The past year has undoubtedly brought massive, unforeseen and unavoidable changes to all of our ways of working. The charity sector has faced challenges on a completely different scale, from moving services online almost overnight, to balancing an increased pressure to meet service demand with supporting staff welfare.

Individuals have faced hugely changed circumstances with many taking on additional responsibilities at home as teachers or carers and professionally as they have taken on extra workloads with many employees on furlough for at least a portion of the pandemic. More than 7,200 charities and almost 1,500 community interest companies and societies had made use of the furlough scheme during the month of December 2020.

The sector also came together to form collaborations, support networks and campaigns such as #NeverMoreNeeded – a cross-sector initiative to shine a light on the amazing work charities are doing in the pandemic. The past year has revealed the extent of the vulnerability of many parts of society and just how essential the sector is in supporting them in multiple, vital ways.

So what effect has this all had on those people working in communications in the charity sector? We have included additional questions in this year’s survey to see what additional effects the pandemic has had on salaries and working culture. Not surprisingly, increased working hours and the impact on mental health emerged strongly.

Some positives include a significant increase of just over 10% in the number of charity communicators who feel that their role is more valued (61.7%) with the average salary for charity communicators increased by 6% to £38,602 in 2020.

We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to take part in our survey. Data and numbers can help us to tell the story of the current state of salaries and workplace culture in the charity sector, but the words and emotions that people have used to explain how they’re feeling are just as important.  The past year has taught us all the value of connections and the part communication plays in making those connections, whether with family, colleagues or our audiences. With responses from more than 400 charity communicators, this report goes some way towards measuring how much that value is translated into remuneration, equality and job satisfaction within the sector.

Welcome from CharityComms

The COVID crisis has brought huge challenges to the Charity Sector, not least how to support and empower communications teams who have been working flat out to champion their cause and find ways to engage and inspire their audiences.

Talking to many charity comms people – a consistent theme has been how to keep teams motivated when faced with so much uncertainty and with so many competing demands.

Our survey provides timely insights to help create fair and transparent pay structures and working cultures which help comms professionals feel understood, valued and invested in. It simply makes sense to recognise the strategic role of comms, nurture talent and enable staff to be their very best at work.

We know that we still have much to do to create truly inclusive workplaces where staff can confidently bring their whole self to work.

I hope you will read the report with good intent and be encouraged to build thriving and resilient places to work. After all – people are the most valuable asset we have.

Welcome from Charity People

I’m not sure about you but I have always been fascinated by salary surveys; as recruiters we can be guilty of coming to far-reaching conclusions based on subjective anecdotes via conversations with job seekers or hirers, quantitative data is always so interesting to either challenge or confirm those conclusions. Anecdotally it appeared that this year was the year that the value of communications began to be realised across the sector and beyond. But would this be recognised in the data? And how would this increased workload impact upon employees wellbeing and satisfaction? And what does this mean for future job opportunities across the comms sector?

Upon reading the results, it feels to me as though there have been significant strides in the right direction regarding issues of staff wellbeing, mental health in the workplace and equity, diversity and inclusion – but there is still so much more to be done. It is up to all of us to keep this momentum going, individually and organisationally. I do hope that you enjoy reading this report as much as I have.

Just over 41% of our survey participants reported that they did not work from home at all pre-COVID, which makes the rapid move to remote working all the more of a remarkable shift in such a short space of time.

Many charities have made a long-term commitment to more flexible working during the pandemic, with organisations such as Action on Hearing Loss giving up their London headquarters. While the office space market may be starting to pick up again, the shift to remote working is not something that people want to reverse, or at least not completely. The number of charity communicators expressing a wish to continue working from home 1-3 days a week (even after it’s safe to go back into the office in person) is just under 55%. Whilst another 13.5% said they were already working remotely full-time or would like to continue to do so. And just 3.6% of people said they are either unable or do not want to work from home.

With whole teams and staff at all levels all working from home, there is more of an acceptance of whatever child/pet/Amazon delivery drama that may be happening in the background. Perhaps too people’s thinking has changed in that they feel more empowered because they know now that working from home actually works. Pre-pandemic, issues around team management were often cited as reasons why home working wasn’t viable and, although it may be an ongoing process, many of these issues have been resolved through necessity, as a result of COVID.

The pandemic has shown that staff are overwhelmingly as (or more) efficient and effective when working from home at least some of the time, where they are able to balance the responsibilities of home and work in a way tailored to individual needs and requirements. A recent Harvard Business Review report showed that full-time remote workers are 5% more likely to be high performers than those who work full-time from the office.

There can also be huge time and cost benefits in removing the daily commute, as well as significant benefits to mental health. Of course, this needs to be tempered with external factors currently at play such as pressures of home-schooling and the inability to go to the gym or get out and exercise as normal.

