RECRUITMENT INFORMATION
PACK
REGIONAL FUNDRAISER
(EAST of SCOTLAND)
MARCH 2015
c£24K plus £3K car allowance
WELCOME
Thank you for your interest in joining the Fundraising team at Teenage Cancer Trust.
This pack should give you all of the information you need to help you find out more about us and the role of Regional Fundraiser – East of Scotland.
If after reading this pack you would like clarification on anything please call Audrey Murray, Regional Fundraising Manager, Scotland on 07946 328 604.
THE ROLE & SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION
There's lots of information in the Job Pack itself but in brief we're looking for a Regional Fundraiser to work in the East of Scotland. This is an exciting role for a proactive self-starter, who is very income driven. We have very high standards and expectations of our fundraisers at Teenage Cancer Trust.
We’re looking for a strong, driven individual who has fundraising experience or who possesses the necessary skills to help us deliver some remarkable services for young people with cancer across the East of Scotland region. Currently the major focus of fundraising has been around Edinburgh, Central Region and Aberdeen but there are opportunities all across the region.
You must be living, or plan to live within the region to apply for this role.
You will need to be able to juggle the varied demands that come with being a supporter-led fundraising operation and be adept at building relationships with supporters and volunteers from all walks of life and across the entire region. You will be someone who relishes solving problems when they come up, values people and relationships and thrives on delivering results. You will not be worried about putting in the travel and occasional evening/weekend work that supporting a large fundraising region requires.
Regional Fundraising at Teenage Cancer Trust covers a wide remit of fundraising activities and you will need a strong background in a range of fundraising techniques including: Corporates, community driven fundraising, education fundraising, trusts and foundations and volunteer led fundraising. You will be responsible for developing all these income streams.
GEOGRAPHY & LOCATION FOR THIS ROLE
The majority of the Regional Fundraising teams are home-based. Principally this means they travel extensively across their area using their own home office as their base. None of the Regional Fundraising team see themselves as people who sit at desks.
Teams are small and focussed on delivering the best results in the most effective way. This role covers East of Scotland and you would be part of the Scotland team which consists of one Regional Fundraising Manager, two Regional Fundraisers (the other covering west of Scotland) and one Local Fundraising Co-Ordinator. We are a small but dynamic, ambitious and enthusiastic group.
The team’s fundraising work is extremely varied having secured generous donations from Major Donors, Trusts and Foundations, Companies, working with patients and their families, as well as supporting Challenge events and Schools and colleges fundraising activities.
The wider team for this area includes our Regional Education team of three and a Service Development Manager. In addition a Media Relations Manager based in London has specific responsibility for supporting the regional communications plan for the area. The whole team meet regularly to ensure that they are working in the best way for the teenagers, young adults, their families and friends that need our support.
The Region covered by this role stretches across the East of Scotland including Aberdeenshire, Perth, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Edinburgh and Scottish Borders.
CULTURE
We’re a smaller organisation than most people think. Despite our recent growth our total staff numbers – that’s everyone, not just fundraising - is around 120 people. This means we are still small enough to make decisions quickly, seize opportunities when they arise and behave in an entrepreneurial but professional way. It makes working for Teenage Cancer Trust exciting, vibrant and dynamic but it also means that if you are someone who prefers to be given an answer rather than help create the solution then you won't enjoy how we work.
We value collaboration over competition, see challenges as opportunities and welcome the views of everyone across the team. It doesn't matter how long you've worked here or what level your role is - you become one of the team immediately and your views, perspectives and opinions will matter.
OUR FUNDRAISING
Our Fundraising has grown significantly in recent years - both in terms of income generation and team members. Our income profile is different to lots of charities in that half of our annual income is delivered by the Regional Fundraising team, around a third from our sector-leading Corporate Partnerships team and other income from our Music, Events and Individual Giving activities.
Since 2008/09 we have increased our income from £8.7m to £12m and the numbers of people in Fundraising have also increased during this time.
Stephen’s Story
Stephen was supported by Teenage Cancer Trust and received his treatment in the charity’s units in Birmingham as well as attending many of the charity’s peer support events. Stephen had already raised half a million pounds for Teenage Cancer Trust when his health deteriorated and he posted what he thought was his “final Thumbs Up” on Facebook on 22 April 2014. That post received nearly 500,000 likes and over 76,000 shares as people responded to his incredible positivity and selflessness.
Stephen’s Story inspired the biggest single fundraiser in the charity’s history. To date, combining online, text and postal donations with the Gift Aid total, Stephen’s Story has raised over £5million for Teenage Cancer Trust and this total continues to rise.
The money was given through nearly 340,000 donations and will be spent on four key areas of Teenage Cancer Trust’s work. These include specialist cancer units, training and development for expert nursing and support staff, information services about cancer for young patients, and peer to peer support events. In partnership with Stephen’s family, Teenage Cancer Trust is also continuing the Stephen’s Story Fund so that those inspired by Stephen can continue to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust in his name.
As you might have gathered by now - we're pretty honest, up-front and direct. It's hard to get across what it is like to work at Teenage Cancer Trust without things sounding cheesy but we do see ourselves very much as a team. We are driven on by a commitment to seeing our fundraising efforts, late nights and miles driven, turn into direct results for young people with cancer. It's a pretty special place to be.
