SDGs for several years. In our experience, many Scottish charities are significantly behind other sectors in embracing the SDGs. This gap is becoming more acute as charities face a real threat to funding, particularly statutory funding, if they cannot clearly evidence their social and environmental sustainability.

BTA has developed a cost effective and pragmatic solution through our new Sustainability Audit and Reporting service which is specifically targeted for the needs of small and medium sized charities. As part of our service, we also offer training and implementation support. Please get in touch to discuss how we can help you on your Sustainability journey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SDG-self-assessment

For more information, please contact Alison Weir, Business Services Manager at BTA on a lison@brucetaitassociates.com

Don’t use algorithms for applications!

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:21:30 GMT

At the last Scottish Fundraising Conference, I greatly enjoyed hosting a sold-out discussion with some of Scotland’s biggest Grantmakers. It struck me at the time that things had changed substantially over the course of my career. When I started as fundraiser many trusts and foundations were both secretive and adversarial. They didn’t want anything to do with fundraisers and they point blank refused to share information with us.

Fast forward 35 years, and we now have the likes of National Lottery, Wood Foundation and Corra Foundation speaking at fundraising conferences, sharing tips and hints. A genuinely open relationship has emerged between “poachers and gamekeepers”. Exceptions to this happy “concordat’ are rare, and a precious mutually supportive relationship now exists. This represents a paradigm shift in how charities and Grantmakers view their relationship with each other and with the broader community. Trust and transparency have emerged as foundational principles, guiding the relationship between those who give and those who seek funding. This evolution towards a more open dialogue has facilitated a more collaborative and less adversarial atmosphere, fostering a sense of partnership that benefits the wider community.

Fundraisers should not mess with this! Yet perhaps we are. With the lazy use of AI in funding applications.

It’s a great tool for the fast development of content, but I feel that the integration of AI into the grant writing process must be approached with care. On one hand, AI offers the promise of efficiency and accessibility, particularly for smaller charities that might lack the resources to hire professional bid writers. On the other, the impersonal nature of AI-generated applications could be seen as exacerbating the very issues that the sector has worked to overcome. Scottish Grantmakers are reaching out to professional fundraisers in a spirit of transparency and directness. It’s because they value us as professionals, as communicators, as advocates for the causes that we represent. The last thing that we should be doing is handing that relationship to a computer programme – however clever it is.

Yet that is what many people in the sector are advocating. I was on a charity knowledge platform this morning that offers an automated grant writing service for free. Just stick a few hundred words into a Bot and the little bunny will write your applications for you. And all those Grantmakers, that we have spent decades convincing to work with us, are about to be buried in an avalanche of awful, AI-written applications. Written in binary, with no heart, no context, no corroboration, and no accountability.

That is not good.

If the use of AI inserts a layer of detachment between charities and funders we are in trouble. I remember when many funders wanted nothing to do with fundraisers. We could easily be back there. Charities and AI service providers alike should be mindful of the sector's ethos and strive to use technology in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, the principles of trust and transparency that are central to Scottish philanthropy. Our expert trust fundraising team at BTA only ever use AI for research – every word of our applications is written by a real, live expert.

This doesn't mean that AI has no place in the future of grant writing. AI can be a powerful tool for helping charities articulate their missions and needs, or for identifying themes and opportunities. But it should be used in a way that supports direct engagement with Grantmakers and upholds the values of the evolving philanthropic landscape. It needs a fundraiser to wield it as a tool – not a bot to automate it as a blunt instrument. It is essential to remain focused on the ultimate goal: fostering meaningful connections between charities and funders that lead to impactful outcomes for the communities they serve. By aligning the use of technology with the principles of trust and transparency, we can ensure that AI serves as a bridge, not a barrier, in the pursuit of this goal.

Regulatory Update for Scottish Charities: Key Changes and Actions

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:29:10 GMT

Scotland's charity sector, encompassing over 25,000 registered entities from small community groups to large environmental organisations, is undergoing significant regulatory changes. With the introduction of the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Act 2023, Scottish charities are poised to see substantial updates in governance and accountability.

This new legislation, spearheaded by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), is designed to bring Scotland's charity regulation in line with the rest of the UK. It highlights the need for charities to prepare for the following key changes, effective from 2024:

• Expanded OSCR Powers The Act grants OSCR greater authority to investigate charities and their trustees, ensuring compliance and governance standards are met.

• Trustee and Senior Office Holders Criteria: New rules will redefine eligibility for those holding pivotal roles within charities, aiming to strengthen internal governance.

• Increased Transparency: Charities are required to provide more detailed information about their trustees. OSCR will also maintain and publish a list of trustees removed or barred from their roles, enhancing transparency.

• Scottish Charity Register Updates: The register will include more comprehensive information about charities, including a record of mergers, to provide a clearer picture of the charity landscape in Scotland.

The Act introduces new annual return questions for charities with financial years ending on or after November 30, 2023. This includes queries related to a charity’s accounts, aligning with the forthcoming Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) set to be introduced in 2025. The SORP will offer guidance on preparing accounts in accordance with UK accounting standards, with updates reflecting changes in accounting standards or charity law.

For charities, especially smaller ones, this means adapting to new accounting requirements. For those requiring audits, understanding the process, time, and costs involved is crucial. Trustees should review their charity’s governing documents to ensure they are fit for purpose and align with the latest regulations.

Additionally, potential VAT charges on private school fees and initiatives like the Revitalising Trusts Project indicate broader financial and operational implications for charities.

As these changes unfold, trustees must take an active role in compliance and governance. The evolving regulatory landscape necessitates a proactive approach to ensure charities continue to serve their communities effectively, emphasising the importance of readiness and adaptability in the face of new challenges.

Are Charitable Organisations Leaking Funds?

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:19:07 GMT

In a recent LinkedIn discussion, concerns were raised about a report suggesting the third sector suffers from financial inefficiencies. This conversation sheds light on an essential truth: financial leakage is not a problem unique to our sector. However, it emphasises the importance of seizing every opportunity to enhance our financial stewardship, particularly in these challenging times.

At BTA, we understand that many charities stand to gain from rigorous outcome auditing and targeted support in financial governance. This is not about underscoring weaknesses but about fortifying our strengths. It’s crucial we acknowledge that, while the third sector may not be worse off than the public or private sectors in terms of financial leakage, the imperative to optimise every penny towards our missions is perhaps more pressing.

We are in an era where scrutiny is higher, and resources are stretched thin. The dialogue around financial efficiency must, therefore, be constructive and aimed at improvement rather than criticism. Our sector's resilience depends on our ability to adapt, improve, and be transparent in our financial operations. By embracing outcome auditing and support, we can ensure that our contributions to society are maximised, our operations are lean, and our impact is profound.

BTA's commitment to the third sector's excellence is unwavering. Our "Pathways to Excellence" programme, led by experts in the field, is designed to help organisations navigate these challenges. It is an invitation to introspect, to assess, and to grow. It is a testament to our belief that, through collaboration, support, and a relentless pursuit of improvement, the third sector can not only meet its financial challenges headon but can set new standards for efficiency and impact.

Let's use this moment to reflect on how we can all contribute to a more efficient, effective, and impactful third sector. The conversation started on LinkedIn doesn't end there; it's just the beginning of a broader, muchneeded dialogue on how we can all do better. Together, let’s work towards a sector that is not only resilient but thriving, ensuring every resource is utilised to its fullest potential for the greatest good.

BTA Journey

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:01:55 GMT

Empowering Charities Through Expertise and Ethical Practice

Introduction:

In a sector driven by passion, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of positive change, BTA (Bruce Tait Associates) was founded with a vision to enhance the effectiveness and reach of charities across the UK. From its inception by three visionary third sector leaders, BTA has grown into a beacon of support and expertise for the charitable world. This blog explores our journey, our unique approach to charity consultancy and recruitment, and our unwavering commitment to the sector.

Founding Principles and Evolution:

BTA's story began with a simple, yet profound, objective: to amplify the impact of charities through strategic consultancy. Recognising the intricate challenges faced by the third sector, our founders—each a leader within their charitable fields—sought to create a consultancy that offered not just advice, but tailored solutions that addressed the heart of these challenges. As our reputation for impactful consultancy grew, so too did the demand for a more holistic approach to charity support. This led to the natural evolution of our services, incorporating recruitment to ensure charities could access the talent they needed to thrive.

A Balanced Approach to Service:

Our services are almost equally split between recruitment and a comprehensive suite of charity support functions. This equilibrium ensures that we not only help charities build their teams but also strengthen their operational and strategic foundations. From trusts and grants applications to marketing, HR, Board and finance development, and more, our over 70 Associates bring a wealth of experience and specialisation that covers the full spectrum of charity management and growth.

Expertise Rooted in the Third Sector:

What truly sets BTA apart is our people. Our highly experienced advisory board and senior management team, all of whom come from third sector backgrounds, guide BTA with insight, empathy, and a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the charity world. This ensures that our strategies and solutions are not only innovative but also grounded in the realities of sector needs.

Continuing the Legacy:

As we look to the future, BTA remains committed to its founding vision: to support, empower, and elevate charities across the UK. Our journey is one of continuous adaptation and growth, driven by the ever-changing landscape of the third sector and the needs of the charities we serve. With a foundation built on ethical practice, professional integrity, and a deep-seated belief in the transformative power of charity, BTA is poised to continue making a difference in the lives of those who do the most for our communities.

Conclusion:

The BTA journey is far from over. With each charity we support, each leader we place, and each strategy we develop, we forge a stronger third sector capable of facing tomorrow's third challenges with confidence. Join us as we continue to build a legacy of positive impact, driven by expertise, ethics, and a passion for charitable excellence.

"What's Going On? An Honest Chat about the SCVO Awards Diversity Gap"

Thu, 11 May 2023 08:20:10 GMT

Bruce is currently in South Africa, making me jealous by sending stunning photos of the elephants he has seen on his travels. But there is a bigger elephant in the room that we need to talk about. The finalists for the 2023 Charity Awards by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) are out, and something's not quite right. As I was looking at the list for Employee of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Trustee of the Year, I couldn’t help but notice a pattern. Where's the diversity? A male dominated list with only two women.

Before I go any further, this isn't meant to take anything away from the folks who've been nominated. They're all hard-working, dedicated individuals who deserve recognition, no doubt about it. They've given their all to the sector and it's right that they get a nod for that However, I've got to ask, is this really the best representation of the folks working their wee socks off in our voluntary sector? The answer is a big fat no. Scotland's third sector is chock-full of people from all sorts of backgrounds, races, and genders. But looking at the SCVO's finalists, you wouldn't know it.

Representation is more than a buzzword or a box to tick. It's about bringing an array of thinking, experiences, and perspectives that can help organisations be more impactful and serve our communities better. It's about role models from different background who enrich our sector. Plus, it's about making everyone feel included, valued and giving a sense of belonging in our society. Surely, I should be preaching to the converted here?

My gut instinct is the lack of diversity in these awards isn't just a one-off thing. It points to bigger issues in how we hire, recognise, and promote people in the sector. It's a sign that we've still have unconscious biases that we need to deal with.

SCVO, and all the organisations connected with it, need to step up and tackle this head-on. It's not enough to say, "yeah, we've got a diversity problem". We need to roll up our sleeves, dig into the root causes of the issue, dismantle the systems and do the work that will ensure our sector thrives in the future.

How can we make our sector more diverse and inclusive? Are our hiring practices fair? Are we giving everyone a chance to learn and grow in their roles? Are we recognising and celebrating everyone's hard work, no matter their gender, race, or background?

We've got to embrace diversity in all its forms to succeed. It's only through diversity that we can truly reflect the communities we serve, truly represent everyone, deliver the impact we want to have and meet the expectations of our funders, service users and future workforce.

The SCVO awards have shown us again a problem we know is there. It might be a bit uncomfortable to talk about but we can't ignore it. It's time for us to take a good, hard look at how we do things, face up to the issues, and work towards a more inclusive and representative third sector in Scotland.

We've got the power to change the story.

Cost of Running Crisis – How we can help.

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 16:27:43 GMT

2023 is predicted to be a tough year for charities.

There is no doubt that a year of uncertainty lies ahead. The previous years have not been forgiving to the third sector moving through one crisis straight into another, now as charities face the cost-of-living crisis, they are also feeling years of fatigue. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is estimated to reach its peak in early 2023 with Resolution Foundation predicting that the effects will be felt until 2028.

As household bills continue to rise, charities will continue to have an increase in demand for their services, while also facing a loss of individual donations. A recent report produced by Donor Pulse indicated that 55% of the public believe that their financial situation will make it harder to donate. Charities will have to look ahead and adapt their services to cope with the demands of the UK population as well as reviewing their expenditure and managing their income.

The cost of running a charity has risen with UK inflation rates reaching their highest in 40 years. Many charities are facing closure or have closed as the cost of running crisis has swept the sector. The UK government recently confirmed cuts to the energy bill support scheme which will be consequential for the voluntary sector. The Energy Bill Discount Scheme, set to replace the current Energy Bill Relief Scheme in April of 2023, will provide a significantly lower amount of support, capped at £5.4bn for its year of operation, causing the cost of running a voluntary organisation to rise.

Recruitment for the third sector remains a challenge, a recent study conducted by NCVO revealed that 56% of charities said they had difficulty filling vacancies, in comparison to only 46% of employers across other industries. With the UK job market being in workers' favour, the third sector needs to compete against both public and private salaries to attract candidates. Charities are finding it particularly difficult to recruit fundraisers, a study by CIPD suggested that 53% of charities are struggling to recruit this specific role.

Collaborating with fundraising consultants can provide charities access to specialist expertise quickly and at a lower cost than recruiting. Multi-year grants are becoming harder to find and secure, with application lead times longer than before. Organisations that receive local authority funding are also at risk of losing funding as councils face real-term cuts. For example, Midlothian council proposed budget cuts for 2023/24 include a 100% cut to large and small grants funding for charities and an end to funding grants for community transport services. Both charities and fundraisers will need an innovative approach to secure income in 2023.

At BTA we have a pool of highly skilled knowledgeable fundraising consultants that can support all aspects of fundraising from writing and submitting trust and grants applications, to reviewing and assisting you deliver your income generation strategy. Whether you’re looking for consultancy support, an interim, or recruiting your next fundraiser, BTA’s deep knowledge of the third sector paired with our network of connections can help you navigate the challenging funding landscape.

The increased demand for services and the challenges we’re facing along the way may feel overwhelming, however together, we can achieve our vision and mission!

Contact our consultancy support administrator today to find out how we can help: alison@brucetaitassociates.com or call 01786 542224.

Five Charity Sector Interview Questions (And How to Answer Them)

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:01:47 GMT

Job interviews can be stressful, and your nerves can sometimes get the better of you. As recruiters we are aware of this and that is why we would like to help you put your best foot forward in your next interview.

The way that you answer interview questions matters as they give your interviewer and potential new employer a great opportunity to see what type of employee you will be. This is why the way you answer the interview questions is so important.

Some interview questions have less to do with your skills but rather your character. That is because it is easier to train aptitude rather than attitude. When people have the right attitude, they are both motivated and open to learning new skills. Workplace culture is very important to employers, and the values you bring to the shared culture may sometimes matter more than your experience and qualifications.

To help you land that next big role, here are some common Third Sector interview question and tips on how to best answer them.

1. What drew you to a role in the Charity Sector?

This is a great opportunity to share a personal story or connection which you may have that encouraged you to apply for this particular role with this particular charity. It may be a cause close to your heart or even just a new opportunity that excites you.

2. Why now in your career are you seeking a change?

This Is an opportunity for you to stand out to your interviewer. Whether the answer is a positive one or not, it’s important to lead with a constructive explanation, whether its new challenges, a change of work environment or a complete career change, try to put your own upbeat spin on it. Your answer gives the recruiter an opportunity to understanding where you are in your job search and the passion/commitment you have to the role.

3. What do you know about (INSERT CHARITY NAME) and the services they provide?

This question is almost guaranteed in every interview, it is the recruiter’s way of seeing how much effort you put into researching the Charity in question prior to applying. The answer should show a clear knowledge of what the charity does. Be sure to include specific information about the role you are applying for, such as fundraising. Use this opportunity to talk the interviewer through some of their fundraising campaigns they have run and how you have completed similar work. This shows that you have done your research but also allows you to showcase some of your experience.

4. Why do you think you are the ideal candidate for the role?

This is often a hard question to answer, simply because a lot of people find it hard to talk themselves up and often do not want to ‘toot their own horn’. But this is actually the perfect opportunity to highlight the skills you have that would be most beneficial for this particular role. Your three main goals here are to differentiate yourself from other candidates, show that you can do the job and let the interviewer know that you can deliver results. If you have never worked in the sector before, you can speak about your transferable skills that would be beneficial in this role.

5. Is there anything in the job description that you feel you may need some support with?

This is a question that gives you an opportunity to discuss a potential weakness without referring to it as a weakness. Whatever you do require support with be sure to provide a solution, such as a course or additional training as this makes it seem like you are aware that this is something that you would need help with but you are also willing to put in the work to get on top of it. Do not feel shy or embarrassed to answer this question honestly - we are all human and require support sometimes.

At the end of an interview, you will often get the opportunity to ask questions.

Do not be afraid to ask your questions, use this opportunity to find out critical information about the role and clarify anything you are unclear on, it is a great opportunity to stand out from the pack!

Do you feel ready to take on that next Charity Sector interview?

The most important things are to remain calm, be honest but positive, be yourself and take every opportunity presented to showcase your skills and character. 

Article References:

https://www.charityjob.co.uk/careeradvice/hardest-job-interview-questions/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=organicsocial&utm_campaign=blog

https://www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/3-reasons-why-attitude-is-more-important-to-your-company

https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/article/why-a-good-attitude-can-matter-more-than-technical-skills

Fundraising Coaching

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 16:20:48 GMT

Weds 15th February - Fri 31st March 2023

£650 pp + VAT

Small group coaching for third-sector staff, volunteers or Board members who need to boost their grant application income. Advice on what to say and how to say it to submit more and better applications.

"I did the course and was really impressed - very logical, with lots of practical examples. My new fundraising volunteer did the same course and what he brought back had a tangible impact on our success (more than paid for both course fees). Wish I had done one of Phyllis's courses 10 years ago!" Simon, Open Door

Work with experienced professional fundraiser Phyllis Martin 2.5hrs a week for 7 weeks and get:

Assessment and Feedback for up to 3 funding applications to improve your bids
1-2-1 Goal-setting Session to identify your priorities
Personalised Coaching Prescription to increase your success rates including mini workbooks, 10 minute videos, live and recorded group coaching on specific skills, template answers and editable documents
1-2-1 Weekly Check-ins for momentum, accountability and questions
Online platform for communicating with programme members and accessing resources including successful application library for minimum 12 months

"Phyllis was just fantastic, very knowledgeable and engaging." NESCAN group member

Max 10 places, group sessions Wednesdays at 10:30am (recordings available), 1-2-1s at times to suit you.

“Very informative and full of useful information with clear and concise direction, excellent backup videos to study in your own time and on hand tutor advice throughout. Would recommend to anyone looking for grant funding from new to seasoned administrators.” Thomas, Hopscotch

To register your interest contact siobhan.balie@brucetaitassociates.com

Is the office the key to restoring company culture?

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 13:39:33 GMT

As an organisation, BTA has been talking about the Great Resignation for quite some time and while this is an accurate description of what’s been happening, it still only describes the symptom, not the cause.

Culture is vital to retain staff, yet charities, in fact all organisations, face a post-pandemic culture crisis.

Charities are currently having to redefine their culture to keep staff. One of the main ways they are doing so is with the offer of remote or hybrid working. A move that has provided many people with more autonomy over their work, greater flexibility, and a better work–life balance. However, is this move costing organisations their culture?

Although invisible, culture works through human interactions. Therefore, to cope with this post-pandemic culture crisis, shouldn’t we be fostering supportive social ties within our organisations rather than giving this up for the convenience that remote/ hybrid working can offer?

Organisational culture is a combination of written and unwritten rules, norms, beliefs, behaviours and values. It is how work gets done, how people interact with each other and how they see their organisations place in the world.

Strong workplace relationships matter for many reasons. Employees are emotional beings who crave satisfaction in their work and seek connections to their colleagues and a purpose in their work. A survey conducted by The Work Trend Index highlighted that strong workplace networks are critical to productivity and innovation.

With the move to remote working, it is undeniable that charity culture has eroded workplace relationships. People consistently report feeling disconnected and a study conducted by Harvard Business Review found that the shift to remote work shrunk both close and distant employee networks.

The office, on the other hand, has always acted as a social anchor providing employees with a place to interact and collaborate. Without this social anchor, employees are losing their sense of workplace belonging, and organisations face becoming a fragmented collection of individuals connected by a charity name.

Remote working can also create psychological distance between employees and the charities they work for, whether that be making staff less confident to ask questions, seek guidance, or request help. In the office, however, managers can more easily spot the visual cues for when an employee needs extra support. The 70-20-10 Model for Learning and Development proposes that 70% of learning happens through experience, 20% comes from observing colleagues and only 10% is down to formal training so whilst webinars have been a great learning tool that comes with many benefits, they cannot replace the learning gained through social interaction and experience.

Charity culture is established and transmitted through the messages and visible actions of management, through explanations given to crucial organisational decisions, and through reactions to visible incidents. The inability of staff to be present at these important learning moments means that employees aren’t learning and internalising the ways companies do things.

How work gets done has also changed with this shift. According to the Work Trend Index, Workers aged 18 to 25 reported more difficulties feeling engaged or excited about work, getting a word in during meetings, and bringing new ideas to the table when working remotely. Whilst new staff are finding it hard to find their footing since they do not experience the onboarding, networking, and training that they might get when working in the office. These employees say their relationships with their direct teams and access to leadership are worse than those who have been with the company longer.

Therefore, to ensure that our workplaces remain engaged, innovative, and inclusive, we should stop altering charity culture to fit with the realities of remote working and instead redefine culture by focusing our attention on fostering supportive social ties through in-person interactions and not denying the integral part the office can play in restoring culture.

Rising to the challenge of remote leadership

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 15:19:01 GMT

We have never in our lifetimes experienced anything quite like COVID 19 and I can’t remember a time when there has been such a lack of uncertainty in the air. We have all had to, and will continue to have to, adapt our everyday lives, the way we work and how we interact with others. We are craving a return to life as it was pre covid, but many of us may be thinking will we ever do so?

If you have been leading a rural third sector organisation throughout the pandemic, I want to say, good on you and, most importantly, how are you?

If you are a leader of a rural organisation my guess is that you have a huge sense of responsibility and drive to do meaningful things within your community. You probably have great ambition, you’re adaptable and don’t need perfect conditions to thrive. You seek a sense of purpose and want a moral connection to the things you do, you are upbeat, considerate of other people’s feelings, and boy, are you resilient. Hurray, you are a genuine super star, and our rural communities are lucky to have someone like you in them.

But really, how are you?

Let’s face it, leadership is an interesting balancing act. If you are anything like me, we gravitate to the role in which we can have most impact. The role which allows us to push, push, and push again for social change. I’ve spent over 30 years advocating for it in various roles, and for every successful step forward I was energised and motivated to take one more, and then one more again. I was driven by good practice and achieving good outcomes. I was like a sponge, asking questions of people I admired at every opportunity, watching others practice and adopting the good bits whilst discarding the bad.

Leading a successful rural third sector organisation can bring amazing opportunities, experiences, and a real sense of purpose. I was lucky enough to be asked to speak at national and international conferences, I sat on the Board of Social Enterprise Scotland and even had a lovely afternoon at Bute House chewing the fat with the First Minister. All wonderful and life changing experiences but all driven from a desire to spread the social word, do good things and feel useful in society.

I am proud of what I have done in my career, but all that time I didn’t realise that I was not mentoring a fundamental part of good leadership. There, I have said it, I admit it. I neglected an important component in how to maintain a strong, connected, and successful team. That component was my own wellbeing. I just didn’t know how to look after myself the way I did for others around me, and I kept making the same mistake repeatedly. Am I ringing any bells for you here?

Pre Covid, as a leader, I had gradually started to feel more isolated, lonely, and more and more tired. I kept telling myself, come on Ingrid, stop being lazy, and you’ve got this (literally I would say this to myself in the mirror on a regular basis). All the while not realising that what I was experiencing were the all too real signs of burnout.

Then, out of the blue, COVID 19 hit. That brought us all to our battle stations once more. We had to act fast, keep people safe, promote a knowledgeable approach to this virus, make sure we could pay people wages, make sure we could maintain some sort of service, communicate effectively, smile, find money, lead well, and adapt, adapt, adapt.

But then, as people started to come back to work, I started asking myself, was the precious leadership role I had held for so long, good for me. Was I ok? and I did not like the answers I was finding for myself.

After months of deliberation of should I stay or should I go, I said goodbye to the role I thought I would never leave. It was hard to let go and being from a small community, my departure did not fly under the radar. I was asked to go on local radio to reflect on my time with the organisation and had many impromptu conversations in the Tesco aisles with people asking me why I was leaving, could I not stay and what on earth was I going to do next? It all felt somewhat surreal, but I really did feel the loss.

I realise now that I was not the only leader in the same position and that I was in fact a real-life statistic within the “great resignation”.

A recent ACOSVO report states that many leaders in Scotland feel they receive little support in their role, and more than half of respondents surveyed said they wanted to leave their role within 5 years, with the majority looking to leave in less than 2 years.

Many leaders say they feel they are having to choose between their leadership positions and their healthy work/life balance and wellbeing.

So, bearing that in mind and having told you a bit about my story I now have a couple of questions for you. And when I say you, I mean you, not your board, not your team, not your stakeholders, not the people who you run the organisation to support, just you.

How are you? What keeps you awake at night? What do you not feel confident in but don’t feel you can admit to? What do you need? What would help you stay within your leadership role?

And most importantly, how can we help you?

As we go into 2022, we must find ways of sharing experience, sharing knowledge and sharing the load, I don’t want anyone to experience burnout so let’s start talking and find ways in which we can help you lead your organisations within our amazing and resilient rural communities.

SCIRA is a place where we can do that. A place where we can connect openly and honestly. It’s a place of positivity and empathy. It’s a place of fostering confidence and community. It’s a place for you.

Please join in with me and the wonderful Lisa Buchanan as part of Bruce Tait associates, to share your experiences, connect with other rural leaders and find ways of ensuring our organisations thrive into the future.

We really look forward to seeing you there on 20th January 2022.

Click here to book.

What does post-COVID Recovery look like for rural charities?

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 09:16:39 GMT

What does the COVID-recovery look like to you and your organisation? Will it be affected by the great resignation or are you finding new ways to deliver services, support your team and build a better version of your organisation?

These are important questions for us as leaders in the third sector and how do we answer them in the face of our collective exhaustion? I believe we owe it to ourselves and our people to take some time out to reflect on what impact COVID has had on us personally, and on our social businesses and workplaces. Now more than ever before, the pressure to survive as an organisation, in a climate of the greatest uncertainty multiple generations have seen, is greater than we’ve ever known it.

Prior to COVID, the last ten years in the third sector had been characterised by the need to adapt, grow and change. Brought on by the affects of the global banking crisis in 2008, and the decade of austerity that became our everyday lives. Annual budgets cuts, procurement of services where oftentimes, your organisation was the only one to bid in remote and rural areas, felt like cutting your own moral and organisational throat to survive financially, and keep an already stretched service in the Cinderella rags we’d become accustomed too.

Yet looking at what has happened in the past two years, those of us leading services through the pandemic might just be grateful to have only the challenge of austerity again. Of course, that is not to say that they were easy times, far from it, but through the lens of COVID where the lives of our loved ones, our colleagues and our beneficiaries were threatened by an unknown virus, somehow worrying about money seems like the last thing on our mind.

And perhaps that is one of the factors facing employers now; the great resignation. Those of us in what were previously considered “secure jobs”, have learned that the rules of the game have changed. We can’t work our way out of a pandemic that we don’t have control over. Yes, we can follow the rules, adapt in the moment, but we can’t rely on the way things used to be because modelling how it was, only makes the transition to a brave new way of operating that much harder. We’ve put on our upbeat faces and done the best we can, but now that we are moving out of the initial crisis, albeit with fresh alerts for the Omicron variant, we must ask ourselves what does our world of work look like now and what have we learned along the way.

Can we live and work at home, travel only when necessary or for luxury, and be less productive at work, but more fulfilled and healthier for it? If we can do that in an increasingly online world, where living in the Highlands and Islands is no longer the physical barrier that it once was, how do we grasp new opportunities to live and work in healthier, more supportive and more satisfying ways, while also ensuring that we are serving our beneficiaries in the best ways possible.

From my own perspective, I had spent almost twenty years in the third sector, always hustling for the cause, growing and developing services and facilities to meet the needs and expectations of those who used our charity’s services. But COVID taught me several lessons and the main one was that how it had “aye been done” wasn’t going to hit the mark. It was time to get serious about how I wished to spend the rest of my career and where I could add value, be available for my family, and still do meaningful work.

The flavour of work is less about number crunching, important thought that is to the wellbeing of all charities, but it is more about resting and grieving the losses of what we once thought the sector was, what our place in it was, and once we’ve given ourselves this time to reflect and recover, only then can we start to reimagine our roles, our purpose, and our delivery channels, in a world that is more digitally connected than ever, but, so too, is it starved of connection to other people. We’ve become afraid or anxious or sad at what we’ve experienced and rarely, as history has taught us, has fear led us to good decisions.

We must find ways to sit with and process these uncomfortable or difficult feelings and experiences, build up our bank of personal and professional support to help us through the next phase in our history. We might also reflect on the core purpose of what our charities have always been here to do and I am certain that as the custodians of remote and rural charities, the answers may be closer to home than you think.

If you’d like to share your experiences of COVID recovery and learn from others’, you’ll find a warm welcome with Bruce Tait Associates, founders of the Scottish Charities in Remote Areas Leadership Forum , along with esteemed sector leader, Ingrid Webb and my good self. Look forward to seeing you at our first event on 20 ^th January 2022. Click here to book your space.

BTA Knowledge Grant Writing Toolkit

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:16:34 GMT

A six-week training programme about how to plan, create and submit successful funding applications. Learn the tools that professional fundraisers use to manage the workload and get great results year after year.

Wednesday 26 ^th January – 2 ^nd March 2022, 09:30am

1hr 15mins per session x 6 sessions including Q&A

Zoom small group calls, max 15 people

£570 per organisation for full course, £125 per module

Do you need better results from grant applications?

The BTA Knowledge Grant Writing Toolkit is packed with actionable insights on exactly what to say and how to say it to submit great grant applications.

Grant funding is getting harder and you’ve got to raise your game to keep up. We’ve distilled techniques from expert fundraisers to turbo-charge your grant writing skills. Start 2022 fresh and get grant-writing ready.

We will tell you exactly how to plan, create and submit successful applications, transforming your fundraising in just a few hours a week.

Learn best practice and professional skills from scratch or upgrade your current knowledge. 6 weekly modules of 75mins will teach you how to plan, create and submit successful applications in just a few hours each week. You will get:

• Senior fundraising strategist support and professional drafting expertise

• One 75-minute live small group training per week, recorded to watch back anytime or catch up if you miss a session

• Office Hours Q&A for one-to-one advice

• Time-saving templates of real successful applications, databases and supporting documents for you to use

Module 1

Strategy - know what makes your projects fundable and where to find funders.

Module 2

Method – learn how to compartmentalise and prioritise to make a basic grant-writing plan for the year ahead.

Module 3

Planning – create a detailed timeline for your programme that avoids the common mistakes and shows funders you know what you are doing.

Module 4

Create a detailed funding budget, learn how it’s different from a delivery budget and make sure you include the details that funders need to say yes.

Module 5

Impact – drafting rock solid outcomes and indicators to impress funding panels.

Module 6

Evidence – what to collect, from who and how.

Course Details

Launch: Wednesday 26th January 09:30 am weekly live sessions, recorded for access on your schedule.

Questions: Book your free 15-minute surgery to check that the course is right for you at: siobhan.balie@brucetaitassociates.com, 01786 542 224.

Places are strictly limited to deliver tailored support.

Get clear, confident, and focused on your fundraising and book today. Looking forward to getting you grant-writing ready!

