When the Mark Astarita Fellowship launched in 2024, it set out to do something bold: remove the barriers that prevent talented people from working class and underrepresented backgrounds from building careers in fundraising.
Inspired by Mark’s commitment to diversifying the sector, a group of Mark’s closest friends and colleagues partnered with Charityworks to launch the Mark Astarita Fellowship, which supports talented early-career professionals from underrepresented backgrounds into the sector.
A fellowship rooted in inclusion
Too many aspiring fundraisers face financial and systemic obstacles: unpaid internships, low entry salaries, and reliance on existing networks. The Fellowship addresses these by providing an entry route into the sector, combined with high-quality development through Charityworks, including ILM-accredited leadership training and mentoring.
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Since launching a year ago, the Fellowship has placed 17 talented individuals from working-class or underrepresented backgrounds into fundraising roles within organisations like Greenpeace, Hospice UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. It has also helped raise awareness across the sector about why accessibility and diversity in fundraising cannot wait.
The challenges are just as relevant now as in 2024
Despite great progress, the challenges the Fellowship was created to address are far from solved.
Research continues to show that routes into fundraising are too narrow. A 2025 PeopleXCD whitepaper found that “working-class people are less likely to be hired by charities than by employers in the public and private sectors”. Meanwhile, the EY Foundation (2024) highlights how the charity sector’s risk aversion often leads to hiring only those who already have fundraising experience – creating a “talent bubble” that shuts out new and diverse voices.
This issue is particularly acute for people from working-class or underrepresented backgrounds, who may not have the networks or opportunities to “get a foot in the door.” As a result, the sector risks missing out on talented, mission-driven individuals who could bring fresh ideas and energy to fundraising.
Charityworks’ own data shows that retention of its trainees is consistently high, with 92% remaining with their host organisation after their placement year – demonstrating that when diverse, talented people are given a fair opportunity, they not only succeed – they stay and thrive in the sector.
Funding for the Fellowship itself is still a live challenge. To date, we are short by £26,500 of our £100,000 target needed to support 40 Fellows over the first two years. Yet, although ambitious, this remains achievable with the continued collective support of the sector.
By working together, we can make fundraising careers accessible to all, so that talent and passion – not financial circumstance – determine who can succeed.
A call to the sector
The Fellowship is a collective effort to create meaningful pathways into fundraising, and we invite you to join this mission.
We’re asking for:
- Charities to come forward to host a Fellow. Organisations who host a Mark Astarita Fellow, receive a 50% subsidy on the placement fee. Their trainee is employed by their host full-time for 12 months, while being supported and developed through the Charityworks programme.
- Funders and donors to contribute financially – every £2,500 raised unlocks a year of training, mentoring and placement for one Fellow
- Sector leaders to serve as mentors and advocates
Carrying Mark’s vision forward
Mark Astarita believed fundraising could change lives – not only through the causes it supports but through the people it welcomes into the profession. The Fellowship is a way to honour that vision.
One year on, we’ve made a strong start. Now we need the sector’s support to turn this into lasting impact.
To donate towards the Fellowship, visit the Mark Astarita JustGiving Page, or for more information on hosting, take a look at Charityworks’ website or get in touch with da*@***eo.co.
Dan Fardon
Senior Partnerships and Development Manager
Koreo
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