Salary and Organisational Culture Survey 2023
Author: Sarah Clarke
Head of membership and insight, CharityComms
Sarah is the Head of membership and insight at CharityComms. She’s dedicated to growing and improving the membership experience for our fantastic network of charity communicators.
Contents
Introduction and Executive Summary
1. Practicalities: salaries and roles
2. Organisational structure and ways of working
3. Workplace culture and wellbeing
4. The value of comms
5. Location, accessibility and the gender pay gap
6. Personal development
7. Priorities, careers and the future
8. Key takeaways and conclusions
9. Methodology and additional data tables
Introduction and Executive Summary
Our Salary and Organisational Culture Survey offers an insight into how salaries are changing, year on year, for marcomms professionals in the charity sector. This report helps to benchmark general practices and trends in workplace culture, but specifically explores how people working in marcomms are perceived (both internally within their organisations and externally within the sector).
This year we were delighted to partner with Agenda Consulting, who supported us with survey fieldwork undertaken between 20 November 2023 and 15 January 2024, and the data analysis used to create this report.
346 people responded to the survey from charities of all sizes and causes throughout the UK, and across a full range of comms roles and levels. 71% of respondents said they were members of CharityComms.
More information about the respondents can be found throughout the report as well as in the methodology section.
Welcome from CharityComms
Adeela Warley
CEO, CharityComms
A huge thank you to everyone who completed the survey and shared such valuable and honest insights into their working lives.
These powerful personal stories help bring to life the trends and the challenges the profession is facing. From “reverse career movers”, whose increased line management load is so stressful they have moved back into more junior roles, to the self-confessed “over-workers” who admit it’s all too easy to do just one more thing, especially when the lines can blur between home life and remote working.
Some factors are beyond our control, like the economic squeeze; others are within our gift to change. We can’t rely soley on the commitment and professional pride communicators bring to their work without creating the structures and cultures which value their skills, set positive working norms and reward staff for upholding them.
I hope the report will act as a spur to action. For charities to succeed, we must create the conditions for communicators to thrive.
Welcome from Agenda Consulting
James Gurd
Senior Research Consultant, Agenda Consulting
James works with UK and international not-for-profits to help them understand the views and opinions of their people, and translate data into insight.
It’s easy to see survey data as numbers, and forget that those numbers are real people, contributing their experiences to help us better understand the context we’re all working in.
I hope that as you read this report, you can see yourself in the data. In our employee engagement survey work with not-for-profit organisations, we’ve seen these key themes come through time and again: reward and recognition are a challenge for the third sector. Pay and work-life balance are in tension. Some individuals and organisations are tackling these obstacles effectively, and others need more support.
The value of good comms in shaping culture can’t be overstated, and there’s evidence here that more organisations are recognising that. Embedding, embracing and connecting marcomms professionals – with each other and with their context – can set a strong foundation for positive change in the third sector. Organisations will need to invest in their staff, to harness their expertise and support this change.
Thank you to everyone to who gave their time to participate in the survey – we hope you find the results to be a valuable source of insights.
Executive summary
While the overall average salary has shown another year-on-year increase, it does not necessarily make up for inflation and the impact of the cost of living crisis, and seems to have had little effect on how charity communicators feel about rates of pay within the sector.
Their feelings tally with reports from the wider world of marcomms – according to Marketing Week‘s 2024 Career & Salary Survey, 40.1% of marketers are being asked to take on more responsibility without seeing a sufficient increase in remuneration.
“Something’s still wrong, above and beyond the usual challenges of office life. Everyone’s tired. What started with the Great Resignation has become the Great Exhaustion.”
– An Exhausting Year in and Out of the Office, by Cal Newport, writing in the New Yorker, 27 December 2023
Dissatisfaction with pay is happening during an increasingly difficult financial climate (both for individuals and their organisations), which is exacerbated by rising support requests from the communities that charities are supporting. A recent survey from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) found that 12% of charities have had to reduce staff or make redundancies despite an “overwhelming” demand for their services.
Funding issues are also undoubtedly a major factor in attracting and retaining staff. 52% of people who took part in a global survey of non profit organisations said attracting skilled staff was a major problem, while 72% of respondents said their salaries were not competitive when compared with the private sector.
“Most comms professionals work for a VCSE organisation because they are passionate about their work. They want to make a difference but, combined with the cost of living, it’s becoming increasingly hard to afford to work for a charity, especially when the workload is usually so much more than in other sectors and isn’t resourced properly.”
– Comms Manager at a medium-sized charity in the North East
Positively, looking at the data on how happy people feel in their role, it suggests people are finding more balanced ways of working. Fewer people reported needing to work extra hours than last year (those working three or more additional hours per week dropped from 37% to 29%). There was also an increase in those saying their job has a positive impact on their mental health.
There was a slight drop in the number of people saying they feel comms is more valued in their organisations, although there was an increase in those saying that cross-team communication is effective within their organisation.
New survey questions this year about strategic thinking around comms and digital, and how charities are using Artificial Intelligence (AI), provide insights into how ways of working have changed over the past year for comms and marketing professionals.
Our report is broken down into sections focusing on salaries, ways of working, culture and wellbeing, representation and inclusion, personal development, and recruitment and careers. Each section leads with the headlines from the data and we’ve included key takeaways, case studies, further reading and resources throughout.
Key statistics
- The average salary has increased from £39,390 last year to £42,764.
- 17% said they received a cost of living salary increase (up from 8% last year).
- The average salary for women working in the sector has increased from £38,881 to £42,652. The average salary for men has changed little at £43,825.
- 27% say they are currently working from home full time.
- Those receiving TOIL (time off in lieu) for extra hours worked has dropped from 52% to 34%.
- The number of people who believe that comms is more valued within their organisation has dropped slightly from 42% to 40%.
- 53% say their organisation has a specific communications strategy (dropping to 38% who have a crisis comms plan).
- 58% feel that comms is embedded effectively within their organisation.
- 27% of people said they do not currently use AI and have no plans to, while 24% don’t currently use AI but plan to use it in the future.
- The most common use of AI is for comms or marketing copywriting (25%), followed by event transcription (12%) and design (10%).
- 68% say they are generally happy in their role (compared to 67% last year).
- 77% of people say their job allows them to have a good work-life balance (an increase from 72% last year).
- 44% say that their work has a positive impact on their mental health (up from 38%).
- 41% of people are planning a career move in the next year.
- 82% of people would change roles for a higher salary.
- 46% of people say support for professional development is one of the benefits they value the most.
Section 1
Practicalities: salaries and roles
A Page Pulse survey from recruiter Michael Page showed that 50% of those working in marketing in the UK are looking for a higher salary in 2024.
For those working in marcomms in the charity sector, the average salary has increased to above £40,000 for the first time, rising from £39,390 last year to £42,764.
Out of our respondents, the majority were in Manager/Lead roles (30%) followed by Head of Department (20%) and Executive/Officer (17%).
It should be noted that this year we had more people from large organisations take part in the survey, with 44% at organisations with more than 101 employees (compared to 40% last year). 9% of respondents were from charities with 10 or fewer employees.
Looking at the average salary by job level, compared to previous years, there has been a rise across all levels – the largest being at Director level (after several years of decline, rising from £60,063 last year to £66,370), followed by Head of Department (from £48,317 last year to £53,519).
As a comparison, the Membership Bespoke Salary Guide 2024 found that the average salaries for those working in Marketing/Digital roles within a trade association with 0-25 staff breaks down as: Assistant (£26,000), Executive (£34,000), Manager (£42,000), Head of Department (£55,000), Director (£80,000). For those working in Communications/PR roles at a trade association with more than 25 staff, that shifts to: Executive (£31,000), Manager (£50,000), Head of Department (£61,000), Director (£75,000).
For further comparison, across the range of 695 jobs posted on the CharityComms jobs board throughout 2023, the average salary worked out at £35,254.
The survey data shows the average marcomms salary varies by location and charity size, with those working at extra-large, London-based charities (1,000+ people) earning £45,880 on average, while those at small charities (1-10 people) in the North East are more likely to earn £27,500.
Why salaries may have changed
As seen in previous years, an annual salary increase was the main reason for a change in earnings. This year a cost of living boost in salaries saw a significant rise, to 17% (from 8% last year).
Promotions as a reason for a salary increase dropped from 14% to 11%, while change of job accounted for 16% (up from 11% last year).
“Salary increases have been below inflation for many years. This year we had our first pay increase in five years.”