ABOUT REGIONAL FUNDRAISING
Regional Fundraising is the biggest fundraising team at Teenage Cancer Trust both in terms of income and people. We raise over £5m each year and have seen our income increase by 65% since 2008/09. The backbone of our income is delivered by the remarkable young people, their families and friends who directly experience Teenage Cancer Trust's support during their cancer experience. We also raise significant and growing amounts of income from volunteers across the UK, schools, colleges and universities and the more typical community fundraising mix.
We focus our regional areas around the Teenage Cancer Trust services that are delivered within them and these areas are then allocated to three core regions of North, East and West.
The majority of the Regional Fundraising team are home-based across the UK and are - in their own words - pretty much the noisiest team in the whole charity.
THE ROLE
We need a strong, driven individual who has fundraising experience or who possesses the necessary skills to really ‘hit the ground running’ as there are already a large number of events and relationships in place that need continued attention. It is essential that you would also be able to deliver new opportunities and new business in order to continue to develop the region as a whole.
You will work very closely with patients receiving treatment on our units, their families and friends and bereaved families who want to fundraise for us. It can make the job an emotional one at times and you need to be prepared for that, but working with patients and families is also one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. You will be given support and training.
Within Regional Fundraising, based in London, there is a Trusts Team and an Events & Challenges Team who lead on the development of these areas, and provide guidance and support, but you will still be involved in maximising all the opportunities from these activities within your region.
You will not be on your own as there is significant strategic and operational support for Regional Fundraising within Teenage Cancer Trust. It's definitely not the 'poor relation' it can sometimes be seen as within other fundraising charities. Far from it. Not only are there strong working relationships within the East of Scotland but across all of the Fundraising departments as well.
We have excellent relationships with our Services and Education teams who very much value fundraising and support it whenever possible.
ABOUT TEENAGE CANCER TRUST
Our vision is a future where young people’s lives don’t stop because they have cancer.
We make sure they’re treated as young people first, cancer patients second and everything we do aims to improve their quality of life and chances of survival. We lead the world in the care of young people with cancer. Together with these young people, their families and the passion of our supporters, we're challenging healthcare to improve and transform lives.
Over 21 years we have learnt a lot about what it's like to be a young person with cancer and we understand their unique emotional, physical and practical needs. Around seven young people aged between 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK. Without Teenage Cancer Trust these young people are treated alongside children or elderly patients at the end of their lives. Being away from your normal life, friends and environment at such a vulnerable time is the last thing young people and their families need.
They need expert treatment and support from the moment they hear the word ‘cancer’ and we’re the only charity dedicated to making this happen. Currently for every young person with Cancer we support there is another we cannot reach.
WHAT THE REGIONAL TEAM THINK
WHAT WE DO
We bring young people together so they can be treated together, by teenage cancer experts, in the best place for them. Teenage Cancer Trust develops specialist units within NHS hospitals that bring young people aged between 13 and 24 together, to be treated and supported by Teenage Cancer Trust nurses and youth support coordinators in a place designed just for them.
We know providing a place that feels a bit more ‘normal’ helps young people cope with the devastation and chaos of cancer and its gruelling treatments. We know that our specialist nurses and youth support coordinators see young people as young people first and cancer patients second.
Our units are designed to feel like a home from home, where young people will feel comfortable. The walls are bright, the furniture is funky, there might be pool tables and a jukebox, and there’s always a place to watch films and surf the net.
We want every young person with cancer to have access to our vital specialist support, no matter where they live in the UK.
SAFEGUARDING
As a charity that supports teenagers and young adults with cancer, we have a duty to ensure that the young people who benefit from our support are not harmed in any way, and we expect all our staff to share in our commitment to safeguarding and the welfare of young people.
SPECIALIST FACILITIES IN EAST OF SCOTLAND
In the East of Scotland region there are two specialist facilities for young people with cancer.
The facilities at Teenage Cancer Trust units such as the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Western General Hospital are just the first step in supporting young people with cancer across the East of Scotland.
The Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at The Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh is for 13 -16 year olds and currently has 2 in-patient beds. All bedrooms are equipped with soft furnishings, bespoke furniture, TV, DVD and gaming facilities, and there is dedicated Teenage Cancer Trust Wi-Fi with laptops provided. This is an interim unit and will be replaced by a unit within the new children’s hospital in Edinburgh, expected to be completed in 2017.
Teenage Cancer Trust Unit at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh has been open to patients since December 2013. The Unit is run by highly qualified specialists who are experts in the field of cancer and how it particularly affects teenagers and young people.
The unit is vibrant and colourful, decorated in purple, green and blue with eye-catching wall designs featuring the Edinburgh skyline.
It has four single patient bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms. It also boasts a large open-plan activity and social room which includes a kitchen and dining area, as well as an area to watch TV, a jukebox, and a gaming area. There is a day care room for outpatient treatment, and a quiet room where young people and their families can spend time. Wi-Fi throughout the unit also allows young patients to keep in touch with friends and family in the outside world.
There are social spaces which provide a welcome distraction from long and gruelling treatment and an ideal environment for young people to meet others going through a similar experience. The social zone is a great meeting space with comfy sofas, a TV, Pool Table and Digital Juke Box. The chill out room provides a place of sanctuary and quiet with ‘mood-changing’ lights and young patients can keep up to date with their school work in the education hub.