Testimonials

“Such an incredible resource and really clarified so much that I've felt hazy about when trying to write grants. Really enjoyed it and felt inspired.” Lauren, Summer 2021 Toolkit

“Very informative and full of useful information with clear and concise direction, excellent back up videos to study in your own time. Would recommend to anyone looking for grant funding from new to seasoned administrators.” Thomas, Summer 2020 Toolkit

Getting started with Crowdfunding

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 15:56:44 GMT

Wednesday 8 ^th December, 10:30 am

1hr 15mins including Q&A

Zoom small group call, max 15

£55 per person

Book online here

This session is for charity and community leaders that:

have been meaning to try crowdfunding and never been quite sure where to start
have great ideas for a campaign but not had time to get it going
have seen other people’s successful crowdfunders and want that for their organisation

Crowdfunding is a great income source and awareness-raising tool, with several funders able to match gifts that you secure from your supporter base. Like any fundraising tool successful crowdfunders have a structure.

In this session we will share real life crowdfunding knowledge and advice on common pitfalls to help you decide when, where and how to run your campaign.

In this one-hour online session you will be taken through the building blocks of a successful campaign, with time throughout to ask questions and tailor your crowdfunding plans. We will cover:

what platform to use
what topics to consider
what income goal to have and how to fill it
timeframe and workload
rewards (number, type, cost, fulfilment)

Phyllis Martin is an experienced Senior Associate with BTA and has created online trainings that have brought in millions in new funding for clients of all sizes. Phyllis has run several successful crowdfunders and has taken part in the RSA’s Crowdfunding development programme. As a Churchill Fellow she has interviewed dozens of executives of American non-profits to bring new approaches into her specialism of trusts and foundations fundraising.

How to get started with legacies

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 13:36:16 GMT

Wednesday 23rd February 2022 , 10:30am

1hr 15mins including Q&A

Zoom small group call

£75 per person

Book online here .

Gifts in Wills provide around £1.9bn to charities annually. The legacy market is experiencing continued strong growth in particular with smaller and regional charities as supporters get choosier as to which charities they want to leave their final gift to.

Gifts in Wills are often based on long-standing relationships which any charity can influence to their audiences. Join this Seminar to find out why legacy fundraising is suitable for your organisation and how you can get started by identifying who is likely to leave you legacies.

What will be covered in the seminar?

Who is likely to leave your charity legacies and why
Does your charity receive legacies? If not, we explore why that is.
Benefits to legacies - to your charity and donor
Barriers/challenges to promoting legacies - how to overcome them
How to identify your legacy prospects
Why you need a legacy case for support and how to develop it
What do legacy prospects want?

Sanita Guddu started her career in fundraising, 17 years ago, in regional roles managing community fundraising, events and corporate partnerships, but found her niche as a legacy fundraiser in 2008. From recruiting legacy donors and managing regional legacy teams, Sanita loves the whole legacy journey from having legacy conversations to stewarding pledgers.

Sanita is BTA’s legacy expert working with our charity clients, of all sizes, to write and develop their legacy strategy.

Sanita also provides mentoring and coaching to fundraisers new to the sector or new to a legacy role. She is a great asset to a charity who is looking for interim in-house legacy support.

Also a renowned regular speaker at legacy conferences. In 2020 Sanita and was on a panel of expert speakers at the Chartered Institute Of Fundraising Legacy Conference and at the Wilmington Charities Legacy Summit and in 2021 at the CIOF Supporter Experience Conference.

Sanita has volunteered for various charities over the past 20 years, and since 2008 she has been a volunteer counsellor at NSPCC/Childline. Her previous volunteer roles include an Age UK befriender, a mentor at St Basils Homelessness Youth Charity and a child mentor for NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service).

Dyslexia awareness week

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 09:53:21 GMT

It’s dyslexia awareness week and I wanted to share my insight...

Dyslexia shouldn’t be discouraged nor frowned upon, it’s just a different way of seeing the world, another way of processing information and a different way of collaborating with others to create great ideas!

Looking back throughout my education, I was never academically gifted, however I excelled in practical hands-on subjects and was very creative. Unfortunately, I was never supported in my early year’s education and most school reports said I was “disruptive or lacked interest / motivation”. My uninformed ideas of “Dyslexia” was that it meant someone lacked intelligence or was lazy.

In 2018, at the age of 23 whilst undertaking my Diploma in Equine Studies at SRUC Oatridge College, I was finally given the opportunity to undergo a psychology evaluation, where I was diagnosed with Dyslexia.

From there, everything changed. I was introduced to workplace adjustments and specialist support through my studies, I learned so many new things about my dyslexia which gave me the self-confidence to embrace the challenges that faced me now.

Now to the present day:

I’m unbelievably grateful to be working with a company that are willing to invest in and support me. I am now empowered to use my platform to raise awareness of the invisible disability and encourage others to continue to thrive in being themselves.

How to recruit excellent charity Trustees

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 12:00:49 GMT

Are your Board equipped to navigate the current, challenging environment and help you not just survive but thrive? BTA support Scotland’s charities to recruit dozens of Trustees every year so we know that it’s never easy.

Looking ahead to what 2022 will bring we also know that it’s really important to strengthen your Board now.

We are making our in-house knowledge available to guide charity leaders and Boards to tackle recruitment of new Trustees with confidence. It goes way beyond the accountant, lawyer and HR professional checklist. It is crucial to identify the skill balance that you need on your Board. We know that diversity is powerful and how to recruit to achieve it. And most important of all, we know how to INSPIRE potential trustees to join you.

Learning the basics of robust Trustee recruitment will give you the tools to strengthen your organisation for the long haul, bringing in the skills, connection and perspective that you need. A well-resourced, knowledgeable and supportive Board can transform your fundraising, governance and strategic planning.

This will be a hands-on engaging session where you will learn tried and tested methods to recruit a diverse, skill-matched, and inspired Board.

BTA Knowledge is about making expertise available from those who know the reality of the frontlines. Our Chief Executive Bruce Tait is presenting an interactive session to share practical and proven processes. He has been on both sides of the process, as a charity Chair himself, serving on the Boards of around a dozen other charities, and leading BTA’s Trustee Recruitment Service.

Bruce Tait has guided organisations at the highest levels nationally and internationally. An in-demand speaker and expert facilitator, Bruce has a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the international charity sphere forged by 25 years in senior leadership roles in the voluntary sector. He has consulted for charities in Canada, Ireland, USA, Sweden, Holland and Spain. A former Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Scotland, Bruce was recently made a Fellow of the IoF.

Wednesday 27th Oct, 10:30am

1hr 15mins including Q&A

Zoom small group call

£50 per person

Book online here .

Engage the public for stronger fundraising

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 08:51:28 GMT

24th Nov , 10:30 am

1hr 15mins including Q&A

Zoom small group call, max 15

£50 per person

Community engagement for stronger fundraising

Community and public engagement is part of any organisation’s plan and features in every funding bid or donor pitch. Roisin Calvert-Elliott is working with BTA Knowledge to demystify public and community engagement for charities and third-sector organisations. Covid has changed what engagement looks like so every third sector organisation that wants to succeed needs to check in with what engagement means and how to do it well.

Building meaningful community relationships is essential if you want people to know the importance of the work you’re doing, to access your services, support you, volunteer for you, or just tell other people about the amazing work you are doing! This webinar provides a straightforward overview of what meaningful community engagement can look like. Refreshing you and your team on what it is and what it could be will help develop an effective approach going forward.

Strategies mean nothing if you can’t reach people, so make sure you know how to convince funders, reassure stakeholders and get partners on board in 2022 as the sector navigates new challenges.

Suitable for CEOs, senior leadership and frontline fundraising staff this practical session will give you the chance to hear from a public engagement expert and get clear on your goals and methods.

Strictly limited places – book yours today here,

Róisín Calvert-Elliott works as a Senior Associate with BTA to support charities who wish to develop a more effective approach to public and community engagement.

Róisín is a strategic and visionary thinker with over 20 years experience working in public engagement and in developing and delivering high quality community engagement programmes. She also has considerable expertise in developing public engagement strategies, establishing relationships with key external partners across communities, the public, private and third sectors and in increasing the impact and reach of charities within Scotland and overseas.

As well as her work as an independent consultant with BTA, Róisín works as a Regional Strategy Manager with the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In addition, Roisin has worked with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society.

Other experience includes working as a Steering Group Member for Climate Action East Linton and being a Mentor with Business in the Community.

Róisín is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Sustainability for charities, COP26 & beyond.

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 11:01:22 GMT

Sustainability in a Covid world. How to play your part in a just green recovery; enhance your reputation; meet your social and environmental aims; and stay sustainable.

2 Nov, 10:30 am

1hr 15mins including Q&A

Zoom small group call, max 15

£50 per person

A GREEN RECOVERY FOR ALL

Fundraising and planning are about to get a new focus – contributing to net zero carbon and addressing climate change.

COP26 will be one of Glasgow’s biggest events this year, amid increasing concern that our world is already witnessing significant climate change-related disruption from torrential floods in Germany and China to devastating fires in Australia, Greece, and the USA. The pressure for substantial change to achieve net zero at speed will undoubtedly intensify.

At the same time, COVID has produced a pronounced shift in public opinion, focusing as never before on those who do not act in a socially responsible manner – no organisation or individual is exempt from scrutiny.

Funders in turn will want to ensure that their support is provided to organisations that are ethical, transparent, and can evidence their benefit to the communities they serve.

So a proactive approach to sustainability is something every charity must tackle to thrive in 2022. Handled properly it can be an opportunity, offering the chance to re-shape, re-prioritise, and recharge organisational mission and operational approaches.

The good news is that a roadmap is readily available. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched in 2015 and are widely used by governments and the private sector. Learning to use the SDGs offer will give your organisation a robust set of management and communication tools and an effective route map to guide you through this time of unprecedented change and increase your resilience.

BTA are determined to support charities in developing a strong awareness of the SDGs and how they can help them deliver their mission, develop new partnerships, and increase their funding opportunities.

Ann is delighted to be presenting this BTA Knowledge Webinar to present the key principles behind the SDGs, their relevance to the funding landscape in Scotland, and how they can be adapted to the needs of not-for-profit organisations both large and small.

Strictly limited places – book yours today here .

***

Ann McKechin works with BTA to support charities to become more aware of sustainability issues.

Ann’s knowledge of the third sector landscape is second to none, with a substantial career in private legal practice, as MP for Glasgow Maryhill and a decade for Glasgow North. During this time she served as Under Secretary of State in the Scotland Office and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in the Labour Shadow Cabinet.

Her frontline sector experience includes Executive Director of the ScottishPower Foundation, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Scottish Power, and chair of the Scottish Grantmakers Association. She currently works as a consultant and is Vice Chair of Public Health Scotland. She is also a member of the General Optical Council and General Chiropractic Council Hearings Panels, the Board of Smart Energy GB, the University of West of Scotland Court, the advisory panel of IPPR Scotland, and a trustee of UN Women UK.

Becoming a Young Trustee

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 13:09:49 GMT

Young people aren’t just the leaders of tomorrow. We have the energy, skills and ideas to change society for the better – today.

Trustees in the UK are not representative of the population. People aged 18-24 make up 12% of the UK’s population but only 0.5% are charity trustees. Instead, boards of charities are dominated by older people with the average age of a charity trustee being 57.

Becoming one of the 0.5%

One of the biggest barriers to young people becoming trustees is a lack of awareness of what a trusteeship entails.

Young people aren’t aware what trustees do and that it is something that they can do. They don’t understand the role of a trustee compared to the various other forms of volunteering opportunities.

Working within a third sector consultancy that recruits trustees, I am fortunate to have developed a solid understanding of the role of a trustee, and how vital they are in ensuring charities are well run and uphold their charitable mission.

Knowing these things made it easier to apply for my first trustee position.

I was advertising one of our trustee roles when I stumbled across the role at Forth Valley Welcome on Inspiring Scotland’s vacancy page. I was instantly drawn to the charity. I emailed the designated contact straight away expressing my interest, my USP (my degree in Middle Eastern politics and the key skills I believed I could bring to the role).

This leads me to the second barrier to young people applying to trustee roles, which is a perceived lack of experience.

Younger trustees may be less likely to have experience in dealing with organisational finance and strategic planning than someone who is at a senior level in their career, since similar responsibilities in paid work tend to be part of job roles in management and executive level. However, this does not mean that young people don’t have anything to contribute to this process - they almost certainly do.

When submitting my application, I focused on my experience working supporting the third sector as well as highlighting the relevance of why I was specifically interested in joining FVW. I focused on my university studies which specialised in Middle Eastern politics and how I believed the knowledge I gained here would help me to bring a useful perspective to the charity.

I was delighted to hear back shortly after applying.

The process after that point was pretty straightforward. I had an initial call with the secretary about my interest and had the chance to find out more about the work of the charity. I then met virtually with the secretary and treasurer to discuss the responsibilities, and role in more detail. I was delighted to hear how forward-thinking the charity was in relation to recruiting younger trustees (despite being such a small organisation).

The charity was eager to have me join and highlighted a number of benefits to the charity of having a younger person on board:

• They acknowledged that I could help challenge a disconnect that can exist between board members and beneficiaries and help ensure that the charity provides appropriate services, communications and staff support.

• They also acknowledged that by diversifying their board they can benefit from a greater range of skills and viewpoints which can result in increased flexibility, greater scrutiny and better-informed decision making.

• They also acknowledged that by diversifying their board they will gain differing perspectives that can result in younger trustees asking the questions others might not.

There are many benefits to the young person by joining a board. It’s an immensely powerful way of getting involved with charities. You not only get the chance to contribute, it’s also a great learning experience.

Here’s what I learned:

1. Contributing to a great cause

There’s no doubt that being a trustee is one of the most powerful ways in which you can contribute to your local community or to a cause you really care about. As a trustee, you play an integral part in the good governance of a charity, not only ensuring that the organisation remains viable and sustainable but ensuring that it adheres closely to its mission and works in the interests of its beneficiaries.

2. Strategic experience

You’ll get the opportunity to develop and hone your critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills as well as developing vital strategic sensibilities and team working skills. It often takes decades to find yourself in a role which requires strategic oversight.

3. Professional networks

Whether it’s seeking advice on a current workplace predicament or scoping out opportunities for the next step in your career progression, being a trustee can open up your professional network in all kinds of unforeseen and advantageous ways that will only become clear once you have taken the leap!

4. Developing skills and experience

Trusteeship allows you to adapt and apply everything you have learned in your day job to an entirely new context. You can gain a clearer idea of your own professional strengths and weaknesses whilst simultaneously learning altogether new skills.

5. Team working

Negotiating, empathising, listening and clearly communicating ideas and concerns are huge factors in this process and often help to set the tone and culture of board meetings. All of this is essential to positive, forward thinking and efficient charity governance, but it’s also a fantastic opportunity to develop sound judgement and interpersonal skills that will improve your prospects whatever career path you happen to be on.

I am delighted to now have a role at BTA working BTA’s Head of Consulting, Ruperta Melville which includes recruiting board members for Scottish charities, and I will be doing my up most to ensure that we promote these position to young people. If you know any young people who would like to speak to me about becoming a trustee, I would be glad to have a chat.

BTA Knowledge Conference - CEO Re-starter

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 13:11:56 GMT

A mini-conference from Bruce Tait Associates just for CEOs of charitable organisations.

Time & Location

18 Oct, 13:00 – 20 Oct, 13:00

The Inch Hotel, Fort Augustus, Inverness-shire PH32 4BL, UK

Click here to book

About the Event

Our recent discussions with CEOs have been absolutely conclusive. Across the board, you have told us you need and desire two things more than anything else:

Time to stop, breathe, think, make decisions and speak to real-life peers
Ideas for securing the financial future and growth of your organisation

The ‘CEO re-starter’ has been specifically created by BTA, in association with PFI and the Inch, to provide the forum in which you can address both points above – and a lot more besides.

The content – 4 key outcomes

• The Third Sector landscape in Scotland in 2021

• Covid has changed EVERYTHING – but not necessarily how you might think

• Changes – future trends CEOs need to be ready for

• How to lead your charity out of this mess

What you will take away – three themes

Theme One - Organisational strategy post-COVID

Defining the ambition for your organisation – has it changed and how?

Finding your new competitive advantage (and getting people to believe in it)

Creating a plan your Board will like and approve

Theme Two - Get your organisation ready for growth

Strategic development toolkit – launching the plans to deliver your vision

Getting your Board futureproof

Building a motivated and ambitious staff team

Solving internal conflicts that hamper progress

Theme Three - Kick-starting your new future by harnessing “new model” funding approaches

Giving – the boom of COVID

What you can expect from your fundraising on the post COVID world

Where Income Generation fits with everything else that you do

Preparing yourself for a surge in growth

All designed to address the most important things CEOs need right now, in a supportive, transparent and honest environment.

The speakers

Bruce Tait

Bruce Tait is the Chief Executive of BTA. He has guided organisations at the highest levels nationally and internationally. An in-demand speaker and expert facilitator, Bruce has a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the international charity sphere forged by 25 years in senior leadership roles in the voluntary sector. He holds several active trusteeships and has consulted for charities in Canada, Ireland, USA, Sweden, Holland and Spain. A former Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Scotland, Bruce was recently made a Fellow of the IoF.

Abeer Macintyre

Abeer is a Specialist Associate at BTA and is a highly respected fundraising and communications specialist and has significantly developed the fundraising capacity of numerous UK charities as a Director-level Fundraiser and as a Consultant. Formerly the presenter of BBC Scotland's flagship news programmes (Reporting Scotland, Newsdrive and Newsnight Scotland) Abeer has also been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International for her charitable work.

Alan Clayton

Simply put, Alan delivers the focus and energy that clients need to transform fundraising growth for their organisations. With 25 years as an international speaker, seminar leader, creative director and consultant in fundraising, Alan has a world-class reputation for fundraising transformation. Having started his career in UK charities, he ran a London based agency for ten years before committing the next decade to developing a global programme in ‘Great Fundraising Organisations.’ Alan has worked with over 350 clients in more than 30 countries.

Transform your Fundraising with BTA’s Expert Grant Writing course.

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 13:35:08 GMT

Transform your Fundraising with BTA’s Expert Grant Writing course.

Do you need to raise more money from grant applications? The Grant-Writing Toolkit from BTA Knowledge will give you the vital building blocks of successful grant applications.

Covid has altered the grant landscape and made it essential to have strong, well-developed applications ready to go as soon as funds open. This in-demand course will help you upgrade your fundraising skills and secure your income.

Let us tell you exactly how to plan, create and submit successful applications for just a few hours a week, and transform your fundraising.

“Very informative and full of useful information with clear and concise direction, excellent back up videos to study in your own time and on hand tutor advice throughout. Would recommend to anyone looking for grant funding from new to seasoned administrators.” Toolkit Participant

The Course

Designed for busy charity leaders or anyone who needs to learn grant-writing fast, our 6-week block course will teach you how to plan, create and submit successful applications in just a few hours each week. You will receive:

• Senior fundraising strategist support and professional drafting expertise from BTA Head of Knowledge Phyllis Martin

• One 75-minute live small group training per week, recorded to watch anytime

• Office Hours Q&A for one-to-one advice

• Time-saving templates of real successful applications, databases and supporting documents for you to use

Week 1 - Strategy - know what makes your projects fundable and where to find funders.

Week 2 - Method - learn how to compartmentalise and priortise to make a basic grant-writing plan for the year ahead.

Week 3 - Planning - create a detailed timeline for your programme that avoids the common mistakes and shows funders you know what you are doing.

Week 4 - Create a detailed funding budget, learn how it’s different from a delivery budget and make sure you include the details that funders need to say yes.

Week 5 - Impact - impress funding panels with rock-solid outcomes and indicators.

Week 6 - Not Just Good But Great - how to use evidence of need to stand out from the crowd, what to say and how to say it.

“I would definitely recommend this to all small charity groups as I think it would be hard to find a course which offers so much development and the ongoing support has been amazing.” Toolkit Participant

Course Details

Launch: Wednesday 7th July, weekly live sessions, recorded for access on your schedule.

Fee: £850 ex VAT

Questions: contact siobhan.balie@brucetaitassociates.com , 01786 542 224.

Places are strictly limited to deliver tailored support.

Make sure you hit the deadlines that can support your programmes and book today. Looking forward to getting you grant-writing ready!

Charities, behaviour, and influence

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 08:46:01 GMT

Alan Clayton is speaking at Behavioural Design Fest, Crossbaskets Hotel, Glasgow on 14th October.

We at BTA are fascinated by this subject and its relevance to charities. Alan has decades of experience in working with charity leaders, so we asked him to write us a guest blog.

Charities are inherently emotional. Something is wrong and you want to fix it. Your organisation was founded in a flurry of excited passion and the early years were fast moving, exciting and made progress really quickly. Leadership and management were driven by inspiration.

Then something started to change. Your organisation got rational. Very rational. Too rational. Things started to slow down, get complicated, get even a little bit stuck. You started looking internally and started to spend all your leadership time on systems, measurements, procedures … and re-structures.

Every charity I have had the privilege of working with has been through this loop – at least once and some many times.

Trustees and executives often try the same approach – try to find structural solutions to cultural (or behavioural) problems. The whiteboard comes out and matrices, pyramids and onions are drawn. Audits are completed, gap analyses created, and competitor maps drawn.

These things are important. Rational thinking is important. Structure is important. But they are not everything.

Fundamentally our service users, advocates, campaigners, staff, volunteers, and donors are driven by emotion. My take on starting with behavioural design is the simplistic insight:

Emotion is why we do things. Rationality is why we do not do stupid things.

If you want to position your charity to grow your projects, services, and income, start with behaviour. This means starting with emotional engagement. Provide the emotional solution to the behavioural problem, then get the whiteboard out and start logically plotting how to align the parts for efficiency and effectiveness.

Your charity will fly when service users, staff, volunteers, and funders are all emotionally aligned. It takes expertise in the field of behavioural design to achieve this. Cultural change before structural change, not vice versa.

Notable success stories such as Aberlour (Scotland’s Children’s Charity), CHAS (Children’s Hospices Across Scotland), SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Foundation) and even RHASS (the Royal Agricultural Show Society of Scotland) have thrived taking this approach.

They all started with one thing: a focus which was:

1. Urgent

2. Simple

3. External

4. Ambitious

5. Inspiring

Why did they do this? Because emotions are:

1. Urgent

2. Simple

3. External

4. Ambitious

5. Inspiring

If the focus lines up with the emotional needs of stakeholder groups, then you have created the environment within which emotional alignment, and thus energy, unity, and action, can emerge.

The rational bit is part of the leader’s job. The emotional bit must be mastered to. This is behavioural design.

Here is a four-word summary:

Purpose, Passion, Performance, Productivity.

In that order.

As charities increasingly move into the influencing space, the behavioural design skill set has never been so important. Only when you are emotionally aligned can you start to influence client groups, the public, governments, institutions, and funders.

After all, they, like charities, are in the emotions business, too.

Alan will be speaking about ‘finding purpose’ at Behavioural Design Fest, Crossbaskets Hotel, Glasgow on 14th October. Early bird tickets are available until 14th August. Click here to see the programme and book your places.

Why you should call in the experts

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 12:16:26 GMT

“The Covid-19 crisis has put a financial squeeze on us. We will have to perform out of our skins across all areas just to survive. I’m not sure I can afford to use BTA to help me recruit the people we need to help us!”

The impact of Covid-19 on the charity sector is undeniable. Many charities have lost valuable staff and have faced cutting their services in the face of huge economic pressure.

Estimations are that UK-wide the sector has lost £4.5 billion in income as an immediate consequence of the pandemic. Some charities have closed and others face a fight to survive with a struggle to adapt to decreased funding. All of this while many are facing increased demand for their services from vulnerable people and communities in need of unparalleled levels of support.

The way that charities have responded throughout the pandemic has been both admirable and inspirational. The hard work and commitment of charities to continue delivering support to vulnerable services users have been vital. The charity leaders and staff that I have spoken with across the summer and into autumn have shifted their approach and developed a far more short-term focus, which allows them to battle the current circumstances in support of their users. While a shift to short-term focus has been critical to continuing their support, it has caused attention to divert from the long-term. Strategic plans conceived and launched “pre-Covid” were somewhat shelved as charities, understandably, battled the here and now.

Humans, by our nature, are adaptable and we have pivoted personally and professionally since March 2020 to react to the restrictions and consequences of the pandemic. Wearing my mask in the gym and at the shops feels normal now, as does the almost constant need to rub hand sanitiser on my hands. Charities have also adapted and focus has slowly started returning to long-term strategic plans.

Staff are central to so many long-term plans and your charity must have the best people in posts to help achieve success. All across your organisation, having the very best people in posts will be critical. Now is the time when everyone is accountable and there is no room for passengers. For example, in the fight for survival or the drive towards success, the difference between a good fundraiser and a great fundraiser could be tens of thousands of pounds of donor income. Consider the impact that having great people will make to your charity.

If you don’t have the best people in place and you need to attract new talent to your charity, how will you do it alongside maintaining a focus on navigating through this crisis to sustain your future and delivering services to vulnerable users?

I have spoken with and recruited for so many charities that have initially gone out on their own to try and find the best talent for their teams but failed to do so. The common approach is advertising on job boards and social media, and these can be a great avenue but should be seen as an option rather than the only option. Job Boards and Social Media do not provide the extended reach required to access to the best talent. You will attract a high-volume of active jobseekers, a number inflated because of the unfortunate impact of the pandemic on the economy, desperate to work. This desperation alongside the high-volume does not guarantee success. Can you be confident that applicants are truly passionate and dedicated to your cause, organisation and the role for the long-term when they are applying simply to get work? How much time will it take to review and respond to unsuitable applicants before finding the few suitable people amongst them? When you have to dedicate so much time to helping your charity survive and support your users, how much time can you dedicate to engaging with applicants? An applicant becomes a stakeholder in the organisation as soon as they apply and must be treated accordingly; spending a 10-minutes reviewing and providing a courteous reply to 50 individual applicants is more than 8-hours of your time – a full working day and 20% of your week. Who has that time to invest in these current times?

The adverts and job descriptions you use speak volumes about your organisation from culture to the working environment. Getting it wrong can put your brand and reputation at risk and adversely affect not only attracting suitable candidates but future donors and partners. Producing creative and engaging copy for recruitment campaigns includes advertising, marketing and candidate information material such as job descriptions, and requires a specialist skill. It’s imperative your organisation is represented truly and accurately through the style, tone and messaging included. Failing to engage the most appropriate candidates at this stage has a huge knock-on effect and will result in a poor shortlist with unsuitable candidates and an interview day wasted.

Failure in hiring staff is costly in many areas: time, finances and energy. A campaign that yields no suitable candidates sees you lose valuable time better spent delivering in your area of expertise, money wasted on advertising and recruitment tasks that don’t return income, and your effort across the campaign is not returned. A worse scenario is hiring the wrong candidate. All the time, money and energy spent on the recruitment campaign followed by onboarding, training, development, support, guidance and ultimately letting them go to start again has a massive negative impact across the whole organisation.

Charities call in the experts and work with BTA as we protect against failure and mitigate the risk of a poor campaign through our robust and proven recruitment process. We are the experts that charities across Scotland call upon when they need the best staff and to help in their efforts to succeed or survive their current situation.

There is a centuries-old prover “For the want of a nail” which reminds us that seemingly innocuous acts or omissions can have significant unforeseen consequences. When recruiting, a small omission or miscommunication in a job description or advert can lead to the best candidates not applying and you facing a shortlist of lesser options. BTA work hard across our 140-point recruitment plan to ensure that our charity partners and their recruitment campaigns are never left “wanting for a nail”.

Recruitment is an investment, not a cost. Hiring the very best talent will enhance your charity, allowing you to survive any challenges from the pandemic and to succeed in your charitable aims. Going it alone is fraught with risk and these risks enhance the danger of a failed campaign or a less-than-great hire and this is the real costs you could face.

Can you afford not to call in the experts and use BTA to find the best talent for your charity?

Don't lose hope - now is the time to be strong and adapt

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 11:15:34 GMT

In what now feels like a lifetime in the voluntary sector, I’ve seen many threats to our wonderful non-profit world come and go.

From BSE to Black Wednesday, and many others over the years, our sector has been called on to suffer sickening blows, totter on economic cliff-edges and bounce-back from the brink, time and time again.

And you know what? We have. Charities and non-profits are really, really good at it. When all around are losing their heads, charities have stuck to task, ramped up their services and trusted that the great giving public will come along with them. And the public has.

While giving does drop slightly at times like these, it’s not because of individual donors. It's event cancellations and trust funding that causes a slight drop. Individuals have never stopped giving at time of crisis or recession EVER . And that includes during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Fundraising may feel impossible right now but this is not the time to lose hope. There is much to do - indeed it is critical that much gets done.

Because the most damaging impact of the virus is the fear of it. And if charities pull back, if they don't keep taking their message to their donors, if they don’t keep giving people the glory of giving, then they are going to hurt themselves far worse than the virus will hurt them.

Yes, some organisations will raise less money. But others will adapt well and actually RAISE more money. One thing is guaranteed - cancelling your fundraising is the 100% sure way to seriously damage your fundraising revenue.

My advice, as someone who still has the scars of previous scraps like this, is to never stop and never surrender. To harness your passion for making our communities, our world, our species, BETTER .

Be Brave. Be Strong. Be Active. Be Clever. And Adapt. If you refuse to act on your fear, you will get through this. Are you with me?

“Getting it right first time – a message from BTA’s Head of Recruitment (England)

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 10:31:52 GMT

At BTA we’ve been working hard throughout these strange times to continue to support our friends at charities across the UK, in whatever way we can. During this period, we’ve kept in touch with clients and candidates and have listened to the whole range of emotions that the sector is feeling. You may have seen our ‘values’ series of videos via our social feeds, and it is these values that have kept us going, with the support of each other as a well-connected team.

One thing we all share at BTA is the confidence that we will get through it. Yes, things will be different. Yes, unfortunately, some charities will suffer more than most, but the sector has come through difficult times in the past and can do so again.

What is for certain, however, is that if charities are to survive, and plug those holes in their budgets that have been ravaged by the pandemic, we need to get things right first time. No longer can we approach things with an element of “let’s just see how we get on” when so much is now reliant upon making the right decisions and being brave.

Recruitment most certainly falls into this category. I spoke with a client last week who was understandable quite emotional in explaining how one of her team had decided not to stay after their fixed-term contract ends as planned and that one of her most valued team members had decided to bring forward their retirement. Finding ways to replace revenue will be tough enough yet trying to do this without two of her strongest team members seemed impossible.

I completely understood the fear attached, but what impact will these gaps in the team have over the next 6 months? 12 months? Can my client afford to “let’s just see how we get on” this time, and risk overstretching herself and her remaining team? Or by trying to recruit themselves, adding further workload and risk an unsuccessful campaign with unwanted costs attached.

Our phones and inboxes have certainly not been quiet during this crisis, with candidates getting in touch with updated CVs and a fresh new outlook after time to reflect during lockdown. We are confident that we have one of the strongest candidate databases in the sector in the UK and can attract the best possible talent for your opportunity.

We have always taken on the risks of recruitment for our charity friends and this will never change. We believe now is the time for charities to be brave in the “if”, yet cautious in the “how” they recruit. Let BTA do what we do best: use our charity and recruitment expertise to deliver a successful campaign that is right first time, and ensure there are no empty chairs when the office re-opens or empty Zoom windows until that happens!

Are you maximising your income from Trusts and Foundations?

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 10:25:54 GMT

Marla Cunningham, BTA’s Senior Associate for the North of England has unrivalled expertise in gaining funds from grant-makers. In her 20-year career in Fundraising she has led and delivered the £26m Capital Campaign for HOME in Manchester, lead a £1.5 m trust fundraising emergency appeal for Youth Zones across the country and designed the £20m Appeal strategy for St. Ann’s Hospice.

Here she explains why income from Trusts and Foundations is critical, but highly competitive.

Many charities have continued to provide their services against a backdrop of reduced income due to the Covid-19 crisis. The emergency funding response has, in many cases, steadied the ship through unchartered waters. Trusts and Foundations, in particular, have been quick to act to support charities during the Covid-19 crisis, offering flexibility, collaboration with other funders, streamlined application processes and quick decisions, helping many charities survive.

So what’s next?

With the recent news, that 1 in 10 charities expect to face bankruptcy and an estimated £10bn loss to the sector (Guardian Online 10/06/20), we fundraisers ask ourselves, what next?

With lockdown restrictions beginning to ease, it will be a while before face-to-face fundraising incomes streams, such as corporate, community, events and major donor, build back up again. The next move for many charity CEO’s and their Grants and Trusts fundraisers is, therefore, to ensure that they are maximising their income from Grants, Trusts, and Statutory funding sources to help them transition back into the next phase.

From our discussions with funders in the sector, we know that many trusts who have halted their funding will begin to meet again in late Summer/early Autumn. We also know that major funders like The National Lottery Community Fund, Children in Need and Comic Relief have set aside significant funding to support those affected by Covid-19.

Other trusts have changed their criteria to deal specifically with the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis in areas of employment, domestic abuse, health and wellbeing, and support for vulnerable people of all ages. Competition will be fierce, with some trusts earning less money through their investments and donations due to the crisis (while other will have flourished).

At BTA, we want to help charities ensure that they are maximising their income through Trusts, Foundation and Statutory funding. We know that competition for these new, or revised funding sources will be significant and particular expertise will be required to access this funding. BTA have this expertise. Our services include:

• Trusts and Foundation Audit

• Trust and Foundation Strategy

• Grants and Trust Prospecting

• Grantwriting and Submissions

• Mentoring for existing Grants and Trusts Fundraisers.

Sustainability in a COVID 19 world

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:42:21 GMT

Ann McKechin works with BTA to support charities become more aware of sustainability issues.

After a substantial career in private legal practice she was elected in 2001 as Member of Parliament for Glasgow Maryhill and from 2005 to 2015 represented the Glasgow North seat. Between 2008 and 2010 she was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Scotland Office and from 2010 to 2011 was Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland in the Labour Shadow Cabinet.

Her recent experience includes being Executive Director of the ScottishPower Foundation as well as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Scottish Power which she left in 2019 and the former chair of Scottish Grantmakers Association. She currently works as a consultant and is a member of the General Optical Council Hearings Panel, the Board of Public Health Scotland, the University of West of Scotland Court, the advisory panel of IPPR Scotland and a trustee of UN Women UK.

As the COVID-19 emergency continues with the economic and social costs becoming more acute, charities face the prospect of managing continual uncertainty over a prolonged period.

Time for reflection and analysis is short and frequently non-existent as crisis management takes hold but it is vital that charities continue to exhibit sound governance, be able to react quickly to new challenges, retain the trust of their stakeholders and understand their funders’ strategic priorities if they stand a chance of remaining sustainable and credible.

The impact of COVID has also resulted in a pronounced shift in public opinion which is focused as never before on those who do not act in a socially responsible manner – no organisation or individual is exempt from scrutiny.

Funders in turn will want to ensure that their support is provided to organisations that are ethical, transparent and can evidence their benefit to the communities they serve.

So a proactive approach to sustainability is one of the key factors that charities must tackle. Handled properly it can be more of an opportunity than a threat, offering the chance to re-shape, re-priorities and recharge organisational mission and operational approaches.

And the good news is that a roadmap is readily available. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched in 2015 and are already widely used by governments and the private sector. The SDGs offer a robust set of management and communication tools that provides an effective route map to guide your organisation through this time of unprecedented change and increase its resilience.

BTA are determined to support charities in developing a strong awareness of the SDGs and how they can help them deliver their mission, develop new partnerships and increase their funding opportunities.

I’m therefore delighted to be presenting the latest BTA Webinar – Sustainability in a Covid-19 world. This webinar will introduce the key principles behind the SDGs, their relevance to the funding landscape in Scotland and how they can be adapted to the needs of not for profit organisations both large and small.

For further information and to book your place click here

Fundraising during COVID-19. All to play for.

Tue, 05 May 2020 11:01:05 GMT

Throughout the millennia, the human race has faced many challenges. On each occasion, we have shown remarkable resilience and the ability to adapt to situations around us. The coronavirus pandemic will be no different.

We can already see a change in the fear that gripped the third sector two months ago when this situation started to evolve. The minute the second phase of lockdown was announced on 16th April, charities started having different conversations with us. It was more about “how can we make this happen” rather than “I can’t even talk about this right now.” We breathed a collective sigh of relief, not just because we are a business, but because the environment was already extremely challenging before COVID-19 hit and to abandon strategic plans or fail to recruit key posts could only do more harm than good in the long run. It also seemed to us, as Scotland’s biggest third sector consultancy, that this was happening on an unnecessary, as well as unprecedented, scale. People still care about the causes they have always cared about, funders are still funding albeit some are re-assessing their priorities and the universal need is still there.

When it comes to fundraising, it is still all the play for. A number of donor surveys throughout the pandemic prove this.

100% of people questioned in one survey saw charities as being part of the solution to getting us through this crisis and understood the increased need to give. While it’s true to say that some sections of the population are worried about their financial future and are likely to donate less (particularly 45 to 54 year olds), they only constitute 14% of donors questioned Overall 22% of people say they will be donating more during and after this crisis with health, elderly, homeless and children highlighted as the causes front of mind at the moment. While some are having to count the pennies, others are saying they are spending less and will be in a position to give more. Telephone fundraising is seeing a huge spike. One UK wildlife charity has seen an increase of 30% in donations through this one channel. Another, smaller charity, has reported a 20% increase. DRTV advertising income as shot up by 300%, no doubt as people are home based and glued to TV and radio. A couple more interesting facts and stats for Fundraisers. Income through Facebook engagement is up 20% with younger people more engaged with charities through this period.

We cannot say it more strongly. Keep fundraising. Keep recruiting fundraisers-fantastic ones at that.They will make all the difference to your future. Ensure you are ahead of the game when it comes to delivering a winning case for support and securing the donor pound. IT IS ALL STILL TO PLAY FOR.

The clever fundraisers are turning this crisis to their advantage by highlighting the importance of their services during a time of national crisis. For those who aren’t frontline, I think you also have opportunities but only if you think smart. For example, if you are a heritage organisation, you should be delivering a message something along these lines "The world around us might have changed but some things never will-with your help.”

Whether it be recruitment or consultancy, don’t be thrown off course. Show strong and resolute leadership to ensure you come out of this as strong as ever.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.”

― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

(Surveys referenced are: Loyalty, CAF, Bluefrog, Purity, Ethicall and Rapidata)

A COVID-19 phenomenal fundraising success story

Tue, 05 May 2020 10:39:58 GMT

The last six weeks or thereabouts since the Coronavirus lockdown has seemed both the longest and shortest six weeks of my working life. I have felt angry that it has taken a global pandemic to bring into focus at last the unforgivable inequality that underpins our society. But as a fundraiser, I have felt the most alive, positive, needed, useful and focused that I ever have.

Working for Aberlour Children’s Charity presents some real challenges to a fundraiser at the best of times. There is a great deal of judgment, misunderstanding and often ignorance as to why families find themselves in the situations they do, and why they need our support. That makes raising money to help them and their children challenging.

Poverty lies at the heart of much of the family crisis we are seeing. It creates untold emotional stress for parents when they are facing job loss, refused or delayed benefits, mounting debt, lack of access to transport for shopping, lack of food for their children – the list goes on. This pandemic is far from a leveler. We are not all in this together. My annoyance at not being able get my preferred tonic brand for a G&T is not the same as needing to take my kids to a neighbour for a bath because my gas has been cut off.

We knew that Coronavirus restrictions would have a direct and devastating impact on the most vulnerable children and families. We’ve been helping families via our Urgent Assistance Fund for five years already, giving small, cash grants to families (with children under 21) to help with the very basics. We figured that if we put an appeal together, we could boost funds available and support the hundreds of families we knew would be facing the most desperate times.

The main challenge was the need for speed.

Within a day, and in-house, we created and launched our Coronavirus Urgent Assistance Fund Appeal, ensuring the whole organisation was focussed around one strong, simple, urgent ask that went out to all our warm contacts.

We launched on 16 March, some time ahead of other charities, and that stood us in good stead.

Every team member was mobilised with clear goals in the tightest of timescales. We found skill and expertise within the team to design and create all digital, online and social media collateral. There was no time for agencies. Likewise, we designed and created our own DM campaign and brought forward the release of our spring newsletter, combining the two in one mailing. Some of our early stewardship had different team members hand writing Post it notes to stick on thank you letters – logistics of getting them to one team member’s house to post was almost farcical – but we did it.

Most importantly we put out strong and swift communications to partner organisations, other children’s charities and key stakeholders that meant that families with children in urgent need were aware of how we could help. And not just families that Aberlour was already working with, we wanted to help any families, anywhere in Scotland, that needed us. And we have done just that.

At time of writing and in just six weeks we have raised £346,288. Plus 19 new Direct Debit donors. A wonderful achievement by a phenomenal, flexible and dedicated team of fundraisers.

More importantly however, we have already granted over £130,000 to over 450 families with over 1,000 children between them. Applications from families to our fund have increase by 1,137% with no sign of slowing.

We are now focused on maintaining our momentum and planning on how we flex our services, and our ask, to answer the needs of families and children in their own communities once we emerge on the other side of this extraordinary time. Watch this space!

Pippa Johnston, Director of Marketing and Fundraising

Aberlour Children’s Charity

Hiring virtually during COVID-19 - anything is possible

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Tue, 05 May 2020 10:32:18 GMT

The world around us is unrecognisable but the great success story of the human race is that we adapt to change, sometimes for the better.

Shutdowns and social distancing guidelines in response to COVID-19 have led a vast number of industries to move their operations to virtual overnight. Most have done this very successfully and are even seeing some benefits. Hiring managers are faced with the prospect of either putting a freeze on vital new appointments, or conducting the recruitment in this virtual environment.

Our message is-do not set yourself backwards by freezing the recruitment, especially as lock down is likely to last for many months to come. You had valid reasons for creating or needing this role filled. Do not abandon your strategic plan and put yourself in a weaker position when things return to normal(or semi-normal).

When your hires are strategically important to the impact your organisation makes, it’s understandable to want to have a physical meeting with your appointee to build a rapport, pick up on body language, and get a sense of the energy he or she brings.

However, through planning, co-ordination, and best practices, hiring can be adapted for our new virtual workstyle in the same way much of our other work has. BTA has supported the recruitment of a number of posts through this crisis, including at CEO level. It can be done.

We have prepared some guidelines to support you in conducting a full and comprehensive recruitment process virtually which will give you the confidence to make a job offer.

Stage 1: First-round interviews

This involves narrowing down a lengthy list of candidates and identifying the stronger ones to bring forward in the process. Virtual tools make this process incredibly efficient. First stage interviews are done by BTA via Zoom and interrogate a candidate’s skills and experience as well as ensuring their values are aligned with the charity’s. Even in a virtual environment, we are able to assess a candidates’ communication and engagement skills, body language, personality traits etc.

Stage 2: Individual interviews with key team-members or stakeholders

Once we have presented you with a shortlist of candidates who can do this job and desperately want this job, we would ask you to identify key team-members or individuals within the organisation who have a vested interest in getting to know the candidates, and arrange 20-30 minute 1:1 interviews during which each team member probes for a specific competency and captures the result in a central location to share later.

Stage 3: Panel interview with hiring team

A more in-depth panel interview with final candidates can help you understand their behaviours in different circumstances, ask more in-depth questions around their motivations and how they might do a job, and get a sense of how they will fit as part of a team.

Stage 4: Narrow the candidates down to the final one or two

Create a different environment, albeit virtually, to get a different perspective of the candidate. This could be an informal chat over coffee or an early evening drink to see the more personal side of the professional that has already impressed. The questions would be different and give you an idea of how they would engage with the Board, volunteers, supporters, stakeholders in a more relaxed setting or at an event. This could give you added insight as you also get to see them in their home environment, an added bonus.

Stage 5: Extending the probationary period

You do have the option of negotiating an extended probationary period with the candidate due to these exceptional circumstances and not having met them in person. This gives you added security if, on taking up their post, you discover there is a lack of rapport or more serious issue that is a barrier to them being effective in their role.

Getting the most out of Virtual Interviews

Well-conducted video interviews let you efficiently rule out weaker candidates and piece together a fuller picture of your candidates later in the process. Preparing for virtual interviews is the same as preparing for face-to-face ones, and it is key to determine:

• The assessment needs for the position: 1:1 interviews or a panel, written assessment or presentation, any challenging assignments, etc.

• Technology being used and any IT support needed

• How interviewers at different stages will avoid duplicating questions and share the results of their assessments centrally

• Priority areas or competencies each interviewer will probe for assigned in advance

• How to communicate the process, technology being used, interviewees and other necessary information with candidates

BTA can support you with all of this.

We recommend these guidelines to help prepare for virtual interviews during all stages of the recruitment process:

Have an Objective

Plan ahead and consider what you need to hear from a candidate for him or her to advance to the next stage of the process. This means prioritising the most important responsibilities of the job and weighing up the candidate’s suitability and capability against these. This will help guide the questions you’ll ask during the interview.

Prepare Questions and Structure

The best telephone or video interviews are conversational and dynamic, giving both the employer and the candidate the flexibility to explore if it is a good fit. Having a planned structure will eliminate any lapses or awkwardness in the discussion, helping the candidate feel more at-ease and ensuring you get the information you need from the interview. It can be useful to have between five and ten questions planned in advance, depending on the level of the position and how are in the process the interview is. It may be helpful to prepare questions to give you a sense of the candidate’s remote working experience, and how he or she might deal with the associated challenges.

BTA will support by writing draft interview questions to ensure you get the most out of the candidate.

Who’s Calling Who?

To help the process go smoothly for yourself and the candidate, clear communication on the logistics of the interview can go a long way. Ensure the candidate knows the start and expected finish time for the call (keeping time zones in mind if appropriate). Sharing contact details is important, and as the employer it can be a good idea to lead the exchange by agreeing that you will call the candidate.

BTA will manage this whole process and ensure there is a back up plan if the technology fails on the day.

Prepare Your Environment

Where you conduct an interview can make a big difference. If possible, try finding a room where you won’t be disturbed. Ensure you have the lighting and setup ready to go if using a video interview.

It will be important to recognise that at times disturbances can’t be avoided. Family life and work life are converged more than ever. In many ways, managing the unplanned intrusions during an interview can often provide good insight into how the candidate deals with pressure or an unplanned event. But it will also make a difference to be forgiving of disruptions and glitches as we all adapt to these new circumstances.

Put the Candidate at Ease

Telephone or interviews by video conference can feel awkward and stressful at the best of times, even without a global pandemic. The pressure on candidates can bring out their nerves, but in an environment where reading body language is more difficult, it’s easy for the nerves to be misread.

It will be important to give the candidate the opportunity to shine by starting with conversation and ‘ease-in’ questions. If possible, leave the trickier questions to the later stages of the interview and hiring process, where the candidate will have had a better chance to settle into the situation.

In Summary

Virtual interviews have their advantages. They help you quickly eliminate candidates who don’t meet the job requirements while sparing everyone the time, expense, and carbon footprint of travel for a face-to-face interview. They force us to create a more robust interview process in which we really take the time to get to know candidates before making a decision.

What hiring decision-makers struggle with are the components of an interview that are lost in translation virtually: social cues, the ability to quickly connect and build a genuine rapport, seeing how the candidate reacts to the working environment, his or her attitudes and energy. All of these things factor into the vital final hiring decision, so proceeding without them makes us wary. The five steps outlined above should enable you to hire with confidence. The alternative is to put yourself in a more vulnerable position, especially when it comes to gaps in leadership positions. Remember, it can take 6 months from the start of a recruitment process until the person takes up their post. You should not delay!

We also recommend:

• Do your best to conduct interviews throughout the process via video call. Even through a screen, you can see facial expressions and reactions to help build a picture of a candidate. By the time you reach the final stages, you will have built a rapport with remaining candidates.

• Create time for conversation. It’s easy to jump straight into the agenda in a virtual interview. Building a rapport through conversation will take a little extra effort, but it is possible.

• We recommend each person capture interview feedback centrally and independently, then review and discuss as a group to identify recurring themes that emerged in the interviews.

• If anything, hiring virtually may just result in a more careful, deliberate and comprehensive hiring process with greater planning, preparation and consideration

While traditional practice is to hire a new employee only after a face-to-face meeting, current circumstances call for us to adapt and creatively respond to the challenges COVID-19 has presented us. With thoughtful planning, consideration for your organisation’s specific circumstances, and the proper tools and setup, virtual end-to-end recruitment can be successful.

How to provide effective and compassionate leadership in this time of crisis

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 11:52:02 GMT

We are living in unprecedented and anxious times.

As the leader of a third sector or charitable organisation you will have many concerns on your mind; sudden and unplanned homeworking for staff and their wellbeing in this tumultuous time, continuity of front-line services that provide for some of the most vulnerable in society and concerns about how to keep the lights on if fundraising is compromised.

You will have your own feelings to contend with. Perhaps you feel unprepared, anxious, stressed and an overwhelming pressure to make the “right” decisions. These feelings are all completely normal, but what you can’t afford is for them to become overwhelming and paralyse you into incapacity.

Now, more than ever, your organisation needs to you to lead with focus, clarity and compassion. At BTA, our purpose is to support charities in good times and bad. We have asked our leadership consultant Dr Claire Macaulay to compile five top tips to help you cope with the enormous challenges you are currently facing and emerge from this crisis with your wellbeing and organisation intact.

1. Be present.

What you are feeling is real. Make room to recognise your own feelings and concerns and encourage your staff to do the same. Research shows that about 50% of people are “worst case” thinkers. They will be operating from a place of fear that the worst possible outcome is what is going to happen.

Acknowledge that fear, but negativity and doomsday prophecies are not necessarily helpful for team morale or productivity. As a leader, notice if this is your personal style and catch it. Create the clear narrative of what the “most likely” outcome is, not the worst case, and re-frame the collective mindset to a more positive one.

2. Trust that you will do the right thing.

You do not have to make all of the decisions on your own. You have good people around you who know what you and your organisation stand for – use them and make decisions collectively to do the right thing. Remind yourself regularly that you are doing your best and that there are no “right decisions”.

And remember, if a decision turns out not to be the right thing, then change it. You are not trying to be right, you are trying to do the right thing - changing your mind if things don’t work out is not weakness, it is good leadership.

3. Remember your values.

In times of crisis and great uncertainty, you need somewhere solid to plant a foot while you pivot and adapt to changing circumstances. Your organisation’s core values and principles are that solid ground. In a crisis, more than ever, commit wholeheartedly to your values.

Share them with your team, make all your decisions based on them and live what you say to stand for. Acting from your values will mean that every decision will be the right thing.

4. Tell people what you do know and what you don’t.

Crystal-clear clarity about what is happening in your organisation, what you expect people to do and the decisions that are being made is imperative in maintaining trust and diminishing fear. Decide on a communication strategy and consider updating staff daily with a simple and honest briefing about the current situation.

Be very clear about what you do not yet know. This serves two purposes – it highlights to people that you are dealing with issues in the background and that they are on your radar, even although you do not have the answers yet.

This eliminates the element of surprise when decisions are announced. This also helps protect your time and resources, because people will not need to contact you with questions and concerns because they are worried you are not addressing them. Key to this is making sure that you also provide timescales for when you will know the answers and sticking to them.

5. Think about the long term.

This will end. How you respond now may have a major impact on your organisation for many years to come. Your staff are smart and strong and resilient, and so are you. You will adapt and you will get through this. You may need some additional help and support - and BTA are experts in providing support when you need it.

LEADERSHIP WEBINARS

We have arranged a series of four webinars specifically designed to support you as a leader through this difficult time. This will be suitable for CEOs, Senior and Middle Managers. The webinars will follow these themes:

Leading remote teams. Lead with trust not control - Monday 6th April
Supporting your teams. Mental health and resilience - Wednesday 15th April
Income generation. How to protect your income and future - Monday 20th April
Looking forward. Coping with what lies ahead while dealing with the here and now - Monday 27th April

All sessions will be interactive and will take place from 8.30-9.30am.

Dr Claire Macaulay is a leadership consultant and executive coach with a particular interest in compassionate work cultures. Claire worked in a remote team for 10 years, and will lead our four webinars on leadership in a crisis.

They will be held by Zoom and will be charged at £50 per person per session. This will be one of the most important investment decisions you make during the coronavirus crisis. Spaces are limited as they will take the form of a presentation followed by a surgery.

Please contact info@brucetaitassociates.com for more information. Or call Kelly on 07736 744797.

You may be working from home - but you have to keep talking

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 14:05:37 GMT

At an event in Edinburgh recently, I caught up with someone I’ve worked with for a couple of years. We hugged (that seems so strange already!) and swapped stories like old friends. And yet I had never met this person until that day.

She’s from India and was on a rare visit to the UK. But we have a great working relationship - thanks to our regular Skype calls.

Most of my communicating is done digitally. After three decades of being in busy offices, I’ve now worked remotely as a consultant for six years. But millions of people - including large numbers in the charity sector - are getting their first taste of working from home.

How to do that well is a whole other blog. But the key is keeping in touch. Remaining connected - with your colleagues, your bosses, your employees, your customers, your service users. To embrace digital communications.

The platforms can vary. I’ve used a variety of communications and video conferencing tools - including Zoom, Google Hangout, Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp, GoToMeeting, UberConference and Slack. They’re all great platforms and charities will almost certainly have been using one or more of these already. You can utilise them for one-to-one chats, to hold virtual meetings and to share presentations.

Whatever you use, a clear and consistent method of communication is really important. Staff should not be left wondering how they’re meant to be in touch or whether they have the right software to attend a conference call. Keep these meetings short and to the point - it’s much easier for your mind to start drifting off when you’re at home. But also make sure everyone feels involved. It can be easy to forget someone if you’re not all physically in the same room.

So much of good communication is about the visual and audio signals we give off and receive. So keep up those personal contacts that you usually have in an office setting. That goes for line managers and bosses too. You can achieve far more in a quick audio or video call than firing off emails back and forward all day.

And don’t miss the opportunity to use digital communication to give feedback to staff. It’s too easy to forget to say “Thanks for doing that” if you’re not walking past someone’s desk each day.

For third sector staff, it’s so important to maintain communications both internally and externally. As well as attending virtual meetings, there should be some in-built process for workmates to recreate the personal interactions they would normally have at their workplace.

This could be a daily 15-minute “water cooler” chat for colleagues who usually work together in an office. Or a wider group of people discussing informally in a video call how they’re finding the challenges of home working.

The same goes for any charity staff dealing with the public, with service users or other people outside. If you would normally do these face-to-face, then don’t change that just because you’re working from home. Resist email, which doesn’t have the subtlety or pleasure of a cheery chat and a shared laugh. Saying “how are you today?” on a personal call or a video chat sounds so much more genuine than the same line at the start of an email.

External communication is vital at a time of such uncertainty. Right now, it’s even more important to let everyone know that, while it’s not exactly business as usual, you’re still operating with energy and passion.

Charities and staff with public-facing profiles should increase their social media output. Share what you’re doing and how you’re adapting to the circumstances. Like, share and retweet what others are doing - it will help to make everyone feel part of a wider, caring community.

We’re in the middle of a massive challenge for the third sector. Good digital communications will help everyone to get through this and come out the other side even better prepared to do great work for those in need.

Things are changing daily, so be ready to go on the front foot

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 12:55:50 GMT

As a team, BTA has strangely had a similar amount of work and non-work chats this week, albeit virtually. Our processes adapt well to remote working and most of the team already work from home at least some of the time.

We have the equipment, trust and experience of lone working. Our owner Bruce and Joint Chief Executive Abeer have been a rock-steady influence on us all in staying positive and continuing to deliver for our clients and candidates.

Externally, it is a different picture. During our team conference call this morning, we all had had similar conversations this past week with clients who understandably are in crisis mode and fearing for the very existence of their organisations.

At a time when budgets and strategies for the next financial year are normally getting their finishing touches, this usually is one of our busiest periods with multiple new campaigns in full swing. With the landscape now changing dramatically on a daily basis, vital hires are being placed on hold or being scrapped altogether, and those with current campaigns are concerned about conducting interviews/onboarding.

We know you should stay on track and keep the faith. In 2008 during the financial crash, I worked as a JobCentrePlus adviser on the front line, supporting many people experiencing redundancy for the first time. It felt like it would never end, but it did.

As is becoming more clear with each daily 5pm briefing from Number 10, coronavirus is a serious threat to our personal and professional lives. But already there's been an overwhelming surge of generosity, with donors actively looking to ramp up their giving. As for interviews, as we have all probably experienced this week, the technology is there to conduct these wherever you are in the world.

This crisis is going to hit budgets hard, there is no doubt. But when things do begin to return to "normal" (whatever that may look like), it will be more vital than ever to have no empty chairs in your teams.

To offer an example of a usual BTA campaign, we would likely present a shortlist of well-matched candidates approximately five weeks after an initial meeting to discuss the requirements. Add another week or so for interviews and presenting an offer to make it six.

Most senior charity professionals have a three-month notice period, so if you started a new campaign tomorrow, you're looking at a start date around the end of July/early August.

Another trend we have noticed is the market becoming very aware of those charities on the front foot; thinking of innovative ways to not only keep the doors open but using these challenges to highlight the impact on services delivered to increase fundraising activity. Strong talent will be actively engaging in recruitment campaigns during this period, make no mistake.

Embrace it!

I've been really impressed with lots of posts from people in my LinkedIn network really embracing video conferencing, online project management tools and various other media. At BTA, we've been using WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype, FaceTime and more to keep in touch 1-2-1 and as a team. Even our trusty recruitment pipeline whiteboard has been replaced by Trello, with continual updates from recruitment, management and admin teams.

I'm excited to see many folks settle into their remote offices next week and start looking towards plans to overcome these troubling times by keeping the wheel turning ... best of luck to everyone and get in touch if there's anything I or BTA can do for you.

We're still here to help you from our new virtual office

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Wed, 18 Mar 2020 11:18:55 GMT

The coronavirus outbreak is affecting all of our lives - but BTA will continue to work as usual to help our charity clients and candidates.

We’ve had to make some changes to the way we operate by setting up a virtual office. All calls to our office number 01786 542224 will be diverted to staff and answered as normal.

So we’re confident that you will notice little or no difference - except perhaps for the need for phone calls or Skype conferences instead of face-to-face meetings.

Business as usual at BTA is the message from Joint Chief Executive Abeer Macintyre. She said: “We are extremely lucky in that 90% of our processes and services are delivered remotely anyway. However, in light of the Government’s request that staff work from home where possible, and as a responsible business, we have taken action and set up a virtual office.

“Please let us use our skills and expertise to ensure you continue to push forward with your recruitment and strategy. The last thing you need to do is go into reverse. Our process timelines will remain the same but in a new virtual environment. We want everyone to stay safe and keep well.”

So please continue to call us on 01786 542224 with any questions - or just for a chat about how BTA can help you or your charity. You can also email us at recruitment@brucetaitassociates.com or info@brucetaitassociates.com

Why we are so passionate about helping charities

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 21:16:07 GMT

We love what we do. We’re passionate about helping charities to thrive and grow.

That’s because BTA is run by former charity leaders. We’ve been there ourselves, so we know what organisations in the third sector really need.

That passion underpins everything we do. It’s why we have developed BTA into a one-stop shop for charity recruitment and consultancy. And it’s why we love to share our deep knowledge and experience.

Every year, we help charities to find great people - recruiting for dozens of vacancies in the third sector, from fundraisers to chief executives. But we also help and guide about 100 charities each year through our specialist consultancy service.

BTA has a network of experts who are trusted by charities to work with them and guide them on a range of projects such as leadership, fundraising, digital and communications. Our consultants are highly motivated people who come from a variety of backgrounds.

You can see that our experience and expertise are unrivalled. But so is our database - more than 14,000 potential candidates - and our networks. They’ve helped us to become the leading agency of our kind in Scotland and one of the biggest in the UK.

At BTA, we live by a guiding set of core values. They are Love, Knowledge, Ethics, Friendship, Growth and Sustainability.

Love because of what I’ve described here - our heart is in the charity sector and in our work.

Knowledge because we share that with charities through recruitment, consultancy, training and speaking at events. Plus our horizon-scanning is second to none.

Ethics because the charity’s needs are more important than ours. We always act with honesty and integrity.

Friendship because we pride ourselves on being the most approachable and friendly agency. We’re there to support and - where necessary - challenge charities to help them make a better world.

Growth because we continue to develop new services and to share learning and innovation with charities at home and abroad.

Sustainability because it’s not just what we do, it’s how we do it that’s crucial. We are fully committed to a sustainable future and helping to improve the environmental quality of our communities.

There are many ways in which we can help charities to succeed. But everything starts with a chat. So relax, sit down and give us a call on 01786 542224. It might just be the best thing you do for your charity this month.

Corporate to Community puts skilled managers on to charity boards

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 07:13:02 GMT

Charities are crying out for great leadership. To thrive and grow, they need trustees with fresh skills, innovative ideas and vibrant leadership qualities.

That’s why Corporate to Community has been launched in Scotland. It will help charities to unlock their full potential by putting skilled middle and senior business managers on their boards.

Corporate to Community is run by BTA, Scotland’s leading charity consultancy and recruitment agency, which works with dozens of charities each year.

“Everybody wins with this programme,” said BTA Joint Chief Executive Abeer Macintyre. “Charities need exceptional leaders - never more so than now. More companies want to help charities through their CSR programmes. And their managers want the opportunity to develop personally and professionally through rewarding charity trusteeships.”

BTA will work with businesses in Scotland and across the UK to link middle and senior managers with rewarding charity board opportunities. The agency will offer specialist and expert trustee training courses and a matching service to ensure the managers get valuable experience and the charities benefit from skilled leadership and advice.

BTA has run a pilot programme with the Royal Bank of Scotland, placing several managers on to the boards of Scottish charities. They include David Rennie, an RBS relationship director, who is now a trustee of Children’s University Scotland. The charity said: “David is making a great contribution to our board and supporting us to extend our network with private sector companies. He has a passion for our cause and energy that inspires others to action.”

David McIntosh, another RBS relationship director, said: “The full extent of my charity involvement before was tidying gardens and painting doors. I have joined the board of Care and Repair Edinburgh - it’s really interesting and it feels as if I am adding real value. Both sides benefit. It gives me a more strategic feel and I get the chance to meet lots of different people.”

BTA is being supported by Business in the Community on the programme. BITC Scotland Director Alan Thornburrow said: “It’s common sense that BITC supports Corporate to Community as it meets the needs of both businesses and charities, for the good of Scotland.

“Businesses need to nurture and develop their talent to create long-term resilience and sustainability and charities need effective trustees to achieve their charitable objectives. This initiative does both, so it’s a win-win.”

Got a gap in your senior team? BTA can fill it - fast

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 20:11:56 GMT

Have you got an empty chair to fill? A gap in your senior team just at the wrong time, when you’re making that big push in the final quarter of the financial year?

The solution is here - with BTA’s specialist interim CEO or manager service.

We understand what you’re up against. We know that a staff shortage can throw up serious challenges. You need a skilled interim staff member and you need them quickly.

BTA will find you the interim specialist you need to need to fill that empty chair. We're a one-stop shop for charity consultancy and recruitment - the best in the business.

Our friendly, expert service starts with a chat. So sit down, relax and call us on 01786 542224 to find out how we help you.

Ready for 2020? We are - and we can help your charity achieve its goals

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 09:24:45 GMT

Happy New Decade! You can make 2020 a year to remember for you, your charity and the people you help.

At BTA we’re here to help you achieve your goals this year. We’re the one-stop shop for charity consultancy and recruitment - the best in the business.

In 2019, we provided specialist and expert advice to dozens of charities and recruited for more than 80 roles, including seven chief executives.

In 2020 we’re going to be even bigger and better. BTA will have a range of new products and initiatives designed to help you face the challenges and grasp the opportunities of an exciting new decade.

Are you ready for 2020? We are - and we’d love to hear from you. Just call us on 01786 542224 for an initial chat.

From everyone at BTA, we wish you a Happy New Year and look forward to helping you achieve a successful 2020.

Happy Christmas and a big thank you from the team at BTA

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 15:33:45 GMT

It’s the season of goodwill. But at BTA we know that you do amazing work all year round. Your passion to help others is what motivates us to work harder and become even better.

Whether you come to BTA in search of a new career challenge or your charity needs our specialist consultancy and recruitment expertise, you inspire us every day. We love what we do - helping charities and the people who work for them to thrive and grow.

So a huge thank you from us to you.

We have exciting plans for 2020. We look forward to sharing these with you in the new year.

From everyone at BTA, we wish you a happy and restful Christmas.

BTA to give advice on SDGs at global conference

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 15:16:41 GMT

Expert help for firms from over 50 countries in Singapore

BTA is to give advice on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to a global gathering of accountancy, auditing and law firms from more than 50 countries.

Joint Chief Executives Bruce Tait and Abeer Macintyre will be keynote speakers this week (November 13-16) at a conference in Singapore hosted by Think Global Sustainability, a network of more than 3,400 professionals.

They will give expert guidance on complying with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), corporate social responsibility, values-based recruitment and managing a multi-generational workforce.

“We are delighted to be speaking at this very significant global conference to spread the word about the importance of each of us - as individuals or organisations - understanding the increasing requirement to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and to take responsibility for doing so,” said Bruce.

BTA is a one-stop shop for charity consultancy and recruitment and is Scotland's leading agency in this field. Sustainable development and ethical practices are at the heart of everything that BTA does.

Think Global Sustainability (TGS) is mapping its objectives to the targets of the SDGs - a set of calls to action agreed by all countries to be achieved by 2030 - and Its 2019 conference in Singapore will have a major focus on the goals. The international network is concentrating particularly on the SDGs concerned with quality education, gender equality, and decent work and economic growth.

TGS said: "This year we have decided to work with BTA because of their efforts towards non-discriminating/equal opportunity hiring. Equality is the core value of this company and the TGS network shares this value."

At the Singapore conference, Bruce and Abeer will give presentations and host discussions on a range of subjects such as sustainable growth, complying with the SDGs without hindering the business, effective recruitment and sustaining staff.

Abeer said: “BTA is using all of its knowledge and influence to support the change that needs to happen. We believe we are at the forefront of supporting companies, whether that be in the third, public or private sectors, to understand how they can play their part and audit themselves against each element of the goals.

“This runs concurrently with helping them to understand how to engage with a workforce and public who will increasingly hold them to account regarding their values and practices."

BTA plays major role again at Institute of Scottish Fundraising Conference

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 12:01:27 GMT

We're sponsoring jobs board and giving expert advice

BTA is once again playing a major role at this year’s Scottish Institute of Fundraising Conference - as a sponsor, host and giving expert advice.

We are a major sponsor of the event in Glasgow on October 1 and 2, including sponsoring the jobs board - a prominent part of the conference where charities can post their vacancies for free. Send your jobs to recruitment@brucetaitassociates.com in advance or come and speak to us on the day.

“This is one of the highlights of our calendar year. Our team will be there in force. People can pre-book chats with us or just come to our stall where we will be delighted to see them,” said Abeer Macintyre, Joint Chief Executive of BTA.

“We will also be hosting a table of CEOs at the awards dinner, where the incredible work and talent of the fundraising community is recognised.”

Bruce Tait, BTA’s other Joint Chief Executive, will give two talks during the event at the Double Tree by Hilton Glasgow Central. The conference attracts hundreds of delegates and features masterclasses and inspirational speakers. It is a once-a-year opportunity for fundraisers to learn about best practice and innovations.

Along with Sharon Kane, Chief Executive of Funding Neuro, Bruce will lead a session titled “Why Fundraisers Don’t Become Chief Executives” on Tuesday, October 1. It seems an obvious path from fundraising leader to charity chief executive - but it rarely happens.

Bruce and Sharon both made that transition and learned a lot along the way. Bruce is a former charity chief executive and BTA recruits around 20 chief executive positions each year. Sharon will tell how she made the move from fundraising manager to chief executive five years ago.

Let them be your guide as you consider whether you should become a charity leader, what life is like in the “hot-seat” and how to go about finding the top job.

On Wednesday, October 2, Bruce will give a masterclass on “Fearless Fundraising” alongside BTA consultant Dr Claire Macaulay.

Bruce said: “As a fundraiser, you can’t automatically assume that your whole organisation is behind you. You need the bravery to win their hearts and minds first.”

The session will show fundraisers how they can develop resilience, build a power base and get their whole organisation onside.

BTA experts feature at European conference on civil society and UN global goals

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 11:49:23 GMT

Bruce Tait and Abeer Macintyre to present at EUConsult congress

Scotland is to host a major European conference on how civil society can help to deliver the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

EUConsult’s Autumn Congress in Edinburgh later this month will discuss the role of the European non-profit community in advancing the global targets for peace, prosperity and equality by the year 2030.

Civil society consultants from across Europe will hear presentations from experts including Bruce Tait and Abeer Macintyre, Joint Chief Executives of the Stirling-based charity consultancy and recruitment agency BTA, which played a key role in EUConsult choosing Edinburgh as the venue for the event on September 27-28.

“Scotland is the most socially conscious and generous part of the UK - but we are getting very concerned about the lack of awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals here,” said Tait. “BTA is at the forefront of raising that awareness. This event is for anyone who works across civil society, especially the charity sector - which many people feel is falling behind in its awareness of the important and benefits of the goals."

BTA is the only Scottish member of EUConsult, an Amsterdam-based forum for consultants to the non-profit sector. Founded nearly 30 years ago, it encourages and stimulates ethical and professional behaviour and collaboration, as well as developing the technical and business skills of its members.

The EUConsult event will be held as world leaders are meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York. Civil society played an important role in shaping the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - a 15-year plan agreed by all countries to improve health, welfare, education and the environment. Non-profit organisations continue to work to ensure the SDGs’ targets are being met through advocacy, data collection, monitoring progress and holding governments to account.

Speakers at the Edinburgh congress will include:

Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, on how organisations can use the SDGs as a business strategy framework to become more sustainable.
Amanda Heenan, Founder of Arc of Inclusion, on how diversity, access and inclusion play a role in achieving the wider goals.
Gwilym Gibbons, Chief Executive of The Chrichton Trust, on the urgent need to change and improve individual lives while aligning to global sustainability goals in a meaningful and impactful way.
Alan Thornburrow, Scotland Director of Business in the Community, on the ways in which businesses are engaging with the SDGs to inspire and motivate others.

A panel discussion will feature Martin Georgi, Chair of the German Fundraising Association, and John Pepin, Director of Aperio Group (Europe).

EUConsult will be held at Teviot Row House, Bristo Square, Edinburgh - the oldest purpose-built student union building in the world (opened in 1889). The full programme is available here.

Attendees will visit the Scottish Parliament - hosted by MSP Angus MacDonald - and have a tour which explains how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to shape philanthropy in Europe and the United States.

"We’re delighted to invite consultants to Scotland’s capital city for the Autumn Congress,” said Tait. “The team has worked hard to put together a fascinating learning event and a great social programme too in wonderful, historic Edinburgh.”

Five tips for finding your first fundraising job

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 12:10:30 GMT

From application to interview, how to be at your best

People talk about the first step on your career ladder being the most important one. Bruce Tait - Joint Chief Executive of BTA - has been advising people how to become fundraisers for 25 years. Here are his top five tips on not only how to get on the first rung - but how to pick the best ladder in the first place!

Work for an organisation that believes in fundraising - that way you can avoid a “false start” to your fundraising career.

If you are interested in a role, the first thing you’ll see is an advertisement, a job site posting or a social media message. This will tell you that the job is fabulous, exciting, rewarding etc.

When you get the information pack or the job description and person specification for the role, the language is really different. It’s a bit more about what you need to offer them, what the role requires of you.

It might include phrases like “you must have a minimum of five years corporate fundraising experience” or “you must have a proven track record in community engagement”. This is where you start to really understand the job and the organisation, so that you can choose to align yourself with it.

The key thing to consider is: How much do they believe in fundraising? Because your first job has to be one that does.

In my experience, about a third of the time fundraising is something that the hiring organisation isn’t properly invested in. Yes they want the funds but they don’t necessarily want the fundraiser. For various reasons, we are a necessary evil. Those reasons include:

They may think that fundraising is a volunteer job that shouldn’t be paid for.
Many organisations have been hurt by a bad fundraiser.
They may want a guarantee of success or offer a short-term position.
Many organisations have unreasonable expectations of the amounts that fundraising can deliver or the time in which it will take to raise a particular amount. They will want you to sign up to this.

My point is that it’s hard to tell sometimes.

So be careful. Look for phrases that suggest that this job is a “poisoned chalice”. Like how they describe the “reporting and monitoring” element of the role – if it seems to stringent it may be they want you to spend more time justifying the income flow than making it happen. Or be wary about who the fundraiser reports to – if it’s finance there could be a problem.

You must think through what all of that means to you. An experienced fundraiser can work with organisations like this. They can turn around their thinking and help set reasonable expectations and targets.

But my advice is that it’s not an approach you could take in your first job - and it’s not what you would want on your CV if it goes wrong. Look elsewhere.

Create the application the employer is looking for

When you find the job that you want to go for, align your application with the Job Description and Person Specification.

You’ll usually be asked to produce two documents in response – the Covering Letter and your CV. It is your job to “align” these documents with the Job Description and Person Specification. This means making sure that you reference everything the employer asks for.

Here are some tips:

Don’t just make it a functional Covering Letter – use this document to sell yourself.
Remember that your CV is your past – it’s where you say what you have done. The Covering Letter is your future – it is where you project yourself into the role by saying why you want the job and what you can offer.
Pick out each of the essential requirements of the role and address each one. Describe your skills in relation to each requirement – even using the same words that they use to describe them.
If you can’t quite tick every box in terms of direct experience, you may still be able to align a skillset. Think about all of your your transferable skills and try to find an experience that is closely aligned with what they are looking for.
Make sure that you show evidence of your core skills (such as resilience, flexibility, project management and risk-taking).

Be one of them at the interview

Organisational fit is a key criteria that you will have to meet. But how do you do this when they haven’t described it? The best approach is to “blend”. Here’s how:

At the interview, be the person that they are looking for – don’t project yourself backwards into a previous role. They need to see you working for them.
Dress like they do. Sit like they sit. Use the same language as them
Do everything at 80%. Don’t let nerves drive you to speak to fast or repetitively. Keep calm and pace yourself.
Have great questions for them.
Never mention the terms and conditions of employment at interview!

Prepare thoroughly

Learn about the charity that you are applying to work for - but research more deeply than that. Here’s how:

Understand the big picture about the sector - its core messages and statistics, its language and values. Learn the language, the jargon, the big issues, the themes, the trends. That way, you’ll be speaking their language. You can find this out by reading the sectorial press, looking at charity websites and those of the organisations that represent the sector
Be honest about what you can achieve in terms of fundraising. Before you sit down with them, find out how much they raise, how much their competitors raise, whether their income is growing or declining etc. This is so that when they ask you a question about how much you might be able to raise for them, you can use real figures to manage their income expectations.

Get involved in the fundraising community and the broader non-profit one

And finally…….

Volunteer, volunteer, volunteer – this is vital. It shows you’re an engaged member of society committed to a cause. It allows hiring managers to get a better idea of what interests you and it even allows you the chance to see what working for a charity will really be like.

BTA event gives top tips on charity salaries, managing millennials and family-friendly working

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 12:23:09 GMT

Burning issues for leaders and managers from the third sector

What’s the going rate for charity employees from an HR assistant to a chief executive? How do you manage millennial staff alongside Gen Xers and Baby Boomers? And what can you do to offer a more flexible and family-friendly working culture?

These are some of the burning issues facing thousands of charities in Scotland today. Little wonder then that a special event hosted by BTA - called Recruitment, Retention, Remuneration - was packed with leaders and managers from the third sector.

They left with a deeper understanding of:

What’s being paid for various roles in Scottish charities and how that information can help to find and retain great staff.
How to recruit millennials and get multiple generations working successfully together.
Best practice around delivering success while ensuring staff have a good work-life balance.

The event at BTA’s headquarters in Stirling was split into three sessions, designed to ensure that organisations have people strategies that are fit for the future.

The Scottish Charity Workforce Salary Survey 2019

“We are absolutely confident that this is the most accurate and extensive survey of third sector salary levels ever undertaken in Scotland,” said Bruce Tait, Joint Chief Executive of BTA, as he unveiled the findings.

More than 1,200 individual senior charity roles in Scotland were tracked and recorded over two years. One of the major findings disproved the myth that the people who run Scotland’s charities are “fat cats” with huge pay packets.

The survey showed the typical charity chief executive in Scotland is paid £47,500. That’s nearly £5,000 less than the average salaries of £52,000 for charity chief executives across the UK - and way below the average of £91,000 earned by Scottish company CEOs.

The research also found that different kinds of charities pay very different rates - with those working in culture, education and heritage paying substantially more than health or animal charities.

You can read more about the salary survey here . You can also order a copy of the full report by calling BTA at 01786 542224 or by emailing info@brucetaitassociates.com.

Managing a multi-generational workforce

With more than 100,000 people employed in the Scottish charity sector, there are several generations working side by side in most organisations. Bruce pointed out that this often means overcoming perceptions, particularly about the millennial generation. So why should charities recruit millennials?

“Because we can attract the best talent by giving them what they want - inspiration,” said Bruce. “They are highly motivated by cause.”

He said that - through their use of social media - millennials are natural storytellers, which is at the core of fundraising. They are people-focused and speak the language of digital communications.

His presentation included tips for recruiting great millennial staff, such as inspiring them with your cause, captivating them with your culture, showing them how you work and plan, and mapping out career opportunities for them.

Creating a flexible and family-friendly working culture

The final session was presented by Family Friendly Working Scotland’s Programme Director Nikki Slowey and Development Manager Geraldine Higgins.

They talked about ways in which charities can introduce ways of working which build success while ensuring the family lives of their employees are taken into account. Flexible working can include job sharing, part-time working, working from home, flexitime and phased retirement.

BTA is a one-stop shop for charity recruitment and consultancy - helping dozens of charities each year. On recruitment, we find the right people for your organisation - from part-time staff to all head office staff, from chief executives to administrators. We have an unrivalled database of 11,000 potential candidates from the UK and around the world.

On consultancy, BTA has a team of experts who each have their own area of expertise. They can help with everything from business planning, board development and interim managers to grant application work, fundraising and communications strategies.

New salary survey disproves myth of 'fat-cat' charity bosses

Thu, 23 May 2019 14:42:47 GMT

BTA monitored every role advertised online by Scottish charities.

The people who run Scotland’s charities are not “fat cats” with huge pay packets, BTA can reveal after carrying out the most extensive research into salaries in the voluntary sector.

The typical charity chief executive in Scotland is paid £47,500. That’s nearly £5,000 less than the average salaries of £52,000 for charity chief executives across the UK - and way below the average of £91,000 earned by Scottish company CEOs.

The Scottish Charity Workforce Salary Survey was carried out by leading charity recruitment specialists BTA, which monitored every role advertised online by Scottish charities for the past two years.

“At last we can disprove this myth about charity leaders being overpaid in Scotland,” said BTA’s Joint Chief Executive Abeer Macintyre. “They are not. They do incredibly hard jobs, running complex organisations on very tight budgets.

“With over 100,000 people employed by charities in Scotland, this is an invaluable piece of work. Two years of research has gone into it and the results are vitally important for the Scottish charity sector.”

Surprisingly, the research found that the average salary for a Scottish charity depute chief executive or director is higher than the average for chief executives.

Abeer Macintyre BTA Joint Chief Executive

Abeer (pictured on the right) said: “This is because these roles will be for senior leaders running the Scottish operation of UK charities or for directors of the small number of large Scottish charities - and they tend to have considerably more structure than the majority of smaller charities that dominate Scotland’s third sector landscape. You would have to question this, as they do not usually carry the full set of responsibilities and ultimate accountability that a chief executive does.”

The research also found that different kinds of charities pay very different rates - with charities working in culture, education and heritage paying substantially more than health or animal charities.

The full results will be launched by BTA in Stirling on June 7 as part of a specialist event called Recruitment, Retention, Remuneration. It is aimed at addressing the key recruitment challenges facing Scottish charities.

The research findings were welcomed by the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO). Its Chief Executive Pat Armstrong said: “Third sector chief officers (COs) are hard-working, passionate, committed individuals who lead their organisations to make a real difference to the lives of people across Scotland.

“As shown in a recent UK-wide ACEVO/ACOSVO/CO3/CAF Pay and Equalities Survey, they work on average an extra 10 hours per week above and beyond their contracted hours in their passion for their cause. It is therefore not surprising that this survey highlights what COs and trustees within the sector already know - that sector leaders give real value for money for their organisations.”

Tickets for the Recruitment, Retention, Remuneration event on June 7 can be purchased here , by calling 01786 542224 or by emailing info@brucetaitassociates.com.

Focus on the 3 Rs to win the Talent War

Tue, 21 May 2019 13:11:17 GMT

“The world has never moved this fast before. And it will never move this slowly again”. I picked that up at a Digital Event last year and it been increasingly true every day since – certainly when it comes to recruitment.

The phrase "Talent War" is a bit dramatic, but I’m not really sure I’m exaggerating. Like all other sectors, technology is changing how people engage with employment opportunities. New generations are entering the workforce with completely different views on how they want to work and who they want to work for. And increasingly, the lines between companies and charities are blurring. The result of all of this upheaval is that charities are perfectly poised to pick up the very best young talent – the much-maligned Millennial generation. The reality is that they are losing that war to digital-savvy, cause-adopting, big-spending corporates.

All is not lost. This is a war that charities can win. BTA have been winning it on behalf of our clients for years now. There is no trick, no one thing that works best. Its down to the 3Rs:

Recruitment – The days of “spray and pray agencies”, headhunting, print adverts, generalist jobs boards are gone. Recruitment has gone digital and the lazy agencies and dinosaur headhunters, the old school HR Managers and the “jobs for the boys” brigade have been wiped away in a Digital Ice Age.

Retention – Millennials have many great attributes, but loyalty is not one of them. Leave them unengaged, unsupported or lacking direction and they’ll be off to another job without a backward glance. Retaining staff is SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than finding new ones, so value-based recruitment, behavioural and competency questioning, family friendly working and outstanding on-boarding are increasingly vital.

Remuneration – For the last two years BTA’s recruitment team have been diligently tracking and monitoring EVERY job advertised in Scotland. The statistics cannot be argued against as an EXACT picture of what the going rate for every type of job at a Scottish charity. We launch this report on June 7th, and it will be invaluable for charities not wanting to over reward or underpay any of their key staff.

Charities have the two greatest weapons possible for the Talent War – PURPOSE and CULTURE. Surveys show that Millennials (who make up 50% of the workforce) hugely prefer to work for companies with a cause or value base, Companies can only adopt or align with cause and values often sit difficultly with them. Charities however OWN this stuff. We are causes, and while our culture may vary from organisation to organisation, we are part of a sector that shares, cares and literally changes the world.

If charities would only raise their heads, change their recruitment messages, adopt modern recruitment practices and work with suppliers who genuinely understand their world – the war would already be won!

Join us on Friday 7th June to hear more on the 3 Rs and how your organisation can win the talent war.

IT and telecommunications diploma for BTA Development Manager Lynn Stimpson

Thu, 16 May 2019 13:15:10 GMT

BTA Development Manager Lynn Stimpson has over 20 years of experience in fundraising and database management. Now she has added a Diploma for Information Technology and Telecommunications Professionals to her impressive set of skills and qualifications.

She received her SCQF Level 6 diploma from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) after covering units on Communications, Information and Communication Technology, Numeracy, Problem-solving and Working with Others.

Lynn said: “I’m delighted to have my diploma. Putting the knowledge I use every day in my work into gaining this qualification was very rewarding.”

BTA’s expertise has helped dozens of charities get to grips with their database through our expert training and consultancy services. Lynn is an accredited Blackbaud Consultant for Raiser’s Edge and eTapestry in the UK and BTA is the only Scottish organisation to be a Blackbaud Consulting Partner AND Certified in eTapestry.

Her combination of fundraising and database expertise is a powerful asset and Lynn is much in demand as a consultant, helping charities with CRM systems including Raiser’s Edge, eTapestry and Progress.

She has managed significant donor base review, implementation and development projects for charities including The Scottish Society for Autism, Down’s Syndrome Scotland, The Leprosy Mission Scotland, CrossReach, Kilbryde Hospice, Cancer Support Scotland, CHAS and The Yard.

Lynn and BTA can offer a range of affordable solutions to charities, including:

Raiser’s Edge and eTapestry training
Maximising your Gift Aid claims
Database review and audit
Cleansing your database
Loading spreadsheets and other data into your database
Setting up your database to manage new campaigns or events
Interim or Temp Database Administrators

To find out more, call us on 01786 542224.

How to attract young talent to your organisation

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 13:20:18 GMT

If like me, it’s been a while since your 21st birthday, you may not remember the feeling of being young and carefree. A time when you had the world at your feet, freedom and choices to make and when you weren’t constrained by mortgage payments, bills and school uniforms.

That feeling is hard to bottle.

It’s hard to remember how important it felt to make decisions based on who you were as a person rather than what your parents expected of you!

So, if we struggle to remember that feeling then how can we possibly know how to attract young talent to our organisations? How to make a compelling case on why someone should choose your sector and business over another?

What is your current strategy for attracting and retaining younger employees?

Our experience of working across many business sectors has shown us that it’s a real challenge for them to find ways to make their organisation a choice for young people.

Some create ‘a great place to work’ culture, they provide ‘time out’ zones with table tennis and vending machines, great career prospects, lots of holidays, pay-day beers, etc. So what more could young people want?

Times have changed and so have the attitudes of today’s youth. The Generation Citizens report from Demos found that teenagers are more engaged in social issues than any generation before them.

For a young person to have an opportunity to participate in things like the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme or the National Citizen Service, it helps to lay vital foundations for adult life.

Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. It is by helping others we show the best of our solidarity and sense of shared humanity.

Will working for your organisation allow them to make a real difference?

A survey by the Good Research Partnership and the British Youth Council of 850 people aged 11 to 25 found that they are more likely to buy from companies that show how they invest in the local areas.

“This is the first generation that has been taught about the value of corporate community investment from an early age. They are also the first generation that has been empowered by the internet and understands that they have the means to hold businesses to account.”

Terese Orange, Director of the Good Research Partnership

More than 80% surveyed believe its important that brands support the community and give to good causes. The same proportion would be more likely to be a customer or staff member of a company that supports community projects.

The biggest and most interesting piece of research to date by marketing agency Cone Communications found many young people won’t take a job where poor social responsibility practices exist.

The survey of 1000 people found that 75% of millennials would take a pay cut to work for a responsible company, and 83% would be more loyal to a business that enables them to contribute to solving social and environmental problems.

“With millennials soon to make up 50% of the workforce, you will have to radically evolve your value proposition to attract and retain this socially conscious group. Integrating a deeper sense of purposed responsibility into work experience will have a clear bottom line return for companies.”

Alison Da Silva, Executive Vice President, Cone Communications.

Is your online presence in line with your organisation’s values?

In addition, the millennial generation are the most prolific users of social media, and these channels give young people the chance to express their opinions about brands to their peers.

Engaging with young people online allows a business to continue conversations and further share commitments to being a responsible business.

So what can you do to attract and retain young talent?

You need to show that you are doing all you can to give back to the communities you operate in.

Do you give your team time off for volunteering? Experian gave UK employees nearly 12,500 hours of volunteering time devoted to community and financial education programmes.

Look for ways to blend work and personal lives. How can you provide opportunities for young people to make a difference beyond the 9-5?

Young people see where they work as an extension of who they are and what they stand for. You should aim to provide opportunities that make a difference – both in the office and outside in their communities, to stand out.

This is not about personal passion projects either. The younger generation is nearly twice as likely as their gen X peers to believe their company should be involved in social and environmental issues that are important to the business.

Make sure your social good strategy is clear and easy to access on your website/intranet.

Engage young people outside of your organisation to find out what is important to them.

What’s important for younger people to stay motivated?

Professional growth: give them opportunities to learn.
Financial: offer bonuses or rewards.
Meaningful personal experiences: encourage them to explore opportunities to do more to serve the local community.
Personal recognition: create an incentive program.
Perks: offer free parking, dress-down days, payday beers, days out, vouchers, and so on.

These are just a few of the ways you can motivate younger employees. What do you have in place within your organisation to inspire and motivate?

Finally, make sure you are connecting with young people

Social media (YouTube and Facebook being the most popular, a 2017 study shows) is the place to share content that reflects your organisation’s values and shows how your social good activity is making an impact in the world.

This article first appeared on Social Good HQ .

Are all your eggs in one basket? If not, perhaps they should be!

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 15:26:23 GMT

With another challenging financial year approaching fast, we know that charities will be looking at how to raise the additional money needed to fund their services.

BTA believe that if there is one type of fundraising you should focus on in the current environment then it should be TRUST FUNDRAISING. There are around 10,000 trusts and foundations in the UK and a massive £4.4 billion in funding available annually.

Successful trust fundraising is dependent on a number of factors:

Extensive research
A great case for support
Highly crafted applications
Meaningful relationships with funders
THE TIME TO DO ALL THE ABOVE PROPERLY

BTA have been supporting Scottish charities with their trust fundraising for over 12 years. We have a team of highly experienced trust fundraising experts ready to provide you with their expertise and knowledge - allowing you to focus on delivering your charity’s objectives. You simply decide how many days’ support you need and we charge you a simple flat fee per day.

We could have a TRUST EXPERT working on your applications within 24 hours!

If you want to find out how to make the most of your trust fundraising opportunities, call Bruce Tait on 01786 542224 for an initial discussion. We’d be delighted to help.

bruce@brucetaitassociates.com

BTA Privacy Policy

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 15:32:45 GMT

What is GDPR?

GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation which came into effect in the EU on May 25th 2018. This new legislation is all about giving you greater security, transparency, and control over your personal data.

These changes apply to:

Companies located in the EU
Companies not located in the EU if they offer free or paid goods or services to EU residents or monitor the behaviour of EU residents, or if your website has visitors from the EU

To comply with the rules, we have updated our terms and conditions of use and Privacy Policy.

There haven’t been any changes to the data that BTA collect or how that data is used - the Privacy Policy just provides more detail. You can read it below.

Yours sincerely,

The BTA Team

BTA Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy

BTA are committed to protecting your privacy. We comply with the Data Protection Act 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and other relevant legislation in maintaining high standards in our use and storage of your personal data.

BTA are a leading third sector recruitment and consultancy company. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect personal information (as defined below), and how that personal information is used and disclosed.

“Personal information” is information that allows a person to directly identify an individual, such as name or email address, and information that we combine directly with such identifying information.

This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and is subject to the BTA Terms and Conditions and outlines the following;

Collection and use of data
Your rights
Length of time any data we collect is kept

This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by us over the phone, by email or through our website and does not apply to third party websites and third party service providers.

Our Privacy Policy does not apply when you use a link to go from our website or any documents produced by us to another website. Your browsing and interaction on any other website or your dealings with any other third party will be subject to that website’s or third party service provider’s own rules and notices/policies.

Collection and use of data

We collect personal data from you when you enquire about one of the positions we are recruiting or request a product or service directly from us. For example you will provide personal data to us when you register on one of our websites, enquire about or apply for a job, register to attend an event or conference, send us your CV, request a newsletter/bulletin or enter a competition.

The information we collect may include all or some of your contact details (e.g. name, email address, phone number and postal address).

We may also research publicly available sources (e.g. websites and LinkedIn) and use external suppliers to identify business contacts who are likely to be interested in the products and services we have to offer. We will only collect the minimal amount of information required for this purpose (e.g. name, job title, company and contact details) and when we contact you we will always provide you with an easy way to object to us continuing to retain your personal data.

Legal grounds for processing personal information

We rely on one or more of the following processing conditions:

Our legitimate interests in the effective delivery of information and services to you.
In many circumstances we will have a contract in place; where this is the case, this will be the basis of processing your information. This enables us to respond to you when you express an interest in our products and services and to fulfil any requests.
Explicit consent that you have given. In some circumstances we rely on your specific consent, whereby you actively agree and “opt-in”. We will always make it clear how you can withdraw you consent or opt out of any of our marketing messages at any time (this is normally shown at the bottom of our emails).
Legal obligations. There will be circumstances under which we are legally obliged to hold your personal data or required to disclose it to a third party by law.

We specifically rely on legitimate interest to:

Send you marketing communications and personalise marketing content we provide to you about our jobs and or products and services
Undertake business sales and advertising activities
Research publicly available business contact details

How we use your personal data

We will use your personal data for purposes which include:

Responding to an enquiry you make about our products and services.
Delivering our products and services.
Sharing your details with an organisation we are acting on behalf of to recruit a position.
Registering you to attend an event.
Administering your account.

Sending you specific communications about a product or service. We will only send you direct marketing communications when you have either provided your consent (e.g. ticked a box or clicked a “button” to submit a form) or where we believe we can demonstrate a legitimate business interest and have balanced this with your interests and privacy. There will always be an unsubscribe link on any marketing email you receive from us.

Fulfilling draws and competitions.
Delivering customer services.
Shared content. We sometimes provide shared content such as webinars, blogs, expert reports, whitepapers, surveys or events in relation to the third sector or recruitment. We will publish such information on our website and to interested people in the interest of sharing third sector knowledge and understanding.
We do not allow employers to search for a CV which is uploaded to our database. We do not send CVs to employers who use our executive search service without the express permission of the candidate. Any personal details are removed.

Your rights

Under data protection law you have a number of rights. These are aimed at giving you control about how your personal data is used by us.

You can request a copy of the personal data we hold relating to you, and the purposes for which we are using it. This is known as a Subject Access Request. You can also request your personal data to be deleted. In responding to such a request we may ask for proof of your identity, to ensure we do not inadvertently send your personal data to another person. We will respond to any such requests as soon as possible, but at least within one calendar month.

Ensuring your personal data is kept and transferred securely is of the highest importance to us. We hold your personal data on our secure systems, mainly based within the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). Where we employ service providers, we have appropriate agreements in place to ensure your personal data is protected.

Your personal data may be transferred to a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA). This may be required for the purposes of our staff based outside the EEA or where a supplier of a service is based outside the EEA. We will take all reasonable steps necessary to ensure your personal data is treated securely. This includes the use of Binding Corporate Rules and Model Contractual Arrangements as approved by the European Commission, and the EU-US Privacy Shield.

We are committed to protecting the security of the personal data we hold. We take appropriate measures to ensure your personal data is kept securely and to prevent any unauthorised access.

How long do we keep your personal data?

The length of time we keep your information for varies depending on the products and services we are providing to you. We will only keep your personal data for a reasonable period of time and we base this on the purpose for which we are using it.

There will be circumstances in which we keep a strictly minimal amount of information about you, for example, to ensure we can honour an objection to receiving direct marketing. We will also, in some circumstances, be required to retain personal data for a longer period of time for contractual or legal reasons. We use a number of web services to promote our services, e.g. YouTube. These could set cookies or track your activity– for full information you should read the privacy policies of these sites. Google AdWords – We use Google AdWords to promote our products and services through Google’s advertising opportunities.

Google Analytics – We use Google Analytics to provide insight into how visitors find and use our web pages so that we can evaluate and develop them.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn - We use these social media sites to promote our products and services. Our use of cookies on third party sites – We may set cookies on certain third party sites that we advertise on to identify you as having visited that site if you later visit our website, and will serve targeted advertising based on this information.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy and our Terms and Conditions you can contact us in the following ways:

Call us on 01786 542224 (and ask for the Data Protection Officer for BTA)
Email us: info@brucetaitassociates.com
Write to us: BTA Jubilee House, Forthside Way, Stirling FK8 1QZ

If you are not satisfied with our response to your query, you may wish to raise this with the Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO) on their website (https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/your-personal-information-concerns/) or by writing to them at: Customer Contact Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow SK9 5AF

BTA say 'Together We Can' to Worldwide Cancer Research

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 19:35:45 GMT

At BTA, we love it when we hear of a Scottish charity doing something big, bold and brave.

When that charity funds life-saving cancer research projects in the UK and across the world which, in the 40 years since it was founded in St Andrews has helped double cancer survival rates, then we’re even more excited.

And when BTA was asked to play a part in helping the small but determined charity coordinate the biggest change in their history, we were absolutely thrilled.

Worldwide Cancer Research is moving from its traditional base in St Andrews to Edinburgh. To support the charity in this project, BTA will be working across all departments to recruit over 25 staff for the new headquarters in the Haymarket area. The roles will span all areas of the charity’s operations – from research to communications – and will be recruited between November 2018 to April 2019.

The advantages in relocating will be considerable and the charity is determined to find the very best talent to fill these new and exciting roles. To achieve this, the organisation has commissioned BTA to deliver the biggest and broadest recruitment campaign ever undertaken for a Scottish charity.

From its base in Stirling, BTA’s entire team will be involved in a campaign that will see them engage with thousands of applicants from the private, public and voluntary sectors. The recruitment process will involve weeks of candidate screening and the team will sit in on over 25 days of interviewing.

BTA’s joint Chief Executive, Bruce Tait said:

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Worldwide Cancer Research as part of this exciting development. For some charities, this rate of recruitment might have caused issues, but Worldwide Cancer Research’s strong operational culture of “Together We Can” makes a campaign like this possible. In fact, it’s a great way to develop a cross-organisational culture amongst a large staff group, all recruited through the same process at the same time. We are determined to find them many great new employees”.

Dr Helen Rippon, CEO of Worldwide Cancer Research, said: “This is a hugely exciting time for the charity. With 40 years of incredible discoveries thanks to our wonderful supporters, Scotland’s only cancer research charity is ready for the next chapter in its incredible journey.

“We are thrilled to be working alongside BTA and look forward to meeting our new Team Worldwide recruits!”

With our history firmly rooted in third sector consultancy, we branched out into recruitment in 2007. We now have sister companies in England, Ireland and Canada and so bring an international perspective and learning to Scottish charities and not-for-profits. We also have the unique advantage of having all worked in senior positions in the voluntary sector ourselves.

This work with Worldwide Cancer Research is one of the most exciting and dynamic assignments we have had. We can’t wait to get started!

Andrew Muirhead joins BTA as Director of Consultancy

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 18:39:28 GMT

Bruce Tait Associates is delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew Muirhead as our new Director of Consultancy. Andrew joins our Senior Team of Bruce Tait, Abeer Macintyre and Gavin Davey, with a specific remit to further develop and expand our high quality consulting services tailored to the needs of Charities,Non-Profits and Social Enterprises.

Andrew draws on a 25 year career in the social sector, as Chief Executive of Lloyd’s TSB Foundation (now Corra Foundation) he pioneered many initiatives which supported capacity development in charities and social enterprises.

Andrew went on to establish Inspiring Scotland, a world renowned venture philanthropy organisation which he led as Founding CEO. Since 2014 Andrew has been part of a global team supporting the growth of philanthropy initially in Asia and more recently Africa and Central Europe.

In joining the team, Andrew said; “ I am hugely excited by the opportunity to join the superb team BTA. From primarily a funding background I am acutely aware of just how important it is for charitable organisations to have access to high quality, and affordable consulting services if they are to maximise their ability to address crucial social challenges.

"In five years working internationally I have gained further valuable insights which I hope to bring to my new role. The UK Voluntary Sector has a very high international reputation, I look forward to working with the many talented staff, volunteers and trustees who combine to deliver such important work”

Founded by Bruce Tait in 2007, BTA is a Strategic Development Consultancy and the leading provider of expert support for Scottish charities. From Dumfries to Dingwall, we work with around 30 charities all over Scotland at any one time.

"Through our team of around 25 experts consultants and Associates, we help build databases, research donors, apply to trusts, write communications strategies and develop fundraising plans – a real “one-stop, shop” for charities and non-profits. Our recruitment arm BTA Recruitment is also the leading recruiter of staff for Scottish charities and we have sister companies in England, Ireland and Canada.

BTA’s Joint Chief Executive, Abeer Macintyre added: “We’re delighted to welcome Andrew to the BTA team and I’m sure his experience and guidance will be invaluable to our charity clients.

"BTA was created as a Strategic Consultancy for the non-profit sector and we have grown substantially in the last 4 years to become the biggest provider of expert support for Scotland’s charities. Andrew’s appointment brings considerable, global experience to our team and we are sure his skills and support will be very useful to our clients.

Share Scotland in the Medals

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 19:06:31 GMT

Share Scotland is a small, family-led organisation who provide care and support to people with extremely complex and severe disabilities, allowing them to live in their own homes.

First providing support in 1991 in a 5-person property in Ibrox, Share now supports 50 people across West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow and Edinburgh and the Lothians, and their main aim is to ensure that the ambitions and desires of these people are met as far as possible, whilst leaving as light a footprint on their lives as they can.

One of those ambitions held by a group of tenants from one of Share’s properties in the East of Scotland, was to take part in the Special Olympics this year.

Founded in 1968, the Special Olympics promote the idea that sport can give confidence and new hope to people with learning difficulties as well as those who care for them.

This year in Sheffield there were 2700 athletes, competing in 17 different sports, with ages ranging from 8 to 80!

So at the start of August, our 4 athletes headed “down south” as part of the Lothians Special Olympics Team. Having attended a weekly training club and taking part in competitions both locally and across Scotland, they also had additional training which was provided by Share Scotland Coaches, who undertook this in their own time on a voluntary basis.

One of the highlights from the Games was the Opening Ceremony, which was compered by Kris Kamara, Jim Carter of Downton Abbey and Suzie Perry. The athletes all took part in a very emotional “walk in” and the only thing the rain dampened was the ground.

A few fantastic days of competition followed, with some tightly contested events taking place, and the Share Team were very proud to achieve 3 Gold Medals, 4 Bronze Medals along with ribbons and certificates for swimming!

If you would like to learn more about Share Scotland, please contact us:

Catriona Connelly Head of Communications and Fundraising: Catriona.connelly@sharescotland.org.uk or telephone: 0141 445 8992 www.sharescotland.org.uk

Biker Bruce takes fundraising training on the road

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 18:44:48 GMT

BTA boss to present sessions in small communities

Leading Scottish fundraiser Bruce Tait is swapping his business suit for leathers this September and taking fundraising training around the North of Scotland by motorbike!

The BTA Fundraising Essentials tour will see Bruce deliver a full day’s training in fundraising aimed specifically at charities north of Scotland’s central belt. He’ll present 8 sessions in small and remote communities that would normally have to travel to places like Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Starting off in Dundee on September the 3rd, Bruce will go on to Aberdeen, Inverness, Kirkwall, Ullapool, Stornoway, Portree and Fort William. Riding on to the next venue each evening by motorbike, he’ll be travelling for 10 days, biking over 800 miles, visiting 4 islands and speaking to dozens of charities based in rural areas.

Bruce explained: “BTA have been working with many charities throughout Scotland this year and we often hear their frustration that the fundraising training offered is always in the central belt.

"By travelling by motorbike (and by ferry to the islands) I can cover a lot of ground quickly, making the course very inexpensive for the charities that come along. BTA are committed to supporting charities in all parts of Scotland and there are some marvellous charities in Scotland’s rural areas and islands. I’m really looking forward to helping them raise more money at a time when fundraising is becoming increasingly competitive and you need to be at the top of your game!”

The training is aimed at people who have responsibility for fundraising at their organisations, including volunteers and trustees as well as staff who fundraise.

Bruce will present three sessions each day covering fundraising planning, making the ask and applying to grantmakers. Bruce will talk you through how to make the most of opportunities with current and potential supporters by:

Creating a Fundraising Plan that works for your organisation
Deciding which types of fundraising are right for you and how to set income targets
Being confident in asking for money
Raising more funds from grant-making trusts and foundations
Creating a compelling Case for Support

Bruce has had a 28-year career in fundraising and is an award-winning former Director of Fundraising and Chief Executive of several Scottish charities as well as being a Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising.

Bruce created BTA and it is now one of the biggest and most respected charity consultancies in the UK, with a particular emphasis on helping smaller charities develop their fundraising capacity.

The full list of dates for the tour is:

3rd September – Dundee; 4th September – Aberdeen; 5th September – Inverness; 7th September – Kirkwall; 10th September – Ullapool; 11th September – Stornoway; 13th September – Portree; 14th September – Fort William.

For more information or to book a place, click here or contact info@brucetaitassociates.com.

Start now to use the Christmas break to your advantage in recruiting great staff for 2018

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 19:49:35 GMT

If you’re waiting for January to come before you start the process of recruiting a new member of staff, you might just miss out on the best candidates.

We understand that it’s a pain to even think about recruitment at this time of year, but our advice is that a little bit of preparation just now will put you ahead of the pack in 2018.

BTA Recruitment Manager Karen Naysmith explained: "Firstly, you can’t assume that people aren’t looking for work in December. In fact for the last few years December has been a busy month for charity recruitment as many people use the Christmas break to surf the recruitment websites for a new position in the New Year.

Those recruiters that can provide candidates with up to date vacancy information over the Festive Season, will be top of their list. We work closely with our sister company, Charity Careers Scotland to make sure that applicants can digitally access full information about all of our roles."

Even if people aren’t looking over the Festive Break, there is every chance that they will be doing so in January. According to Investors in People, as many as 50% of employees have “get a new job” at the top of their professional development plan for the New Year.

So starting a recruitment process that runs over the break AND for the first two weeks of January gives you a double advantage. It also means that your recruitment advertisements are out in front of those that have left it until January.

BTA’s Kirsty Murray says that this is the best way to make sure that the very best candidates see your role first:

“BTA recruit for more roles with Scottish charities than any other organisation and we know that people enter the New Year determined to act now to get a new job. We use our database, contacts, social media channels and recruitment adverts to make sure that it is our clients’ jobs that they see first.

"If you’re not live with roles as early as possible in January, or if you’re recruiting through an agency that doesn’t have the database of applicants that we do, you’re going to lose out to other charity recruitment campaigns."

So it seems that there is still time to be launching a new job before Christmas and that using the “two bites of the cherry” approach and starting in December really helps put your charity in the front line in the battle for talent, but there is also another date that starts to impact.

The 2018/19 financial year may seem a long way away, but when it comes to recruiting senior staff in order to have them in place for the coming financial year, you really do need to be starting before Santa takes to the skies.

BTA Managing Director Abeer Macintyre explained: “I’ve recruited multiple senior roles for Scottish charities this year, and one of the things I’ve really noted is that three month notice periods for charity leaders are very much the norm now.

"Whether it’s for a Director or a Chief Executive role, you should pretty much assume that from launching a senior role to the successful candidate’s starting date is going to be at least three months, nearer four. That means starting in December to even have a chance of getting someone in post in April 2018.

“BTA are determined that charities should not be losing their best staff to the other sectors, just because the holiday season is a “natural down time” for hardworking charity staff. Our view is that we can get things started now, so that you can relax over the break knowing that our recruitment process is still working for you while you recharge your batteries”.

Scottish Fundraising Awards 2017 Shortlist

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 18:55:06 GMT

BTA is headline sponsor for the big event

Over the summer, nominations have been sought for the Institute of Fundraising 2017 Scottish fundraising awards and today, with great delight, the shortlisted finalists are announced.

The awards presented with headline sponsor BTA (Bruce Tait Associates) are free to enter and present the opportunity to recognise Scotland’s best fundraisers and honour their success.

Speaking at the announcement of the finalists, Gary Kernahan, chair of the Scottish Conference Committee, said: “It is important that we celebrate and recognise the very best of fundraising. All across Scotland we have charities providing vital services that so many people are dependent on; services that can only be provided because of the funds people work so hard to raise.”

The full shortlist includes:

Fundraiser of the Year

Garry Donegan, Impact Arts (Projects) Ltd
Tony Gaston, EMMS International
Christina Brockman-More, Macmillan Cancer Support

Fundraising Excellence Award

Julie Christie, Parkhead CAB
Neil Skene, North East Sensory Services (NESS)

Voluntary Fundraising Group of the Year

Pitlochry Station Bookshop, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA)
Ayrshire Hospice Autumn Ball Committee, Ayrshire Hospice
Carluke Friends of CHAS, CHAS

Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year

Margaret (Mags) McPherson, The Prince’s Trust Scotland
May Gilchrist, Macmillan Cancer Support
Simon Longstaff, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Best use of Event or Community Fundraising Initiative

The Big Leap, University of Edinburgh
Zipslide Zinger, MS Society Scotland
Columba 1400 Refurbishment Crowdfunding Campaign, Columba 1400

Best Partner Relationship (Corporate or Trust)

The Glasgow School of Art and J Walter Thompson London
Waverley Care and Pleasance Theatre Trust
Scottish Association for Mental Health and Jo Malone London

Best Marketing and Communication Campaign

Remembrance 2016, Erskine
CrossReach Grey Cakes Campaign, CrossReach

Best Individual Giving Campaign

Erskine Somme Centenary Appeal, Erskine
Local Hospice Lottery, Local Hospice Lottery Ltd
Tick, Sign and Send, Ayrshire Hospice

How does your board stack up?

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 19:08:42 GMT

The stereotypical charity board member is male, professional and retired. How would you measure up against gender balancing or reflecting societal demographics?

Having a board with the right mix of Trustees who have the necessary skills and experience is critical to a charity’s success, especially in these challenging times. You should consider carefully if your Charity Board is correctly constituted and trained? When did you last do some collective training?

Carrying out a regular Board Skills Audit would be a useful first step. Once you are aware of the skills you require, it would help you to assess what type of Trustee you need, and when. Look ahead so you anticipate your charity’s succession planning requirements too.

What is the average age of your Board members? There are young professionals who are eminently suited to Board positions – they could bring a different perspective and dynamic, especially if your charity provides for young people.

Are you a company with a proactive people strategy or committed to a CSR policy which aims to benefit the community? Why not let your aspiring senior and middle managers spend their ‘company volunteer time’ contributing to a charity Board? It’s a win-win: better staff for you – stronger boards for charities – more resilient communities.

There are high-grade candidates out there who can add strength and depth to your Board. You may be surprised but there are experienced professionals looking for their next challenge and wanting to give something back.

This is more than food for thought – it is what the Regulator expects of all charities.

Age Scotland forging ahead through innovation and enterprise

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 19:18:55 GMT

Age Scotland’s vision is a Scotland where everyone can love later life. Age Scotland believe life is for living, and everyone should have the opportunity to live happily and well, for as long as they can.

Its determination to support that as a charity has lead it down new income generation paths that have reaped huge rewards. This is how they did it.

Age Scotland has now separated its business enterprises (Age Scotland Enterprises) from the charity to form Age Scotland Commercial Enterprises.

Heading up this new venture is former Age Scotland Chief Executive, Brian Sloan. Brian worked in the Private Sector until 2009 when he decided to make a step-change with a move to the third sector. This new role combines his extensive private and third sector experience.

Age Scotland Enterprises was previously a joint venture with Age UK’s commercial arm, Age UK Enterprises. Full control was moved to Age Scotland last year and with its separation from the charity became Age Scotland Commercial Services.

They can still sell some of the same products such as travel, car and home insurance deals, but are also developing new products and services. These include “Planning for Your Future” training for people who will retire in the next few years. Retirement is a huge transition and many older people are just left to it. These courses offer practical advice on how to manage the process from a legal, financial and health perspective.

Another offering is age awareness training provided to employers. With a rapidly ageing population, employers are recognising that they need to be better prepared for having a greater number of older workers.

These employees bring a huge wealth of experience and the age awareness courses offer practical tips on how to get the best out of the most loyal and reliable section of the workforce. Age Scotland Commercial Enterprises aims to grow the business to ensure more sustainable income for the charity and make it less reliant on grant funding.

The result? Trading now accounts for almost 30% of Age Scotland’s £3.5 million annual income and 100% of net profits from Age Scotland Commercial Enterprises is gift-aided back to the charity.

Age Scotland Commercial Enterprises have their own board with expertise drawn from a range of industries. This board then reports to the Age Scotland Charity Board. This means that they don’t have “commercial opportunities going straight to a charity board, which might not have the appropriate skill set to scrutinise them.”

However, final approval will always remain with the charity as the protection of the reputation of Age Scotland is paramount. This social enterprise model, taken to a whole new level, has paid dividends for this once charity. Perhaps with the funding challenges facing charities right now, it’s time to consider whether a similar model could work for you?

Scotland’s new Humanitarian Emergency Fund

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 19:14:06 GMT

Launched by Scottish Government

The Disasters Emergency Committee brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis. They launch appeals to raise money to help those impacted by disaster, making sure that funds reach those that need them most. Since their launch in 1963, they have run 69 appeals and raised more than £1.4 billion - saving millions of lives and rebuilding devastated communities.

In April 2017, The Scottish Government announced the launch of its new Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF), supported by the DEC. The HEF will work with selected aid agencies in Scotland to respond efficiently and effectively to international emergencies; build public awareness in Scotland of Humanitarian crises; and bring enhanced transparency and predictability to the Scottish Government’s emergency funding.

In addition, the fund will:

Help those who are in need on the basis of the humanitarian imperative, regardless of the emergency’s public profile;
Work with pre-selected organisations in Scotland to respond efficiently and effectively to international emergencies;
Build public awareness in Scotland of humanitarian crises in order to raise additional funding;
Demonstrate the Scottish Government’s role as a responsible global citizen with a vested interest in responding to global humanitarian challenges;
Bring enhanced transparency and predictability to the Scottish Government’s emergency funding.

The DEC has been contracted by the Scottish Government as the Fund Manager, working closely with the HEF Panel and the Scottish Government to support the technical appraisal, performance assessment and day-to-day administration of the Fund and they approached BTA to help them find the ideal candidate for the newly-created role of HEF Co-ordinator.

The purpose of the role of the Co-ordinator was to provide Secretariat support to the HEF Panel, working closely with the HEF Chair, HEF Panel members and the Scottish Government to ensure the smooth operation of the HEF.

We were delighted to support the DEC in recruiting this first and pivotal role for the HEF.

The successful candidate was Annie Lewis who has more than 10 years’ experience within the international development sector, both as a fundraiser in a large international agency (Head of Fundraising in Scotland, Oxfam GB) and through her roles as a Board member of NIDOS including Treasurer, Chair and Acting Chief Executive Officer.

She has extensive experience of funding for humanitarian emergency responses both as a fundraiser and as a Board member with NIDOS. With a wealth of experience and untold enthusiasm, Annie was the perfect candidate for this role. We wish Annie every success in her new role and look forward to following the progress of the HEF in the coming months and years!

“This was the first time we had worked with BTA – they successfully helped us to recruit for an important new part-time post on a tight timescale. BTA did an excellent job for us, both thorough and flexible – securing for us a brilliant shortlist of well-briefed candidates. Based on our experience, we’d warmly recommend BTA to others."

Richard Dye, Director of Finance and Business Development for the DEC

Analog Kid vs Digital Man

Fri, 26 May 2017 19:21:39 GMT

I used to be the Analog Kid. And now I’m the Digital Man. I didn’t want to grow up, but I’ve had to. And so do Scotland’s charities.

Because I’m a bit of a musician I’ve always understood the difference between Digital and Analog, and at first there was no comparison. An analog sound is like a story, like a piece of art. It’s not real, its somebody’s creation – literally analogous. It’s a rebel and a romantic. Its vinyl, FM, a Breitling watch, a cherry red Stratocaster, or a Hammond B3 through a Leslie amp.

Digital is nothing but a bleep by comparison. It’s digits, Casio, numbers, LCDs and the cold, crystal, clarity of the Compact Disk. But its march is relentless and all pervading. And here we are.

As a Fundraiser, Digital first meant Colin. Colin was the IT guy at the charity where I worked and wow, did he live up to the stereotype. Geek didn’t begin to tell the story. He used to sit in front of the server – a whole room of yellow wires and black boxes and flashy lights. And floppy disks! Hundreds of floppy disks. There was also a printer, so noisy that it was in a box. You had to align the holes in the special paper that came with it to a set of hooked teeth on the printer drum. Even with the lid closed it roared. Colin loved it.

Bit by little bit, this funny world of digital started impacting on our fundraising. When I started fundraising in the mid-80s Word Processors had just been made commercially available. Our charity had two – piled on top of each other in a corner as the General Secretary refused to use them, preferring her trusty typewriter and carbon paper.

When she retired, I dusted one down and started using it to write “the same letter” to several trusts. It was like magic. As we grew and became a fundraising team, we got our first database. So terrified were we that someone might break in and steal it, we decided to regularly back it up onto Colin’s server.

What a circus that was – the floppy disks mountain grew and grew and we managed to baffle ourselves completely by having our regional fundraisers post their floppy disk version of the database to us every week. That didn’t end well!

Soon we had a website, and then social media and then cloud systems and then he appeared, like Colin on steriods – a Digital Fundraiser. He was like a T3 sent from the future to make sure the machines were victorious. His time was short though and although the machines were in fact victorious, the Digital Fundraiser died and ALL FUNDRAISERS became partially digital. And we will become more so.

There have been so many false dawns for “online fundraising” as it used to be called. We thought it was going to be the next big thing, but its taken about 40 years for us to realise that it’s not a thing, it’s a channel.

It is not fundraising, it is a way to communicate ABOUT fundraising. It’s a very important channel, so important and game-changing that the creation of the printing press is relatively meaningless next to it. But if we start to think about Digital as an end in itself, then it is not serving us – we are serving it.

We cannot fundraise the way that digital allows us to – we must harness digital to let us fundraise as we always have. By expressing the value of our cause to people with the capacity and desire to support it.

Maybe the machines won’t be victorious after all. Maybe the fundraisers of the world will get back to raising money instead of tweeting. Or maybe they’ll learn how to use those tweets to raise money. Like I have, when I became The Digital Man.

Unlock Years of Unclaimed Gift Aid from your Database!

Wed, 24 May 2017 23:00:00 GMT

The first thing I implemented as Fundraising Manager for the Homeless World Cup was a fundraising database. Our fundraising strategy had to be quickly implemented in order to raise the funds required to transport homeless players and teams, from some of the poorest countries in the world, to Milan where the Homeless World Cup would take place. I knew that we needed a bespoke CRM system to help us organise our activities and communicate quickly to new and existing donors.

I brought together a host of individual spreadsheets of previous supporters, potential supporters, football clubs and sponsors into the new system which then gave me a better picture of those we were going to ask for help and what their potential to give or get involved may be.

As it turned out, an extra, unexpected benefit of seeing all our supporters history in one place was being able to quickly calculate the total of what they had given over their lifetime. I also noticed that I didn’t have gift aid declarations in place for many of them. I immediately wrote to our previous donors thanking them for their support over the years and included a message about treating their donations as gift aid eligible unless they told us otherwise. By doing so, we were able to claim around £35,000 worth of unclaimed gift aid dating back 4 years. It was a huge boost to the start of our campaign and only took a few days of focused work to achieve, with the help of our new CRM system.

Since joining BTA, much of the work that I have done as a consultant has focused on working with charities to ensure that their databases are well organised, segmented and set up to highlight gift aid opportunities. Some issues I’ve spotted, resulting in charities losing gift aid money, include: gifts being recorded to events when in fact they were donations given in lieu of the donor attending the events; gifts not being treated as individual donations i.e. donations that accompany membership; and gift aid not claimed on donations that were given more than 2 years ago because there was not a gift aid declaration in place at that time for the donor. Most CRM databases now come with the capacity to record whether or not a donation is gift aid eligible. A gift aid report can then be drawn from the system, highlighting all the eligible donations that have not had gift aid claimed against them in the last four years. This simple exercise, as demonstrated above, can bring in thousands of pounds for your organisation!

If you’d like support in unlocking your gift aid, please contact me: lynn@brucetaitassociates.com or telephone 01786 542 224 .

Men at work? The gender imbalance in fundraising

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 23:00:00 GMT

“Gender Discrimination Is Hindering Tech Industry Growth!” That was the headline in February when McKinsey Global Institute reported that women make up only 22% of game developers. The report was presented as a considerable challenge to the gaming industry, with many commentators comparing this statistic to another report showing that as many women as men played games. “A missed opportunity” was the general consensus.

It’s not just the gaming industry. The technology sector in general is dominated by men. Less than one in five engineering or computer degrees go to women. The sector recognises this as a big problem and has recently launched numerous initiatives to interest women in technology and actively encourage them to pursue technology degrees and professions.

In America, celebrities like Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory) promote the idea of getting girls interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). In the UK, organisations like Women Who Code are working on getting women into IT.

Other professions that are female dominated are teaching (only one in eight teachers are men) and childcare (where just 2% of staff are male).

As with STEM, various groups and initiatives have been formed to redress this imbalance through research projects, social media drives, government careers programmes and advertising campaigns.

So if these professions recognise gender imbalance as a serious issue, why doesn’t fundraising?

A “clear and endemic” gender imbalance

On average, UK fundraisers are 78% female. But I don’t see any campaigns to redress this imbalance. I don’t recall a celebrity-led campaign to get more young men to consider a career in legacy fundraising. So why aren’t we looking at a clear and endemic gender imbalance in fundraising as a lost opportunity – not only to develop our profession, but to raise more funds for our causes?

Is the reason for this sectoral shrug of the shoulders perhaps that it doesn’t affect donations? Well, I’m afraid it might. For each of the last nine years, considerably more women than men gave to charity – on average only 70% of men gave, compared to 79% of women. And while it used to be the case that men gave higher-level donations, the last three years have seen a reversal of this and now women give both more frequently, and at a higher level, than men.

People might say that’s because women are naturally more generous. Perhaps, but is that all that’s going on here? As a mature profession, I think we need to dig a little bit deeper than that. Might it be the case that the high proportion of female fundraisers is itself attracting a higher level of female donors?

Inadvertent female-centric fundraising

We know that men and women respond differently to different types of fundraising message. Peter Maple, a philanthropy researcher and visiting lecturer at St. Mary’s University, says:

“A lot of the received wisdom about direct mail within philanthropy, for instance, has it that you write very short, to-the-point letters to men, who ‘want the facts’. Women will be more bothered to read longer things, reacting to human interest stories and engaging far more with the subject. Men and women respond to different things and fundraising appeals inadvertently or not, can play to stereotypically ‘female’ sensibilities, hence more female donors”.

Some charities have definitely understood this and use gender targeting to lower costs and raise more money. The Brooke animal welfare organisation receives three-quarters of its donations from women, and it makes perfect sense for them to involve gender in their fundraising strategy.

Jasvir Kaur, the organisation’s international director of fundraising and communications said:

“Around 75 percent of our donors are women, and anecdotally we know that they have a passion for horses, some from a horseriding background or from riding horses when they were young. Equestrianism is one of the only sports where women outnumber men, almost three to one according to the British Horse Society. So as most of our supporters are women we of course aim to reach them – advertising through women’s magazines, TV programme slots aimed at women, and of course the horse-focused media. It’s really important that we speak to the people who are more likely to want to support us.”

So what might motivate men to give more to charity? According to recent research – it’s other men. University College London and the University of Bristol recently released a study showing that men give more money through fundraising websites after seeing that other men have donated large amounts. Sarah Smith, professor of economics at the University of Bristol, said the research showed that “men had an innate desire to signal that they were the most generous of their peers”.

So doesn’t it stand to reason that if you want more men to give, get male fundraisers to ask them? And do it using messages that are more male focused than most fundraising currently is.

Back in 2015 John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:

“Charities clearly need to do more to motivate certain groups of society to get involved with charities in their communities, especially younger men. Fundraisers such as Movember and Tough Mudder have gone some way in catching the imagination of this group over the last few years, but there is clearly still some way to go”.

A more gender-balanced fundraising approach

I think part of the answer is to recruit more male fundraisers. Not just for “male-orientated” causes, but for all causes. I think that charities should take this seriously – not just as employers, but in terms of the fundraising opportunities that a more gender-balanced fundraising approach might offer.

So how could more men be attracted to our profession? How do we remove the recruitment barriers that have prevented men from joining our profession? Here are five thoughts from a recruiter’s perspective:

Be more open to bringing in skills from outside the sector. Some charities aren’t particularly keen on attracting people from other sectors – preferring to insist on sectoral experience when, arguably, someone with transferable skills from the public or private sectors might be as good a fit for some fundraising posts. So, because the sector is already gender imbalanced, recruiting exclusively from within it will perpetuate the imbalance.
I’d like to see our professional body take the lead here.The Institute of Fundraising should be doing more work to encourage people to join our profession – through careers centres, universities, working with employers etc. When they do so they should be sure to specifically include careers messages that tell men that working in fundraising is fulfilling, challenging, and offers good career progression. The advice needs to ‘normalise’ male participation in the fundraising profession.
One of the things that makes the voluntary sector so strong is that it has embraced flexible working. Many charities offer term-time working, compressed working, job-sharing, part-time work and home working. As a result charities have been able to tap into the huge talent base of women returning to work after starting a family. It now needs to develop the male equivalent to that approach. For example, might it be helpful to focus on promoting fundraising careers as a ‘second career’ option for older men? Aiming for a workforce that is diverse in age as well as gender could bring additional benefits to the fundraising performance.
Routine recruitment materials should use positive images of men as well as women, and include messages designed specifically to appeal to men as a target group.
We need to try to avoid ‘revolving door syndrome’. Recruitment is only part of the story: the studies on childcare found that, just as women in male-dominated professions experience isolation, pressures and prejudices, men in female-dominated professions like childcare experienced these too. It’s not always easy for a man to find his place as an equal in an all-female team, so do what you can to help him fit in by dealing with any negativity from female colleagues and encouraging open conversations about gender.

Taking ownership of the issue

It’s clear that we will not transform the gender imbalance of the fundraising profession overnight, but I think we need to accept that there is a problem here and turn it into an opportunity by taking ownership of the issue.

And just so that I’m absolutely clear on this, I’m talking about the core of the profession – the community fundraisers, the corporate fundraising officers, the events managers. I’m not talking about our fundraising leaders, the fundraising directors.

Because there is a different problem there. Successive studies show that there are slightly more women than men (51%) in fundraising director roles. But before we start patting ourselves on the back saying there is no glass ceiling for women in fundraising – consider this. If 78% of fundraisers are female, but only 51% of fundraising directors are female – there is a hidden gender imbalance going on there too.

But that’s another article!

Gorgie City Farm ‘Save Our Farm’ campaign – success through inspiring a community into action

andrew@wearenorthstar.co.uk (Andrew Thornley) — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 00:00:00 GMT

Gorgie City Farm is a community led charity and has been making a difference in Edinburgh for over 30 years.

However, this time last year, Gorgie City Farm was facing imminent closure. The situation was bleak and yet it rose from the ashes and is flourishing today. How is this possible? Through inspiring leadership and clever fundraising which harnessed the power of the people. Support from people all across Edinburgh was instrumental in saving the farm and leading the fundraising charge was Josiah Lockhart, General Manager.

Josiah joined the Gorgie City Farm team at the start of 2016. His task was to make the organization more sustainable. However, it quickly became clear to him that his task would be to save the farm!

The historic funding model for the farm was not working – running costs were rising whilst support from funders was decreasing. The farm had used its reserves and by early 2016 had shown itself to be unsustainable.

Josiah had a huge task ahead of him. He energised the small team at the farm, asking everyone for their ideas and input. The team pulled together and inspired by Josiah, rallied. The team then sought input from the local community and together, on the 25th April, launched a major appeal to save the farm. They had to raise £100,000 in 6 months to keep the farm from closing. What transpired is incredible. In less than 6 weeks, the full £100,000 had been raised!

The money was made up of many small donations from the people of Edinburgh – from piggy banks and cakes sales - showing the reach the campaign had and how people were inspired to give anything they could to help. A young boy did a sponsored silence for 3 hours and raised £415.00. A little girl did a sponsored bike ride – her first bike ride without stabilisers - and raised £209.57. There are many touching accounts of how the people of Edinburgh did whatever they could to save their farm.

Gorgie City Farm is now in a much happier position. It not only sustainable - it is growing! Josiah and his team are expanding the activities the community have shown to need and want. Their education provision is set to double and they are also increasing their work with vulnerable adults, opening in the evenings and school holidays, providing meeting space for the community and planning to expand their pet boarding employability project. They are, in summary, thriving!

Josiah Lockhart used his experience and passion to garner massive support and transform Gorgie City Farm and the community it serves. You can hear Josiah speak about the Save Our Farm campaign at the Institute of Fundraising’s, Scottish Fundraising Conference .

Covering Letters... How to get them right!

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

A covering letter can make or break your chances of getting shortlisted for your dream job, however, it’s the area that most candidates fall down on. While CVs are carefully considered and crafted, all too often the covering letter is written in haste and half-heartedly. This does not go unnoticed by prospective employers and can result in you being ruled out before they even read your CV. I hope the following top 10 tips will help you get it right and excite the reader rather than get you eliminated.

1. UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE BEHIND A COVERING LETTER.

While the CV is a factual record of your employment history, the covering letter allows you to give employers an insight into who you are and why you’d be a great asset to their organisation. This is much more personality lead and an opportunity for you to “sell" yourself in a completely different way. Employers need your skills but also want to enjoy working alongside you.

2. GET THE RIGHT TONE FROM THE OUTSET.

Don’t bullet point the covering letter or do headings, underlined or otherwise. Address the letter with a warm and engaging “Dear Mr/Ms………..” Sign off in the same way, expressing your gratitude to the hiring manager for “taking time out of their busy schedule to read the letter” or for "taking an interest” in your application. Perhaps say at the end that you very much hope to get the opportunity to meet them in person.

3. TAILOR IT TO THE CHARITY.

Always start with your passion for the work the charity does and your sincere commitment to helping them achieve their goals. If you have a personal motivation for applying e.g. you or a family member directly benefitted from the services, make sure you mention that. It’s amazing (and worrying) when the covering letter doesn’t even mention the charity by name. This is a big black mark against you and if the job has attracted a large number of candidates, you could get rejected on this count alone.

4. BUILD A PROFILE OF YOURSELF.

Allow yourself to inject some personality into this document so the charity can begin to build a profile of who you really are. Be disciplined and professional throughout but don’t be too stiff or formal. That can be off-putting by making you sound cold or pompous. You should aim for a more conversational tone, similar to how you’d interact at interview and, further down the line, with colleagues. Provided it’s well thought through and appropriate, some lightness of tone or humour can work very well e.g. at the end when you’re talking about your hobbies.

5. EXPAND ON CAREER SUCCESS.

Your CV will only have limited information about your career history. Using the BTA candidate pack and job/person specification as a guide, elaborate on relevant skills and experiences. For example, if the job is for a major donor fundraiser, use one or two paragraphs to give a couple of tangible examples of your success in terms of prospecting, cultivation and stewardship, remembering to include the sums of money generated. If you’re applying for a manager position, talk about how you have motivated your team and led them to achieve or even surpass their goals. If this would be your first manager position, talk about how you’d approach it and the style and techniques you would use.

6. ADD IN ANY RELEVANT INFORMATION.

You aren’t just a sum of your professional career. Many people who’ve succeeded at interview have done so because they have done something exceptional or meaningful in their personal life that makes them ideally suited to the job being advertised. Take this as an example. If you’ve been a volunteer for a charity for a number of years and a Volunteer Co-Ordinator position comes up, you will have a very valuable and empathetic perspective on the job. The covering letter is the ideal place to explain this so make the most of it.

7. GET THE WORD COUNT RIGHT.

Your covering letter is the beginning of the interview process. The same rules apply - don’t be long winded or repetitive and give relevant and valuable information only. You should aim to fill no more than two pages, although when it comes to senior roles, the expectation is that you will do 2-3 pages as you will have a broader base of skills and experience, not to mention successes. Remember the goal is to give enough information to get you into the interview room not to provide every cough and splutter of your career history. Selling yourself as a good communicator and then showing a lack of discipline in this area can be catastrophic.

8. BEWARE CUT AND PASTE.

It is apparent to everyone when a candidate does a cut and paste job from a previous application. Not only have we encountered the wrong charity name being used (a dead giveaway) but the covering letter will undoubtedly miss the mark in terms of highlighting your suitability to the specific requirements of the job being applied for. This is a blatantly lazy approach that will give off a very bad signal to the employer about your professionalism and passion for this job, not to mention your attention to detail.

9. PROOF READ.

It never ceases to amaze us how often CV s are sent to us riddled with typos, mistakes, wrong names and appalling grammatical errors. This is across the board but is particularly notable when it comes to senior, and even Chief Executives. Use spell check on your laptop and always, always proof read several times. It’s advisable to ask someone you trust to double check before you submit. There is often time to correct the document if these errors are pointed out but it gives a terrible first impression if they are not. Remember, we do the first shortlist for our clients so you need to impress us first and foremost.

10. GET IN EARLY.

Candidates tend to leave it until the last minute to send their CV s and covering letters to us. Sometimes they arrive a minute before the deadline. On occasion, we need to submit the shortlist to the client by the end of the day so this does not give us time to read your covering letter and track you down to recommend any changes. The earlier you get it to us, the more support we can give you. It also gets you on our radar and, possibly, on the shortlist at the very start.

I hope our top ten tips help you with your next application. Remember that the BTA team are here to guide and inform you throughout the recruitment process. We want you to land your dream job too!

Abeer Macintyre, Managing Director, BTA (Bruce Tait Associates)

BTA Announces an Impressive New Leadership Team

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT

BTA has announced a new leadership team to spur its recruitment and consultancy businesses onto even greater success. The company has experienced exponential growth over the past 3 years while establishing itself as one of the foremost third sector specialists in the UK.

The Chief Executive, Bruce Tait, put the company into the hands of Managing Director, Abeer Macintyre, in 2015 while he focused on expanding BTA’s services internationally. The company, which has won several awards, has experienced rapid growth and increasing demand for its services in both recruitment and consultancy advice across the UK. Two new senior executives, both of whom have been third sector CEOs, have joined the leadership team to support this growth.

Abeer Macintyre

Abeer is one of Scotland’s most respected fundraising and communications specialists and has significantly developed the fundraising capacity of numerous Scottish charities as a Director level Fundraiser and as a Consultant. Formerly the presenter of BBC Scotland’s flagship news programmes (Reporting Scotland, Newsdrive and Newsnight Scotland) Abeer became Head of Fundraising for the UK and Ireland with Mary’s Meals, more than doubling annual income before her departure 5 years later. She then joined NSPCC Scotland as their Strategic Head of Fundraising, Scotland where she undertook a national review of their Fundraising Strategy before becoming Director of Development at Children in Scotland. Abeer has also been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International for her charitable work.

Gavin Davey OBE

Gavin Davey is the Director of BTA Consultancy, having previously worked as one of BTA’s senior consultants. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of The Gannochy Trust, one of Scotland’s biggest grant givers. His role involved assessing charities’ performance, from business planning to delivery, and advising on their strategic direction. He also has a strong background of charity leadership having served as CEO of one of Scotland’s most respected and successful charities, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. He has a background in lecturing and tutoring strategic planning and campaign management. Gavin manages BTA Consultancy services and leads our UK-wide expert team of Associates. He was appointed OBE in 2004 for military service.

Alan Brown

Alan spent over 25 years working in the electronics manufacturing sector in Scotland, holding increasingly senior leadership positions, before moving to the third sector in 2009. Initially joining one of Scotland’s most respected and best loved charities, Mary’s Meals, as Head of Operations, he then led the UK and Ireland team as Executive Director. Alan has particular expertise in the operational aspects of business and has also developed an in- depth knowledge of fundraising and communications from his time with Mary’s Meals. He manages all the business functions within BTA and provides leadership to the team of expert recruiters.

If you would like to speak to Abeer, Gavin or Alan or would like any more information about BTA services please contact us.

Thank you!

Ten Years and Counting...

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT

2007

It seemed like a good idea at the time!

A recruitment service run by people that had done the jobs they were recruiting for. One that was transparent, honest and ethical. That INSPIRED people to apply for jobs, rather than headhunting them. That told them all about both the opportunities and challenges that a role offered. That didn’t talk people into roles that weren’t for them.

I’d been in the voluntary sector for almost 20 years in 2007 and had spent the last few years as a consultant working for charities around the world, big and small. One thing came up again and again – trouble finding staff. Trouble keeping staff. And a recruitment sector that wasn’t helping at all.

So we decided to build something new. Four of us (myself, Joan Jack, David Craig and Eilish McDowell) all of us fundraisers, and all of us committed to breaking the mould when it came to recruitment. We deliberately did everything differently from what recruitment firms did. We told people which charity we were recruiting for. We replied to EVERYONE that applied for our roles. We took the time to find out exactly the sort of person that our clients were looking for. We worked hard to be different and honest. We gave ourselves 6 months!

2017

It worked! Within days we had our first recruitment assignment (for Poppyscotland who are still with us) and we were off and running. Since then we must have recruited over 1000 staff. The ten years since we started have seen us expand beyond fundraising (naturally most of our first jobs were in our own discipline), expand beyond Scotland (BTA is now UK wide) and take on the world (we’ve got sister companies in Ireland, England and Canada.

Oh and we never stopped being consultants. Indeed our consultancy service now is at least the equal of our recruitment work.

In the last ten years so many people have worked for us, worked with us and just generally wished us well. The BTA story is theirs too and we can’t thank them enough for their contribution.

2027

We’re now looking to the future and embracing technology that never stands still. Our recruitment work went online years ago and this year we will launch BTA Digital – our new consultancy service to help charities communicate and organise their digital presence.

The world is getting smaller and (it seems) sillier. We need to evolve, innovate, globalise and constantly, constantly challenge preconceived wisdom. Most importantly we need to help the magnificent voluntary sector change the world for the better. Every day, in every way we can. That is our mission.

It still seems like a good idea!

Bruce

Great! You have an interview... now what?

Tue, 17 May 2016 23:00:00 GMT

How much do you know about the charity or organisation you are interviewing for? It should be plenty, and all the information you need is available online. Here are tips on how to research, get the inside scoop on the culture, and use connections who can help you get an interview advantage.

Visit the Charity Website

Visit the charity website, review the charity’s mission statement and history, services and management, as well as information about the charity culture. The information is usually available in the About Us section of the site.

Use Social Media

Check Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. Like or follow the company to get updates. You’ll find information you may not have found otherwise. LinkedIn company profiles are a good way to find, at glance, more information on the charity you’re interested in. You’ll be able see your connections at the charity, new hires, promotions, jobs posted, related companies, and company statistics. Take a look at your interviewer’s profile to get insight into their job and their background.

Google and Google News

Search both Google and Google News for the charity name.

Be prepared

You may be asked to take originals and photocopies of your professional qualifications and/or your original passport or birth certificate to confirm you have the right to live and work in the UK. Failure to take the required documents with you to interview may give off the impression that you are unable to follow instructions or disorganised.

Presentation

If you are asked to prepare a presentation as part of your interview, we would suggest you forward a copy of this to us prior to your interview to enable us to forward to the panel. Technology doesn’t always work the way we want it to so please ensure you take a hard copy of your presentation with you just in case your pen drive or memory stick doesn’t work on the day.

On the day

Plan your route, allowing extra time for any unexpected delays. Arrive early for your interview (but not too early). We suggest you arrive 10 minutes before your interview is due to start. It does not do any harm to do a test drive to the interview location in advance. Remember traffic varies at different times of the day and car parks can be full at peak times. Have change with you in case you have to park on a meter. If you are too early you can always go for a coffee and look over your notes.

Whilst you may anticipate your interview taking no more than an hour, on occasions, they do run over the time allocated which may result in your interview time being delayed.

Dress to Impress

If your appearance is neat and clean, you will give the impression of being someone who is organised and pays attention to detail.

Whether you are asked to meet the charity for an informal chat over a coffee or attend a formal panel interview, first impressions are very important! We would recommend you always dress smartly when meeting your potential new employers.

No one has ever not been offered a job for being too smartly dressed!!

Ask questions

You should always have some questions for your interviewer to demonstrate your interest in the position. We recommend you prepare a minimum of three questions, some which will give you more information about the job and some which delve deeper into the culture and goals of the company.

Do not ask about questions about time off/holidays at interview as this can show a lack of commitment if you are already thinking about how short you can make the working week. If you need flexible working for an issue like childcare please discuss this with the recruiter when applying as they can ask about that on your behalf before the interview stage.

Employers do not like to find the perfect candidate to then be negotiating hours as flexible working is not always appropriate to the organisation or the role.

Most common interview questions:

What do you know about our organisation?

This one comes up 90% of the time. Be sure you have done your homework!

Why do you want to work for us?

Tailor your answer so that you show you can contribute in positive ways, to provide a solution for what the charity needs.

Tell me about yourself…

Remember to point out those characteristics and qualities that suit the position. This is not a time for a personal history.

What motivates you? What are your personal goals?

Indicate a desire to contribute to the charity in specific ways that you enjoy and do well, trying to make a match between the needs of the organisation and your abilities.

Why are you leaving your job?

Be sure you have a level-headed answer for this one. Do not rubbish your previous position or boss! Indicate positive reasons for seeking advancement, a change or a new challenge.

What qualities and experience do you have that are important for this position?

The interviewer has your CV, but he or she wants to hear how you can express your success. This is also a time when the interviewer may test your communication skills.

What has been your greatest accomplishment?

Remember to make your answer outcome orientated focusing on the organization and its clients rather than your ego. Stick to this guide and you’ll definitely come across as a stronger candidate in interviews.

We also suggest you refer to the job description and person specification and prepare good, detailed examples under each required skill set. Remember to be confident and articulate!

Finally, everyone at BTA wishes you the best of luck!

CRNS Annual Awards Dinner

Mon, 02 May 2016 23:00:00 GMT

On the 29th April 2016, Community Resources Network Scotland (CRNS) held their first ever Annual Awards Dinner – celebrating the achievements of the recycling sector in Scotland.

Held in the Balmoral Hotel Edinburgh, attendees included employees from charities large and small, social enterprises, local authorities and, special guest, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

It was an event heralding charities who work tirelessly to support environmental causes and their hard working volunteers – two of whom were recognised for their special contributions at just 16 years old!

The BTA team were proud to be there and enjoyed a wonderful evening supporting this important area of the Third Sector. The winners were as follows:

The Innovation Award – Recycle Mobility Centre, Glasgow

The Sustainability Award – Whitmuir Community Farm, Peebles

The Partnership Working Award – Castle Furniture Project, Cupar

The Community Engagement Award – MESS Island Castaways, Isle of Mull

BTA want to send all the shortlisted organisations huge congratulations as well as the worthy winners above.

Essential Reading for Fundraisers

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 23:00:00 GMT

How the Scots Invented Philanthropy: The First Scottish Enlightenment

Scotland is unique. It is a nation rich in inventions and achievements. It has given the world golf, whisky, tartan, the telephone, the television, the steam engine, penicillin, and insulin. Arguably, Scotland invented Philanthropy too.

The Scottish Enlightenment of the 18th century saw a huge outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments. The results were staggering. Despite being the poorest country in the world in Western Europe, by 1750 Scotland was the most educated, with over half of its population able to read and write, every major town having a library, and Scotland being home to the best universities in the world.

Among the fields that rapidly advanced were philosophy, political economy, engineering, architecture, medicine, geology, archaeology, law, agriculture, chemistry and sociology. The great Scottish thinkers and scientists of the period included David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, and John Playfair. Crucially, these writers shared a humanist and rationalist outlook and the main philosophers of the Enlightenment proposed philanthropy as the essential key to human happiness. Self-development, manifested in good deeds towards others, was the surest way to live a pleasing, fulfilling, and satisfying life, as well as to help build what the Scots called a “Commonweal,” a community of people working together for the common good.

The notion distinguished the Scottish Enlightenment from the corresponding changes sweeping Europe and had effects far beyond Scotland itself, not only because of the esteem in which Scottish achievements were held in Europe and elsewhere, but also because its ideas and attitudes were carried across the Atlantic by American students who studied in Scotland. In the United States, the significance of the Scottish Enlightenment on North American political, social, and philosophical thinking was profound – inspiring both the U.S Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution and informing the work of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in particular. The link between free trade and social responsibility prevailed in American consciousness and is best recognized in the activities of probably the greatest and most influential philanthropist – Scotsman Andrew Carnegie.

Ironically, despite inspiring so much social progress around the world, the effects of the Enlightenment in Scotland itself were quickly dissipated. The 18th century saw Scotland’s national poverty deepen, attempts to re-establish the Scottish monarchy fail, and mass emigration of vast numbers of Scots. While Scots thrived abroad, at home they were increasingly assimilated into the United Kingdom and the British Empire, to the stage that Scots nowadays have neither a constitution nor a bill of rights and have only a devolved parliament, secondary to the UK government in most important aspects of Scottish life.

In terms of current trends in charitable giving, there is evidence that the principals of the Enlightenment did serve to create an ethos within Scotland that helping others is a shared responsibility. While this ethos is not unique to Scotland, it is certainly true that successive studies of charitable giving in the United Kingdom place Scottish donors as significantly more generous than in any other part of the UK.

Within Scotland, the most generous parts of the country are the rural, more traditional areas. It is also the case that those in the lowest economic groups give significantly more to local charities, while higher-earning groups give more to Scotland-wide and international charities. This suggests that the legacy of the “Commonweal” is still embedded in the rural, traditional, working-class areas of Scotland.

Three hundred years later, signs are starting to emerge that Scotland may be recovering and emerging from its more recent role as a touristy, historic theme park of a land full of castles, bagpipes, and mythical monsters. In 2014, Scots narrowly voted to stay within the United Kingdom rather than achieve full independence; however, the referendum debate and its aftermath served to raise the national political consciousness in Scotland by a considerable degree. A corresponding growth in the Scottish cultural, economic, and academic world has some observers predicting the possibility of a second Scottish Enlightenment.

Three Reasons You Should Consider a Maternity Cover As Your Next Fundraising Role

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT

When looking at their careers, most people tend to prioritise permanent opportunities – for a range of reasons, it just seems the natural choice. Yet I’m a big believer in the judicious use of short term contracts to boost your fundraising career. Here’s why.

When I accidentally fell into fundraising from a world of advertising and investment banking, little did I know this would lead to a career spanning three decades, several major campaigns and eventually a role advising other organisations on their fundraising strategies and resourcing. Yet my entry level temporary role covering the Individual Giving programme at the Courtauld Institute of Art opened up a whole new world of possibilities to me.

I soon discovered that I loved, and was even good at, asking people for money to secure amazing art, and that my experience as a student caller at the London School of Economics had stood me in good stead for the challenge. I fitted into the team really well and was able to demonstrate that my flexibility and ability to learn were ideal skills for the situation.

My next chance for progression came when I had the opportunity to fill a maternity cover in the Development team at English Heritage. Only a nine-month contract, yet I leapt at the chance to add new skills to my CV.

Although sad to leave the Courtauld, the opportunities to work with major HLF applications, develop the corporate partnership scheme, and add heritage and education as new and glittering strings to my bow were too great to pass up.

I knew that without this experience I had little hope of progressing to a more senior role, yet as someone who knew (or believed!) they had so much more to offer I didn’t want to get tied down to a long-term role that could ultimately be too junior for me. They took the chance on me because, after all, it was only for nine months, and they could see I was hungry to learn.

I loved every minute of it – my team sent me on training and made me feel a part of the team from day one. Within a year the person I was covering for had returned from their maternity leave, able to pick up where I was leaving off, and I moved to a role as Senior Development Executive at the Science Museum managing some major corporate sponsorships – a role I could not have dreamt of securing only a year before.

The benefits of short term contracts aren’t just about promotion – a friend of mine, who was already a very experienced fundraiser, was able to move from health fundraising to arts fundraising via a fixed term contract at an organisation that was willing to take a chance on her ‘different’ experience in a way they would not have if it had been a permanent role. From her perspective, she got to dip her toes in the water – and to confirm that she loved it as much as she’d thought she would. She was unexpectedly invited to stay on, and she is still there today.

From an organisation’s perspective, whilst nerves will always be present about how well the new person will adapt in such a short space of time, the temporary addition to the team also brings riches in great abundance. One organisation I worked with was able to draw on the different thinking the maternity cover brought from their own background and use it as a complement to the existing post-holder’s skills, leaving them highly grateful for his input and him with a glowing reference for his next position.

Next time you are tempted by a maternity cover or a fixed term role don’t dismiss it out of hand – it could be the making of your career.

3 Key Benefits of Being a Maternity Cover:

Springboard to promotion – charities are more likely to ‘take a chance’
Chance to gain experience of a different sector or type of fundraising
You get to leave after 6 - 12 months, refreshed and reskilled ready to gain your dream permanent role.

Charity Leaders' Agenda 2016

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Few charity leaders will look back on 2015 fondly – this was the year when some media outlets seemed to declare war on the sector, publishing news stories that have undermined public trust in charities, just at the point when the prevailing financial climate means public support is more important than ever.

But although some coverage was unfair and inaccurate, there were some horrifying abuses of fundraising techniques revealed, while the Kids Company debacle underlined the over-riding importance of good governance. We asked experts across the sector how those issues should be addressed in 2016 and which other issues should be on the charity leader’s agenda.

Fundraising and funding

In November 2015 the Cabinet Office announced the appointment of Lord Michael Grade as interim chair of the new fundraising regulator. “The biggest challenge facing fundraising organisations in 2016 will be developing new relationships with a brand new Fundraising Regulator,” says Ceri Edwards, director of policy and communications at the Institute of Fundraising (IoF). “There is no time to waste in rebuilding public confidence in charity fundraising.”

With few further details available at present one concern must be the additional cost burdens paying for a new regulatory system will place on a third sector already experiencing significant financial difficulties, says Andrew O’Brien, head of policy and public affairs at the Charity Finance Group.

With income from government contracts and grants falling rapidly, charities must now look at all possible appropriate income sources, warns David Hopkins, senior advisor at the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). This includes individuals and foundations, legacies, corporate donors and trading activities.

Robin Osterley, chief executive at the Charity Retail Association (CRA), believes charity retail will play an important role. “We see charity retail as a way of helping to take up some of the slack that comes from other fundraising opportunities being lost,” he says. Issues charities running shops need to be monitoring in 2016 include possible changes to business rate relief. “In the Budget the Chancellor announced that business rates would be devolved to local authorities,” Osterley explains. “It is really important to us that the mandatory relief aspect is preserved. The indications we have had from the Treasury so far are that it will be, but we will be keeping a very close eye on that. In Northern Ireland there are very strong indications that business rate relief could be under threat.”

For some charities, social investment may become a more important source of funding. “There is almost more money available than there are investable opportunities in social investment at the moment,” claims Jonathan Jenkins, CEO at Social Investment Business (SIB). “There is a growing social investment ecosystem, a growing opportunity and community of those looking to invest in charities and social enterprises to help them grow.”

However, he stresses, social investment should not be seen as a replacement for grant funding or donations. “The bottom line is, people need to think commercially,” Hopkins concludes. “We need to understand the markets we’re in, we need a compelling proposition, we need to understand what gets [donors] excited. Charities that aren’t going to make that transition are going to struggle.”

Administration, accounting, and reporting

As ever, changes to the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) will need to be understood. In 2015 charities have had to decide whether to prepare accounts under the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE), or the Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102.

The FRSSE will be reviewed again during 2016. CFG’s O’Brien is confident that efforts to educate the sector in the use of the new arrangements have been successful. “The biggest issue seems to be pension deficits going onto the balance sheet,” he says. “If people don’t understand how annual reports work they may think charities are in a worse position than they were the year before.”

Another big theme in charity accounting is demonstrating the impact an organisation is having upon beneficiaries and within broader society. Iona Joy, head of the charities team at consultancy and thinktank New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), which advises charities on developing effective impact measurement processes, reports healthy growth in this area. This includes well-produced impact measurement reports on some charities’ websites. She cites The Children’s Society as an example.

In 2016 she would like to see more charities working directly on operational and strategic changes they could make following the analysis of impact measurement data. “It’s rare we get strategy work about what an organisation has learned from impact data,” she notes. “But more people are using big data, using digital channels to collect data, and becoming more interested in analysing and using data to drive decisions.”

These activities are no longer the preserve of only the largest charities. “We’ve seen some smaller organisations that are really committed and trying to do this,” says Joy. “There’s quite a lot of selfhelp going on too.” Online diagnostic tools for assessing the competency of impact measurement methods continue to improve.

HR, staffing, recruitment, and governance

Charities need to beware of benefits in kind to volunteers and interns that could be interpreted as according those individuals employee status – which would mean the organisation would need to comply with minimum wage legislation and auto-enrolment pension obligations. The consequences of an error of this kind could be significant, for an organisation’s finances and reputation.

The best way to avoid many problems is to avoid ambiguity in the relationship between the organisation and the individuals in question, says Phil Pepper, employment partner at legal firm Shakespeare Martineau. Which skills are most likely to be in short supply in the sector during 2016? Myles Kunzli, advice coordinator at the NCVO says that financial and legal skills are always in demand. “But also, with the reduction in grant income and the need to diversify income streams, more commercial skills are required, at a strategic level and operationally.”

Issues related to pensions may cause charities some headaches in 2016. Aside from the challenge many smaller organisations will face with auto-enrolment, many in the sector continue to lobby for to changes to Section 75 debt legislation. At present organisations with a handful of employees who are members of collective defined benefit pension schemes can be trapped with an impossible choice: withdraw from a scheme that imposes unaffordable costs and unacceptable financial risks, or face huge costs if they attempt to exit the scheme. CFG, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA, formerly the NAPF) and other organisations have all been asking the government to make it easier to exit these schemes. “There was a consultation by the DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] over the spring and summer but the government has said it won’t report on it until 2016,” explains CFG’s O’ Brien.

For Gareth Hopkins, pensions consultant at GJH Pensions, the most important development charities should be considering in relation to pensions during 2016 is the changes made to the employer’s covenant guidance issued by The Pensions Regulator, which should help guide trustees through triennial pension fund valuations. The other major governance issue that will loom large for many charities in 2016 is the possible need for mergers. Richard Litchfield is chief executive at the not-for-profit specialist consultancy Eastside Primetimers, which publishes the annual Good Merger Index for the sector. Although one might have supposed prevailing financial conditions made such mergers more likely, the number of mergers completed during 2015 was the same as in 2014, while the notional financial value of those mergers fell.

But this hides higher incidences of mergers within certain sub-sectors, says Litchfield, citing the example of leisure trusts: there are 100 in England and five were involved in mergers during 2015. He thinks we will see more mergers in sub-sectors affected by reductions in local authority funding.

Public relations and reputation management

“This year the trust between national media and charities has been virtually destroyed,” says Jenny Turner, managing director of charity specialist PR agency Turner PR. She would like to see the sector explaining the way it works more effectively. “There’s a worrying void in the understanding of how charities are run these days,” she says, pointing to stories in the national media claiming a small proportion of an individual donation gets spent on a cause once fundraising costs have been paid.

“If that person already had an understanding of how charities fundraise that would not be a story. I’d like to see charities standing up confidently proud of their work and their fundraising and happy to explain their practices in an open and transparent way,” she says. “Done well it could even generate support.” One of a number of initiatives upon which Acevo and NCVO will be working together in 2016 will be an attempt to improve the reputation of the sector as a whole. “We should start telling our story more effectively,” says Acevo chief executive Sir Stephen Bubb. “Individual charities are often brilliant at telling their own stories, but there’s never been that overall media campaign for charity as a whole.”

Meanwhile, CharityComms and NCVO will continue to coordinate the Understanding Charities project, a long-term programme designed to educate the public about the way charities work. “We’re creating a positive narrative for the sector about why charities matter,” explains CharityComms director Vicky Browning. “We can draw down very specific examples of the positive impacts that charities can have.” Finally, 2016 should also see further progress in the innovative use of social media within the sector. “Social media is a fantastic opportunity for donors to engage with charities and beneficiaries,” says Browning. “In previous times communications was a push mechanism. Social media and digital has made it two-way. That’s a hugely powerful opportunity that many charities are embracing.”

Politics and regulation

If 2015 was a tumultuous year in politics, 2016 could yet prove even more significant for the charity sector in terms of political and regulatory change. At the time of writing the House of Commons is about to begin the second reading of the new Charities Bill.

Jay Kennedy, director of policy and research at the Directory for Social Change (DSC), thinks its full potential impacts are not yet widely understood, particularly provisions to automatically disqualify trustees with certain types of criminal record. This will cause problems for charities who use ex-offenders as trustees, sometimes because of the understanding they have of the issues facing beneficiaries or service users. It is not yet clear how the system of waivers that will supposedly help organisations in this position will work in practice.

“An even greater worry is that the bill gives the commission powers to disqualify anybody from being a trustee, if you’ve ever done anything to ‘damage public trust and confidence in charities’, or if they think it is ‘in the public interest’ for them do disqualify you,” Kennedy continues. “The Charity Commission would say they would only use these powers judiciously, but this is a big change which will have repercussions.”

Sir Stephen Bubb shares those concerns. He is also still very concerned about the implications of the lobbying act. “I think you heard much less from charities than you would have expected otherwise around the election,” says Bubb. “It seems that many trustees said ‘It’s all too difficult, let’s keep our heads down.’ That is a major problem.” A promised review of the effect of the impact of the lobbying act, commissioned by the previous government from Lord Hodgson, should be published in 2016.

Finally, we may see another consultation in 2016 on the future funding of the Charity Commission, possibly via a levy to be imposed on charities at some point in future. The DSC and Acevo are among organisations that have already stated clear opposition to this idea.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission told Charity Times: “We are seeking a more sustainable funding base for the commission … and are continuing talking to charities about how this might be achieved. While we will begin to consult soon on the options for future funding of the commission a levy isn’t something that could be implemented until 2018 at the earliest.”

How to make the most of your career in 2016

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:00:00 GMT

With the start of the New Year comes the inevitable talk of New Year’s resolutions. ‘New Year – New Me!’. Your “to do” list screams ‘join the gym, drink less, stop smoking, lose weight’ and all sorts of other tasks that you’ll probably have the best of intentions to complete, but often through no real fault of your own – will end up on the back burner. But what about your professional goals for 2016? Do you have New Year’s resolutions for your career this year? How are you going to progress? What will your big achievements be? How are you going to make the most of your career over the next 365 days?

Firstly, some of you may be reading this article unhappy in your job, feeling dissatisfied, unmotivated and perhaps undervalued. You’ll probably be looking for a change, curious about an opportunity out there that may stimulate you more or you may be trying to find a way to make your existing circumstances more stimulating. Perhaps you’re an individual who’s more secure than that in their job. You may be maintaining a comfortable status quo and be relatively satisfied. Or you may be reading this and you currently love your job. You’re engaged, you’re energised and you’re enjoying every minute of the working day. Our goal at BTA is to help all our candidates become this latter blog reader.

No matter which category you fall into, unhappy, satisfied or in love with your job – all should be working towards the same goal in 2016: to reach your full potential and in turn help the charity you work for reach its full potential too. So how do you do it? Well at BTA we have three top tips for you to make the most of your career in 2016.

Get connected. The Third Sector is a close-knit community and within it there are fantastic networks and groups of likeminded individuals for you to tap into. In the BTA office we’re regularly finding out that our clients and candidates are sisters or neighbours or ex-colleagues and we think this can be of great benefit to people professionally as well as personally. BTA Chief Executive, Bruce Tait, is an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Fundraising and we have sponsored the IOF Scottish and North West conferences for several years. Membership of the Institute is a great way to grow your professional circle, expand your knowledge base and increase your contacts. Within the Institute there are also Special Interest Groups many of which meet for lunch across Scotland giving you another chance to network, connect and collaborate.

LinkedIn is another great way to do something similar. Why not connect on LinkedIn with people working for similar organisations or in similar roles to you? Advice, support and encouragement go a long way and you can’t reach your full potential on your own. Staying connected could mean you find yourself a professional mentor, a future boss, a shoulder to lean on, a sounding board for ideas – the list goes on. The Third Sector relies on people who can build good relationships, co-operate and form strong teams – why not use the same skills for your own career too.

Be curious. To reach your full potential you need to know where that can best take place. You need to know what opportunities are out there and plan ahead for the future. Even if you love every aspect of your job – staying hungry and ambitious is important which is why staying curious is our second top tip. You need to keep that appetite alive.

There’s a common misconception that only unhappy people look for jobs. Those who are discontented, disengaged or even desperate. But this is simply not true. Often we receive enquiries about roles from the ambitious, the successful, and the excellent – far more than the unhappy. And it’s fantastic to see. Great people will always want to do greater things and sometimes that may mean moving to another team, another organisation or even another area of the Third Sector. Remember, all of our vacancies have Candidate Information Packs which we carefully craft to give you as much insight into each exciting opportunity as possible. Why not request one today and find out more about one of our vacancies? You may have ruled yourself out of enquiring for the wrong reasons, you may have an idea about the role that’s completely wrong – you may be missing out on your dream job. Staying curious will keep your mind motivated with a constant reminder that there are opportunities out there – and one of them might be yours.

Ask questions. We’re three weeks into the New Year and already social media is full of ego-massaging articles and posts trying to turn you into a career-robot. As I scroll through my LinkedIn newsfeed I’m told ‘You can do everything you put your mind to’, ‘2016 is your year’, ‘working alone is the best way to getting ahead’ and perhaps most worryingly ‘how to act the part in your new job’.

While having self-confidence is important, you can’t reach the summit on your own. You can’t always ‘do everything you put your mind to’, you can’t make every year ‘your year’and you certainly shouldn’t ‘act the part’ in any job. A career journey is all about other people. Especially a career in a sector that is built on co-operation, collaboration and partnership working.

I can guarantee that everyone reading this will have a number of questions in their head that they’re waiting for the right time to ask, anxious about asking or wondering who to ask. Whether you receive help from your line manager, your team, your Board, your funders, your friends, your ex-colleagues, your BTA contact – people are always more than willing to support you – if you ask.

Many of the BTA team have worked with candidates right across their careers from internships and entry level posts up to management roles, first Trusteeships and even Chief Executive appointments. Watching someone grow is fantastic, helping them is even better. So why not ask some questions today? What does your line manager think your aims should be this year? What does your team want to achieve in 2016? Who can show you how to do that one thing you struggle with time and time again? It’s easy.

At BTA we help people on a daily basis with their CVs, cover letters, interview skills, career direction and professional aspirations. Pick up the phone and ask us questions, pop in for a coffee and get your answers today.

The Hype About Skype

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

With the rapid growth in technology over the past few years it is no surprise that Skype interviews have become more popular than ever.

With 300,000 million users on Skype, employers are widening their horizons to find the perfect candidate from further afield. Although employers are unlikely to hire a candidate through a Skype interview alone, it is a great way for them to have an initial meeting with their potential new employee.

If you are interested in finding out how you can use Skype as a possible means to interview but are unsure how, then please follow our step by step guide below.

Step 1

First you need to make sure you are connected to the internet and have access to a microphone and a webcam.

Step 2

Now that you have all the necessary equipment, you will need to download the Skype software to your computer. You can do this by simply going onto Skype’s website which is and clicking on the ‘download Skype’ button.

Step 3

Once this has been downloaded you will need to create an account and set up your login details. To create an account you need to select the ‘create an account’ option that will appear on your Skype homepage. You will need to put in a valid email address, account name and password. Make sure that the account name is appropriate to your organisation as this will be the name that all clients and candidates will use to add you to their Skype address book.

Step 4

Now that you are all set up with an account it’s time to start making Skype calls. If the candidate isn’t already in your address book you will need to add them to it. To do this you will need to go to the top of the page and click ‘contacts’ and then ‘new contact’. You can then search Skype for their username or you can put in their number/e-mail address and their Skype name will automatically come up.

Step 5

Well done, you have now added the contact to your address book and will have easy access to their account. This enables you to call them and send them messages.

To Skype call you need to select ‘contacts’ on the left hand side of the bar and type in the Skype address of the person you wish to call. Click the ‘call’ button to make a voice call or the ‘video call’ button to make a video call and this will start to ring. The person that you are calling will need to be at their computer waiting for you to call to be able to click the ‘accept’ button.

Step 6

Once you have finished the call you will need to click the ‘end call’ button and then you will have successfully completed your Skype call.

USEFUL TIPS

Do a test in advance to make sure that the connection is good.
Make sure you have a contact number for the person you are speaking to and if need be you can call them if technology fails.
Make sure you are in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed in the middle of the call.
Don’t forget to look at your surroundings and where your computer is set up. What’s behind you matters. Set up a clean, neutral background with good lighting.
Finally don’t forget to make eye contact and ensure that the webcam is at a suitable angle for the candidate to see you and the entire interview panel.

Good luck!

Charity Champions 2015

Fri, 04 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Abeer Macintyre, BTA’s very own Managing Director was on the judging panel of the Charity Champions Awards that took place on Thursday, the 3rd of December at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow. This event was a great way of recognising the hard working charities that are leading the way forward.

The awards were handed out as follows:

ADULT’S HEALTH CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: MND Scotland

Winner: St Andrew’s Hospice

CHILDREN’S HEALTH CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Bobath Scotland

Winner: Whizz Kidz

DISABILITY CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Winner: SBH Scotland

INTERNATIONAL CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Winner: Oxfam

DIVERSITY CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Winner: Glasgow City Mission

ANIMAL CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Winner: SSPCA

CHILDREN’S CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Action for Children

Winner: The Teapot Trust

COMMUNITY CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Autism Rocks Fife

Winner: A&M Scotland

EVENT OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Pedal for Scotland, STV Appeal

Winner: Santa Dash, Price and Princess of Wales Hospice

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Winner: Jenna Speirs, Calum’s Cabin

CHARITY & CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Age Scotland

Winner: A&M Scotland

FUNDRAISING TEAM OF THE YEAR

Runner-up: Epilepsy Scotland

Winner: Chidren 1st

CHARITY OF THE YEAR (Income under £250,000)

Runner-up: SiMBA

Winner: The Teapot Trust

CHARITY OF THE YEAR (Income over £250,000)

Runner-up: St Andrew’s Hospice

Winner: Action for Children

INSPIRATION AWARD

Winner: Sara Fitzsimmons, SiMBA

Abeer and BTA would like to congratulate all nominees, runners-up and winners.

Here’s to looking forward to Charity Champions 2016.

Get on Board to develop your career

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT

At a recent talk to Fundraisers in Liverpool, I asked the audience how many of them served on the Board of a charity. Two hands were raised out of an audience of over 60. I wasn’t surprised.

In my 20-year career as a charity Fundraiser and Chief Executive I wasn’t once asked to join the Board of another charity. Within a year of becoming a consultant I’d been asked repeatedly – at one stage I was on the Board of four charities and Chair of two others.

It would be easy to say that it’s the charities’ fault. There is a perception that Board members have to be business people. That they have to be able to give money (we’ve all heard the “Give, Get or Get Off” diatribe). Or that somehow working for one charity would prevent you providing good governance for another.

These are deeply engrained beliefs and, while they aren’t accurate, they have contributed to a narrowing of the makeup of many boards to the extent where, in my opinion, they would have difficulty truly governing a typical charity – diverse, vision-led and funding challenged.

Charity Commission figures tell us that the average age of Trustees in the UK is 57, with 67% aged over 60. I’m going to guess that they are also typically going to be male, middle-class, white and businessmen. And while that is what I am, it’s not typical of what fundraisers are – i.e. predominantly female, cause-driven and far more likely to be ethnically diverse than most charity boards.

We can’t just sit around and wait though. I challenge Fundraisers to take matters into their own hands and find themselves a Board to join. The Board of a charity might think that what they want is a businessman, but when they see a fully-fired up, articulate, confident and experienced fund-getter hoving into view, chances are they’ll set aside their pre-conceptions and bite your hand off. And if they don’t, then they don’t deserve you.

Remember also that this is a two-way street. There is much to be gained from sitting on the other side of the Board table. It gives you a valuable perspective on how strategic decisions are made that will help you get your own Board, well …on board. You’ll see how people from outside the sector communicate and take decisions – one of the Boards that I am on includes a politician, a sports journalist, a dentist and a lawyer and I’ve learned something from every one of them. You’ll sit in on decisions about grievances, contracts, pensions, business plans, pay rises and policy – all invaluable skills that will help your own career grow and diversify.

So take the chance to put yourself forward. Choose a cause you love and make them an offer they can’t (or shouldn’t) refuse.

Bruce Tait, Chief Executive, BTA

Overcoming the art of self-limitation

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 23:00:00 GMT

Oft quoted research has found that a woman has to be 95% sure about a role before she’ll consider applying and then still worry about the 5% they lack, whereas a man is happy to put himself forward if he has 40% of the required skills and fully expects to be interviewed. Is this an urban myth or does it demonstrate one of the key challenges faced by women in business today?

As a headhunter recruiting CFOs and CEOs, I worked with mostly men for over 20 years. After creating Inspire in 2008 – a business network for senior Board-level women, I began to notice there was a fundamental difference in the behaviours, communication styles and the way women represented themselves. This prompted me to dig deeper to understand the factors and behaviours that have influenced their success and define ways of altering those that give rise to self-imposed limitations.

Many of the men and women I have interviewed over the years admitted they had not mapped a career plan and had fallen into some of their roles, but their approach and attitude to overall career management was markedly different. The men tended to be much more focused and single-minded in their approach with a strong determination and drive to succeed. They showed very little self-doubt in their abilities and were unfazed by knock backs or bumps along the way.

Women however, tended to sweat the small stuff and take criticism or development needs to heart. They worried about their suitability for a role, often ignoring their many strengths or the very skills that others recognise and find attractive. Combined with a fear of failure or looking foolish often this has meant they were passed over for promotions or their career development was stalled.

Self-belief is a huge contributory factor. The impression I have gained from years of interviewing is that men have the ability to recognise their strengths and sell themselves in a self-confident and promotional way. This shows in their body language and inspires confidence in the listener or interviewer.

Whereas women have shown a tendency to avoid promoting themselves and feel anxious about boasting or over-selling their capabilities, preferring to be judged on their performance alone. Many of the women I have met, who on the surface appear composed, polished and are highly regarded in their chosen field, have admitted to high anxiety and the dread of being ‘found out’. They have fallen into the ‘imposter syndrome’, a feeling that they have been very lucky and are grateful to have gotten to where they are in their careers, rather than feeling that they earned the right because of their talent and experience.

Self-belief stems from knowing who you are, what makes you authentic and a faith in your capabilities, but also learning how to celebrate your successes. One of the skills I learned when training as a career coach was to recognise the voice in your head and learn to turn the volume down. Each time the volume rises counteract it with a mental image of one of your achievements. Through practice, the technique becomes more natural and the berating voice in your head remains quiet.

It is not about boasting but rather making people aware of how good you are and not waiting for recognition for a job well done. It is easy to forget that everyone you work with has their own work pressures and agendas and might overlook your exceeding performance. It makes sense then to be proud of your achievement, tell them about it and accept there is nothing wrong in doing so!

An important factor that helped many of the women along the way was a colleague or mentor, often a man, who had identified their potential and firmly propelled them forward, whilst getting them to believe in themselves. The importance of networking cannot be underestimated and is something that women are relatively new to in comparison to men, who have had clubs and networks for a long time. They clearly recognise the value of building strategic alliances and using contacts very early in their careers, which ultimately helps them up the career ladder much quicker.

In one of the podcasts in Inspire’s Diversity Toolkit series, Lady Barbara Judge CBE commented, “Build up relationships with people you trust and create your own private board of directors. Seek their advice when you need guidance – you don’t have to take it, but it could be indispensable”, which is very sound advice.

The final piece of the puzzle is our obsession with comparing ourselves to others. We all do it to some degree but the difference in the drivers between men and women is self-doubt, which seems to affect women so much more. It is such a futile activity, as all your successes and skills sets are unique to you – there is so little to gain from it and potentially so much to lose. The aim should be to set small goals for yourself and celebrate your own success rather than worrying about how well someone else has done.

Although as a gender we should be mindful of many of these attributes and behaviours, particularly in an interview situation, it is interesting that a recent Harvey Nash board report (2014) found that the skills and traits highly sought after at board level, were those most widely demonstrated by women. Perhaps the key message should be always remain true to yourself, make sure you know and believe just how good you are and learn how to tell everyone else too!

The Career Ladder goes both ways!

Wed, 19 Feb 2014 00:00:00 GMT

As Bruce Tait Associates go about our work of helping Scottish charities recruit great staff, we do like to keep an eye out for new developments that we can share with our charity clients and candidates.

Over the last year we have noticed one developing trend that we are happy to share – people stepping back down the career ladder. This is particularly true of people reaching manager or director level with a charity, only to quickly realise this isn’t for them.

It makes sense when you think about it. Many people find that the pressures of senior roles just don’t suit them. Some people find that they simply don’t want to be a manager, and they would rather go back to being a practitioner. For others it may be about a life-change, a personal priority or just the realisation that work-life balance is more important than career trajectory.

One candidate that we spoke to recently told us:

“ I had reached a senior level in my career without really having planned to do so. When I stopped and thought about it, there was one part of my job that I just loved – the rest of my job description left me cold. I decided to find a role where I could do the one thing that I enjoyed and was good at. So I found a job doing just that. I had to step down a few grades, but money isn’t everything and I enjoy my job and my life so much more now. ”

Another applicant for one of our roles had to react to several changes in his life, including having elderly parents living on the other side of the country that he was spending more time helping. The decision to step back in his career helped him achieve more flexibility in his workload and focus on his new priorities.

For employers, there is a lesson here, and it’s along the lines of “not judging a book by its cover”. When faced with a CV from someone who might seem over-qualified for a position, it would be easy to make an assumption that there is a flaw in their work record that is causing them to apply for a position more junior than their current role. In reality there might be a very valid reason for their interest in a less challenging position, and a good employer will identify the opportunity to get someone with experience beyond the post being advertised.

The trick is to have a recruitment process that lets candidates “tell their story” which in our experience is best done by encouraging applications by “CV and Covering Letter”. Trying to get all applicants to cram all of their experience, skills and motivations into a standard application form can often create a process that misses the opportunity to grab a superbly qualified candidate that isn’t what you thought you were looking for.

For candidates considering stepping down the ladder, our advice is to clearly express your motivational for any role that you are applying for. Your covering letter is the ideal place to do this and if you get your message right you will come across as a “bargain” employee, rather than one with a confusing career record.

Happy Job Hunting!

Fundraising & The Beautiful Game

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Sport has always been seen as a way of getting people to work together, whether as a team or as a community. Just look at all the relatively recent Olympics coverage in the news which talked about the ‘legacy of the games’ to inspire a generation of new sportsmen and women. One of the greatest sports, with the greatest support in Scotland is of course the ‘beautiful game’ – association football.

Football in Scotland has a long history of bringing people together, with Scotland having the second oldest national Football Association in the world (behind England’s FA), and Scotland and Scottish football clubs holding many records for football attendances worldwide. So, it’s not surprising that charities have seen the potential for great fundraising and awareness raising of issues through great football, where passionate fans and fundraisers can both come out top of the table. We thought it would be interesting to look at some examples of fundraising through football to see just what charities have achieved pitch side.

Football Memories & Alzheimer Scotland

In Scotland, a new way of harnessing the unique power of football has been unearthed, and is achieving spectacular results by breathing new life into Alzheimer’s sufferers. The project was launched two years ago and trains volunteers to spend time with people with dementia who have an interest in football by talking about teams and matches from the past and by working with images and memorabilia to stimulate memories. The project is a partnership between Alzheimer Scotland and the Scottish Football Museum based at Hampden Park. In the early days, one of the first clubs to get involved was Aberdeen and they now have three separate groups running, and Hibs, Hearts, St Johnstone and Forfar have started to run groups from inside their stadiums.

Stonewall & the Premier League

Stonewall, a leading gay rights charity based in the UK, has urged Premier League football players to wear rainbow-coloured bootlaces in a stand against homophobia in the game, and is launching a social media campaign to drum up support for the idea. While there has been support for the laces, some clubs have not taken part, highlighting the lack of prior consultation from the charity.

Barnardo’s Scotland Fostering & Scottish Women’s Football

Barnardo’s Scotland Fostering has embarked on a unique partnership with Scottish Women’s Football launched at Hampden Park, Glasgow. The children’s charity is supporting Scottish Women’s and girl’s football in a bid to raise awareness of fostering and to make stronger links in the local communities. It is hoped the initiative will help raise awareness of the need for fostering and develop a good network of carers across the country.

Further Fundraising

Other ways in which football clubs and charities are working together can be seen in the case of trust and foundations, such as Falkirk Football Community Foundation which delivers innovative and diverse community programmes and also Big Hearts Community Trust and the Aberdeen AFC in the Community project. Falkirk Football Community Foundation’s work includes their community football programme which provides a fun and nurturing environment for children and young people to develop their skills and increase motivation for participation in physical activity, alongside their social programme. Many football clubs also have chosen charities for the year which they support throughout the season, such as Queen of the South Football Club, whose chosen charity for Season 2013/14 will continue to be Cash for Kids.

Finding the Fundraising Leaders of the Future

Mon, 30 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

We recently read an article on the Guardian which caught our eye; ‘How do we attract, develop and retain the fundraising leaders of the future?’ – the article provides some thoughts from the Institute of Fundraising’s national convention.

Have a look at the article below, or to read the original article, click here. In the recent debate at the Institute of Fundraising’s national convention, ‘How do we attract, develop and retain the fundraising leaders of the future?’ fundraisers got some top tips from experts on stepping up to a director of fundraising role.

Joe Jenkins – director of fundraising, Friends of the Earth

“Start acting like a fundraising leader. You don’t need the job title. Start to think in terms of the big picture for the organisation. Lift your gaze above day-to-day activities and the next year. Look at the long term.

“Grab every opportunity to look beyond what you’re already responsible for. Look outside and inside the organisation for richer, more diverse experience that you can offer in your current or next role. Inspire colleagues, eg., give presentations.

“Make sure the job is what you really want. Some people are better at actually fundraising than leading a team and are more valuable in that role.”

Chris Askew – CEO, Breakthrough Breast Cancer

“As a CEO, I look for people who can connect across the whole organisation, those who can transpose. Directors of fundraising need to do this more than directors of service or finance or any other department.”

“Don’t be defensive or territorial about your work. You need to open it up to the rest of the organisation. Good fundraising directors are the chief storytellers in an organisation.”

“People are always rushing to manage. It sometimes puzzles me. Lots of 20-year-olds talk about aiming to be a manager. Management isn’t something you want to rush into and it’s not the only route to developing.”

Catherine Cottrell – deputy executive director of Fundraising, Unicef UK

“You should be thinking about what skills you need to grow, and also what your organisation should be doing to help you. Work with colleagues in other departments more. Look at getting mentoring or formal training. You want to be seen as someone who can lead the organisation in a crisis.”

“Strategic planning experience is essential, but hard to get. At Unicef, we have a strategic leadership group and we look at how we can get people across the organisation involved in decision making.”

“The long game is important. It’s not just about the money you can bring in this year. You might have to make decisions which mean less money this year, but better outcomes in the long run. It can take a long time to train yourself to do that and to be seen to be thinking like that.” Claire Wood Hill – director of fundraising at The Children’s Trust

“Lots of fundraisers say they’re not good at maths. You need to get better at it if you want to be a fundraising director. You need to be able to hold your own and answer any questions from the board on potentially multi-million pound projects. Skill up and get to know Excel very well.”

“As a director, it’s not about you, it’s about the best people in your team. You need to be able to challenge and motivate them. You should plant seeds of ideas but then enable and empower staff to take the reins.”

“Be careful to not become too divorced from fundraising on the ground. You need to keep your hand in but still maintain a helicopter view.”

To read the original Guardian article by Claudia Cahalane, click here .

New Technology Fundraising – Innovative Giving

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The third sector has always been a hive of activity, creativity and positivity and these great qualities have recently been put to use in terms of new technology fundraising techniques. Where once a Gift Aid box was simply ticked or a donation can filled, now the public is presented with a multitude of ways to give to the charities they support, ranging from mobile text giving, app based giving and even giving while they play games online.

So, we hear you ask - what are the newest ways to give? We have a look through some of the newest and most innovative ways to fundraise through the power of new technology.

Video Game Donations

British Red Cross & Electronic Arts

Topping the list of innovative technological ways to encourage people to give is the British Red Cross' partnership with Electronic Arts, the developer behind the ever popular SimCity video game. Players now have the option to pay £7.99 to download Red Cross branded content to use within their game, such a relief centre - with 80% of the proceeds going to the charity. The British Red Cross is one of 10 national Red Cross societies around the world that is taking part in the partnership. Electronic Arts said that it would give a minimum of £63,000 to each of the participating Red Cross societies as part of their year-long collaboration.

Bidding Technology

Ronald McDonald House Charities & Bidtech

Next we have a creative idea to increase bidding at a charity event, brought to you by a partnership between Ronald McDonald House Charities and Bidtech. Using its partner's own innovative event technology, the charity raised a record £48,000 at its latest Gala Dinner. Two iPads using Bidtech's technology were placed on each dinner table, displaying menu details, venue information and stories about the charity itself. Each iPad used the silent auction technology designed by Bidtech to enhance the friendly competitiveness at the event and so increase the will to bid. A full description of each item was provided, and bids were displayed in real time on a large digital leader board situated at the front of the room for all to see. To encourage even more donations, people could also make a personal gift to the charity using a pledge feature.

Bite Sized Charity Clips

Diabetes UK & Vine

This is a great example of the simplicity of personalising messages to fundraisers and the public by using technology. Diabetes UK used Vine, a mobile app owned by Twitter that enables its users to create and post short video clips, to thank and encourage their event fundraisers - in particular one fundraiser. The fundraiser is cycling from London to Paris to raise funds for Diabetes UK and to inspire her and the other cyclists, the Diabetes UK team created a homemade video. Rather like the old stop-motion videos of the past, this is a great way to add the personal touch to communicating with people through new technology.

Mobile Giving - the Touchpad Give

Donate Mobile

With the pace of life ever speeding, on the go giving is becoming increasing popular. Donate Mobile provides a mobile phone service which helps charities raise funds by saving on mobile costs and getting employees to switch contracts to the provider. For every charity switching their company mobile phone contracts, Donate Mobile will donate 10% of the monthly mobile spend to the charity. Offering business mobile phones and contracts is the next step in the provider's â€˜mobile regular giving' range of solutions for UK charities. Its estimated that charities could raise a minimum of £1,440 over the length of a 24-month contract, per 20 employees.

JustTextGiving

The power of speed and ease can also be seen in the case of JustTextGiving by Vodafone, the text donation service launched by JustGiving and Vodafone now being used by over 100,000 users which has raised over £10 million so far. Over 18,000 charities have also used JustTextGiving, with more benefiting from some of those 100,000 users who have chosen to use the service on their behalf.

The App Factor

Gift Aid & More Partnership

With apps becoming ever more popular thanks to Android and Apple, fundraising apps have taken the sector by storm. More Partnership has designed a free mobile app which makes it easier to work out Gift Aid. The user simply puts in the donation amount and the donor's tax rate into the app, which then works out how much the charity should receive in Gift Aid.

The Raiser's Edge & iPad

Have you ever been running an event while juggling a pile of printouts? Well, some of that could be a thing of the past with Blackbaud's new app. The Raiser's Edge Event App for iPad has been made to help charities manage events, in terms of event registration, data linking to the Raiser's Edge, access to event statistics, data synchronisation, check-in lists and more.

Corporate Partnerships – Great Examples of Business and Charity Working Together

Wed, 18 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

We have recently been keeping an eye on some of the best up and coming corporate-charity partnerships within the sector and having seen the latest offering from Third Sector online, we thought we would share with you these examples. Which one do you think is the best? Is it about the similar aims of the partnership parties, or is about money raised? Take a read of our article to hear more.

Whiskas and WWF-UK

Whiskas and WWF-UK are currently coming to the end of an 8 week promotion supporting WWF-UK's Global Tigers Initiative. Playing on the marketing power of cat lovers, the firm has guaranteed a donation of at least £500,000 to WWF’s Global Tigers Initiative through co-branded packs of Whiskas sold between July and mid-September. The potential fundraising total is further enhanced by a commitment from Whiskas to give £1 for every image of a domestic cat uploaded by customers to an online collage - 10,000 are anticipated - and opportunities for purchasers of Whiskas to text donations or to adopt tigers. We think this promotion is a great example of a charity and a business coming together for good - over £500,000 of good in fact.

H&M and WaterAid

It only started as a small scale movement which focussed on the tenuous link between water and swimwear, but now this partnership has become a significant fundraiser pulling in £10,00 in year one, and £30,00 in year three. It began in 2002, when, after a WaterAid proposal, H&M began selling a range of bikinis and donating 10 per cent of the proceeds to the charity. The partnership moved up a gear in 2006, when Kylie Minogue became the face of the product line and the bikinis were sold in more H&M stores. It developed further in 2011, when a variety of water-themed products were included in the range - this year, Beyonce is fronting the summer campaign. The partnership has raised £500,000 in each of the past three years and £2.8m since its conception. The money raised is spent on WaterAid projects in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, locations where some of H&M’s clothing is produced. Since 2011, H&M has made additional donations twice a year to the charity of between £40,000 and £50,000. Clearly this is another good example of the power that can be generated by business and charity partnerships!

Pizza Express and the Children’s Food Trust

The Children's Food Trust is a newer charity, started in 2005 as a non-departmental public body and set up in the wake of the ‘turkey twizzlers’ school dinner campaign started by the TV chef Jamie Oliver. Sadly, it didn't make it through the government’s ‘bonfire of the quangos’ in 2011, so the trust changed its name and made a fresh start as a charity. The partnership with Pizza Express, which was launched by Alex James of Blur, aims to raise £200,000 through an automatic corporate donation of 25p for every Fiorentina pizza sold. The money will fund the trust’s work with schools, nurseries and children’s centres, its lobbying activity and its flagship Let’s Get Cooking programme, which has involved 2.5 million people in 5,000 school cookery clubs since 2008. An idea that combined pizza and kids? How could it not be successful.

8 Great Ways to make corporate partnerships work for your charity

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

When you mention corporate partnerships, you can often be on the receiving end of looks of cynicism. But - do corporates actually have some broader aims which your charity does too? Increasingly companies are adopting broader aims which often take an interest in areas such as development and social responsibility - areas which are also addressed by charities.

We stumbled upon an article in the Guardian which suggests eight ways to help your charity benefit from corporate partnerships, which we thought we would share with you with the bonus of having our own thoughts included.

1. It can be Win-Win

Corporate-charity partnerships should never be one way. Ever more so, companies are searching for strategic charity partnerships to achieve popular goals for corporate social responsibility, HR or public relations. As an example, a corporate might consider supporting a charity which drives development and enterprise, if it itself is a corporate focussed on providing those skills to the public for a fee. Partnerships aren't just about money anymore, they're also about values.

2. Free Employee Volunteers

When we think of partnering a company, we hardly ever consider the potential of its greatest resource - the employees. Consider two things: first, the lifetime value of engaging a passionate graduate in a volunteering activity at your charity and, second, the pool and potential of untapped skills on offer. It's like you're got a ready-made pool of eager and skilled volunteers at your fingertips - and you don't have to pay them a huge salary to access their skills.

3. Go Sherlock

This is all about getting inside the minds of your corporate partner. Like it or not, corporate philanthropy isn’t always that altruistic. If you're considering a corporate partnership, be aware and come prepared for this. Compile partnership opportunities that are threefold in terms of great benefits: what can your charity, the corporate and its stakeholders benefit from the partnership?

4. Always Update

Keep your corporate updated with the excellent progress you're making. Changes, updates, new projects, news and achievements happening within your non-profit are all things that companies would love to know and keeping companies in the loop will make them feel engaged, valued and respected - great attributes for a long term partnership. Maybe you could invite them to a fundraising event or ask them to think about submitting a team who will be thanked at the end?

5. Be Clear and Precise

As with submitting long grant proposals, make sure you detail exactly the package you are requesting from the companies you approach: how much support do you expect? What will you give in return? Prove it with any documentation you can, or show it in your presentation if you give one. Corporates operate on facts, so give them the facts in black and white, it's the language they understand.

6. Think like a Creative Genius

Come armed with lots of ideas about creative ways to work your corporate. This can be ways you are working with other companies to use as examples, or ideas that you could suggest for the future of your partnership. So what if a company can’t make that Â£50,000 donation this quarter? If they have pledged to host your annual charity gala instead, then you've still made great progress. Don’t be nervous about offering multiple routes to partnership - they’ll be impressed at your creativity, commitment and perseverance.

7. Gift them a Relationship Manager

Think about assigning a relationship manager to every company you work with, this might be a member of the fundraising team. This will show the charity's personality, dedication and a willingness always to go the extra mile. It also makes sure that the corporate can get in contact with you easily, can feel supported and can have updates on the progress you're making - which might even make them suggest providing more support.

8. Award your Partnership Pal

Think about creating an award scheme within your charity for the company working most effectively and efficiently out of your corporate partnerships - corporates love the drive of competition so this is perfect bait for them to step up. If you're only engaging with one corporate, then you could think about asking them to submit teams to an event, and the awarding the best team at the end, again creating that air of healthy and friendly competition for a good cause.

Keeping up to date Money Wise – HMRC Help

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Did you know that the HMRC website has a whole section dedicated to helping charities?

Yes, maybe its not a very exciting way to spend an afternoon, but the website certainly has some important and interesting details financially for charities, so its certainly worth keeping up to date with the latest posts. HMRC's Charities News and Updates aims to keep the third sector up to date on current issues affecting charities, with recent articles including details on how to sign up for Charities Online, the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS), the Consultation on Payroll Giving and the Gift Aid Toolkit.

To keep up to date, simply click here to see the latest news and updates.

Top 10 Tips for Event Fundraising

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

It's a question often debated in the third sector - how do you stage a great charity fundraising event?

Are there particular tips for charity fundraisers and individuals who are fundraising? For us, the answer lies in the preparation. To explain this a little more, we came across a great article from CAFOD outlining their Top Ten Tips for Fundraising which we thought we'd share with you (with our own best tips included of course).

1. Start Early

Planning an event can take up a lot of time, so start early. Sometimes even the best laid plans can do awry, so make sure you're well organised and have back up plans in place. You could ask around about good contacts for events within the sector or maybe see if you can make some great new ones. You can also start spreading the word about your event.

2. Just Give

Think about sponsorship for your event. If you're a charity that might mean approaching local businesses and contacts or if you're an individual then it might mean setting up a Just Giving page. If it's an event which you've run before and received sponsorship for before, see if you can get that sponsorship again from the business you did before or if you can branch out to other sponsorship opportunities.

3. Just Ask

Don’t be afraid to ask for sponsorship. The worst they can say is "no". The personal approach often works best, so make sure you're persuasive but still personal. Make the prospective sponsor you're approaching feels valued and don’t just tell them what you’re doing, tell them why and how you're going to do it. Show them the bonuses they can receive for sponsoring you - two tickets to the opening anyone?

4. Tick the Box

Don't forget about Gift Aid - donations with Gift Aid mean you'll receive an extra 28p from the Government for every pound you're given, and as a large supermarket chain once said - every little helps.

5. Spread the Word

If you're a charity fundraiser, then no doubt you'll have avenues set in place for promoting your event, but you could always look outside the box. Think about local newspapers, Linkedin groups specific to your event, local events which you could promote your event at, fellow fundraisers and charity contacts, social media groups, online blogs, local businesses and radio. If you think about it, the possibilities really are endless.

6. Get Connected

With the internet you can promote your event in a vast amount of ways that used not to be available - so use them! Maybe you could write a blog in the run-up to your event, including photos of specific items and moments to really build up the excitement over your event. Don't forget Facebook and Twitter too - you could even get your team members to tweet in the buildup to the event and throughout the event itself, using a special hashtag (#) for the event so it can be followed easily on Twitter (for example, #CRUKRace, #BTATriathlon, #PULSEItsAKnockout). Also make sure that you add your details to the signature of any emails you send out - you want to be easily contactable.

7. Double your Money

Think about asking businesses if they have a matched giving scheme - it could make a big difference to the money you raise!

8. Starter for 10

There are always more ways to boost your fundraising - you could hold mini events running up to your big event like quizzes or in house mini competitions.

9. Picture It

Make sure you get great photos of your event - they're vital for coverage and for showing how your event went after its happened, and a great photo can be very inspiring. Think about the message you want to send out about your event, and select photos that promote that. This would also be a great time to make sure that you're using social media with attached images to promote your event as it takes place.

10. Ask for Help

In the third sector there are always incredibly knowledgeable people who don't mind being asked for help - they might just come up with a great idea or the perfect solution. Remember that some fundraisers have been running fantastic events of the best part of 20 years - so why wouldn't you ask them for advice! Also think about who else does great events in the sector - it might just provide that moment of inspiration.

North & South – a Great Divide in Giving?

Mon, 26 Aug 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Recently an article from the Guardian caught our eye, looking at the difference between charitable donations between England and Scotland.

Contrary to the popular stereotype, people in Scotland donate more to charity per head than their counterparts elsewhere in the UK.

A particularly interest finding from the survey suggests that people from London and the South East of England are amongst the most tight-fisted in the UK as a whole. However, interesting too is that it's not the most wealthy Scots that are necessarily giving the most, with Scots earning over £150k actually giving less than many people elsewhere in Scotland.

But maybe there's another reason why the Scots are such great charitable givers. Politically in Scotland, beliefs and ideas about solidarity and collective welfare are familiar, while in comparison, the culture of the South East might tend to be more focused on you as the individual, especially in London. But, just because the South East and London area might be more focused on number one, this certainly doesn't mean that these kinds of beliefs mean people can't be generous. In the US, the focus on number one is arguably still important, but as a whole the US still maintains a strong charitable ethos.

With all these facts considered, it seems clear that Scotland is still setting an impressive example worldwide in terms of charitable giving.

Common pitfalls in fundraising... and how to dodge them!

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

This week we’re pleased to welcome a guest blog post from Lyndsey Tigar from Fundraising Friend in Edinburgh.

I would argue that there is an art to effective grant fundraising. And unless you have mastered that art (or at least come close), your chances of success will probably remain slim. The result? Seven years of wasted effort producing ineligible applications, according to a recent study by the Directory of Social Change.

Having worked with the UK's biggest grant giver, and now running my own small business securing grants for charities, I have come to realise that there are certain 'dos' and 'don'ts' when it comes to writing a winning grant application. It is true that many variables come into play, however, some common points still prevail.