– PR Manager at a large charity in London
Another potential reason for the rise across all categories may be related to a slowdown in inflation, resulting in a real-term pay growth across UK industries. Labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) from September 2023 showed that “annual growth in regular pay reached 7.8% in May to July 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.”
Benchmarking was also mentioned by many respondents as a reason for an uplift in salary with organisations working to benchmark against similar roles and adjust salary bands accordingly.
Membership Bespoke’s Salary Guide 2024 predicts that in 2024, salary benchmarking “will become a crucial strategic aspect to effectively manage budgets and establish organisations as an ‘employer of choice’ for a wider, diverse range of professionals.”
The management effect
There was little change in the number of people surveyed who say they manage people or teams as part of their job, from 57% last year to 56%.
The most dramatic change in who tends to manage people or teams as part of their job role was in those working as Head of Department, which saw an increase from 24% last year to 33% of people at that level. Almost half of those with a job title of Manager/Lead said they do not manage people or teams as part of their role, dropping to 27% of all survey respondents (down from 34% last year).
“Pay seems to have completely flatlined across the charity sector. I want to move on and all I see is jobs with more responsibilities with a £10k+ drop in salary. Jobs in London with salaries that haven’t increased in nine years and mean you’d barely be making rent in a six-bed houseshare, nowhere commutable.”
– Digital/Social Media Officer at a medium-sized, London-based charity
Key takeaways
- The average salary has increased from £39,390 last year to £42,764.
- Salaries rose across all job levels, with the largest increase at Director level (from £60,063 to £66,370).
- Those working at extra-large, London-based charities (1,000+ people) earn £45,880 on average, while those at a small charities (1-10 people) in the North East earn £27,500.
- 17% of professionals said they received a cost of living salary increase (up from 8% last year).
Resources
Sector reports and insights
- Non-Profit Salary, Rewards & Retention Survey 2023 – key findings and trends from recruiters TPP in relation to salaries, along with insights into motivational factors and employee retention strategies.
- Fundraising Salary Report 2023 – compiled by CharityJob for the Chartered Institute of Fundraising to provide insight into trends and average salaries for fundraising roles.
- CharityJob Salary Report 2023 – uses data from over 60,000 paid jobs posted on the CharityJob website last year, to provide insight into average charity salaries.
- Michael Page Salary Guide 2024 – analysing roles across 13 sectors throughout the UK.
- Digital Gravity Market & Salary Review 2023 – insights from those working in the digital and tech industry.
- Third Sector’s Charity pay study 2023 – highlighting the largest pay packages received by people in the UK voluntary sector.
- ACEVO’s Pay and Equalities Survey 2023 – a breakdown of the sector’s CEO salaries, as well as the level of equality and diversity in our sector’s leadership.
- Aquent 2024 salary guide – salary benchmarks for 100+ roles in marketing, creative, and design
- Membership Bespoke Salary Guide 2023 – recruitment trends from the membership sector.
- 2023 Social Media Career Report from Hootsuite.
- The State of Social 2023 – Meltwater asked 750 professionals working in social media, marketing, and PR and communications about social media marketing.
- Employee financial wellbeing – guidance from the CIPD for HR practitioners and employers to support their employees’ financial wellbeing.
Section 2
Organisation structure and ways of working
Remote working continues to have an impact on ways of working as well as recruitment practices. 29% of respondents said options for remote working would entice them to take up a new role, while 27% cited flexible working as a factor in choosing a new role.
Those saying they are working from home full time decreased slightly from 30% to 27%. 41% of respondents say they ideally would like to work from home one to three days per week (up slightly from 39% last year), with the number of people preferring to work from home three to four days a week dropping from 36% to 31%.
In April 2023, research from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising shows a 900% increase in hybrid positions in the voluntary sector since 2019. Flexible working offers a host of new opportunities – like job sharing, which can offer benefits to both the individuals and the charity involved, and being an “investible pathway towards economic transformation”.
“If organisations genuinely want to recruit, retain and promote diverse talent, job-sharing opportunities at every level of the organisation must be part of that solution and should be promoted to all, not just women.”
– Shanthi Gunesekera and Janaki Mahadevan, Co-Chief Executives of the pregnancy charity Birthrights, quoted in a Third Sector article.
Going above and beyond
Positively, we see a decrease in the number of extra hours that people feel they need to work, with those working no extra hours at all rising from 15% to 23%. For those working for three or more extra hours per week, a drop was seen from 37% to 29% of respondents. The number of those working six or more hours extra per week also dropped from 11% to 8%.
The only rise in this section was in the number saying they work up to one hour extra each week, from 24% to 28%. This is also reflected in the survey comments, with the indication that this extra time is to wrap up after meetings and send final emails.
“Finishing up what I’m working on each day probably takes me past working hours by about 15-20 mins each day.”
– PR Manager at a medium-sized, London-based charity
“Full inboxes and endless meetings are not intrinsic parts of office work in a digital world; they’re instead a response to an unexpected crisis that subsequently spiralled out of control.”
– An Exhausting Year in and Out of the Office, by Cal Newport, writing in the New Yorker, 27 December 2023
Digging deeper into why people need to work more hours, stretched resources continues to be the main reason (although that figure is down to 54% from 62% last year).
Increasing numbers of people said they find themselves logging on more because they are working from home (up from 35% to 38%). Project work, the ebb and flow of events, being reactive, and out-of-hours social media responses were also mentioned as factors.
“Pressure to be online and available, culture of overwork leading to guilt if not working overtime.”
– Comms Manager at a large, London-based charity
The issue around taking TOIL (time off in lieu) or other compensation for extra hours worked is showing quite significant changes from last year. Those saying they receive TOIL for additional hours worked has dropped from 52% last year to 34%, while those saying they receive no compensation for extra hours has increased from 40% to 59%.
Looking at the comments around this, two aspects jump out: agile or flexible working where there’s no official, organisational policy for taking TOIL; and people working more hours without letting anyone else know.
Working extra hours for no recompense should not be the norm, and these figures point to the need to formalise policies and processes around taking TOIL, or, at the very least, ensuring people can get support. Just 16% of people say they have effective tools at work to help manage their workload, with several mentioning difficulty in managing their time as a reason for working additional hours.
“Lack of strategic planning means things need to get done last minute, also I am personally bad at logging off in a timely fashion.”
– Senior Campaigns Manager at a large, London-based charity
Cross-team communication
Those saying that cross-team communication is effective within their organisation has increased from 50% to 56%, with those saying it’s ineffective dropping from 27% to 11%.
Building connections with colleagues
Susannah Randall
Communications consultant and coach, RandallFox
Insights into how the positivity and passion of colleagues is key in fuelling our energy and motivation.
Why we all need friends at work
In The Lost Art of Connecting Susan McPherson outlines the barriers that many of us now face in connecting meaningfully with people during our working day. This matters, she argues, because our ability to thrive at work depends on the quality and depth of our relationships.
In previous Salary and Organisational Culture reports from CharityComms, people have cited the positivity and passion of colleagues as key in fuelling their energy and motivation. This can be harder to come by when working under pressure or as part of virtual teams.
I know from over ten years spent working from home that this issue requires consistent attention and focus. On the days that I’m flagging, I’ve learned to make time to connect with the people who energise me. Research shows that the people who are the happiest in their careers are the people with real friends at work. But we’re all at risk of forgetting this when we’re busy.
Here are three practical steps you can take to build connections with colleagues:
- Invest in the relationships that energise you: Identify the people and interactions that help you thrive at work and that might bring you closer to your goals. Make time in your calendar for the people who share your values or objectives, as well as those with new perspectives that you can learn from.
- Model and create opportunities for open conversation: Our relationships at work depend on us building trust with others through open communication. Team leaders can model the behaviours that help foster close working relationships. They can also intentionally create the space for their team to get to know each other better, as well as promote the importance of honest and collaborative conversation.
- Make face-to-face and social time count: There’s no substitute for spending time together in person. But whether you’re in the same room or online, create some space for social interaction and humour, rather than just focusing on the deliverables. It’s been shown that we think more creatively when we laugh, and we’re 30 times more likely to laugh in a group than alone.
In our (undoubtedly biased) view at RandallFox, nothing beats the personal connections and rapport that can be built within a communications team. We see on a weekly basis the value of teams taking time to connect. And we admire those charity teams that are deeply serious about their work and goals, but who don’t take themselves too seriously in pursuing them. So, if you feel the need to recharge in 2024, remember to keep your team members close and find ways to have fun together.
