Charity and Third Sector Career Guide

This career guide is designed to help University of Portsmouth students and recent graduates explore job options, key employers, and entry routes into the charity and not for profit sectors.

The sector is a diverse employment area both in terms of working environment and job roles. You could be working directly with communities, leading fundraising and awareness campaigns, or behind the scenes in areas such as finance, administration or communications. Many roles also provide the opportunity to work internationally.

In recent years, increased emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has led to the creation of dedicated CSR roles in many large companies. There has also been significant investment in volunteering opportunities for staff - which has meant an increase in positions such as volunteer coordinator. The sector has also seen an increase in graduate entry routes, particularly in fundraising. The Chartered Institute of Fundraising promotes fundraising as a career path, offering a range of courses up to International Advanced Diploma level.

Competition for roles can be high and even though the pay is usually low in comparison to the private sector, this is offset by higher than average levels of job satisfaction and the ability to make a significant difference in the lives of others.

In this guide

Potential Job Roles

Gaining Experience

Finding a Graduate Job

Potential Job Roles

Prospects has a list of job profiles each containing relevant information about key responsibilities, skill requirements, starting salaries, entry requirements, career prospects with links to major employers and current graduate vacancies. Some roles in this sector include:

Visit the Prospects website

Gaining Experience

Breaking into this sector can be highly competitive, so work experience could be a significant factor to set you apart when applying for graduate roles. Gaining experience not only builds your knowledge but also helps you develop valuable transferable skills that showcase your enthusiasm and dedication to the field.

Types of opportunities

Below are some examples of the different types of opportunities to gain experience whilst you study.

Building up your volunteering hours while you study is ideal in demonstrating your commitment to the industry. You can support community initiatives, volunteer at one-off events or work on an ongoing project with a local not-for-profit. Seize any opportunity to get involved in local community projects to help you develop your work experience. Our Volunteering Bank provides local opportunities to undertake alongside your studies.

You can also get involved in relevant university projects through the different groups and societies via the Student Union. This is a good way of demonstrating your motivation and interest in this area of work.

Please be aware that some international volunteering opportunities may have costs attached so it is important to check all details thoroughly.

Learn more about our Volunteering Team

Placements will give you a long-term look at an organisation, and help you to build contacts and experience.

On some degrees, work placements are part of the programme, whilst on others you can choose to complete a placement as one of your modules. To learn more about completing a placement, you can contact the Placements team in the Careers & Employability Service.

Learn more about taking a placement

You can also choose to take a Self-Employed Placement. This allows you to work for yourself during your placement year and receive support from the University's Student Startup Team. You will have access to funding opportunities, networking events and workshops.

Learn more about Self-Employed Placements

Many larger charities and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) offer internships, open days and taster experiences. The charities and NGOs offering internships, listed below, will give you an idea of the opportunities that may be available; you will need to do thorough research to identify further specific opportunities:

Creating your own work experience

You might consider developing your own experience in this sector. The key to success is to prepare thoroughly, do your research and seek support from the Careers and Employability Service where needed.

Starting your own social enterprise

If you have a practical idea of how to help your community, protect your local environment or solve a problem in society then setting up a social enterprise might be a great way of showing your proactive and charitable attributes. A social enterprise is the ability to do good through doing business rather than through charitable donations, for more information make an appointment to talk to our S tudent Startup team.

Getting involved in online activism

In today’s world, online activism has become a powerful tool for raising awareness, campaigning for change and sparking real world action. While opinions differ on its effectiveness, when online activism is used in a considered manner, it can be a useful way to gain experience. Whether you’re launching a petition, starting a blog to highlight a cause, or using online platforms to build and organise a movement, online activism can help to amplify your voice. Read the below resources for more information:

Online activism campaigns - article from Don’t Panic which highlights successful online activism campaigns
Digital Activism: The Good, the Bad and the Future - useful article from the Humanitarian Academy for Development that highlights the pros and cons of digital activism

Advice on finding work experience

Finding a Graduate Job

We recommend starting your search using our online jobs board, MyCareer. You can find general graduate jobsites through our Graduate Jobs page.

Sector specific jobsites

Third Sector Jobs

CharityJob

The Guardian

Bond

Relief Web

Graduate schemes

Although direct entry graduate roles found on the above jobs board are more common in this sector, some graduate schemes do exist. Below you will find some of the few graduate schemes available in this sector, although this is not an exhaustive list:

Charitywork s - programme which places graduates into charities for leadership training
IntoUniversity - graduate scheme within the education field
Wellcome - offers a two year graduate programme
British Heart Foundation - offers graduate schemes in a range of areas across the charity including finance, retail, technology and marketing

Are you looking for a role in Hampshire? Our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy can help!

If you're in the final year of your degree, you can register for support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy. They work with over 3,000 employers in the local area to place our students into fantastic graduate careers.

Learn more about the Graduate Recruitment Consultancy

Speculative applications

Speculative applications involve sending a CV and cover letter to an employer to ask if they have any vacancies, even if the company is not currently advertising for a role. They're a great way to access "hidden jobs" that go unadvertised.

Submitting a speculative application shows your interest in a specific company and your willingness to go above and beyond to develop your skills and understanding of the industry.

Learn how to send a speculative application

Keeping up to date with the industry

As part of your job-hunting strategy, you will need to keep up to date on developments in this sector and keep track of any vacancies that are coming up. Below are some key resources to help you research the opportunities available. The knowledge gained through your research may help you to target your applications and will help when preparing for interviews.

Prospects – The charity and voluntary work sector guide is a useful starting point with an overview, graduate job profiles, case studies and graduate job-hunting advice.
TargetJobs – Find out about salaries, types of jobs and employers and make applications in this sector.
The Guardian – Latest news and features on the voluntary sector, social enterprise and the Guardian's voluntary sector network.
Third Sector Jobs – Charity work, not-for-profit and voluntary sector news.

Charity Times – Charity Times online complements the printed publication, offering breaking news, a fortnightly email newsletter and in-depth features to offer comprehensive coverage of all the finances, legal, fundraising, marketing and technology management issues facing this sector.