Word from the top: Springboard Interim

It’s official. Recruiting for senior interim fundraising roles is harder than ever.

Clients are telling us their interim roles are remaining unfilled for months, while candidates are saying the combination of the candidate-driven market (giving them access to a greater choice of permanent roles than ever before), coupled with an uncertain economy, (making short-term employment a riskier option), means interim work doesn’t have the allure it once did.

Charities can’t afford to have key senior fundraising roles vacant, nor can they afford to settle for an imperfect fit.

So, what can you do to make interim contracts more attractive?

1.      Guarantee a fixed-term

The vast majority of interim contracts are created due to maternity/paternity leave.

Quite rightly, new parents are entitled to return to work at a time that suits them. However, this can create uncertainty for interim fundraisers, who might find themselves out of a job sooner than planned.

Some of our clients are combatting this by offering candidates a fixed term that covers the entire maternity period, i.e., if the new parent returns to work early, the charity will either redeploy their interim fundraiser or pay out the rest of their contract.

2.      Pay an interim premium

A few of our clients are trialling a 10% - 20% premium on salaries for interim contracts.

If you’re paying below market rate, this may not help, but it can make all the difference if you’re offering a generous salary. A boost in pay can make the potential risks of a short-term contract easier to swallow.

3.      Offer longer notice periods, sooner

A few of our clients are looking to introduce longer notice periods, starting from day one. i.e., if their standard notice period is one month, they’re extending it to three. If it’s three months, they’re making it five.

The key point is the notice period starts from day one, without the need for the candidate to pass a probationary period.

This gives them more time to find a new role when the contract comes to an end.

To add another level of security, one of our clients is looking at a notice period that comes into play even if the entire maternity contract is served.

4.      Offer development opportunities

One way of securing interim talent without stretching your budget is to offer the role as a development opportunity.

Effectively, this means recruiting someone with all the skills, talent, and experience you need, but customising the role to stretch their experience in terms of team size, budgets, or something else, to help them springboard their career.

If a candidate thinks they can cut the curve of their career progression by a year or two, they may consider stepping out of a permanent role.

This option appeals to a lot of charities we’ve spoken to, but they don’t have the internal capacity to support candidates.

This is where Springboard Interim comes in.

What is Springboard Interim?

If you’ve got an interim fundraising contract you’re struggling to fill, but can’t afford to compromise on quality, we’ll help you find the perfect candidate.

No money is paid up-front, but you’ll commit to working exclusively with us.

We’ll target rising fundraising stars (in permanent roles), for whom your role represents an incredible development opportunity.

“Why would they consider it?” I hear you ask. Because we offer the following:

• A signed contract committing us to working with them to secure their next role (beyond the interim one).

• An additional month’s notice, paid by us, if we don’t find them their next big role (once their contract is complete).

• Half a day’s mentoring by a talented fundraising career coach every month, for the duration of their contract. This will help the candidate navigate their role effectively, whilst ensuring they develop the skills and experience necessary to go on to bigger things.

We’ve trialled Springboard Interim with a few clients and the results have been spectacular.

But don’t take our word for it. Get in touch with our Director, Graham, at graham@bamboofundraising.co.uk and try the product out.

And be quick about it. Due to the resource-intensive nature of the product, we only have three spaces left until the end of March.