Susannah Randall, Communications consultant and coach, RandallFox
How communicators are using AI
While 27% of people said they do not currently use AI and have no plans to, 24% said they aren’t quite there yet, but plan to use AI in the future. Of those who told us they do use AI, the most cited use was for comms or marketing copywriting (25%), followed by event transcription (12%) and design (10%).
According to the WordPress VIP Content Matters Martech Trends Report 2023, creative assistance tops the use cases for AI, with 41% using it for design and illustration, 39% for creating social media assets and 38% for writing copy.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, just 4% said they have an AI policy or guidelines in place to support staff, with 14% saying they are working on one.
Investigating the reasons behind why individuals or organisations might be reluctant to use AI in their work, the main concern cited was the risk of misinformation at 69%. Other factors included unintended bias (51%), concerns about copyright infringement (48%) and potential data breaches (45%). Ethical concerns were also at play, with structural inequality mentioned by 27%, followed by the environmental impact at 18%.
“As we grow and innovate with AI at our side, trying to find the right balance between cutting-edge technology and human creativity, ethical AI adoption is not a choice but an imperative for us.”
– Nitin Mantri, Ethics at the Heart of PR’s AI Adoption: A duty, not a choice
In the comments, lack of knowledge, skills and resources were overwhelmingly listed as other reasons behind a reluctance to move forward with using AI.
“Not having the time to fully understand or make the most of it.”
– Head of Department at a medium-sized, London-based charity
Key takeaways
- 27% say they are working from home full time. 29% say options for remote working would entice them to take up a new role.
- There is an overall decrease in the number of extra hours people feel that need to work (those working for three or more extra hours per week dropped to 29%).
- Stretched resources continues to be the main reason for working extra, cited by 54% of people.
- Being compensated for extra hours has seen the biggest shift, with just 34% saying they receive TOIL for additional hours worked.
- 56% say that cross-team communication is effective within their organisation.
- 27% of people said they do not currently use AI and have no plans to, while 24% don’t currently but have plans to start using AI.
- The most common use of AI is for comms or marketing copywriting (25%), followed by event transcription (12%) and design (10%).
Further reading on ways of working
Some more information from the third sector and beyond about ways of working, organisational structures and how people are using AI.
AI in the workplace
A report from Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) asked 6,000 people from 10 countries (including the UK) about their views on charities using AI. The results were mixed, with the largest figure (34%) saying that the opportunities and risks were equal.
A new report, Artificial intelligence and fundraising ethics: a research agenda, suggests that while AI can be used to help fundraisers understand ethical issues and support them through the process of making decisions, it’s “unlikely” that AI would be able to solve ethical dilemmas on its own.
Remote working
Remote working is here to stay, even if people are still working out the optimum ratio of office vs remote. According to the McKinsey Global Institute report, “as of October 2022, office workers were visiting the office about 3.5 days per week. That number varied among cities, from 3.1 days in London to 3.9 in Beijing.”
Resources
Sector reports and insights
- Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2023 – research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) explores employer and employee perspectives of flexible and hybrid working practices.
- The State of Organisations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organisations – research that pinpoints the most important shifts within organisations and provides some ideas and suggestions about how to approach them.
Flexible working
- Adapting to hybrid and other new ways of working – a report from Agenda Consulting and the Charities HR Network Group looking at working and recruitment trends.
- Is your workplace ready for flexible work? – a survey from McKinsey Global Institute asking companies how far along they are in developing effective and sustainable hybrid work strategies.
- Empty spaces and hybrid places: The pandemic’s lasting impact on real estate – research from the McKinsey Global Institute looking at how real estate in cities continues to be affected in a post-pandemic world.
Ways of working and productivity
HR and people
- From quiet quitting to grumpy stayers – article in People Management about how HR can identify and turn around disengaged workers.
- “Resenteeism”: what is it – and how can HR avoid it? – article in People Management about the trend of “resenteeism” in the workplace.
- The Great Gloom: in 2023, employees are unhappier than ever. Why? – BambooHR’s employee happiness index benchmarks employee satisfaction across eight industries.
- Are middle managers your next ace in the hole? – an episode of The McKinsey Podcast (with transcript) on a new model for middle management.
- 5 ways to succeed as a new manager at a charity – tips from CharityJob on making the most of a new manager role.
- Managing toxicity in the workplace resource hub – a free hub from WorkNest, with a range of relevant resources produced by their legal and HR experts to help businesses.
Productivity
- 25 incredible meeting statistics: Virtual, Zoom & Productivity – interesting statistics around virtual meetings and tips on how to make the most of your time together from Quixy.
- How a timer (not your phone’s) can help you work much more efficiently – Wall Street Journal article on productivity and time management.
- The Social Media Manager’s daily, weekly, monthly checklist – how the Social Media Manager for Buffer manages their work priorities.
- 3 questions to get unstuck and start making progress – three simple questions that help you start addressing something, instead of avoiding it – from the deprocrastination website.
- Trouble achieving goals? Why your brain needs reminders – article in the Washington Post about how understanding the benefits — and potential pitfalls — of using cognitive offloading in our daily lives can improve our ability to remember and follow through with our intentions.
- The people going ‘monk mode’ to limit social media use – BBC article on the trend of switching off phones and limiting distractions.
- How to start leaving work on time – practical tips on how to step away from your laptop in the Working on Purpose newsletter.
Guides and best practice
- CIPD Manifesto for Good Work – laying out recommendations for policy-makers in priority areas like skills development, digital adoption and business support to help how employers recruit, train and retain the talent they need.
- Best practice guide to pro-bono working – a guide from the Healthcare Communications Association to support pro-bono partnerships.
- The IoIC Guidance on Ethical Practice – a guide from the Institute of Internal Communications on ethical communications.
AI ethics, thinking and resources
AI strategy and thinking
- The organization of the future: Enabled by gen AI, driven by people – a McKinsey Global Institute article on strategies and structures to help you keep up with trends in AI.
- In digital and AI transformations, start with the problem, not the technology – Inside the Strategy Room podcast (with transcript) on making the most of AI.
- Microsoft New Future of Work Report 2023 – a summary of research from Microsoft, and other work around the world, that can help us create a new and better future of work with AI.
AI tools and resources
- The CharityComms AI hub – filled with updates and links to help charity communications teams, including a resource that will help you develop your tailored comms approach.
- AI-powered internal communications: strategies for success – downloadable brief from Poppulo.
- 9 powerful ChatGPT prompts for marketing – tips from Meltwater on getting the most out of ChatGPT.
- Free AI tools to improve your marketing communications – insights and tips from Simplfy AI Marketing.
Ethics and AI
- Ethics at the Heart of PR’s AI Adoption – article from Nitin Mantri, Group CEO AvianWE, on why ethics in AI is a duty, not a choice.
- Trends in Ethical Marketing – a Salesforce report on current trends in ethical marketing backed by research as it relates to AI, data, privacy and more.
Section 3
Workplace culture and wellbeing
Job satisfaction seems to be levelling out. The number of professionals saying they are generally happy in their role is very similar to last year at 68% (compared to 67% in 2022), and those saying they’re generally unhappy dropping slightly from 18% to 15%.
“I am very new to the charity sector, as well as my current organisation, and I could not be more impressed by the inclusivity, flexibility and job satisfaction.”
– Digital/Social Media Manager at an extra-large, London-based charity
Work-life balance
Looking at work-life balance, our results paint an increasingly positive picture. The survey data shows an increase in respondents saying their job allows them to have a good work-life balance, from 72% last year to 77%. In a similar vein, those saying their role does not allow them to have a good work-life balance has dropped, from 17% to 13%.
The impact working life has on the mental health of marcomms professionals has also seen a positive move, with 44% saying that their work has a positive influence (up from 38% in 2022). Those saying their role has a negative impact on their mental health has also decreased from 29% to 25%.
As a comparison, the The Principle Partnership (TPP) Non-Profit Salary, Rewards & Retention Survey 2023 found that 31% of people working in the third sector felt their job keeps their mental health and wellbeing balanced.
This year, we included additional questions to assess the possible reasons behind why people might feel positively or negatively about their work-life balance.
59% said they can decide when to take a break, with 49% saying their workload is manageable, and 46% saying they feel able to ask for help in managing their workload.
“The leap in responsibility and line management in a ‘Head of’ role does not match the small increase in salary I gained when moving from a senior manager to head role. I’ve experienced extreme stress and burnout. So much so, that I’m considering leaving the sector or dropping back down to a manager level in my next role to regain some work-life balance.”
– Head of Communications at a medium-sized, London-based charity
Wellbeing and support structures
Overall, the number of people who feel able to talk about their wellbeing at work (either formally or informally) continues to rise, increasing slightly to 86% from 85% last year (and 82% the year before, in our Salary and Organisational Culture Survey 2021).
