Fundraisers for hospitals are mainly appointed, directly or indirectly, by the hospital board. These fundraisers have an aim to achieve a targeted amount of fund raising by approaching trusts, corporations, government bodies, high net worth individuals (who are some of the major donors to health charity out there), and other sources and by running various events such as auctions and entertainment shows that help in raising high amounts of funds. In some charities, the role of fundraisers is to be specialized on one particular source while some may work on several sources. These fundraisers work with individuals and society to highlight the role one has to play in increasing the overall health of society by helping the needy through their charity. Ultimately their job is to increase contribution from society itself by building new relationships between the needy and the contributors and thus exploring new ways to raise funds.
Developing new and innovative event based fund raising activities, following traditional methods like the house-to-house collection of money and goods which can be helpful in a hospital are some of the ways by which funds are raised. In today's fast paced world, raising funds through web based advertisements, online auctions, and merchandise sales also helps. Hosting a website specially to raise funds for hospital donations can also work wonders to fund collection. This way can be quite effective since all the information about the hospital and the ways in which the funds contributed are used can be posted. Definitely, doing all this provides an impetus and boosts the amount of funds raised. Also one can support some local influential volunteers in their tasks so that in turn they may help them in collecting funds. Also one has to analyze what sort of funding is most viable and appropriate with the highest level of success. Also the fundraiser has to forecast the expenditure and donations of the hospital for the coming period so that he has a fair idea about how much funds have to be raised. Also one of the most important works is to prepare a report for the donors showing the amount collected and the ways in which it has been utilized.
Most fund raisers gain the experience they need at the professional level to raise funds by working as a volunteer in scores of such local fundraising programs and drives. This is the most important qualification needed. Also in today's competitive world, almost all of them have a bachelor's degree. College preparatory courses in hospital running, public relations, social subjects, and foreign languages can be good training. Also courses in accounting, mathematics, statistics, marketing, human psychology, and speech are very handy tools. Some colleges also directly provide training for professional fundraising for various fields. Professional societies also hold lectures and seminars for explaining the latest techniques. One important quality that can make a difference between being “only a fundraiser” and being one of the best in the field is the passion with which a fundraiser works. Because the more determination, welfare, and care of the needy patients in the hospital, more is the effort put in and more the funds raised. Experience can help in practical nuances of this job and thus help one perform better.
With global awareness about charity, especially about health and hospital charity displaying a meteoritic rise, job prospects are definitely on the up in this field. Candidates may do well to garner more experience in fundraising to move up the ladder of success in this field.
Earnings in this job vary with the experience the fundraiser has collected as well as the complexity of the campaigns they are involved in and also how well they are able to thrive under pressure and yield the best result for the hospital. The salary of a beginner is anywhere in the range of $40,000 to $50,000. Experienced fund raisers get anything in the range of $85,000 to $105,000.
Thus, the inflow of candidates in one of the most satisfying jobs in the world is increasing and this spells well for the society as well.
