Why one fundraiser cannot do everything — and what to do instead

For many small and medium charities, there comes a point when fundraising can no longer sit on the edge of someone's desk.

Income needs to grow. Opportunities are being missed. The CEO is stretched. Trustees want more momentum. And the obvious next question is: Should we hire a fundraiser?

Sometimes the answer is yes.

But very often, the real problem is not whether to invest in fundraising. It is how to invest wisely.

Because many charities do not just need "a fundraiser". They need expertise across several different fundraising disciplines at once.

And that is where a single hire can become a difficult fit.

The impossible job description

It often starts with a well-meaning recruitment idea.

The charity sets aside a budget — perhaps £30,000 to £36,000 a year — and starts looking for someone who can do trusts, corporates, legacies, major donors, community fundraising, prospect research, strategy, stewardship and reporting.

On paper, that sounds efficient.

In reality, it is asking one person to be a full fundraising department.

The issue is not that fundraisers are not talented. Many are. But fundraising is now too broad for most people to be a genuine specialist in every area.

Trust fundraising requires one set of skills. Corporate fundraising requires another. Legacies, digital donations, major donors and statutory work all have their own rhythms, techniques and knowledge base.

You can find people who are broad and capable. But it is much harder to find one person who is genuinely strong across everything — and even harder to do so at a salary most smaller charities can comfortably sustain.

What often happens next

When charities make this kind of hire, one of three things often happens.

First, the fundraiser naturally leans into the area they know best. That may mean trusts get attention while major donors do not. Or community activity grows while legacy work never gets started.

Second, too much time gets swallowed by administration, internal meetings and reactive requests, leaving too little room for focused income generation.

Third, the charity ends up buying external help anyway — perhaps for prospect research, strategy, a legacy piece, a case for support, or support with a major donor or corporate pitch.

So the organisation still does not quite have the right shape of support. It has simply committed most of its budget to one person before being clear what mix of expertise it really needs.

A more flexible alternative

At Vantage Fundraising, we take a different approach.

Rather than asking a charity to recruit one person and hope they can do everything, we offer a blended model. You invest in fundraising support month by month, and that budget can be directed where it will have the greatest impact.

For example, one month may need to focus heavily on trust fundraising — developing a case for support, refining applications and building a prospect list.

A few months later, a legacy opportunity may need specialist input.

Then a company prospect may emerge and the CEO may want support preparing for a meeting.

At another stage, you may need advice on a high-net-worth conversation, while trust fundraising continues steadily in the background.

That is the advantage of a blended team model. You are not locked into one person's skill set. You can call on the right expertise as your opportunities evolve.

How this works in practice

Our fundraising blocks are designed to give charities that flexibility.

A charity might start with one block a month and focus first on trust fundraising — for example, building a prospect list, sharpening the case for support and developing applications.

Later, the same budget might be directed towards legacy messaging, support with a corporate conversation, input into a major donor opportunity or strategic advice around the next best step.

If cash flow becomes tight, support can be paused. If priorities change, the work can change too.

That means a charity is not forced into a single fixed answer.

Instead of saying, "We have hired a fundraiser, so they now need to cover everything," you can ask a better question: Where will specialist input make the biggest difference right now?

Why this can make more sense financially

A single in-house fundraiser can look cheaper at first glance.

But salary is only part of the picture. There is also recruitment time, management capacity, pension, software, training, risk if the hire is not right, and the fact that one person may still not cover all the fundraising areas you need.

A flexible outsourced model can be easier to manage and easier to pause.

That matters for smaller charities, where cash flow can change quickly and where leaders are understandably cautious about taking on permanent commitments too early.

It also means you can scale support in line with results rather than making one large leap and hoping it pays off.

A team, not a gamble

Perhaps the biggest benefit is this: you are not making one big bet on one person.

You are accessing a team.

That means broader experience, better economies of scale, and the ability to bring in specialists where needed.

For many charities, that is a better fit for the messy reality of fundraising growth.

Because fundraising rarely develops in a straight line. Priorities change. Opportunities appear unexpectedly. Some income streams move faster than others. What you need in month one may not be what you need in month six.

A blended approach gives you room to adapt.

A better question to ask

So, should you hire a fundraiser?

Sometimes, yes.

But before you do, it is worth asking whether you really need one all-purpose person — or whether what you actually need is flexible access to the right fundraising expertise at the right time.

For many small and medium charities, that is the more effective route.

Not because in-house fundraisers are the wrong answer in every case. But because expecting one person to do everything is often unrealistic, inefficient and unnecessarily risky.

If your charity needs more fundraising capacity but you are unsure whether to recruit, outsource or blend the two, we would be very happy to talk.