Deeper analysis indicates the increase is a result of more people feeling able to talk about wellbeing informally (up from 36% to 44%) rather than because their organisation encourages them to discuss it openly (down from 49% to 42%).
This point seems to be reflected in other external research on how companies are managing stress within their workforce and what steps they are taking to support their staff. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) Health and wellbeing at work report 2023 found that 78% of organisations are taking steps to identify and reduce stress, with 91% of wellbeing activity focused on mental health.
However, just 43% of organisations were training line managers to support people with their mental health, showing that there is still lots to be done to create a more robust, official programme of support.
Providing training and tools for those who manage other people is a key factor in how we feel about our workplace culture. Almost one-third of UK workers say they’ve quit a job because of a negative workplace culture, according to a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) survey. The CMI found that as many as 82% of new managers are “accidental managers”, meaning that they have started a management role with no formal training in management or leadership.
Investing in leadership development
Jamila Daley-Jeffers
Fundraising and Income Development Consultant, Tabitha's People
Tips on what those transitioning to manager level can do to ensure happy and successful teams.
Coaching leaders moving to management roles
Coaching leaders who are transitioning to management roles can provide them with the skills to delegate, give feedback, and identify signs of overwhelm – allowing them to be the leader of a happy and successful team.
Delegation
The scenario is often managers have a team that’s growing fast. Suddenly they’re juggling more tasks and learning how to pass on the baton to teammates, knowing when and why to hand off tasks without feeling like they’re dumping onto others.
Feedback and the Critical Friend
The role of the critical friend is like being the cheerleader and the coach at the same time. Leaders need to give out feedback, sprinkling praise and constructive criticism to keep the team functioning and delivering.
Overwhelm
Spotting overwhelm in themselves and their team is akin to a superpower, turning those “I can’t do this” moments into “we’ve got this” victories.
Despite changes in technology, work culture and where we work, investing in leadership development often gets pushed to the back burner or neglected. The level of this oversight impacts whether leaders have the right support they need to thrive in their roles, the success of the organisation as a whole and staff retention rates, which are higher when leaders know how to effectively lead.
Jamila Daley-Jeffers, Fundraising and Income Development Consultant, Tabitha’s People
Key takeaways
- 68% say they are generally happy in their role (compared to 67% last year).
- 77% of people say their job allows them to have a good work-life balance (an increase from 72% last year).
- 44% say that their work has a positive impact on their mental health (up from 38%).
- The number of people who feel able to talk about their wellbeing at work (either formally or informally) has increased slightly from 85% to 86%.
- 59% of people said they can decide when to take a break, with 49% saying their workload is manageable.
Further reading about wellbeing and mental health
Some more information from the third sector and beyond around wellbeing and mental health.
Talking about mental health and wellbeing
According to Development Dimensions Inc (DDI)’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Report 2023, 70% of leaders under age 35 report feeling burnt out at the end of every day, with rates even higher among women in every age group.
A recent global survey from the McKinsey Health Institute found that, on average, three in five employees report experiencing at least one mental health challenge during their careers. While brain health conditions can manifest at any point during our lifetime, nearly 90% tend to peak during our 20’s, which should make this age group of particular concern for employers.
Despite being widely reported, researched and commented on, it’s suggested that particularly for Gen Z (those born between 1996 and 2010), how they feel about their mental health continues to affect their perceptions and relationships with the world of work.
This trend continues across the generational divide, with 57% of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) feeling uncomfortable discussing mental health in the workplace, according to a study carried out by the jobs and recruitment site Reed. The main reasons are worrying that they would feel too vulnerable talking about any mental health issues they are experiencing and would be judged negatively.
The impact of ill health
The average rate of employee absence due to ill health has risen to 7.8 working days annually in the UK, according to the Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR)’s Health and Wellbeing at Work 2023 report – a considerably higher figure than the 5.8 days seen before the pandemic in 2019.
In the same report, almost two-thirds of respondents (63%) cited mental ill health as the reason for their long-term sick leave (defined as when an employee is off work for more than four weeks).
The importance of making resources easy to access and use is highlighted by a poll with a cross section of workers from across the UK, which showed 55% of respondents “have no access to mental health support at work, or don’t know if their business has policies to support workers with mental illness.”
Resources
Wellbeing and mental health
- CharityComms wellbeing guide – includes case studies from charities, as well as tips and techniques on building resilience and supporting the mental wellbeing of ourselves and colleagues.
- Wellbeing and fundraising – a guide from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising.
- Mental health at work – offers resources and information to help support mental health in the workplace.
- Mental Health First Aid England – offers expert guidance and training to support mental health, plus free resources including the Take 10 Together toolkit.
Tips for better organisational culture
- Health and wellbeing at work – explore the findings and recommendations from the CIPD’s investigating the links between health, well-being and absence in UK workplaces.
- Time for Kindness workshops – helping to increase the sense of positivity your colleagues feel to improve their well-being, as well as enhancing overall culture, collaboration and decision-making.
- 5 Steps to Fixing Company Culture in a Hybrid World – insights from Poppulo on making hybrid work and creating a better experience for employees.
- How to deal with creative burnout – article from the Arts Marketing Association (AMA) on recognising burnout and how to take steps to overcome the effects.
Tips for individuals
- Wellbeing in charity communications – CharityComms article with tips and resources on supporting ourselves and each other to improve mental health and resilience at work.
- Overcoming burnout: a psychologist’s guide – burnout symptoms, why work can leave you feeling exhausted, and the best ways to recover.
- A quiz from the British Red Cross, designed to help you recognise the signs and symptoms of stress, and if they are affecting you.
Section 4
The value of comms
The number of people who believe that comms is more valued in their organisation has dropped a little from 42% to 40%, with 44% feeling it’s stayed the same (up from 40% last year).
“I actually love the work I do as a Communications Officer in the sector, I just wish that the importance and value of the role was better understood by others in my organisation.”
– Campaigns Officer at a medium-sized charity in the North West
Unsurprisingly, pay continues to be an important indicator of how valued communicators feel.
“There feels to be a growing level of disrespect in charities for the work of marcomms. There is also an increasing workload and lack of resource or proper compensation.”
– Senior Digital Officer working remotely at a medium-sized charity
Strategic thinking around comms
Looking at strategic thinking, 53% told us that their current organisation has a specific comms strategy, with 28% saying they were planning one.
When it comes to whether there is a crisis comms strategy or plan in place, this drops further to 38% (with 17% saying they are working on one).
Understanding of comms at senior levels
52% said they thought there was a good understanding of comms from their board or at senior management level, with 32% saying no and 15% saying they did not know.
58% told us that, overall, comms is effectively embedded in their organisation, but 12% said it’s embedded ineffectively.
The value of digital
The downward trend in those saying their organisation has a specific digital strategy continues, dropping from 34% last year to 28% this year. The number saying an outright no has increased from 28% to 37%, while the number saying they do not know has also increased, from 9% to 12%.
Despite these declining figures around digital strategies, the number of people saying that digital is embedded effectively within their organisation has increased slightly from 46% to 49%, with those saying it’s ineffective dropping from 20% to 17%.
A move in the right direction for the sector in terms of digital adoption. However, it may also be a possible indicator that while day-to-day working practices may make it feel like digital is being used effectively across the organisation, formal ways of documenting the direction and progress are still needed to take everyone on the journey and make the process as transparent and clear as possible.
Those saying that they believe there is a good understanding of digital from their board or at senior management level has dropped slightly from 36% to 32%, while those saying they don’t know is also increasing year-on-year, up from 20% last year to 23%. Another indicator that internal comms around top-level strategy and policies is key in providing reassurance and confidence across the organisation of their stance on digital.
“We are overworked, but undervalued and underpaid. Senior management expect results but have little understanding of the need for digital communications and do not want to invest in staff.”
– Comms Officer at a large, London-based charity
Uncertainty around AI and other digital innovation is just one, albeit big, barrier to moving forward. Lack of understanding from the top, coupled with little or no strategic thinking does little to move from “business as usual” to real digital transformation.
Organisational inertia can be a major obstacle to digital transformation – inertia that sets in when “organisations focus on incremental changes to successful existing business practices and resist exploring new ways to add value through the adoption of new digital technologies.”
Creating successful digital partnerships
Michelle Noel
Strategy Director, Studio Noel
How shared values, mutual belief in the cause, and a sincere desire to create a real impact can all help to create the most successful agency-charity relationships.
