program officer

philanthropy manager

fundraiser

program manager

patient advocate

Oxfam

I've been working in the charity fundraising business for years now, and I've never loved it more than with the Oxfam Frontliners. 

The job itself is mostly calling people from your computer and talking to people who have donated to Oxfam in the past, and convincing them to switch over to a monthly model of charitable giving. Through this, you get interesting and memorable conversations every single day. It's a kaleidoscope of unique perspectives and kooky characters, all the while your performance is boosted by the passion you may have in the important topics of humanitarian work. And important to note: you're going to hear a lot of old ladies tell you about their grandchildren. It's lovely.

You'll learn a lot. Both about the donors you speak to (and their grandchildren) and about the various issues and politics of the world. The biggest thing I think you will learn, however, is how to effectively communicate with people. 

The management is great. Lovely people who are a pleasure to work with and are just great at their jobs. They help to really make the workplace a pleasant and comfortable place to be. There are two meetings over zoom each week where the team gets together to talk, share stories, and do activities to hone our skills in fundraising. They are easily the most fun parts of the work week, and always something to look forward to. 

It's not always an easy job. Talking about the world's largest problems day in and day out can start to wear on you. There is a level of resilience that really is necessary to stay mentally healthy doing this. Tools around avoiding burnout are important to develop, treat yourself with care. That being said, the feeling at the end of day that you really made a difference in these issues, it's beautiful. 

Overall, I'd recommend the Oxfam Frontlines as a workplace to anyone who is passionate about world issues, and enjoys talking to people. I think you'll find it rewarding, fun, challenging, and fulfilling. 

Oxfam Canada is a company that is part of a conglomerate of Oxfam companies around the world. Oxfam Canada is focus on development through empowering women, this means reducing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG). The company organizational structure is very good. It is more horizontal than vertical. The workplace culture is very relaxed and cater it's the needs and desires of its employers and ( in my case interns). A typical day of work for me was attending meetings with my supervisor on the task we needed to fulfill that day. I worked with a partner or in groups, always within reach of my supervisor should any questions or complications arise. The staff there we very friendly and everyone worked together to produce a very good working environment. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with other people around the world through skype and other media. I relished the opportunity to work across continents to tackle the issues of GBV and VAWG around the world.

I enjoyed my time here and appreciated the support and encouragement provided by the managers/supervisors. Their leadership was instrumental in creating a positive work environment where everyone wanted each other to succeed.

I also appreciated the fair pay and flexible schedule, which made it ideal for someone like me who was in school at the time. The day-to-day tasks involved cold calling donors/previous donors and reading a script about current projects and asking for donations. Although this could get challenging at times.

However, I would like to provide some constructive feedback regarding my experience. At times, it felt like the managers/supervisors were wishy-washy with their answers when we would bring up concerns that donors would have, such as why Oxfam CEOs are paid at such a high rate. It would be helpful if there was more clarity and transparency on such issues, as it could affect the success of our fundraising efforts.

This is a super challenging job. It's a constant grind that requires being extremely outgoing and self-motivated. It's not uncommon for longtime employees to go a week or more with no results, so the audition period is very hard to pass. This will only be sustainable for you in the long term if you can handle 35+ rejections to your face a day; occasionally going a few weeks with virtually no success and the high-performance expectations. If you're cut out for this, you'll gain a meaningful career; a massively supportive office; a super high starting wage; unfathomable charisma and grit. The short-term experience is good enough that ANYBODY currently working for less than 18 an hour should at least do their bank account a favour and give this job a shot.

Working as an Oxfam Frontliner has been incredible. The team is the most supportive and wonderful group I’ve ever met. A typical day includes meeting with the group, and then spending the day outdoors canvassing. You work at a new location every day which makes it a great job to help someone learn about the city. The job is outdoors, there’s an adorable office dog, and everyone you work with will quickly become a friend. What more could you ask for? On top of all that, when I come home from this job, I do so with the knowledge that I’ve truly made a positive impact in this world. There’s no better feeling. It’s a job that requires a lot of resilience but the pay-off is great both monetarily and work-wise. If you’re passionate about world issues and women’s rights, this is the place to be.

Over the last 10 years I have worked for 4 fundraising companies in 2 different countries & I can honestly say that the Oxfam frontliners are by far the best. The management team are supportive & really want to see their employees thrive, they genuinely believe in & love the charity they represent, they are ethical & they believe in their staff. Fundraising is a hard job, dealing with the level of rejection we deal with can be really difficult but the team there holds each other up, you are never alone. On top of all of this you get to grow as a person, you learn how to be a great leader & you learn what words like “mindset” & “motivation” truly mean. If you are looking for a job that leaves you with a sense of purpose, that pushes you to grow, that challenges you, Oxfam Frontliners is for you.

Working as an Oxfam fundraiser has been an immense pleasure for me. If you are looking for a positive work environment, diverse culture and a supportive team, this is the place to be.
Growth and development of the employees is a priority for the management team and they provide the necessary support at all times. Creativity and new ideas are always welcomed and encouraged.
It is an outdoors job which lets you visit new locations and meet new people, everything an extrovert like me can dream of. The job is a bit exhausting due to weather conditions and some of the indifferent people. However, at the end of the day, you sleep knowing you did something to make the world a better place than it was yesterday. 
If you have good communication skills, passionate about women’s rights and care about the issues of the world, come and join us at Oxfam.

I’ve been with Oxfam for about 8 months and honestly I love it. I was a bit apprehensive coming into this role as I have never worked in fundraising before or worked from home. The management are all incredible, extremely knowledgeable and really make you feel like your part of something greater than yourself. I have learned so much more than I thought possible and I was offered opportunities based on my skills which are constantly been worked on to get even better. Despite the team being home based I feel like I know all of them sooo well and we are always here to cheer each other or help us get up when days are tough. And in fundraising you always have a mixed bag. Honestly there’s isn’t anything negative to say because you are really given all the tools you need to succeed - the rest is up to you.

Oxfam was a great place to go to work. I was excited to go to work everyday. It started at 8:30 with a coffee, listening to voice mails, and reading e-mails. Once everyone was there, there would be a 10 to 15 mins debrief of what may be happening for the day (who has meetings, who is away (work/vacation), what we can expect). Lunch was a favourite time for the entire office. We always tried to lunch together - we had a round table and everything was unpacked there (work and  personall issues) and sometimes even resolved. But always a weight was relieved at the lunch table. My co-workers were amazing....always ready to help, show different perspective etc. Hardest part of the job was saying bye everynight. Most enjoyable part was working with amazing people for an amazing cause.

Working at Oxfam has been an incredible experience even a month in to the job. The team is hard working, well organized and extremely supportive. This job has given me some of the best coworkers I have ever had, as well as the Best management team I’ve ever worked for. The job itself is very challenging, and has required me to push myself in ways I’ve never done before, however this challenge has allowed me to build skills that I will hold on to my entire life. The perfect job for anyone who is willing to put their heart and soul into the work. Overall an incredibly meaningful experience.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Program officer 6 salaries reported	$78,703 per year
Philanthropy manager 2 salaries reported	$78,703 per year
Fundraiser 5 salaries reported	$20.90 per hour
Program manager 2 salaries reported	$76,408 per year
Patient advocate 1 salary reported	$82,674 per year

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