Charities and non-profit sector

Opportunities in the charity and voluntary work sector fall into the following areas:

• Management and Administration
• Personnel and Human Resources
• Marketing, Communications and Campaigns
• Volunteer Managers and Coordinators
• Researchers
• Policy Analysts
• Fundraising/Development Officers
• Outreach and Education Officers
• Finance and Accounts

As well as the large, well-known organisations, other employers include small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), voluntary organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social enterprises.

Below are some useful websites about charities:

• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations
  
• Third Sector
  
• Charity Times
  
• The Charity Commission
• Charity Choice
• Charity Jobs 
• Idealist
  
• Good Moves
• Jobs Go Public
  
• Not For Profit People Jobs
  
• Elevator Café 
  
• Charity People

You can find out more about roles within the charity sector in this Bright Network article, 'Seven types of roles within the Charity sector'.

You can also read about the different career options in charity work, where you can also find detailed job descriptions for a Charities Administrator and Charities Fundraiser.

Work in this sector is diverse and encompasses conflict, disaster preparedness, economics, education, environment, forced migration, gender equality, governance, healthcare, human rights, infrastructure, livelihoods and security

Types of international aid/development work include: administration, research, fundraising, training, consultancy, advocacy, relief work, economist roles, medicine, engineering and planning

• Prospects breaks down international development courses and jobs
• TargetJobs has useful information on pursuing graduate careers in international development

Below are some useful websites for exploring a career in international development:

• Bond (jobs in international development)
• Global Careers organises unique online recruitment career fairs for the International Public Sector throughout the year

If you have questions and want to find out more about pursuing a career in charities and non-profit, have a chat with one of our Careers Advisers. 

Book an appointment through your Careers Connect account.

Clare Allsopp

Project Co-ordinator for Faith Matters

“I find it rewarding to play a small part in a much bigger goal to bridge gaps of understanding and build working relationships between communities”

Many of our graduates from University of Birmingham have gone on to pursue careers in the non-profit sector and international development. Read and watch their stories below. 

• Internship at a community interest company, Nurture Community 
• Internship at a social mobility charity, CoachBright
• Project Coordinator at Faith Matters
• Community Fundraising Internship at British Red Cross

Discover new angles on a career in the charity sector! Dive into our latest article, which spotlights essential takeaways from the Spring 2024 ‘Insight into Charities’ panel discussion. 

• Search for more student and graduate stories

LinkedIn Learning has over 13,000 courses to enhance your CV and stand out from the crowd when thinking about a career in charities and non-profit.

University of Birmingham students get free access to LinkedIn Learning.

Getting experience in charities

The Guild of Students has lots of volunteer groups to get involved in. You can also find volunteering opportunities on websites such as Do-it, Vinspired and Volunteering Matters.

Some charities offer internships including Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Cancer Research UK and Amnesty. Check on their websites for details of when to apply.

Look out for internships in the charity sector advertised through Careers Network. Look out for details of these via our newsletters and on social media.

Speculative applications are one of the best ways of building experience in the charity sector. You may want to consider offering your services in one of the following ways:

• Offering to create video for use on the charity’s website

• Offering to analyse the potential use of a social media platform

• Offering to create a student-engagement or fundraising campaign

The Charity Commission is a good resource to find information on charities in all regions of UK. This may help you identify which charities to contact for work experience.

You may be eligible to apply for work experience bursaries through The University of Birmingham. For more details visit the internship funding pages. 

• View all vacancies in Careers Connect

When you have a clear sense of where you want to apply, the final step is making the most out of your application. Our Employability Advisers are here to help review your application documents. 

• Access application support on Careers Connect