Top five tips for a long-term partnership with your agency
Here, we run through our top five tips to cultivate a robust and long-term partnership with your agency, ensuring successful outcomes for your digital projects.
Look for an agency that aligns with your values
Working with like-minded individuals strengthens relationships, using your values as a guiding principle for who to work with. Finding a partner that is truly invested in your success and sees the relationship as more than transactional is key – ideally they need to act as an extension of your team and not be afraid to challenge you and push the work creatively and technically.
Kickstart projects the right way
The best way to kick-start a project is to have an immersion session. The depth depends on the project, for instance, website projects and digital fundraising campaigns often require more comprehensive conversations based on not just project aspirations but also technical requirements.
Don’t forget to appoint a steering committee and project lead. Having a project lead both sides will ensure smooth running of the day-to-day management of the project – like providing resources, data and logins, collating and agreeing all feedback with the steering committee. It means that all communication is quick and easy and prevents project blockers.
The steering committee ideally should be made up of people varying in seniority from across the business. They are responsible for the outcome of the project, ensuring it meets the objectives set out in the brief; they attend presentations, and provide feedback and insight.
Getting alignment on the brief before you set out on a project is incredibly important. You can set yourself up for success by writing up the brief, covering the project background, your target audience, objectives, key deliverables, accessibility needs, KPIs, success metrics and project schedule. This brief acts as a point of reference to measure the project against throughout the process.
Map out stakeholder engagement and put in place a change management plan
At the project’s kick-off, creating a stakeholder engagement map is crucial, especially in complex digital projects involving multiple groups. For digital initiatives like a website refresh, a winning strategy involves implementing a change management plan. By clearly communicating upcoming changes, highlighting the benefits for internal teams and stakeholders and maintaining ongoing engagement. Collaborating and consulting stakeholders allows you to tap into their insights, taking them on the journey with you. And don’t forget the grand finale – an internal launch!
Have a regular communication touchpoint and provide feedback on the level of service
Establishing weekly or bi-weekly meetings with project leads is a great way to foster open communication and tackle challenges head-on. It provides a consistent platform to track progress, ensure everything is on course and clarify any roadblocks. While creating the Equine Fitters Council’s branding and website, we prioritised regular check-ins on their overall satisfaction with our services. This proactive approach allowed us to enhance the quality of delivery to meet their individual needs, preventing any surprises or dissatisfaction at the end of the project.
Wrap it all up!
Once the project is launched, gather for a debrief meeting to celebrate the wins, discuss the challenges and pinpoint areas for future improvements. It’s not the end, this is the starting point for the working relationship.
————–
In essence, we’ve always found that the most successful agency-charity relationships are built on shared values, alignment, and open and honest communication.
Michelle Noel, Strategy Director, Studio Noel
Key takeaways
- The number of people who believe that comms is more valued in their organisation has dropped slightly from 42% to 40%.
- 53% of respondents told us their current organisation has a specific comms strategy, while only 38% say they have a crisis comms strategy or plan in place.
- 58% of communicators feel comms is effectively embedded in their organisation. 49% think digital is embedded effectively.
- Stretched resources, increasing workloads and levels of responsibility are not being offset by salary increases, leading to communicators feeling they are undervalued by their organisation.
Further reading on comms and digital
Some more information from the third sector and beyond about comms and digital.
Digital accessibility
The McKinsey Global Digital Sentiment Survey 2022 found that consumers are interacting digitally with twice as many industries as they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accessibility is also a key aspect of digital developments – it’s estimated that consumer companies with inaccessible websites and digital strategies lose $6.9 billion annually as frustrated consumers take their business to competitors.
“As teams build new digital products and services, ensuring that those with lived experiences are equal collaborators in the process – serving as designers, developers, and advisers – can help organisations deliver a top-notch customer experience.”
“Web accessibility is one way of giving people more independence, choice and control.”
Resources
Digital strategy and thinking
- Data Maturity Assessment tool – an online tool from Data Orchard which enables organisations to measure where they are on the five-stage journey to data maturity.
- A framework to prioritise your nonprofit’s digital activities – how the Impact Effort Matrix can help nonprofits make smart decisions about where to direct time and resources for maximum impact.
- The art of data: empowering art institutions with data and analytics – how arts organisations can use data to articulate value and drive innovation.
- How to overcome obstacles to digital business transformation – recognising three primary sources of organisational inertia and how to overcome them to generate or regain digital transformation momentum.
Reports and benchmarking
- CharityComms 2022 Communications Benchmark – insights to help the sector understand the impacts, challenges and opportunities comms professionals really face.
- The Charity Digital Skills Report – the annual barometer of charities’ digital skills, attitudes and behaviours.
Section 5
Location, accessibility and the gender pay gap
Continuing the trend from the past several years, the number of respondents who live in London dropped from 42% last year to 35% in 2023 (and 48% in 2021). The areas showing the biggest increase in numbers were the South East (jumping from 14% to 21%) and the Midlands (from 8% to 10%).
The gender pay gap
82% of people described their gender identity as female, with 16% saying male, 0.6% identifying as non-binary, and 1.16% preferred not to say.
Looking at salary levels more closely and comparing average salary with job level and gender, the average salary for women working in the sector has increased from £38,881 to £42,652. We see little change in the average salary for men in the sector, although it remains higher overall than that for women, at £43,825. Typically, across the wider marketing industry, there is overall gender pay gap of 23%.
Delving deeper into how gender intersects with job level to affect average salary, women are on average earning more than men in the sector in two levels – Director (£59,292 for men and £65,978 for women) and Senior Manager (£42,292 for men and £46,656 for women). At all other levels (Head of Department, Manager/Lead, Senior Executive/Senior Officer and Executive/Officer) men earn on average a higher salary than women in the sector.
How lived experience of discrimination inspired a career dedicated to changing perceptions and attitudes towards disability
Debbie Towers
HR Disability Partner and founder of HR partnering service Inclusive Strides
Debbie Towers shares her personal experiences of workplace discrimination and how she now works to help organisations retain and nurture talent from all walks of life.
What it’s like to experience discrimination in the workplace
Imagine this: I started losing my hearing when I was just 14 years of age. By the time I turned 21 I was profoundly deaf and having to navigate a whole new world of communication.
Being deaf isn’t just about not hearing – it’s a whole experience. I’m constantly scanning the room, trying to catch cues, reading lips, and staying alert to potential dangers. It’s like juggling a dozen things at once! But amidst all this, there’s a sense of isolation and a vulnerability that comes with feeling removed from the sounds that connect us all. While hearing aids allowed me to perceive some sound, they didn’t enable me to understand any spoken dialogue.
As I was still navigating the challenges of adapting to a new way of communicating while juggling a full-time job, I endured some of the most systematic abuse and discrimination from some of my former colleagues.
Some took it upon themselves to mock my disability, subjecting me to gestures like clicking their fingers in my face and turning innocent misheard words into cruel jokes. Making me answer phone calls knowing I’d never understand the caller, then punishing me when I couldn’t relay the message correctly. To make matters worse, one senior colleague screamed in my ear, in his words “to see how deaf I was” all under the guise of what they deemed ‘banter.’
I never said anything, and my line manager had often told me how lucky I was to have a job. But let me tell you, there’s nothing banter-like about discrimination. That experience lit a fire in me, propelling me to dedicate myself to making positive change in the face of adversity. I made a solemn vow that never again would I stand by and watch someone be treated with such cruelty.
Driving accessibility forward
My mission became clear – to create positive and supportive workplaces where every individual is respected, valued, and treated with the dignity they deserve. And that fire within me? It’s still burning strong, driving me forward every single day.
Throughout my career with different employers, my passion has always been to ensure and create accessible support systems for diverse employees. I firmly believe that even the smallest adjustment can make the difference between someone being able to work, or not.
As a freelance HR Disability Partner and the founder of Inclusive Strides my mission is to collaborate with different charities and organisations to dismantle barriers for individuals with a disability. It’s about more than just tearing down initial barriers – it’s about continuously fostering opportunities and nurturing environments where every diverse employee can soar to new heights without limitations.
Yet, my journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Navigating the professional world has been a rollercoaster for me, especially when it comes to finding new opportunities.
Job hunting becomes a hurdle when many employers and recruitment agencies insist on kicking things off with a phone call. But here’s the catch: when you’re deaf like me, that phone call becomes a barrier. Being deaf doesn’t define my abilities or determination. It’s all about finding inclusive ways to connect and communicate.
