Where I am working, how I am using my skills and what I am learning
I have joined the newly formed Volunteering Team at Age UK (National Team) as an intern working in a hybrid way – at home and at the Age UK Head office.
I have had an extremely good induction to the charity and have been made to feel very welcome by the wider organisation (I even had a meeting with the new CEO Paul Farmer) and especially by my team. It is a self-starter’s role which I like. I have learnt a lot already by introducing myself to lots of different people across the organisation and to understand how Age UK works and how to join the dots between different areas and those areas that touch volunteering.
I have been given a set of objectives to achieve by the end of my 6 months including Researching Volunteering Recognition; Creation of a Volunteering Recognition Certificate; Planning and Preparing for Volunteers' Week; Create content for The Loop; Social Media briefs and delivery for calendar key events for volunteering; Create descriptions for each National Formal Volunteering Role. I also created my own objective which has been approved for me to progress which is to review, recommend and implement changes to the Volunteering section of the Age UK website and create a clear user journey to help get more people to sign up having had a greater understanding of the roles on offer.
In terms of new skills and understanding, I am learning how a charity organisation works internally and being on the inside is very helpful. I can use my initiative to get things done in the best way possible, a skill I have often had to use in previous roles.
My experience of searching for a job in the charity sector
Finding paid work in the charity sector, with my current skill set, has been difficult because for some reason most people who offer jobs in charity feel more comfortable employing people who have already worked in charity - a pair of “safe hands”. Recently I was one of two candidates left for a senior role at a charity and I lost out because I had only worked in the commercial sector and the other person had always worked in the charity sector which it was the reason I was given. From my current perspective working within a charity has some differences, but the day to day is the same for me. It is a frustrating situation as I think people who have worked in the commercial sector can offer a lot if given the chance. However a barrier seems to exist.
The impact this opportunity has had on me
Charity Interns, and the opportunity at Age UK, has done amazing things for me. Over the last 5 years I have had to work in a freelance capacity, on and off, as I needed to create time to support my younger son, who has learning needs, through school . In wanting to return to full time work, and now over 50, I have found finding opportunities very difficult, and often never get to interview stage despite being a skilled, intelligent person with a good CV. Often I apply and hear nothing at all which is extremely demoralising. This really damaged my confidence and self-esteem.
Working at Age UK has done two things for me. Firstly, without a doubt, I have got my confidence back and know that I am an able, good, and diligent employee with a lot to offer. I am getting a lot of positive feedback from my team. Secondly, I have had the opportunity to work within a charity and can use my experience to positively explain what my role was, and what I achieved in my six-month placement.
How I now feel about my future employment prospects
I see my future employment prospects as positive, and I feel that I can confidently apply for roles within a charity with the new experience I will have had over the 6-month period of my intern role. Volunteering is crucial to charities, and I feel already that I have a very good understanding of what is required, and I can talk knowledgeably about my experience at Age UK. Getting experience in the charity sector I believe is crucial to being considered for a role in the charity sector, even though the skills used are used both within charity and commercially.
My message to anyone looking for a role within the sector
If you really want to work in the charity sector, I advise getting some voluntary work if you cannot get any paid work in a charity. The door seems to open if you can prove you understand the charity world from experience.
My experience with Charity Interns
Charity Interns is an important initiative as its premise is to demonstrate that skills used in the commercial sector are equally valuable in the charity sector i.e. are transferrable. If Charity Interns can prove to be a success, then hopefully Charity Recruitment/HR will consider, rather than dismiss, those applying from the commercial sector i.e. can see the value of skills from the commercial sector.
I am extremely pleased that I applied for Charity Interns and that I was offered an interview and opportunity to work at Age UK for 6 months. I feel confident again, and can clearly see that my skills are transferable. This will give me the ability in an interview for a charity role to speak with ‘insider’ knowledge.
Where I am working, how I am using my skills and what I am learning
I am working for Alzheimer’s Society as a Trusts & Foundations Bid Writer.
I work remotely, but also attend the London office when we have meetings where it makes sense to all come together.
The purpose of the role is to find ways to maximise income and engagement from Trusts and Foundations who are able to make donations; to develop a pipeline of asks and approaches, to re-engage with lapsed donors as well as identify and recruit new prospects.
Through relationship building, funding application writing, creative stewardship and data analysis, this role looks for ways to maximise revenue in this funding channel.
I am also supporting the production of a business development plan, identifying target audiences, funding opportunities and resource gaps.
My experience of searching for a job in the charity sector
I had not worked for a charity in the past. I think because I wasn’t able to demonstrate any practical charity experience on my cv and my inability to speak the language of the sector, this limited recruiters’ ability to identify me as a strong candidate. They only usually get a chance to field a few CVs and will put forward the most obvious candidates – this will often be driven by the brief of the hiring manager.
Whilst I recognise this approach as one that provides positive outcomes, and can see it is a safe option, I think it also carries the risk of creating a sector that is inward looking. There are many highly skilled and motivated individuals who have a strong social conscience who would like to use what they have learned in their business lives to help others.
