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L3Apprenticeship5821 approved provider
The Level 3 Fundraiser, and the 1 provider delivering it.
Raise funds for charitable causes.
About this apprenticeship
What this apprenticeship covers
Apprentices learn how to raise funds and awareness for a charitable cause across multiple income streams, which may include individual giving, corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations, events, legacies, and Gift Aid. The programme covers fundraising regulation and data protection, how to build and manage supporter relationships, and how to analyse fundraising activity against targets. Apprentices also develop financial awareness, learn to use supporter relationship management (CRM) systems accurately, and contribute to the planning and delivery of fundraising campaigns.
Day-to-day responsibilities
A fundraiser in this role typically spends their week contacting donors and prospective supporters, processing Gift Aid claims, updating CRM records, and helping to organise fundraising events or community activities. They produce reports on campaign performance, assist with grant applications or donor proposals, and liaise with colleagues in marketing and finance. Externally, they may meet corporate partners, attend community events, or respond to supporter enquiries. Much of the role involves research, data entry, and drafting supporter communications such as emails, newsletters, and thank-you letters.
Career outlook
Completing this apprenticeship opens routes into a range of specialist fundraising roles. Common job titles include individual giving fundraiser, events fundraiser, legacy fundraiser, corporate partnerships fundraiser, and major donor fundraiser. With experience, progression typically leads to fundraising manager or head of fundraising positions. Employers range from small local charities to large national organisations and international NGOs, as well as specialist fundraising agencies. The role is an established entry point into the third sector, and fundraising skills are transferable across cause areas including health, education, arts, environment, and social welfare.
1 approved provider
Sorted by achievement rate.
Apprentify
Employer: 4.0
Apprentify is a specialist digital and tech apprenticeship and training provider that focuses on hel...
Career outcomes
Roles after completion
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads to roles such as Fundraising Officer, Individual Giving Fundraiser, Events and Community Fundraiser, Corporate Partnerships Fundraiser, or Legacy Fundraiser. Some completers move into a Relationship Manager position, focusing on stewarding a portfolio of donors or corporate partners. The specific title often reflects the income stream the apprentice has specialised in during their time in the role.
Progression paths
Within three to five years, many fundraisers progress to Senior Fundraiser or Fundraising Manager level, taking on line management responsibility and ownership of income targets within a particular channel. Beyond that, the paths diverge: some move into Head of Fundraising or Director of Income Generation positions, leading whole fundraising functions. Others choose a specialist track, becoming recognised experts in areas such as major donor philanthropy, trust and foundation management, or corporate partnerships, without necessarily taking on people management duties.
Where these roles sit
The majority of roles are in registered charities and not-for-profit organisations. This spans a wide range of causes, including health and medical research, international development, hospice and social care, heritage, arts, housing, and education. Employers range from small local charities with compact fundraising teams to large national organisations with dedicated channel specialists. A smaller proportion of roles sit within fundraising consultancies and agencies that work across multiple charitable clients.
How it's assessed
How the apprenticeship is assessed
Learning takes place in the workplace alongside structured off-the-job training, so the apprentice builds knowledge and practical fundraising skills throughout the programme rather than in isolation from the role. Before moving to final assessment, the apprentice and employer must confirm readiness at a gateway point, demonstrating that the required knowledge, skills and behaviours have been developed to the standard expected. Final assessment then confirms the apprentice can competently carry out the occupation. Assessment models across many standards are currently being updated by Skills England, so check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.
What learners need to prepare
Building a record of real workplace activity as the programme progresses is essential. That means keeping evidence of fundraising tasks, supporter interactions, data management work and any research or planning contributions from early on, not gathering it all at the end. Regular review points with both the employer and the training provider help ensure the apprentice is on track for gateway. Good preparation is a steady, ongoing process throughout the programme rather than a sprint in the final weeks.
Choosing a provider
What good looks like
Look for providers with achievement rates above 65% on their FATP profile, and check whether both employer and apprentice satisfaction scores are consistently high. Because fundraising roles span very different income streams, such as trust applications, individual giving and corporate partnerships, a strong provider will show how off-the-job learning maps to multiple fundraising methods rather than focusing narrowly on one. Ask to see how they cover Fundraising Regulator compliance, GDPR in a fundraising context, and supporter CRM systems. Learner reviews mentioning real casework, prospect research tasks or donor stewardship activities are a useful signal that training stays practical.
Red flags to watch for
Be cautious if a provider cannot explain how apprentices gain hands-on experience with supporter relationship management systems or Gift Aid administration, since both are day-to-day requirements in the role. A high volume of enrolments paired with a falling or below-average achievement rate is worth probing directly. Vague references to "the sector" without any evidence of partnerships with charities or third-sector employers suggest the delivery may be generic. If the provider cannot point to alumni working in recognisable fundraising job titles after completion, treat that as a gap.
Questions to ask before you commit
- How does your curriculum cover the full range of fundraising methods, including trust and foundation applications, individual giving, and corporate partnerships, rather than just one income stream?
- Which supporter CRM platforms do apprentices work with during the programme, and are they the systems actually used by charities like ours?
- How do you teach Fundraising Regulator codes of practice and GDPR compliance in a fundraising-specific context, not just general data protection theory?
- What does off-the-job learning look like in practice, and how much of it involves live fundraising tasks rather than classroom-based study?
- Can you share your current achievement rate for this standard and explain any variation from the national average?
- How do you support apprentices who work across different fundraising specialisms within the same organisation?
- What do your apprentice graduates typically go on to do, and do you have examples of progression into roles such as corporate partnerships or major donor fundraising?
Common questions
What are the entry requirements for the Fundraiser apprenticeship?
There are no nationally fixed entry requirements set in the standard itself, so employers decide what suits their organisation. Most look for a good level of English and maths, and some customer-facing or administrative experience helps. Apprentices must be in a genuine employed role that gives them exposure to fundraising activity. If you have not already achieved a Level 2 qualification in English and maths, you will need to work towards that during the programme.
How long does the apprenticeship take and how does it fit around work?
The typical duration is around 18 months, though this can vary depending on the apprentice's prior experience and how the training is structured. Apprentices are employed throughout and learn on the job, with a portion of their working hours set aside for off-the-job training. The exact proportion is subject to current Skills England reforms, so check the latest specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education page at gov.uk for the current requirement before planning a programme.
How is the apprenticeship assessed?
Before the end-point assessment, the apprentice must pass through a gateway, at which point the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice has met the required knowledge, skills and behaviours. Assessment models for many standards are being reviewed under ongoing reforms, so the specific assessment methods may change. Check the current assessment plan on the gov.uk standard page for up-to-date detail. What remains consistent is that the apprentice must demonstrate genuine occupational competence across fundraising practice.
How does an employer pay for the Fundraiser apprenticeship?
The funding band for this standard is £8,000, which is the maximum that can be drawn from the apprenticeship levy or paid through government co-investment. Levy-paying employers (those with a payroll above £3 million) pay through their Digital Apprenticeship Service account. Smaller employers co-invest, currently contributing 5% of the training cost with government covering the remaining 95%. Employers with fewer than 50 staff taking on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 pay nothing; government funds the full training cost.
What does a Fundraiser apprentice actually do day-to-day?
Day-to-day work depends on which fundraising area the apprentice focuses on, but typically includes researching prospective donors or funding opportunities, supporting events or community activities, maintaining supporter records on a CRM system, communicating with donors and corporate partners, and contributing to campaign planning. They will also assist with Gift Aid administration, help prepare funding proposals, and analyse data to review how activities are performing. The role involves working closely with colleagues in marketing, finance and service delivery teams.
What can a Fundraiser apprentice progress to after completing the programme?
Completion is a recognised entry point into a fundraising career. From there, apprentices commonly move into specialist roles such as corporate partnerships fundraiser, major donor fundraiser, legacy fundraiser, or individual giving officer, depending on where their experience has been strongest. With further experience, progression towards a fundraising manager or head of fundraising role is realistic. Some organisations also support further study, such as Chartered Institute of Fundraising qualifications, to deepen specialist knowledge.
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Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 582.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.