Creating more supportive workplaces
Connecting with a diverse workforce is a daily mission, filled with its own set of challenges. In my experience, it’s no surprise that there’s still a significant gap between the number of people with a disability in the workforce compared to those without.
It was disheartening to learn that only 19,413 employers in the UK have signed up for the DWP Disability Confident scheme. While it’s true that some employers are actively promoting diversity and inclusion, this number is still a stark reminder that there’s much more work to be done.
We’re far from where we need to be in terms of creating opportunities for a diverse workforce. It’s a call to action for all of us to redouble our efforts and ensure that every workplace is truly inclusive and accessible to all.
Tips for more accessible recruitment
- Consider pledging your organisation to the DWP Disability Confident Scheme to show your new applicants how accessible and disability friendly you are!
- Think about how you attract talent. Do you provide options like Braille, audio, or different methods for neurodivergent individuals, making it easier for new candidates to apply?
- If the new candidate has matched your minimum criteria for the role, ask how they would like to initially communicate with you. For example, meeting on Teams or Zoom with captions/subtitles, using sign language, by telephone or text-to-speech (converting written text into spoken words, which can assist individuals with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other reading difficulties), or using Easy Read formats, (simplified written materials with clear language, images, and layout, designed to enhance accessibility for individuals with intellectual disabilities or cognitive impairments).
Switching careers all those years ago was not just about personal growth, it was about ensuring that others never suffer the same injustices. Past experiences don’t define us, they empower us to make a difference in the lives of others. Let’s build a future where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Debbie Towers, HR Disability Partner and founder of Inclusive Strides.
Key takeaways
- The number of those saying they live in London has dropped from 42% to 35%.
- 82% of people described their gender identity as female, with 16% saying
male, and 0.6% identifying as non-binary. - The average salary for women working in the sector has increased from £38,881 to £42,652. The average salary for men has changed little at £43,825.
Further reading on representation and inclusion
We will be looking further into our survey data to pull out findings on representation and inclusion. In the meantime, here is some more information from the third sector and beyond around representation, inclusion and accessibility.
Racial diversity in the sector
A recent report from the Racial Action for the Climate Emergency (using data from more than 140 charities, representing almost 13,000 employees) found that “just 6% of people working for environmental charities identify as people of colour or belonging to racial or ethnic minority groups” – that’s well below the 15% average proportion for the UK workforce. Looking further at the roles within the charities who took part, 86% of managers were white.
CharityJob’s 2023 candidate demographics survey, looking at the diversity of the people who use the site to look for jobs, found that 29% of candidates were from ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Disability in the sector
An article on the Civil Society website states, “According to estimated figures from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), disabled people made up 24.9% of the civil society workforce in the year to June 2023, up from 21.9% the year before and compared to 16.9% for all UK sectors.”
Age and gender in the sector
The Charity Interns project from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) encourages professionals aged over 50 into the charity sector to “highlight the positive impact of transferable skills from the private or public sector to the voluntary sector.” The pilot scheme has made six placements at major charities so far.
In January 2023, the Women in Public Affairs (WiPA) survey showed that 96% of women working in the PR industry are worried about the cost of living crisis, and just over a quarter (27%) are expecting to move jobs because of it.
Resources
Accessible communications
- Accessible communications – a CharityComms resource helping charities to start to foster more inclusive comms.
- Digital accessibilty resources – a range of accessibility guides and resources compiled by the CIPR.
- Top tips for accessible communications – useful tools, resources and tips from Sightsavers.
- Making your social media accessible – simple tips and advice from the RNIB on making your social media accessible.
- Accessible communication formats – guidance for government communicators but which may also be useful to other comms professionals in the private and voluntary sectors.
Inclusive recruitment
Guides and resources
- Guide: Disability inclusion in recruitment and beyond – a Texthelp guide to attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled and neurodivergent talent.
- Race Equality Matters jobs board – aims to help organisations attract, identify, develop and retain diverse talent.
- Arts Council England’s Culture Change toolkit – a toolkit to help organisations follow best practice in recruitment and develop a diverse workforce and leadership.
- How museums can support young people’s employment and employability skills – a guide showing how museums can help young people develop transferable skills for employment.
Articles and further reading
- The impact of DEI impact on hiring processes – Jennie Child, Founder of Balance and Co-Founder of Inclusive Recruitment Foundations, explores a host of key topics around diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) and their impact on hiring processes.
- Inclusive and ethical recruitment for charities – insights from recruiter Charity People and Children 1st on ethical recruitment.
Campaigns
- Show the Salary – a campaign to tackle pay gaps in the charity sector by encouraging organisations to display pay on their recruitment adverts.
- #NonGraduatesWelcome – a campaign to remove unspecified degree-level qualifications from job descriptions.
Making the workplace more inclusive
- MRS Report Equality, diversity and inclusion in the market research sector 2022.
- Business Disability Forum’s Global Toolkit – designed to help businesses overcome barriers to disability inclusion and support best practice around the world.
- 9 workplace inclusion questions answered – and tips from 30 DEI experts.
- Empowering Black, Latina, and Native American women in tech – nine practices and policies that BLNA women said had the most impact on their ability to join their company, stay there, or advance within it.
- The Tea Break – providing the framework and opportunity for an organisation to hear the honest voice and feelings of its colleagues about race inequality.
- Tackling racism in the workplace – resources and guidance from CIPD.
- Race Equality Matters – a UK-wide collaboration creating change in the workplace.
- The benefits of remote work for people with disabilities.
- Why racial and gender representation matters on charity boards.
- 8 steps to build meaningful diversity and inclusion analytics – a guide for organisations to build meaningful diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging analytics.
- AbilityNet – free online resources and community to help individuals with any disability, of any age, to use all kinds of digital technology.
Section 6
Personal development
There is little shift in how people feel their opportunities for training and development have changed over the past year, with 17% saying they have been offered more opportunities (compared to 18% last year); while 57% say they’ve had the same opportunities (compared to 54% last year) and 16% saying they’ve had fewer opportunities (the same as last year).
“I am always told I have the opportunity, but that is different from having the time.”
– Senior Manager working across all areas at a medium-sized, London-based charity
Knowing that your workplace invests in its people through training and development opportunities remains important, with support for professional development cited by 46% of people as one of the benefits they value the most.
The number of people accessing conferences and seminars as part of their training and development continues to fall, down from 51% last year to 43% (dropping significantly from a high of 75% in 2019).
Although webinars also dipped in a year-on-year comparison (from 66% to 59%), they were the most popular form of training for our respondents, followed by training courses at 52% (falling from 68% last year). 14% said they had no opportunities for learning and development.
“I have been too over capacity to take up much training and development.”
– Manager covering all areas at a medium-sized charity in the Midlands
Slightly more people say they have training and development opportunities booked for the next 12 months than last year’s survey, up from 33% to 36%. While 62% said they have no training booked yet (down from 64% last year).
Similar numbers of respondents believe their current role is helping them to progress their long-term career (73% last year to 74% in 2023).
Making time for mentoring
Last year, 24% of people told us they accessed mentoring as part of their training and development. This year that figure dropped to 18%.
Participating in mentoring (either formally or informally) can have huge benefits for both parties, as well as a positive impact on employee satisfaction and staff retention at their organisation.
Here are some insights from mentors on making the most of a mentoring match.
Be flexible and expand your conversation
“The sessions I have with my mentees often start with them coming to me for help with specific tasks or a project. Time and again the experience broadens from that starting point to be about so much more; usually their confidence in their skills and ability.
They often tell me that having an independent person to talk things through with makes a big difference to how they feel, as well as to the way that they carry out their role. I also really enjoy being a mentor and supporting them, so it’s a positive experience for us both.”
Sarah Browning
Kindness Cheerleader, Communicator and Copywriter
Champion and challenge
“Check in with yourself during the conversation to sense that what you’re sharing with the mentee is a) a question, b) a helpful experience, or c) a build on how they could approach it. Try not to do all the talking, so you can prioritise listening.
Once you’ve gotten to know your mentee well, understanding their experience and what drives them, experiment with both championing and challenging them to enable them to harness their skills to fulfil or optimise their goals. For example, you could explore if their recommended approach would work in your organisation and further considerations to broaden their perspective.”
Donna White
Senior Head of Digital Marketing, The Prince’s Trust
Share your own experiences
“Share your own experiences when they are appropriate to what your mentee is going through. Think about how you navigated it at the time and why that was the right (or not the best!) way to do things.”
Mark Thistlewood
Stories lead, Sense
Be authentic and listen
“Be authentic. You are not a mentor because everything has gone perfectly in your career. You are there to listen, provide support and help your mentee come up solutions and ideas.
