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Landmark survey examines the state of professional fundraising in Canada
March 31, 2003
By Nicole Zummach
For more than 40 years, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) has represented and supported North American fundraisers, and professional fundraisers existed long before that. However, it wasn't until the recent International Conference of Fundraising in Toronto that Canadian fundraisers got a glimpse of themselves and the state of their profession in this country. Preliminary results from a new study by the AFP and the Canadian Policy Research Networks (CPRN) were presented at the conference, painting the first complete picture of Canada's fundraising landscape. The CPRN surveyed thousands of Canadian fundraisers in the fall of 2002. Here are some of the highlights from that survey.
The changing context of fundraising
Canada's professional fundraisers are a seasoned bunch, with 70% having more than five years of paid experience. Of those, 33% have between 10 and 19 years of experience in the field. There is also a fair amount of stability among fundraisers, with 58% reporting that they have been with their current employer for more than two years, and 38% for more than five years. Still, 42% of respondents made plans for a job change in the past year.
Most fundraisers are working for organizations that have been fundraising for 10 years or more, but about one-quarter are involved with groups for which fundraising is a relatively new endeavour. With increased competition for funding, 66% of organizations are also implementing new strategic fundraising activities. Sixty percent increased the number of paid staff, and 59% invested in new software or hardware for their office.
Profile of a Canadian fundraiser
The typical professional fundraiser is a well-educated woman who is over 40 years of age. In fact, a whopping 69% of all fundraisers are women. Sixty-three percent of survey respondents are 40 years of age or older, and 70% have a university degree. Most work in an office that has less than 10 paid employees (37%). Only 18% work in an establishment with more than a hundred paid workers.
When it comes to compensation, the numbers vary widely. Seventeen percent of professional fundraisers make less than $40,000. Nineteen percent earn between $40,000 and $49,999, with another 19% earning between $50,000 and $59,999. Almost one-quarter (23%) make between $60,000 and $79,999, and 23% have annual earnings of more than $80,000.Workplace practices
Regarding fundraisers' views of their board of directors, 51% agree that members of the board have realistic expectations about fundraising. Forty-two percent agree that boards provide the support needed for fundraisers to do their job well, and 37% report that their board plays an active role in fundraising.
Encouragingly, more than three-quarters of survey respondents (76.7%) reported that their organization has written policies or procedures regarding fundraising activities, and 75% have clearly stated fundraising goals. The majority of organizations also have policies in place regarding the use of donor lists (73.9%), the acceptance of gifts (67.8%), and conflict of interest guidelines (60.2%). However, only 53% of organizations have adopted a fundraising code of ethics or donor bill of rights.
Professional development
Most fundraisers report that their employer pays all of the cost for certain professional development activities. Eighty-six percent of employers cover individual membership fees and organizational memberships. Eighty-eight percent pay for conference registration fees, and 85% cover the costs of travelling to conferences. In terms of the types of professional development activities that fundraisers engage in, the most popular is the breakfast or lunch workshop (72%), followed by self-learning (61%), local conferences (56%), and national conferences (54%). The least popular forms of professional development were online courses (9%) and correspondence courses (4%).
Workplace outcomes
There is no question that most fundraisers are very dedicated and hardworking individuals. Thirty-six percent report working an average of 50+ hours per week, and 40% say they often or always work evenings. This certainly affects their work-life balance and the numbers bear this out. Only 59% of fundraisers agree that their job allows them to balance work and family, compared with 75% in the general labour force. Nevertheless, 78% of fundraisers say they are satisfied with their job in general, though only 49% report being satisfied with their workload. When asked for reasons why they would change jobs, 63% said it would be to earn a higher salary, 48% would look for more interesting work, and 46% say they would switch because they are frustrated with their work environment.
Overall, male fundraisers appear to be more satisfied with their careers than their female counterparts. Eighty-three percent report being satisfied with their job in general, compared to 76% of female fundraisers. Men also reported being more satisfied than women when it comes to their pay (64% vs. 55%), their workload (56% vs. 46%), training opportunities (67% vs. 55%), and career advancement (65% vs. 56%).
Views on policy issues
When fundraisers were asked whether their was a need to establish standard rules for calculating and reporting fundraising costs, the response was a resounding 'yes', with 85% of respondents agreeing that there is a need. On other issues, the response was less definitive. Fifty-two percent agree that there is a need for greater regulation of fundraising practices, and 53% feel that a government ombudsman is needed to receive complaints regarding fundraising practices. Less than half of respondents (48%) agree that the government should pay more attention to auditing fundraising practices. On the issue of whether fundraising is hampered by too much government regulation, the results were split. Only 24% of fundraisers agree with this statement, 42% are neutral, and 34% disagree.
The final report of the survey findings will be published in May.
To download the complete preliminary report in PDF format, visit: www.cprn.org/work/files/pzsccf_e.pdf.
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