Advert: Africa Educational Trust (AET), Fundraiser

Permanent Role Salary: £28,000 per annum

Location: Holborn, Central London

Closing date: Monday 27th November 5pm

AET provides education to the most marginalised communities in conflict and post-conflict arenas in Africa. We need a Fundraiser to raise vital funds to support our work and communicate our cause.

You must have at least 3 years fundraising experience, particularly in growing unrestricted income through committed givers, major donors, corporates or trusts and foundations. You should also have experience of both digital and print communications using the strength of our organisation’s brand to gain support. You will have responsibility for a fundraising budget and its management and will need to demonstrate the capability of planning and costing fundraising activities within a fundraising and communications strategy. The ability to build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, donors and volunteers is essential. Highly self-motivated and able to work autonomously, take initiative and make decisions, you will bring energy, enthusiasm and willingness to achieve ambitious targets. There will be opportunities to travel to the field to support fundraising activities.

A full job description and person specificationis availablebelow.

How to apply: Please submit your CV with a concise covering letter demonstrating how you meet therequirements of the Person Specification and in particular have the Essential Experience listedto

Interview date: Thursday 7th December

Job Description

Title: Fundraiser

Location: London

Hours of Work: 35

Salary per annum: £28,000

The Fundraiser co-ordinates and manages fundraising (comprising of community, trust, corporate, major donors, individual giving and digital fundraising) and communications for Africa Educational Trust's London Head Office and supports the overall fundraising and communication efforts of its regional offices.

Main Tasks:

  • Devise and implement fundraising and communications strategy
  • Manages departmental budget (circa £50,000 – 100,000) and forecast and tracks success against organisational targets
  • Prepare reports and give updates to Senior Management Team (SMT) and the Board of Trustees (BoT)
  • Manage and support volunteers who assist with communications and fundraising activities
  • Ensures organisational compliance to fundraising regulations and standards of practice

Fundraising

  • Undertake research, approach and engage with prospective donors and supporters.
  • Provide ongoing stewardship to existing supporters and ensure they are kept up-to-date on progress achieved through their support and opportunities for further engagement
  • Identify new fundraising streams, evaluate their potential and produce strategies to access thesestreams.
  • Provide support to restricted fundraising through bid writing, research and gathering supporting material.
  • Undertake travel to projects as required to gather evidence to support fundraising. Targets and success criteria will be agreed for each project.

Communications

  • Oversee design and production communications materials aimed at generating awareness, promoting AET and supporting fundraising in the UK and Overseas
  • Support overseas staff in producing in-country communication materials and project communication materials that support AETs communications local, regionally and internationally
  • Management of key messages, brand and positioning of AET externally and internally.

Reports to: Executive Director

Detail of Tasks

  • Devise and oversee the implementation of fundraising and communications strategy

◦In-line with the corporate strategy and under the advisement of SMT the F&C Manager will develop strategies to achieve the organisation’s fundraising and communication objectives

◦Ensure that awareness of the strategy exists throughout the organisation and that the appropriate people and resources are mobilised to achieve it

◦Develop annual action plans and key performance indicators to monitor the strategy

  • Agree on a departmental budget and forecast and track success against organisational targets

◦Develop an annual and multi-annual budget and forecast for fundraising and communications

◦Introduce systems to track and monitor income, expenditure and performance against financial targets

  • Prepare reports and give updates to senior management and the Board of Trustees

◦Provide quarterly updates to senior management against key performance indicators, action plans and strategies

◦Produce business cases and recommendations related to new and potential fundraising and communications opportunities and expenditure

  • Manage and support volunteers who assist with communications and fundraising activities

◦Ensure volunteers have volunteer agreements and receive appropriate training and orientation

◦Provide ongoing support and act as a contact point for volunteers

  • Ensures organisational compliance to fundraising regulations and standards of practice

◦Keep up-to-date on UK regulations and laws as they relate to fundraising and communications and ensure the SMT and BOT is advised on these regulations

◦Assist in maintaining the highest standard of practice in fundraising and meeting all legal requirements related to fundraising and communications

Fundraising

  • Undertake research, approach and engagement with prospective donors and supporters.

◦Gather appropriate information on prospective donors/supporters to develop a strategy of engagement

◦Lead/co-ordinate communication with prospective supporters/donor and produce funding proposals and appropriate materials to facilitate donations

  • Provide ongoing stewardship to existing supporters and ensure they are kept up-to-date on progress achieved through their support and opportunities for further engagement

◦Produce regular general updates to donors and newsletter subscribers

◦Produce customised reports and updates to engage with specific donor segments and high value supporters

◦Ensure donors are aware of other opportunities for engagement including other ways of donating, fundraising opportunities, volunteering and general awareness raising

  • Identify new and potential fundraising streams and produce strategies to access these streams

◦Keep abreast of new and innovative fundraising approaches and their utilisation within the sector

◦Evaluate new fundraising streams and make recommendations of pilot and scale-up of streams which show promising income and return-on-investment

Communications

  • Oversee design and production communications materials aimed at generating awareness, promoting AET and supporting fundraising in the UK and Overseas

◦Maintain website and IT support ensuring information in up-to-date and appropriate and IT systems are functioning optimally.

◦Ensure social media channels are active and engaging with appropriate audiences

◦Produce written and visual content for digital and print materials

◦Oversea third-party contracts to produce communication materials

◦Assists in the writing and promotion of articles, blogs, academic pieces and other publications related to AETs work

  • Support overseas staff in producing in-country communication materials and project communication materials that support AETs communications local, regionally and internationally

◦Support overseas staff in producing and providing stories, videos, photos and other materials necessary for the promotion of AET and its work

◦Strengthen the capacity of overseas staff to promote AET and its work locally and regionally and internationally

  • Management of key messages, brand and positioning of AET externally and internally.

◦Produce internal briefing updates

◦Work with colleagues to ensure brand integrity and consistent messaging.

◦Monitor use of brand and external communications from country staff.

  • Shared responsibility for distributing AET Admin emails, letters and letter headings, answering phone calls, shredding, leave arrangements

Person Specification

Essential Experience

  • At least 3 years of experience in fundraising (individual giving, corporate giving, major donor, community and/or trust and foundations)
  • Track record in growing unrestricted funds
  • At least 1 year of experience in communications both print and digital
  • Demonstrable track record in meeting and exceed fundraising targets
  • Experience with producing and developing communications materials utilising the strength of an organisation brand
  • Experience in developing and implementing strategic plans and business plans

Ability

  • Demonstrated ability to build and manage key clients and donor relationships
  • Proven ability to build, manage and develop key stakeholder, client and donor relationships
  • Ability to secure support and build relationships with diverse range of stakeholders including Board of Trustees, volunteers, partners, corporates and academics

Essential Skills and Knowledge

  • Track record of bringing innovative creative thinking and fresh ideas
  • Knowledge of the fundraising environment and a range of techniques and disciplines
  • Exceptional persuasive written and oral skills
  • Ability to support cross-cultural communications with overseas staff and contacts
  • Highly self-motivated and able to work autonomously, take initiative and make decisions
  • Energy, enthusiasm and willingness to achieve ambitious targets

Qualifications

  • Educated to a degree level or equivalent experience
  • Continued professional development relevant to the role purpose and level

Desirable

  • Knowledge of and experience in international development and education sectors
  • Advanced expertise with WordPress, photo-editing, video-editing
  • Demonstrated track-record in developing growth in new fundraising streams