“It’s fun and you can help me with my work.”

Offering a mix of home and office-based working will be fundamental to a successful recruitment process in the future. Clearly it will be important for charities to continue this once it’s safe to return to the office in order to attract the largest pool of talent when recruiting.

Alongside this, it will be important to understand that individuals’ needs here will vary and to be as flexible as possible – for instance recognising that someone living in a house share may be more keen to be office based than someone living in their own accommodation. There may also be certain requirements around accessibility that need to be offered to ensure that home working is an option for all.

Offering a balance between home and office working will also be an excellent retention tool particularly with so much investment already having been made both on an organisational and individual level in remote working.

“For years we have been encouraging employers to offer more flexibility with virtual and part-time working but it was a cultural change that was quite often too hard to make. With COVID it forced employers to introduce new ways of working to embrace flexibility and it’s changed working environments for the long term.

Companies are seeing the benefits of sustaining some of the changes. I believe this will create a positive shift for women who desire more flexibility to work from home or more flexible hours if they can still get the work done. It’s important to focus on growth sectors like tech and Salesforce that foster these resilient well paid flexible job possibilities.”

Stability and company culture

Company culture has also grown massively in importance when considering a move to a new position. A 75-year Harvard study has demonstrated that “good relationships keep us happier and healthier” and are the most important factor in human happiness.

Whether reported directly or not, how staff perceive the growth of their organisations can impact how they behave in regard to their own career progression.

The number of respondents who believe that staff levels within their organisation will increase during the next year is down 7% on last year to 32%, while 28% believe levels will decrease (up 9% from last year).

The reasons for the increased belief in lower staffing levels, unsurprisingly, included redundancies from COVID and reduced incomes, restructuring and, sadly, pressures from home-schooling and mismanagement of racial and bullying issues. Other comments included:

• We are losing money and having to dip into reserves. We are very dependent on commissioned income (contracts from government) and these contracts are becoming fewer, with increased competition.
• People stopping working in high pressure fields with low income.
• The workload is already unsustainable and with the reduction of staff and a broader set of aims in the future, people will probably look for other jobs as it’s got to a stretching point.
• I think they will decrease to ‘save money’ but they absolutely should increase to save current staff going insane.
• A lot of staff are unhappy due to a lack of progression or investment in staff within the marketing department.
• People will leave due to stress / fear of being made redundant.

Flexible working hours is still the number one choice for the benefit that is valued the most, with 60% citing it as their first choice, compared to 67% in 2019. Of the benefits that people actually receive, only pension contributions, time off for voluntary work and medical cover saw an increase in the number of people listing them since last year.

Despite support for professional development being listed as the third most valued benefit, a larger downturn was seen in training opportunities during the past year. This was evident in 38.8% of respondents saying they have been offered fewer training and development opportunities over the past year, up from 18.6% who gave the same answer last year. Just 27% stated that they have training and development opportunities booked in over the next 12 months. Investing in teams, staff training and making sure people feel valued and that they are progressing in their personal development is a key factor in retaining staff.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the most utilised form of personal development was webinars. These increased by more than 30% to just over 77%, while conferences saw a drop by almost 18%. This could also be due to a case of the new vernacular around online events, with people classing any online event (including what is now considered an online conference) as a webinar, simply because it’s online.

Shrinking budgets have also clearly played a major part in this drop in opportunities. However, there are ways to be creative with a range of free webinars around that can both upskill job seekers and address hot topics for charities. Peer-to-peer networking groups can also be a great platform for charity professionals to learn from each other and share tips of the trade that can be instantly implemented.

There is no shortage of free online training and networking, with LinkedIn in particular providing an often underutilised gateway for peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, via niche special interest groups.

The changing face of online events and training opportunities has certainly improved accessibility. There is now the ability to attract a more diverse range of speakers and take part in events or network groups that might have previously been too far away or expensive (also making them more sustainable).

But be warned. The sheer overwhelm of Zoom fatigue and the lack of real human connection that we’re used to means that, although they look like being here to stay (at least in a hybrid form) it will be important for charities to keep on top of how virtual events evolve to make the most of what personal development opportunities are available for their staff.

Despite more people working longer hours, both the number of those receiving bonuses and those receiving paid overtime or time off in lieu decreased compared to last year. When comparing the number of those working extra hours per week, those working longer hours are less likely to receive any compensation or time off in lieu.

2020 was a year for many to re-evaluate their priorities, not least what they value most from their working life. Given the turmoil of 2020, is the cause still enough to retain someone at a charity?

87% of people said they were likely to stay in charity communications within the next five years, while the number of people saying they would definitely leave rose by just 1.2%.