It is also important that mentor and mentee have something specific in common, be that age, type of organisation you both work for, or anything that is meaningful to the mentoring journey.”
Caroline Bernard
Director of Influence, Respect
Key takeaways
- 17% say they have been offered more opportunities for training and development over the past year (compared to 18% last year).
- 46% of people say support for professional development is one of the benefits they value the most.
- Those accessing conferences and seminars as part of their training and development fell from 51% to 43%.
- 74% believe their current role is helping them to progress their long-term career.
Resources
Career or networking groups
- Third Sector PR & Comms network – a Facebook group for people working in Comms, PR or Marketing in the Third Sector.
- Charity UK – LinkedIn group.
- UK Fundraising – LinkedIn group.
Training and learning opportunities
- CharityComms events and on-demand content.
- Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) – learning resources on YouTube.
- Directory of Social Change – charity training.
- Foundation for Social Improvement – training courses.
Mentoring and coaching
- CharityComms mentoring scheme.
- ACEVO – mentoring for charity CEOs.
- Mentor Mums – matching mums returning to work with mums who have done it all before.
- PRISM (Public Relations, Inclusion, Support and Mentoring) – mentoring scheme run by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA).
- Memberwise – mentoring within the membership sector.
- Chartered Institute of Fundraising – mentoring for fundraisers.
- Creative Mentor Network – working with young people and creative professionals in the creative industries.
- Charity Mentoring Network – a community platform that connects organisations, staff and volunteers together, so they can support one another and share their knowledge and expertise.
- Just Like Us – matching ambassadors – LGBT+ young adults aged 18-25 who volunteer for Just Like Us – with mentors to aid their development as they enter the workforce.
- NEON – support for campaigners, organisers, communications and operations teams working across social movements.
Section 7
Priorities, careers and the future
Figures on whether people are planning to change jobs or move away from the charity sector have not changed significantly since last year.
Those planning a career move in the next year have dropped slightly from 43% to 41%, with 44% saying they have no plans currently, but would consider a move for the right role. Those saying they plan to stay in their role increased from 12% to 15%.
Similarly, the Digital Gravity 2023 Market & Salary Review found that 46% of those working in digital and tech roles (across a range of sectors) were likely to look for a job change in the next 12 months.
“I feel like the sector is getting harder to stay in. Private sector is much less responsibility for better pay and benefits. It’s a hard choice when you love the charity’s mission but it’s becoming unsustainable.”
– Head of Department at a large charity in the South West
The number of those who say they will stay in charity communications over the next five years has remained consistent with last year’s findings, at 87% (86% in 2022).
58% say they would look either inside or outside the charity sector (or both), similar to 56% last year. 35% say they’d just look for work within the charity sector (consistent with last year’s rate of 36%).
What people are looking for in a new role
Unsurprisingly, the biggest motivation for changing roles is a higher salary, which is the leading factor by a huge margin at 82%. This tallies with Member Bespoke’s 2024 Salary Guide which found 86% would be attracted to a new role because of an increase in salary.
Taking on more responsibility or a more senior role was mentioned by 42%, with 40% saying they’d move for a more interesting role. More social factors then come into focus, with better culture (32%) and better work life balance (29%), followed by options for remote (29%) and flexible working (27%).
Environment and conservation remains the most sought-after field to move into, listed by 43% of people. Working in children-focused charities saw the biggest drop in which fields people would find the most appealing (from 44% to 33%) followed by human rights, education and homelessness.
Looking at the CharityComms jobs board data from 2023 the most frequently posted job titles were:
- Communications Officer
- Communications Manager
- Social Media Officer / Executive
- Marketing Officer
- Digital Manager / Digital Content Manager
- Head of Communications
- Communications and Marketing Manager
- Digital Officer / Digital Content Officer
- Head of Marketing
- Public Relations and/or Policy Officer
Recruitment practices
Transparency in job listings continues to grow in importance, with 88% saying having a salary listed as “competitive” or not at all would discourage them from applying for a role (up from 80% last year). 19% said having a degree listed as a requirement in the job description would discourage them from applying (up slightly from 16% last year).
“Asking for a degree in communications in job adverts is so unnecessary and would really put me off applying, even though I have 4.5 years’ experience in a comms role.”
– Senior comms officer at a medium-sized charity
Rasheed Bryan
Business Development & Partnership Lead, Patchbay Media
“One thing I’d like to highlight is the tendency for companies to hire for “entry-level” jobs that require two or more years of experience. Typically, 35% of postings for “entry-level” positions ask for years of prior relevant work experience. If it’s entry-level then it should be an opportunity for someone inexperienced with a passion to explore that role and learn, not a way of hiring someone more experienced for less of a salary.”
We added some new questions this year about recruitment practices and how people manage the process. 63% said that the responsibility for recruitment and posting job ads sits within their HR team or person. 10% told us it sat with the internal comms team or person, with 12% saying it lay with whichever team needed it done.
Sector-specific jobs boards remain the top method for people looking for a new role (78%), followed by LinkedIn (71%).
Working towards eliminating unconscious bias
Barbara Eifler
Chief Executive, Making Music
Two years ago, Making Music started work on eliminating unconscious bias from its recruitment processes – here’s what they have learnt.
Recruiting differently at a medium-sized charity
Making Music is the UK association for leisure-time music, with more than 4,000 music groups in membership, comprising around 220,000 hobby musicians, with 18 staff; 14 hybrid around a London office and the other four working remotely.
Changing how we recruit that team is a developing story – and the last chapter may never be written. But perhaps our story so far may be of interest to others.
What we have learnt
- It’s not about your size or resources, it is about thinking processes through and finding ways of doing things that work for you – this was actually easier than we had thought.
- Allow more time before you start advertising a job. You will save time later because you would have thought the requirements and criteria through thoroughly.
- Achieving team diversity takes time, especially if you’re small and have low staff turnover (desirable!).
- Diversity can only be achieved if new and different people come into a workplace with an inclusive culture, so we started working on that simultaneously.
How the process worked
What we did first
We introduced an online application form, removing personal details for the two people doing the shortlisting.
I discovered a flaw: I gravitated towards candidates who wrote applications in a way I found appealing, although that wasn’t a role requirement. Surely not great for diversity of thinking. I wanted people who would challenge me, not mini-me’s. I also found myself influenced by a candidates’ education, although it was irrelevant to the job.
So, we introduced task-based applications which focus on applicants’ potential, rather than their past opportunities (which some candidates may have lacked, e.g. due to disability or socio-economic background).
But only using tasks was a bit scary, so the first time we asked applicants to complete three tasks, but also to give us information about their education and experience. We only had five applicants. But we interviewed all four eligible ones and were able to appoint very happily. It made us realise we needed to make our job adverts visible to a wider range of people. We are making progress with that with 62 applications for the most recent role.
We also introduced a survey to chart applicant demographics; it guarantees anonymity, analyses results, and enables us to chart progress. The numbers are still low, but more candidates are completing this than our old monitoring form; and there is a growing diversity in applicants across a wider spread of ethnic groups, more candidates with disabilities, a wider range of parental occupations at age 14, etc.
In the background
Before starting this work, we were already selecting candidates for interview based on job descriptions and person specifications, asking only for essential skills and knowledge specific to a role. At interview, all candidates are asked the same questions and scored against pre-agreed criteria.
There are always two people doing the main interview, the line manager and one other; and we have a second short informal chat with two other members of staff who are as different as possible from the main interviewers (e.g. gender, age, team), to gain a fresh perspective.
Looking ahead
What next?
After that first time recruiting by tasks, we were braver and focussed on tasks only, requesting information on education and experience later, once the shortlist had been made. But there were some challenges:
- Recruiting a Finance Manager was problematic as a qualification was required and designing the tasks was not easy. Only two roles at Making Music require a qualification, so in future, that will be asked for alongside the three tasks.
- We could not apply for Disability Confident Employer status because we cannot take positive action based on education or experience: we know nothing about candidates except their responses to tasks.
Our next version invited applications via completion of three tasks; from which the shortlisters produced a ‘longlist’ of 8-10 candidates. The longlist were asked for their education and experience and: Please tell us if you have experienced barriers to employment opportunities in the past due to a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation) or due to your socio-economic background.
Shortlisters used the second stage information (without the barrier question) to arrive at a set of five interview candidates. If undecided, they are asked to take positive action by interviewing a person who has experienced barriers.
That is where we are now, but we are still working on this. Recently, we realised we left too little time for the longlist to send us the second stage information, potentially disadvantaging people e.g. those with caring responsibilities and/or certain neurodiversities.
But we’re getting there, if an (unsolicited) quote from a recent applicant is anything to go by:
“I just wanted to say that your application process was really impressive in how it was structured and I was really inspired by the accessibility of it, as well as the initial tasks which were presented in a way that had less emphasis on educational background and experience. I felt this is a really great way to eliminate bias in terms of class and background.”
Barbara Eifler, CEO, Making Music
Key takeaways
- 41% of people are planning a career move in the next year.
- 87% said they will stay in charity communications over the next five years.
- 82% of people would change roles for a higher salary.
- 42% said taking on more responsibility or a more senior role would tempt them to switch roles.
- 43% find the environment and conservation field most appealing to move into.
- 88% said having a salary listed as “competitive” or not at all would discourage them from applying for a role (up from 80% last year).
- 19% said having a degree listed as a requirement in the job description would discourage them from applying (up slightly from 16% last year).
Further reading on recruitment and careers
Some more information from the third sector and beyond around trends in recruitment and careers.
Accessible and inclusive recruitment
As part of Groundwork’s Force of Nature campaign, more than 70 environmental charities (including WWF-UK, Wildlife and Countryside Link, the National Trust, RSPB, The Woodland Trust and the Bat Conservation Trust) have pledged to adopt recruitment practices that proactively seek to address a lack of diversity in the sector.
In January 2023, the Women in Public Affairs (WiPA) survey showed an 11% increase in the number of job adverts not disclosing salaries.
Career trends
One-fifth of UK workers are feeling burnt out, leading 70% of workers to seek a new job in 2024, according to new research from HiBob. The same survey showed that proper support for work-life balance is what most motivates 30% of people, while 29% are motivated by working towards a salary increase or promotion.
Starting a career in a post-pandemic work environment, with the added turmoil of economic instability seems to be resulting in increasing pessimism about job prospects, with 77% of Gen Z (those born between 1996 and 2010) looking for a new job – almost double the rate of other age groups according to a recent version of McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey (AOS).
According to Blackbaud’s Status of UK Fundraising 2023 report, 57% of people think retaining and recruiting talent is one of the main fundraising challenges the charity sector will face over the next three years.
Resources
Training and upskilling
- The skills toolkit from the National Skills Service – free courses to help you learn new skills or get a new job.
- Having confidence and courage to find your work superpowers – tips from coach and CharityComms mentor, Emily Frost, on recognising your own worth.
- How to upskill yourself while working remotely – the top ways charity workers can boost their skills while working remotely.
Tips for more effective recruitment
- The AMA Guide to Marketing Job Descriptions and Skills – job description templates for key marketing roles, supporting the need to match skills with both expectations and pay.
- How UK Charities Recruit – report from CharityJob on how charities currently recruit their paid staff and the steps they take to try to ensure fairness in their recruitment.
- Race Equality Matters jobs board – aims to help organisations attract, identify, develop and retain diverse talent.
- Candidate Interview Worksheet – a customisable worksheet from Aquent with focused, behavioural interview questions.
- Top tips for an ethical recruitment process – article from UK Fundraising on how to make your recruitment practices more ethical.
Finding a new direction or role
Applying for jobs or making a career change
- Career paths for data folk in non-profits – article from Data Orchard on what skills and experience are important for those working in data in the nonprofit sector, and what are the paths to entry.
- How to change career path – tips and advice from the sector.
- The Pursuit of Meaning, Choosing Your Attitude, Overcoming Rejection, and More – marketing guru, Seth Godin in conversation with Tim Ferris (YouTube video).
- Making words work for you when you’re applying for a job – Sarah Myers shares advice on how to amplify your skills when it comes to finding a new role.
- Ten top tips for online job interviews
Jobs boards
- CharityComms jobs board – jobs in the charity sector with a comms focus. It’s free for CharityComms organisational members and corporate partners to post their jobs.
- RoleShare – helping people find jobs as a job share.
- Charity People – roles throughout the UK for charity and nonprofit job seekers.
- CharityJob – search more than 3,000 jobs in the charity sector.
- ThirdSector jobs – a specialist site for the charity, non profit and voluntary sectors from the publisher of Third Sector Magazine.
- A weekly list of data vacancies in nonprofits – compiled by Ben Proctor, Innovation Director at Data Orchard CIC.
Section 8
Key takeaways and conclusions
Our survey results highlight the ongoing dilemma for charities of balancing the delivery of essential services with maintaining organisational stabilty and support for staff. As the panel at a Westminster Social Policy Forum seminar stated in January 2024, “charities are delivering public services which are unsustainable and do not allow charities to pay staff adequately, which is also contributing to workforce issues in the sector.”
Taking action
So, with potentially limited capacity to realistically increase salary levels much further, how can charities prevent losing talented and committed staff?
- Put people first – this is the time to focus internally. Your staff are more than their workload and having clear structures of support, processes and procedures, and channels of communication are key in retaining the people you’ve worked so hard to recruit.
- Implement more strategic thinking – making the most of what you can achieve needs a strategic approach across the entire organisation, particularly when it comes to digital transformation and AI.
- Be transparent – you don’t need to have all the solutions all at once. Listen to staff and let them know how the organisation will act on their feedback. Some things may not be possible (at least for now) but keeping people informed and part of the process goes a long way in addressing concerns, and sometimes even unvoiced issues.
“Just because we love the cause of our charity doesn’t mean we don’t want and need a decent wage. Many people leave the charity to pursue a similar but much higher paid job elsewhere.“
– Comms Manager at a medium-sized charity in the South East
Without better recognition and support for the people who work alongside each other to further our mission and cause, we risk losing our charity communicators to other sectors.
While salary is (and will always be) a major factor in job satisfaction, by focusing on company culture, maintaining flexible working, offering support and development opportunities, recognising the value of comms and communicators, and providing clear strategic direction, we can continue to be the sector that attracts and retains the amazing talent we need to make a difference in the world.
Section 9
Methodology and additional data tables
Research design
The Salary and Organisational Culture Survey is a quantitative descriptive analysis which aims to review the salary levels and workplace culture of those working in marketing and communications within the charity and non-profit sector.
An online, self-administered questionnaire was created to collect information around this topic. The questionnaire was based on the previous CharityComms salary and organisational culture surveys, to allow for comparisons between different years. Questions are included and/or amended each year to explore the changes in the job market and work practices.
Sampling and data collection
The population of interest for this survey were people working in marketing and communications at charities in the UK. Participants were invited via email and social media to either fill in the questionnaire or share it. The invitation was sent to the CharityComms members database and was shared with different networks and coalitions of charities across the country.
Data was collected between 20 November 2023 and 15 January 2024.
The final sample was composed of 346 cases with the following characteristics, listed here in order of the highest percentage of responses:
Gender
Female 82.6%
Male 15.7%
Non-binary 0.6%
Rather not to say 1.16%
Location (of the individual)
London/Greater London 35%
South East 21%
Midlands 10%
South West 9%
Scotland 7%
Other 6%
North West 5%
North East 4%
Wales 2%
Northern Ireland 1%
Job level
Manager/Lead 29.80%
Head of Department 19.90%
Executive/Officer 17.30%
Director 9.80%
Senior Executive/Senior Officer 9.80%
Senior Manager 9.80%
CEO 2.00%
Assistant 1.40%
Type of organisation
Charity 93%
Membership 6%
Charitable fund 2%
Freelance 1%
Social enterprise 1%
Sector:
Health 28.9%
Children 11.6%
Disability 7.6%
Environment/Conservation 7%
International aid 6.6%
Education 6.3%
Society and work 5.3%
Cancer 5.3%
Hospices 4%
Animals 3.7%
Older people 3.3%
Homelessness 3%
Human rights 2.3%
Arts and culture 2%
Membership 2%
Sport 0.7%
LGBTQ+ 0.3%
About Agenda Consulting
At Agenda we are committed to working with leaders of not-for-profit organisations, enabling them to measure, improve and sustain high levels of employee and volunteer engagement.
Our not-for-profit focus helps us to gain a deep understanding of the issues and challenges our clients face. Our engagement database enables clients to benchmark their survey results with other very similar organisations. We provide personalised advice and support throughout the survey process, tailoring each survey to the individual organisation. Our survey platform Reflections provides access to sophisticated reports and online dashboards to get the most value possible out of survey results.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about the survey, please email Sarah.
*Please note: there may be anomalies in the data in some categories, as sometimes there are not always enough responses for an accurate result.