Fundraising ManagerJob Description

Salary: £34-38,000 dependent on experience

Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Start date: Immediate

Location:Angel, Islington

Reporting to:Head of fundraising and communications

Benefits: Up to 4.5% employer pension contributions, 25 days annual leave with additional office closure days at Christmas, two paid volunteer days, season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers and a range of other benefits.

Key relationships:ThinkForward central team,trustees, development committee, individual major donors and senior representatives from grant-making trusts and businesses.

Overview of ThinkForward

ThinkForward runs a breakthrough programme which intervenes early to ensure that young people make a successful transition from school to work. ThinkForward targets areas with large numbers of young people at risk of not making a successful transition from educationinto employment.

At the heart of the programme are coaches who provide young people with personalised one-to-one coaching and group activities, as well as exposure to the world of work and cultural enrichment activities. Coaching enables young people to overcome challenges holding them back from achieving their potential and ultimately a safer and more successful pathway into employment and adulthood. Young people are supported for five years, from 13-18 years old.

The programme has a strong track record. Having started out in London in 2011 it has since expanded to Nottingham and Kent and is currently working in 17 schools and many local colleges.In 2017, 80% of all young people to graduate from the programme were in education, employment or training.

ThinkForward’s fundraising track record

ThinkForward has an unusual funding history. In its first few years a social impact bond provided 50% of the funds needed to operate and this was topped up with a few high-level donors. Since this ended in 2015 the organisation has been developing a more diversified base of philanthropic funding, with some Careers and Enterprise Company contracts and a focus on major donor fundraising. In 2018 there is an aim to launch another social impact bond and to diversify funding further to include more statutory sources.

Philanthropic funds come from a number of corporates, their foundations, grant making trusts and individuals. Partnerships include Bank of America, Intermediate Capital Group, Epic Foundation andImpetus-PEF to name a few. Others can be found in ThinkForward’s latest annual review here. Building on this strong fundraising foundation, the team is expanding to manage new funding partnerships and to seek new forms of income. The team maintains a high return on investment but since doubling its number of funders in 2017 needs extra resource and new skills.

In 2018 the organisation’s forecasted income is 2.3m. The new business target is £300k with some of this already raised. Around £1m of income will be renewed in 2018.

Overview of role

The fundraising manager will work alongside the head of fundraising and communications and as one of two managers and a fundraising executive. The purpose of the role is to build and manage a portfolio of existing funding partnerships and to win new funds from a range of philanthropic and, potentially, statutory sources. It is a great opportunity for someone who wants to apply and develop a range of skills in a dynamic team. There are plentyof exciting project management opportunities, the chance to influence strategy andlots of room to grow.

The fundraising team also benefits from the networks and advice of an active development committee - a sub-committee of ThinkForward’s overall board - and regional steering groups which are local committees madeup of local funders and influential stakeholders.

The fundraising manager will have an impressive track record in building new partnerships and securing funding from high-level donors including corporates, trusts and foundations and/or statutory sources. They will embrace challenge and be excited by the prospect of being able to work in a small yet ambitious team, with the chance to shape ThinkForward’s future fundraising and profile.

The organisation is open to receiving applications from individuals with transferrable skills from the private sector.