The number of candidates open to new opportunities tells an interesting story. This number has officially remained stable, though anecdotally it feels as though lots of individuals have flipped from being open to an opportunity, or not, based on their employers perceived stability during these uncertain times. However 65.6% are open to moving on within the next two years, which suggests there is a significant number of people who, if presented with the right opportunity in the right way, would consider moving on.

Almost certainly driven by the current situation, the number of people stating that working from home would entice them to apply for a job rose to almost 75% from 67% in 2019.

In 2020 many predicted the advent of remote working would open up opportunities for people to be based anywhere in the country. Whilst this didn’t play out, charities who now offer a blend of remote and office working, stand a much higher chance of retaining their current staff and attracting new talent. Without a need to be office-based, full-time, Charity People has seen a dramatic increase in candidates who are open to a longer commute than before, knowing this will only likely be 2-3 times a week.

Being able to articulate how well an organisation has weathered the financial impact of the pandemic is likely to be a critical factor in turning a potential job seekers head, in the short-term at least. How well they articulate their cause may also be an important factor, as the statistics around which charity sub-sectors people would find most appealing to move to have shifted since last year. The sub-sectors of interest, society and work have shown the largest increase of 7.8%, with membership, hospices, education, disability and older people also showing increased appeal.

Accessing potential talent will remain a critical success factor and, alongside what an employer is offering in terms of working location, job seekers will be increasingly focused on the charities wider culture. Do they have a wellbeing programme in place? Are they doing enough to address the increased complexities surrounding mental health in the workplace? How charities convey and promote these messages to future employees will be crucial.

While the global situation may have made us rethink and revalue many things in our lives, the uncertainty of the job market has also urged many to remain cautious about making any sudden changes (at least changes that would be within their own control). The numbers planning a career move in the next 12 months are very similar to last year, with 36.4% saying yes, compared to 36.8% in 2019.

As the sector has faced huge losses in income, many charities have had to make redundancies. The number of charity roles being advertised has greatly reduced and the numbers of applicants for roles that are available has jumped dramatically.

This might also seem for many to be a great opportunity to start something new and work for themselves. A recent survey showed that 56% of Americans have said they’d be more secure working for themselves than in a traditional job in 2020. The number of charity communicators responding to our survey who told us they work part-time increased by over 5% since last year to 17% in total. Meanwhile the number listing themselves as freelancers increased by just 0.5%, potentially indicating more of a move to part-time roles within organisations.

While the vaccination roll-out has been a justified cause for optimism, it’s impossible to predict what changes will stay permanent and, with around 2.5 million people still on furlough as of February 2021 and charity finances continuing to be impacted, what the economic future holds.

So what are the key skills that organisations will look to take on board, to stabilise and grow during continuing periods of uncertainty? With 77% of charities having made greater use of digital and technology during the pandemic, the investment in digital will continue to grow.

 “In the outside world, organisations need digital comms more to reach their audience and to have impact. We have done this and yet internally it is not recognised what added value this is and where we’d be without it.”
– Comms officer working part-time at small charity based in the South West

CharityComms recently produced a series of blogs and resources with the help of partners RandallFox around organisational structure and its impact on building a healthy comms culture. That research highlighted some new roles emerging along with a focus on more resources dedicated to strategic overview, planning, content and insight, digital marketing and internal comms. Along with a rise in agile working and increasing value in ‘softer’ leadership roles.

Clarity of strategy and a clear definition of how departments and individual roles work together should be a priority for charities looking to move forward with what they have learned over the past year and invest in their priorities, as well as acknowledging the value in comms.

“Organisations often try to recruit staff into ‘dual’ roles such as ‘social media manager/designer’. They see comms as an add on as opposed to a role on its own.”
– Comms manager working full-time at a large charity in the North West

“In charities specifically, especially small charities, marketing and communications is just not valued as an ‘essential’ component to business operations. CEOs and Boards, who may not include younger and more dynamic voices, see it as simply a matter of “posting on social media a few times a week” as opposed to a strategic and technical role that can create big impact.”
– Comms manager working full-time remotely at a medium-sized charity

One of the key takeaways from our report is overwhelmingly the importance of investing in people and how essential it is for charities to keep taking action to support their staff, to keep reviewing and updating these processes and to view wellbeing and support for mental health as more than just a tick-box exercise. Internal communications is essential to achieve this and needs to be embedded at all levels.

Clear, consistent and honest comms go a long way towards building trust both internally and externally, mitigating concerns and ensuring an ongoing collaborative and supportive culture of working. There have been lots of great developments over the past year that charities can continue to build on to ensure their people can thrive and grow in their roles, feel valued and know that their work really is helping to make a difference.