Lesson #1 - Always read the guidance

"If only they had read our eligibility criteria, they would clearly see we don’t fund that" - a perennial complaint from funders according to Third Sector.

According to the latest figures from the Big Lottery Fund, 46 per cent of applications to one of its main funding programmes between May and July this year were ineligible. It's easy to forget that trusts, foundations and other grant making organisations have their own goals and priorities to meet. If you are seeking external financial support, I would argue that it is essential that you begin by identifying a strong match between your organisation/project, and the organisation you are approaching for support. This requires an investment of time to carry out the appropriate research upfront. Also, remember that details such as level of turnover and the location in which you operate, may make your application redundant before you even begin. So read the guidance!

Lesson #2 - Be clear, avoid jargon and avoid buzzwords

Once you have identified the right opportunity, you will inevitably be faced with a series of questions to which you need to provide a comprehensive written response to.

My top tips are:

- Be clear from the outset what your project is about and what you are trying to achieve. If you don't know, how is the funder supposed to know?

- Remember that the reader will most likely be brand new to your organisation so you mustn't assume any prior knowledge. But also don't go on endlessly about things that have no direct bearing to your project. It will go in your favour if you are clear and concise.

- Avoid jargon and buzzwords. Don't use language that is unique to your line of work (or if you have to, explain what it means). Phrases that confuse and baffle will also frustrate.

- Ask somebody with good written skills to proof-read your answers before you submit them. Do they understand what your project is all about? Were they excited by it? Your answers should not lead to more questions. It should be clear enough that the reader gets it right away.

- If help is on offer from the funder, take it! Many funders will offer a face to face meeting or workshop to help you prepare for your submission. It is ALWAYS useful to meet the funder in order to ask questions, get feedback and familiarise the funding officer with your work.

Lesson #3 - Make sure the sums add up

Another common reason for applications being rejected is applicants asking for unrealistic sums of money. The grants team manager at Henry Smith Charity explains that people come and ask for Â£500,000, despite their average grant size being Â£80,000, according to a Third Sector report. On the other hand, Gilly Green, Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief says that some applicants ask for less money than they need in the mistaken belief that this will increase their chances of success. "It’s an assumption that’s not correct," she says (available at Third Sector).

Funders are also frustrated by simple budgetary errors, for example, not checking that all of the itemised costs have been added up correctly. My advice would be to double and triple check your budget section. Also, ensure that your budget is sufficient to do what you are aiming to do. Ask yourself; can you actually deliver the service for the price you are quoting? Of course, everyone can make mistakes when it comes to preparing and drawing up budgets (and many of the larger funders will seek to help you), however, be aware that major financial flaws in your application will inevitably cast doubt on the quality of your project planning as well as your ability to offer value for money.

Lyndsey Tigar runs Fundraising Friend , based in Edinburgh

Youth Unemployment – How can I get into Work? How about an Internship

Mon, 22 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

It's a key issue in the media at the moment - youth unemployment - but what steps can young people take to get into work?

As fundraising recruitment specialists we've been thinking this over recently, and not just because we're familiar with so many charities involved in tackling youth issues, such as the Prince's Trust, Street League, Elevation Networks and The Creative Society.

In the UK its estimated that more than 15% of the youth population aren't in education, employment or training. While its estimated by the Prince's Trust that youth unemployment costs the UK economy £10 million a day alongside youth crime costs standing at around £1 billion per year. Its also been suggested that another important result of youth unemployment is the effect that this has on young people themselves, with people feeling unmotivated and lacking in confidence. With these statistics and with a record number of people applying for jobs, its not surprising that that young people are feeling the pressure.

So how can young people get into work? Although there are many routes into work which are being championed and run by many great charities (such as into work programmes, training, placements, apprenticeships, application/interview/CV assistance, sport, and business support and entrepreneurship), we are most knowledgeable on one route which is via the relatively modern institution - and that's the internship.

Internships are a great way to get experience in the workplace, because how many times have you read a person specification for a role only to find out you need so many years' experience? No, they may not be a full time role, but they're certainly a great step towards one. Many charities offer internships in various areas such as finance, marketing and events and fundraising so if you're looking to get a job in one of these areas then its certainly worth starting with the charity as an intern. Who knows, its not unusual for interns to be offered a role at the end of the internship - now that's what you call an opportunity.

At Bruce Tait Associates we have our very own Charity Career Start Internships where we place an intern into a charity to help the charity in one of it's departments and also to give the intern a great opportunity to get some experience from some of the best people in the sector. Our programme was (and continues to be) a great success in 2012 and over 30 people were on placement with Scottish charities through the programme last year. Some of them were even taken on in permanent roles! Amongst all the benefits of a charity internship, charities especially are filled with people who can also act as excellent mentors to young people and this combined with the practical side of an internship can give a great boost to an intern, building up their confidence and drive to succeed.

As Bruce wrote in his article at this time last year:

" I've been delighted recently to see a handful of Scottish charities recruiting entry-level fundraising posts. Don't underestimate how much a young person can offer a charity, particularly in the fundraising field. For a start they know how social media works, are computer literate to a high level and tend to be very quick at learning things. They are also brave and challenging and it's in those two areas that fundraising can get very, very interesting. There is a lot to be said for doing things the way that they have been done before, by my experience is that excellence in fundraising often involves risk-taking, innovation and challenging the perceived wisdom. "

There are so many benefits to taking on young people in the sector - and we think its certainly one of many fantastic ways to tackle youth unemployment.

Morale of charity fundraisers sees increase in 2013 – success in the third sector in difficult times

Sun, 21 Jul 2013 23:00:00 GMT

7 Simple Rules - How to Write a Great Job Application

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered why even though you apply for lots of roles, either you don't hear back or miss out on shortlisting? It might be the case that you've got some excellent skills and experience and you know that you would be a great candidate for a role - but that's just where there may be an issue - YOU know you would be, but are you making it clear enough?

Often applications can come in to recruitment agencies and charities which aren't always clear to read, or lack some crucial information about you, like a particular type of experience or how many events you've organised. Very often application forms can come in where the recruiter or charity can see potential in a prospective candidate gives them a call and finds out that in fact they would make a great candidate!

So the question is, how do you fill out an excellent, clear and descriptive application form? We've come up with a few tips below to try and help, and if you've got any other helpful tips then we'd love to hear from you - simply email us.

1. Read the Application Pack Thoroughly - It may sound like a simple request, but often when prospective candidates come to fill in their application form they can sometimes forget that they need to address every point in the application pack. If there is a list of essential and desirable skills or qualities, list these down and explain how you match each of them. If there are certain personal qualities or interests that the charity asks for then explain and give examples. Remember that you may have transferrable skills too - there might for example be a mention of event management as a charity member, but if you've managed an event as a volunteer then that is still useful to mention!

2. Give Examples - Quite often a candidate may say that they are good at such and such, but if you've not given evidence showing how or why you are whatever this is then its difficult for the recruiter or charity to appreciate your abilities.

3. Be Clear - don't presume that recruiters of charities will understand everything without explanation - of course you don't need to explain what fundraising is, but if you're using business style abbreviations then it can be useful to explain these if relevant. Also, often candidates are willing to move location for a role, and if this is the case then make it clear on your application. We've all been confused when a candidate living in Sydney applies for a role in Edinburgh - until we find out that they have been in a temporary role abroad and are moving back to the UK!

4. Try Not to Leave it Too Late - We all live busy lives, but if there's any chance that you can get your application form filled out a week or so before the closing date you are really setting yourself up for lots of benefits (not only concerning your blood pressure). If you fill out your form in advance then you can get friends and family to check it for you for little mishaps or you might even be able to get in contact with the recruitment agency and ask that they briefly look it over before you send the final version to them. A fresh set of eyes over your application can be very helpful.

5. Don't Panic, Ask for Help - If you're having difficulty filling in your application form, get in touch with the recruiter and ask for a bit of help, we are always happy to do this. Sometimes things can be confusing in this kind of form so a hand can be very welcome.

6. Do Your Research - You might be surprised by the number of potential candidates who don't do their research on the charity whose role they are applying for. You'd think that surely candidates would want to know exactly what kind of charity they are effectively signing themselves up to possibly be a part of! Particularly when it comes to interview it is essential that you're up to date with the main facts about the charity. No one wants to asked in interview what they think of the Â£2 million project which the charity is fundraising for, only to have not known about it at all. Show your interest and passion for the charity you are applying for!

7. Simply Does It - We're talking about the presentation of your application (or indeed CV or covering letter too). As a rule of thumb size 12 or 10 Ariel font is a safe option. Don't use comic sans. Ever.

We hope you enjoyed these tips - keep an eye on Bruce's Blog for more great articles coming soon. If you would like to write for us, then feel free to get in contact.

Getting the Perfect Graduate Job – Job Searching & Planning Tips

Tue, 28 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

If you've spent your last few years at university no doubt you'll be startlingly aware that within a matter of weeks you'll be catapulted into the graduate job market and let's face it - it's not the best it's ever been.

Or maybe you've recently returned to work and you're not sure where to begin. How many times have you clicked on a job online with a business or charity that you'd be thrilled to work for, only to find out that you need 'relevant experience' and had your hopes dashed instantly?

According to the Guardian's 2012 Graduate Employment info-graphic, an impressive 25.6% of graduates felt that one of the biggest challenges facing them when entering the job market was 'not having enough experience'.

If you've already been penning application after application and waiting for a response, if any, then congratulations â€“ you're well ahead of a majority of graduates who maybe don't realise that recruiters and businesses don't come round knocking on bedroom doors only to be amazed and awed at your talents. If no one knocked on Springsteen's door back in the eighties, it's reasonable to believe they won't be paying you a visit to discuss your interest in charity work.

So what can be done we hear you say - Well, luckily a great deal.

With so many roles asking for experience, the question that always follows is either, 'I don't have any/enough' or 'How can I get experience if I can't get a job?' We have a few ways to combat these issues:

1. Internships Why not have a quick look around online and see if you can find an internship? They are often created for graduates and so they don't ask for the same level of expertise and experience that graduate roles tend to. If you've got an interest or passion for a particular sector, business or charity, then don't just search the term +'job', go to their own website and you might just find an opportunity listed there. If you've got a particular interest in charity internships then why not have a look at our website (http://www.brucetaitassociates.net/charity-career-start) and vacancies page for more information?

2. Volunteering If you have an interest in charities, or a sector like education and learning then why not think about volunteering? It may not be paid, but its certainly a great way to get valuable experience in the area you are looking for a permanent role in later on. Again, its often best to go directly to charity/education etc. website to look for these roles, or through a volunteering site such as Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS). With volunteering, not only do you get experience, but you also get to see if the sector you are interested in really is for you â€“ and you might even get to meet some influential people along the way who might help you towards your later role applications.

3. Advice If you've been looking for a great role, internship of volunteering post but you can't find what you're looking for, or if you've written more applications than you've had hot dinners only to hear nothing then maybe its time for a change in strategy. Is there anyone you know with links to recruitment or the sector you are interested in? It might be time to arrange a quick coffee with them to see what advice they can give you. Why not have a look through our website for a few tips and tricks? (http://www.brucetaitassociates.net/)

4. Validity Remember that while getting experience is great, its important that the experience is valid to the sector you are hoping to get in to. Its all very well to be an amazing mixologist, but its unlikely that you're bottle flipping skills will land you that all important events fundraising interview in the future. Of course there are skills which can be very transferrable, such as business development, administration, event organisation and management, but just be sure that what you're looking for is relevant.

Maybe having read this you're thinking that a few tips on how to fill in applications, make a great CV and write that important covering letter would be helpful?

Have a look at our other upcoming articles for more tips and tricks, and don't forget that if you share them we'd appreciate a mention!

How to Spot the Recruitment Cowboys!

Mon, 06 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

We found this great article by Jorgen Sundberg, who runs a blog called the Undercover Recruiter. While all of this is relevant to most sectors, we think that best practice and high standards are particularly important in the voluntary sector.

At Bruce Tait Associates we work hard to behave with the highest possible ethical standards and are disappointed when we get "tarred with the same brush" as some poorer recruiters. Here is Jorgen's take in on how to spot the differences:

The tell tale signs of a recruitment cowboy:

The trouble starts when the recruitment bottom feeders cut corners. This article is about knowing when you are dealing with an unprofessional recruiter, allowing you to filter these out in favour of the top recruiters you should deal with.

Insufficient information When the recruiter cannot give you the right information about the company that is recruiting for, the job itself (such as salary, tasks, reporting lines), and sometimes even about the industry.

There could obviously be legitimate reasons for this but in general this will be a bad sign. Bear in mind that a good recruiter would not work a vacancy without this information.

Contingency assignments This means they have never actually been given the formal instruction to work on behalf of a company). They are instead sending some candidates over for a job with the hope that the client will want to interview. Clients rarely accept candidates on this basis, and it actually damages your reputation to be part of this process. You may also have lost the chance to apply for the job through the proper recruitment process.

Not telling you who they are recruiting for This is usually when they are working on a contingency basis and don't want to alert people as to what they are up to. If the recruiter was genuinely working for a company to fill a vacancy, they would have no reluctance to advertise who their client is, unless for some reason there was a need to keep the post confidential.

Only ever speaks with you when they have a role that fits If you are not interested, they quickly move on to the next person on the list. Although this is the nature of the beast that is recruitment, a good recruitment company should stay in touch with people on their books regularly. This is essential for really understanding a candidate and knowing exactly what you are looking for.

Not specialized in your field There are many generalist recruitment companies of size that try to break in to niche job markets. Although the recruitment company may be well known, the recruiter may know nothing or little about your market and might be working on their own and tasked to "build their market" which is not easy and will certainly not help you.

Focused on salary Concentrates on wages and other cash remuneration as opposed to what should really matter to candidates, e.g. growth, training and promotion opportunities. Again, a good recruiter would take a more holistic approach and see what will really make you happy with a new position.

Very pushy Tries to talking you into taking a job, sometimes not giving you enough time for your decision making process. This will inevitably lead to candidates making the wrong decisions and changing their mind shortly thereafter.

Asks YOU for money You should never have to pay for the services of a recruiter as the client (hiring company) pays the fees. If you are asked for money by a recruiter, ask exactly what it is for and then tell them where to stick it.

If you come across recruiters like these, politely tell them you are either doing your own search or that you are exclusively working with another recruitment company. If they keep contacting you, ask to be removed from their books. By law they have to remove you and even send you a letter confirming the removal.

Please note that the vast majority of recruiters out there are very professional and work hard on your behalf. And believe me when I say they are just as weary of cowboys as you are!

Don’t Let the Economy Stall the Rise of Fundraising Talent

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Originally published on the Institute of Fundraising Website - Bruce Tait | 24 April 2013

In tough markets, charities have to take action. Pay cuts, restructuring and redundancies are increasingly common as organisations do what they can to improve efficiency and reduce overheads, while ensuring that the needs of the cause are still being met. But, are charities at risk of stalling fundraising talent and minimising future income generation?

In Scotland, 82% of charities have frozen or reduced staff salaries over the past year, according to the findings of our Scottish Charity Workforce Survey, published last week.

And it's not just happening north of the border. In the 2013 Managing in a Downturn survey report from PwC, Charity Finance Group and the Institute of Fundraising, half of UK charity respondents said that they had taken steps to reduce wage and salary costs during the year.

Bearing in mind the troubled economy and rising cost of living, this is not that surprising and the truth of the matter is that things could be a great deal worse.

Although charities are cutting back on salaries, most are maintaining staff numbers and many are growing their employee base, particularly in fundraising. In fact, more than a third of Scottish charities have increased their staff resource in fundraising in 2012.

They know that an investment in fundraising is vital and this in itself is significant, but I would argue that more still needs to be done to develop the skills of the nation's fundraisers and ensure that the marketplace does not stagnate.

Currently, fundraising and marketing roles have the highest turnover of all charity staff, with management and service delivery at the opposite end of the scale. And yet, charities find fundraising roles the hardest to recruit for. This shouldn't be the case - fundraising is often the most exciting, innovative and varied job around.

Charities should be scooping up more top graduates from Universities and attracting professionals with transferrable skills from other sectors, but this isn't happening enough at the moment. Charities are brilliant at marketing their cause, but some of that energy and passion needs to be put into marketing the organisation itself and the critical role of fundraising to potential applicants within and beyond the sector.

Salaries are often cited as a problem both in recruiting staff and retaining them. Good fundraisers do what they do with an undeniable passion for the cause and commitment to the role. Money is rarely their key motivator. But, if the sector is to continue to nurture high calibre fundraisers, to attract quality entrants to the sector and to breed a sense of pride in the profession, charities must reward and encourage strong performance where possible.

Charities need to get better at motivating, retaining and developing the fundraisers they currently have, rewarding those that do it well and nurturing their talent. Greater investment in fundraising training is needed to develop staff, boost retention and address the sector-wide issue of a skills shortage in senior level fundraisers.

From training like the IoF's Certificate in Fundraising Management and events to mentoring schemes, professional development is widely varied. It does not have to be expensive, but it has huge potential to bring the charity new skills, new thinking and to empower and inspire staff. And there are few things more valuable to an charity than a passionate, committed and inspired fundraising team!

Of course, charities can't do it all; pay rises, upping the training budget and programmes to address retention They must strive to be an efficient, streamlined organisation, but - particularly now - when funds are so hard to come by, charities must be wary of cutting back on pay, rewards, progression or professional development opportunities for fundraisers for fear of devaluing the profession and turning away the fundraising talent of the future.

Scottish Charity Workers Face Pay Freeze

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

82% of charities in Scotland have frozen or reduced staff salaries over the past year, according to the Scottish Charity Workforce Survey, released recently by Bruce Tait Associates at the launch of its specialist online recruitment service - Charity Careers Scotland.

The survey assessed the charity sector workforce in Scotland, collating the views of human resource and other senior level staff at 99 organisations with over 18,000 employees.

Building a picture of the Scottish workforce, the survey reveals that two thirds (66%) of charity staff are female. Three quarters (75%) of all sector staff are employed in service delivery, 10% in management, 6% in administration and just 3% in fundraising. Less than 1% of staff are in policy and campaigning roles.

The survey also found that staff retention is highest in managerial and service delivery roles, with more rapid turnover in fundraising and marketing/communications roles.

Although the survey shows that salary levels are largely stagnant, it also revealed many charities are still investing in increasing staff numbers. Employee growth is most prominent in the field of fundraising, where more than a third of charities have increased their staff resource in the last year. Overall, it is managerial and IT staff that are facing the biggest drop in roles. Relatively few charities cited growth in these areas and cutbacks featuring amongst 16% and 11% of those surveyed respectively.

Fundraisers are much in demand, yet almost half (48%) of respondents say that these roles are the hardest to recruit for, with charities unable to offer the competitive salaries required to attract skilled and experienced fundraising staff.

When recruiting, more than one quarter (27%) of charities say it is essential that candidates specifically want to work with a charity.

As Chief Executive of Bruce Tait Associates, my comments on the survey findings were simply this:

"With rising demand for charitable services, charities are seeking to expand and grow their capacity with increased staff resource. But finances continue to be tight and employers have had to put a freeze on salaries.

Cuts in statutory funding are biting deep and good fundraising has become even more important, leaving charities needing to invest significantly in this area. They do seem to be having particular difficulty in recruiting the experienced staff required to ensure fundraising success and may have to increasingly look outwith the sector for new fundraising talent"

Susan Moore, Director of HR with Mercy Corps, who took part in the survey said: "I was particularly interested that 27% of the respondents considered it essential that applicants specifically want to work for a charity. Mercy Corps is certainly of that view and we pro-actively seek to recruit people who are driven by the desire to make a real difference in the world. This contributes significantly to our staff retention."

The Charity Careers Scotland website is a new service which Bruce Tait Associates have launched to help Scottish charities recruit appropriately qualified staff who are particularly interested in working in the voluntary sector. It will be available for charities to use to recruit all kinds of staff and also offers the opportunity to recruit for volunteer positions for free.

Consultation on Payroll Giving

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

On the 24th of January 2013 the Coalition Government have published a consultation on Payroll Giving, designed to improve the scheme and increase overall donations to charities.

Payroll Giving was introduced in 1987 to make tax-effective charitable giving simpler and more attractive to wider range of donors. At the time,the main method of tax-effective charitable giving was through a deed of covenant, committing an individual to make donations for at least three years.

Payroll Giving will now allow an individual to make a tax-free donation to charity direct from their pay or even pension. This current net worth is Â£120 million a year to charities. However only 2% of employers offer this scheme with approx. 3% of employees making a regular charitable donations.

The Government is committed to raising levels of Payroll Giving. The system has provided substantial amounts to charities but has not worked as well would have been hoped. Now they are looking at how the system could be reformed, both to increase take-up and encourage giving as a social norm through he scheme.

They would like to hear from charities including Payroll Giving agencies and other organisations with interest in Payroll Giving, such as Private Fundraising organisations, as well as donors, employers and payroll service providers.

Dress to Impress - and Land that New Job for 2013

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

With the Festive Season now over, it's time to be thinking of the year ahead. Even those of us not signing ourselves up to the pain and suffering of the dreaded New Year's resolutions, are nonetheless quite naturally reflecting on the year past and planning for the one ahead. And for an increasing number of Scots, that means getting a new job!

A recent survey showed that as many as one in three people within the workforce look for new jobs in January. On January the 7th 2013 alone, over 360,000 people googled the phrases "Jobs in Glasgow" or "Jobs in Edinburgh".

In the voluntary sector, where funding streams mean that many more people than the average are on fixed-term contracts, I'd suggest that percentages of people looking for a new job are likely to be even higher than the average.

So in the spirit of encouragement, here's my key piece of advice about how to land that new job for 2013 - dress to impress!

While my friends and colleagues would titter at the notion of my giving out fashion advice, I do know a thing or two about how to perform well at interviews. And while all the normal tips, like doing your research, preparing your responses, arriving early etc. are all important, I do feel that many people don't really think through one of the most important considerations - making a great first impression!

It's not just your body language or your handshake you need to focus on. People notice a great deal about a prospective employee within seconds of meeting them, so it's only natural that your personal presentation will come into the equation. If your appearance is neat and clean, you will give the impression of being someone who is organised and pays attention to detail.

While the Charity Sector in Scotland is more casual that a job with, say a company or a council, in a way that makes it a bit more difficult. At least with a corporate job, you can be sure that wearing a suit is always appropriate. With some charities this will also be the case, but for others you may want to ditch the pinstripes. Try to find this out before hand. I'd recommend having a look at any staff images on the charity's website, or even visit their offices to observe what the staff going in and out of the building dress like. Always dress a little more formally than the employees you see â€” after all, an interview is a special occasion.

While wearing the right clothes aren't going to get you the job, wearing the wrong ones might rule you out. So avoid the revealing, the trendy, the eccentric and the poorly fitting. You won't be comfortable, and neither will the people interviewing you.

Personal grooming is also important. Careful grooming indicates both thoroughness and self-confidence. Women should not wear excessive makeup. Don't overdo the perfume or aftershave. Don't wear big earrings, bulky bracelets or big rings. Excessively long nails aren't a good idea. Your hair should be neat and trim. Men should be freshly shaven, even if the interview is late in the day.

Finally, pay attention to the climate. Interviews often involve time spent in hot stuffy waiting rooms. Sitting around in a thick wool suit and an overcoat could mean that you walk into the interview hot and flustered. Wear something light and breathable, and take your jacket off while waiting.

And don't ever, ever, ever, wear novelty socks!

How Scotland Invented Philanthropy

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

I chuckle when I see those tea towels in the tourist shops bragging about how the Scots invented almost everything. Amongst many achievements, Scotland has given the world the telephone, the television, the steam engine, penicillin and insulin. As John Anthony Froude proclaimed, "No people so few in number have scored so deep a mark in the world's history as the Scots have done".

Well to add to that list we can now say that Scotland invented philanthropy too!

I was recently asked by a friend to help her with a book about how people give in different parts of the world. It's a subject that is pretty close to my heart, and as I have travelled the world on my adventures in fundraising, I've often noted the huge differences in the culture of philanthropy from country to country.

When asked to contribute on giving in Scotland, I jumped at the chance to let the world know that our famed miserliness was untrue â€“ indeed we are consistently amongst the most generous part of Europe for charitable donations. But I had to confess that while I knew this was the case I didn't know why! Until my research led me to two books, which dovetailed to convince me that Scotland did indeed invent Philanthropy.

The first book "Philanthropy Reconsidered" by George McCully, traces the birth of philanthropy to the growth of civic humanism in the 18th century. Nowhere was this stronger than in Scotland. The Scottish Enlightenment saw a huge outpouring of intellectual and scientific accomplishments with staggering results. Despite being the poorest country in Europe, by 1750 Scotland was the most educated; with over half the population able to read and write, libraries in every major town and the best universities in the world.

The great Scottish thinkers of the period included David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns and Adam Ferguson. Cully explains how these writers shared a humanist outlook and proposed philanthropy as the essential key to human happiness. This distinguished the Scottish enlightenment from the corresponding changes sweeping Europe and had effects far beyond Scotland.

Here the story is taken up by "How the Scots invented the Modern World" by Arthur Herman. It tells of how the Scottish Enlightenment was a huge influence on American political, social and philosophical thinking. The philanthropic values of Scots clearly shaped the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution and informed the work of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson in particular. The result was that the strongest nation the world has ever seen was created on a platform of philanthropy and civic society that was created, promoted and championed by Scots.

The legacy of this approach in the United States is a whole other story but here in Scotland there is strong evidence that the Enlightenment did serve to create the ethos that helping others is a shared social responsibility - a "Commonweal". While not unique to Scotland, it is certainly true that successive studies of charitable giving in the United Kingdom place Scottish donors as significantly more generous than most other parts of the UK.

300 years later the legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment is still embedded in our national psyche and it is our job as fundraisers to understand this and tap into it. As a first step, I can thoroughly recommend these books.

Give youth a chance

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

With the first marketing information now appearing about this year's Scottish Fundraising Conference and Awards Dinner, I'm reminded of a presentation at the Conference a couple of years ago.

Amongst all of the great stories of fundraising success that we heard that evening, I was particularly pleased to see one of Scotland's best new fundraisers take to the stage to collect one of the awards. It was someone that I had done a little training and mentoring with earlier in her career, and I was delighted to see that her skills had developed into the "award-winning" category.

I won't embarrass her by revealing her identity here, but can vouch for the fact that her award was well merited and thoroughly deserved. I won't say that I was proud of her as my contribution to her career was slight, and her achievements were all her own. But I was extremely pleased for her.

The charity that she works for however, should be proud of her, and moreover they should be extremely proud of themselves. This fundraiser had started with them as a volunteer. Rather than leave her in that position, the charity saw her potential, gave her an opportunity to be employed with them, invested in some training and support and gave her a level of responsibility while she was still relatively inexperienced. The result - more money raised, more donors recruited, more beneficiaries helped, more internal skills developed and a nice award to cap it all.

I've written before about the fundraising profession's need to get fresh, young people entering our world. At Bruce Tait Associates, we operate our Charity Career Start intern scheme to match charities with young people looking to gain experience. It's been a great success and in the last year around 30 people have been on placement with Scottish charities through the programme. None of that is going to help though unless charities take the chance to invest in these young people.

That's why I've been delighted recently to see a handful of Scottish charities recruiting entry-level fundraising posts. Don't underestimate how much a young person can offer a charity, particularly in the fundraising field. For a start they know how social media works, are computer literate to a high level and tend to be very quick at learning things. They are also brave and challenging and it's in those two areas that fundraising can get very, very interesting. There is a lot to be said for doing things the way that they have been done before, by my experience is that excellence in fundraising often involves risk-taking, innovation and challenging the perceived wisdom.

So surround yourselves with young energetic and enthusiastic people. Give them options, opportunity and responsibility. Accept that sometimes things will go wrong, and I can assure you â€“ your fundraising will get better because of it.

Can we learn from across the pond?

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Can we learn from across the pond or teach them? It's a bit sad, but every time I go abroad on holiday, I'm reminded that I'm well and truly a fundraiser. I can't help myself, but the moment my plane touches down I start scouring the new country for signs of fundraising. Collecting boxes, charity shops, TV commercials, posters and logos all catch my eye and I can't get enough of it. Sometimes I'm fascinated by the differences and often I'm amazed by the similarities in how foreign fundraisers get people to give.

It's never truer than when I visit the US, as I did last week. George Bernard Shaw said that Britain and the US were "two nations divided by a common language" and it's just as true of the language of fundraising. Where we say "charity", they say "non-profit". Where we encourage "giving", they are all about "philanthropy". They give "tax-effectively", but it's the donor who gets the tax break, not like here where it is the charity.

In the States, giving is a sport for the wealthy and a badge of success. Here, generally, giving is something that we all do a bit of. For example I and the majority of the few thousand people at the Falkirk Stadium every home game I go to chuck loose change into the bucket of whatever charity is collecting. By contrast, I was at a baseball game in Memphis where raffle tickets priced $500 were being sold outside the hospitality boxes. Admittedly the top prize was a house and a car, but it did suggest to me that of the 50,000 people or so inside the stadium, the charity was only interested in the top few hundred of them.

I think they are missing a trick. True, the US always ranks highly on those annual lists of the "most generous countries", but if you take away wealthy philanthropists, their giving per head is going to drop significantly. In fact if you took away the Gates Foundation, that in itself would drop them a couple of ranks. Compared to European countries, even compared to Canada, the average everyday American doesn't really give to charity. It's not his fault he isn't really asked. I think there is much that American fundraisers can learn from us about how to ask a lot of people, for a regular small amount.

I lived in the States for the best part of 2 years and in that time I was never asked to give. No-one called me, knocked my door, stopped me in the street, asked me to an event or wrote to me with an appeal. They excel at getting major gifts from wealthy individuals, but when it comes to anyone else, it's as if they don't know even the basic principles of donor development. Which is strange because if there is anywhere that a giving culture should exist, it is the USA. Statistics on world giving show that where there is a large level of state involvement in the economy (e.g. Scandinavia or China) charitable giving is lower. These countries believe that social welfare is the responsibility of the state. The average American, good old laissez-faire capitalists that they are, wouldn't pass responsibility for anything to their government. Add in the aforementioned tax breaks, high levels of disposable income and a welfare system that creates real levels of need all the ingredients are there to create a powerful giving culture throughout their society. Perhaps we need to send them some Scottish fundraisers to show them how it's done! Anyone for a field trip to Miami?

Preparing for a Fundraising Job Interview

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:25:54 GMT

As people who regularly sit on interview panels, its often surprising how badly prepared some fundraisers can be. In worse case scenarios, some candidates who would have been perfect for a role, lose the chance because their interview technique let them down.

With this in mind we thought we’d share this helpful little guide from our friend Lilya Wagner, from the Centre for Philanthropy at Indiana University. In her book Careers in Fundraising, Lilya recommends that fundraisers learn as much as they can about an organisation’s interests and needs prior to the interview. She lists the following questions that can be asked or researched beforehand to get a clearer picture of how the organisation operates.

What is the role of the Senior Management Team in fundraising? Does the board get involved?
Is there a long-range plan? What would your place be in that plan?
What are the fundraising goals, and how were they determined? How do they fit with the overall budget?
Are there campaigns, events or projects that are pending and that you will be expected to implement or complete?
How large or small is the staff, and what responsibilities do they have?
Is there a fundraising committee and, if so, how will you be working with or relating to it?
What about the person who previously held the job? Why is he or she departing?

Lilya Wagner also advises fundraisers to expect the following questions at the job interview and gives advice on how to approach each.

What do you know about our organisation? This one comes up 90% of the time. Be sure you have done your homework!

Why do you want to work for us? Tailor your answer so that you show you can contribute in positive ways, to provide a solution for what the organisation needs. Tell me about yourself. Remember to point out those characteristics and qualities that suit the position. This is not a time for a personal history.

What motivates you? What are your personal goals? Indicate a desire to contribute to the organisation in specific ways that you enjoy and do well, trying to make a match between the needs of the organisation and your abilities.

Why are you leaving your job? Be sure you have a level-headed answer for this one. Do not rubbish your previous position or boss! Indicate positive reasons for seeking advancement, a change or a new challenge.

What qualities and experience do you have that are important for this fundraising position? The interviewer has your CV, but he or she wants to hear how you can express your success. This is also a time when the interviewer may test your communication skills.

What has been your greatest accomplishment in fundraising? Remember to make your answer outcome orientated focusing on the organization and its clients rather than your ego.

Stick to this guide and you’ll definitely come across as a stronger candidate in interviews. Good Luck!