How Advancement and Development Teams are Evolving

Advancement and development functions across Australian schools and universities continue to expand as institutions face increasing pressure to diversify income, strengthen community relationships and secure long term sustainability. Recent sector reports show steady growth in both fundraising activity and the teams that support it.

Growth in Advancement capacity

Universities continue to increase their focus on structured philanthropy. The annual CASE Insights on Philanthropy survey confirms rising investment in fundraising staff, with participating institutions reporting detailed tracking of team size, expenditure and funds secured. The survey highlights that teams are growing to meet higher expectations around relationship management and campaign delivery. (case.org)

Increasing complexity and compliance

Universities face continued tighter financial conditions, including the long-term decline in student funding and the impact of international student caps. Students paid up to $368 million extra in 2024 than they would have under fee structures that applied before the Job Ready Graduates Scheme was introduced (adjusted for inflation), according to new modelling from the Innovative Research Universities lobby.

However universities received $813 million less to teach and support students. These constraints are increasing reliance on philanthropy and elevating the strategic importance of senior structured advancement roles. (universiti...lia.edu.au)

The sector is also preparing for wide scale reform through the Australian Universities Accord. Proposed changes include new governance structures and adjusted funding models, which will place greater expectations on advancement leaders to demonstrate clear outcomes, transparent reporting and strong stewardship. (aph.gov.au)

School sector trends

School Foundations continue to rely on philanthropy to support facilities, scholarships/bursaries and capital projects. Fundraising approaches within schools are also shifting. We are seeing more digital and community based giving models becoming more common as well as the development of structured bequest programs and endowment funds, with increased emphasis on personalised campaigns and long-term engagement to maintain donor interest.

Challenges facing Advancement teams

HR teams should be aware of several current challenges:

• Talent shortages: Sector-wide staffing pressures, a case for support to pay a competitive salary for a strategic professional fundraiser who will cover their own ROI and generate significant income for a school or university which should be considered in the package available.
• Higher expectations from donors: Benchmarking reports confirm a growing focus on impact measurement and transparent communication to maintain trust, this relies on well-maintained donor databases, stringent reporting and resource to not just maintain great donor stewardship, but also back end operations.
• Economic pressures: Across the board fundraising is reporting increased operational costs despite revenue growth, influencing donor behavior and a stronger need for demonstrated impact of their giving.

What this means for HR

Advancement teams now require a blend of relationship management, data capability, governance literacy and strategic thinking. HR leaders in schools and universities can support this by:

• recruiting for transferable skills rather than narrow sector experience
• investing in training for compliance, digital fundraising and stewardship
• creating career pathways that retain specialist staff
• ensuring workloads are sustainable given rising expectations

As philanthropy becomes central to institutional resilience, the ability to attract and retain strong advancement professionals will be a key differentiator for both schools and universities. At Beaumont People we have been working with both Universities and Independent schools on building their advancement teams, from donor relationship managers, to strategic capital campaign fundraisers and Directors of Development. We can support with not only the recruitment- based on a values and skills match- but also with benchmarking and sector insight to support decision making.
 



written by:
Katie Badman

Senior Recruitment Consultant, Beaumont People Education Team
With 6 years working within Higher Education and 7 years’ experience as a fundraiser in Not‑For‑Profits, Katie brings a genuine understanding of how education environments operate and what makes them thrive. Katie manages temporary and permanent recruitment for advancement, development and philanthropic roles, drawing on her own experience as a fundraiser to provide deep insight into the needs, structures and expectations of modern advancement teams.