Core responsibilities

  • Manage the stewardship of a portfolio of current funding partnerships (all exceeding £25k per year). Ensure the funding, awareness and volunteering value of each partnership is realised and where appropriate, secure renewals and scale-up existing partnerships.
  • Manage the development of cultivation and solicitation plans for a portfolio of new prospects from ThinkForward’s funding pipeline to raise c.£105k in 2018/2019. Some of these prospects have already been identified.
  • Work closely with ThinkForward’s development committee, board of trustees and advisory board to identify prospects for ThinkForward’s pipeline.
  • Ensure the needs of donors are balanced with the needs of the organisation by working closely with the delivery team to design proposals and partnership opportunities.
  • Write high quality funding applications, donor communications, project reports, briefing documents and donor updates to support excellent stewardship.
  • Work closely with the performance and impact team to collect relevant data and delivery information for donor reports.
  • Support the delivery of fundraising and donor engagement events, in particular ThinkForward’s high net worth dinner series.
  • Work closely with the team to come up with new and engaging cultivation and stewardship opportunities for prospective and existing donors.
  • Provide financial management, including developing and managing budgets and forecastingon a quarterly basis.
  • Support the implementation of effective fundraising processes and systems, including maintaining ThinkForward’s new relationship managementsystem CiviCRM.
  • Network to stay ahead of the latest trends and developments in CSR and major donor giving. Use this knowledge to proactively contribute towards the development of the organisation’s funding strategy.

Person specification

ThinkForward operates a staff competency framework to inform our recruitment and performance management of staff. The following behaviours define the expectations for this position.

Communication /
  • Is approachable and open and transparent with stakeholders and line manager.
  • Makes use of the strengths of different channels/methods of communication.
  • Excellent writing and presentation skills.
  • Communicates information to different audiences in an interesting and stimulating style.
  • Ensures that communications within ThinkForward reflect our brand, values and objectives.
  • Takes active steps to communicate new developments in a timely manner and asks for help if needed.
  • Communicates relevant and appropriate information about young people with partners.
  • Constructively manages barriers to effective communication.

Planning and Organising /
  • Produces medium term plans (a quarter ahead) that cover a range of options and contingencies so where necessary it can be adapted or flexed.
  • Makes effective use of project and time management aids, including available technology, to monitor progress and meet deadlines.
  • Links plans and priorities to higher-level business objectives and partners’ strategies.
  • Delegates appropriate tasks and uses follow-up mechanisms to achieve results and to free up own time.
  • Thinks resourcefully to get things done (e.g. working to tight deadlines for funding, implementing new contracts at pace or when funding rejections are received).

Teamwork /
  • Considers their contribution to the whole of ThinkForward and not just own area of the organisation when making decisions.
  • Proactive about liaising and working with other functions to achieve own and team objectives and asks for support.
  • Regularly updates colleagues (inside and outside own function) on key developments and shares best practice to prevent reinvention of the wheel
  • Remains solutions focused.
  • Invites members of other functions to work with them and discuss issues of mutual concern (forges relationships).
  • Shows empathy and compassion for others.

Impact and quality focused /
  • Holds self and other team members accountable for achieving impact and improving the quality of client service.
  • Actively participates in quality assurance process and acts on feedback
  • Regularly reviews data including client or team feedback to propose improvements.
  • Tries new ideas and finds more efficient methods through gaining feedback, buy-inand commitment from colleagues.
  • Persists until personal and team goals are achieved and commitments met.
  • Effectively balances the needs of the project targets with the needs of young people.

Professional expertise /
  • Experience of cultivating a pipeline of prospective funders and managing a portfolio of donor partnerships.
  • Experience in a fundraising or equivalent role for a minimum of five years.
  • Experience in planning and developing cultivation and stewardship programmes for current and prospective donors.
  • Consistently shares expertise with others by teaching skills and explaining concepts.
  • Continuously uses own initiative to build policy or procedural knowledge, keeping up to date with own professional field of work.
  • Keeps up to date with resources available to serve the needs of clients.
  • Produces workable solutions to a range of problems and uses necessary information to achieve work objectives.
  • Through reflective practice and receiving feedback from observation processes is aware of own skills or knowledge gaps.

The organisation reserves the right from time to time to make reasonable changes to this job description, to take account of organisational changes.

Please note, as a minimum requirement, applicants will have the right to work in the UK.

ThinkForward is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and post holders to share this commitment.

ThinkForward is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Please do not send CVs. Only applications received via a completed application form will be considered.

Closing date: Midnight on 30th April, 2018. Successful applicants will be contacted within seven days of the closing date.

Email address to send applications: