CGC Oakgrove Ebook 3.0

Charity Sector

Sector Outlook Are you passionate about conserving nature? Want to suppor t those with disabilities? Do you see yourself researching into a new medical treatment? Then you may well find yourself working in the charity sector. The charity sector has an annual turnover of £65 billion with around 675,000 employees. With over 180,000 charities in the UK; you could work for the homeless, human rights, social care, research, advice, education and much more. The work of charities touches across many major industry sectors and they need experienced people in accountancy, scientific research, event planning, management, marketing, public relations, retail, medical and others. Also impor tant are those who can work in suppor t functions such as IT, human resources and administration. Although some senior executives are paid in excess of £100,000 the average wage in the industry is low, around £20,000. Despite is best intentions, the sector does have its challenges; news repor ts on charities closing due to mismanagement, funding crisis and fraud are not uncommon. The larger charities tend to operate more efficiently and manage staff well but there is lot of duplication in the sector. Charities have to deal with increasing legislation, keeping competitive and maintaining their professionalism. If you have a passion for a par ticular issue, volunteering is impor tant method for getting insight into how a charity functions and gaining invaluable work experience. The skills needed for the sector include commercial experience, organisational skills, communication, team work, flexibility and willingness to do routine jobs. Some of the big players include Age UK, Barnados, British Redcross and the National Trust. Vacancies exist directly with charities, recruitment agencies, in the national press and on specialist websites such as charityjobs.co.uk or thethirdsector. co.uk. Despite cuts in government funding, the sector continues to grow, par ticularly in charitable retail trading.