Fundraising interviews 101: How to answer three more tricky questions

Your palms are sweating. Your knees are shaking. You’re rehearsing answers to potential questions over and over in your head … and then your name is called.

It’s time for the dreaded interview.

It’s no surprise you’re anxious: You want the job and everything hangs on this interview … and the way you answer the questions.

To help you out, we’ve highlighted three common interview questions and given you some tips on how to answer them, based on feedback we’ve received from our clients.

First up: Why do you want to work here?

When faced with this question, candidates often assume the interviewer is looking to hear how great the charity is.

However, the interviewer isn’t looking for lip service. They don’t want you to reel off a list of all the industry awards they’ve won.

Okay, so what do they want to hear? In a word, passion.

They want to understand your motivation for applying and know that you’d be invested in the cause if they hired you.

When approaching this question, think about why you want to work in this role and for this organisation over any others. Perhaps the charity supported someone close to you? Or maybe you’ve heard about the impact it’s had, and you want to be part of the change?

Whatever it is, be open about your motivation and let your passion shine through. It might just be the deciding factor when an employer is choosing between you and another candidate.

What’s your biggest weakness?

The last thing you want to do in an interview is admit you’re bad at something, but there’s a way to answer it without sabotaging yourself. And no, it doesn’t involve claiming that perfectionism is your biggest weakness.

When asking this question, the interviewer wants to know that you’re aware of your weaknesses and know how to mitigate them.

Let’s say, for instance, you’re terrible at managing your time. Rather than say that, you could say, “I don’t naturally manage time well, but I’ve addressed it by doing some online courses. They were really helpful, and as a result, I’ve put some trusted systems in place to ensure I keep projects on track.”

To back up your claim, make sure you explain what the systems are how your time management has improved as a result.

3.   What’s your approach to …

In our experience, candidates typically approach this question in one of two ways. Some explain the ‘roundabout way’ in which they do things, while others talk through their systemised approach to tasks and explain them as a process. It’s the difference between saying, “I would have a chat with my colleague to get the lay of the land, and we would organise a meeting to do x” and saying “whilst I’m flexible, I have a well-defined process for launching new fundraising products. We would begin with the evaluation stage, which should take about 3 weeks and would include meetings with funders, stakeholders, and beneficiaries. We would then move into the testing phase, which would take about a month and would include A, B testing across various platforms etc.”

The second approach will show the interviewer you’re systematic, methodical, and thorough in your approach to work - and that you pay attention to detail.

Want to learn how to create systems in your work? There’s some great advice in Systemology by David Jenyns.

Final Question

Need some help prepping for a fundraising interview? We can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111 to get the process started.