Moving to this sector will not be an easy decision for many, especially given the strong earnings differential that may exist. Many people would really like to make this move but will be unable to, so for those who can, it would be helpful if more could be done to encourage them to take the chance and make the switch. For this to happen there needs to be a broadening of hiring and HR manager views – many who will have only worked within the sector - so I appreciate this may be a challenge.
I am disappointed that more is not done to encourage and welcome talented people from other sectors to join the charity workforce. In order to run effectively, charities need to do many of the same things as organisations from the private or public sector, so bringing in different expertise can only strengthen an organisation’s skillset.
The impact this opportunity has had on me
It has been a great opportunity for me. I have seen how a well-run charity is organised. Witnessed the huge amounts of effort put into building a strategic framework that everyone can follow, and most importantly has the foresight to identify and measure the important factors and their effect on those they seek to serve.
I have benefitted from working with a team of highly motivated people who have willingly shared their collective knowledge and been open to discussing alternative views.
I have learned much about how a charity works and I feel certain that there would be great added benefit in bringing more people with a commercial background into the sector.
How I now feel about my future employment prospects
I would like to secure a role within the charity sector, learn further, expand my knowledge across business units and continue to deploy my skills for the benefit of others who need support in our society.
My message to anyone who is hiring for a charity role
Don’t always look for the obvious. Take a chance and invite those who may not look 100% ideal on paper to talk to you. Take time to explore their backgrounds – don’t only deploy sector-based questions with tight scoring templates. Modify your language so that it is accessible to those outside of the sector – and really listen to how someone answers the question – they may well be saying the right thing but just using different terminology. Question yourself, do you have the experience and knowledge to identify transferable skills.
Many people in business have entrepreneurial mind-sets and will be curious to learn as much as they can, so they can spot gaps to support organisational growth – don’t be threatened by this – embrace the thinking and harness their skills.
My experience with Charity Interns
My experience has been extremely positive.
Maya Bhose, as the founder of Charity Interns, is an inspirational leader and has brought people together with very different backgrounds and skills. She is adept at identifying and satisfying the needs of the charity partners and associates - ensuing each achieves their agreed outcomes.
NCVO has provided the support and guidance to incubate this important project and have been instrumental in its success, as have each of the founding charity partners.
Working with the Alzheimer’s Society has been a truly inspiring experience – and one that I have benefited greatly from. I would encourage anyone thinking of joining this programme to embrace the opportunity.
Where I am working, how I am using my skills and what I am learning
I am the Campaigns Intern at Age International – Age UK’s sister charity – which is dedicated to responding to the needs, and promoting the rights, of older people in low and middle-income countries across the world.
It’s an exciting time to join Age International and my position is one of three staff to form a new function - the Campaigns team. I support the Head of Communications & Campaigns, and the Campaigns Officer. And we sit alongside the existing Communications team.
As we’re a new team, a large part of our work right now is learning about the organisation, the wider sector, and carrying out desk research and scoping for future activity. I am also using the time to better understand campaigning both in the UK and internationally. I am learning about Age International’s organisational strategy, its brand, tone and language guidelines, as well as the wider older people’s and international development landscapes.
My experience of searching for a job in the charity sector
It was daunting. I never actually applied for a job within a charity as they always advertised the need for charity sector experience. I had the added problem of returning to work, as well as changing sector. This all meant I was actively looking for Internships to get vital training, but these were usually for younger people fresh out of university. I think that sometimes my age, as well as my time away from full-time employment, were obstacles for me getting roles that I applied or interviewed for (outside the sector).
Whereas the Charity Intern initiative concentrated on my transferable skills and what I could bring to the role. The whole process was very inclusive.
The impact this opportunity has had on me
Not only is an internship at a charity exactly what I had been looking for, I feel like I have at last started the journey towards a new career. The resulting impact on me personally is life changing.
How I now feel about my future employment prospects
I think age is still a barrier for most employers in all sectors. But I would like to see more charity employers embracing transferable skills and considering applicants from all sectors.
My aim at the end of the pilot is to get a full-time role, whether that is at Age International, Age UK, or another organisation remains to be seen. But I already feel more confident about my future career.
My message to anyone who is hiring for a charity role
There are so many people out there, especially women, who want to work, who want a career change into something more meaningful. Please think out-of-the-box, and hire for transferable skills, and abilities, rather than automated tick boxes on CVs.
My experience with Charity Interns
I am not being dramatic when I say Charity Interns has changed my life. I had been actively looking for work since 2019, and now I feel like my career can finally begin again.
Alison Marshall, CEO Age International
"Charity Interns is a wonderful scheme. At Age International, we advocate for the rights of older people around the world. We believe age should not be a barrier to meaningful work, whether internationally or in the UK.
The Charity Intern scheme is fantastic at placing professionals with decades of experience into third sector organisations. It's been a way for us to add diversity and fresh thinking to our team.
We are lucky to have been joined by Caroline who brings experience from the creative industries, and is now settled within our Campaigns team. We would encourage other charities to participate."
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