Director of Fundraising Marketing

Introduction letter from the Acting Chief Executive

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Bloodwise.

We believe this is a hugely exciting opportunity for the right person to help transform the world of blood cancer. Our vision is simple - a world without blood cancer. We want everyone to live their life to the fullest, free from blood cancer, free from side effects and fear of relapse. But to do this we need to raise awareness of blood cancer, raise engagement in and support of our work, and of course raise the vital funds needed to invest in world leading research.

We are looking for an exceptional Director of Fundraising and Marketing who can lead our newly established team at this critical and challenging time. We have a compelling case for support, a tremendous track record, an army of committed staff and volunteers and the real opportunity and responsibility to continue making a very big difference for present and future blood cancer patients.

In this pivotal role you will demonstrate outstanding leadership credentials, with a track record of delivering results at a Director or senior management equivalent level and of developing innovative, sustainable and diverse income streams. With relationship building at your core, you will also bring a deep experience of building high value and productive partnerships which deliver impact.

You will be an empowering and inspiring leader who engages others quickly and who is able to inspire confidence and respect across the organisation, our partners and the media. Above all else you will share our passion for our work, demonstrate a commitment to the values of Bloodwise and a genuine empathy for our mission

If you think this role is right for you and you can be part of Bloodwise helping us to make a real difference in blood cancer patients lives, then I very much look forward to your application.

Best wishes,

Diana Jupp

Acting Chief Executive

About Bloodwise
We're the UK's specialist blood cancer charity and our vision is clear: we’re here to beat blood cancer and we’ve been working to do this since 1960. We fund world-class research; provide information and support to patients and their loved ones; and raise awareness of blood cancer.

Since 1960 we have invested more than £500 million in blood cancer research in the UK. Where we’ve invested, survival rates and quality of life have improved. We’re proud to say that UK blood cancer research leads the world, thanks to the money we’ve been able to invest because of our supporters and fundraising. But we still have so much more to do: blood cancer is the 5th most common cancer and sadly it is the 3rd biggest cancer killer in the UK, claiming more lives than either breast or prostate cancer. We’ll keep working to achieve our vision of improving survival rates and quality of life, and ultimately of beating blood cancer.

Our History

Our story begins in 1960 with one family, the Eastwoods, who sadly lost their 6 year old daughter Susan to leukaemia. They believed there could and should be hope for people with blood cancer.

When they founded our first voluntary branch back in 1960 as the Leukaemia Research Fund, fundraising for blood cancer research was a real step into the unknown. The tireless dedication of our supporters meant that new branches quickly formed all around the country, and from there we grew and grew to become a national organisation with over 150 local fundraising groups and six offices across the UK.

We can now look back and be proud of the impact that we have contributed to in many different ways - most of all the improvement in survival and treatment options. More and more people are surviving for longer and we can start to talk seriously about living well with blood cancer.

And while research remains at the heart of our work, our name – Bloodwise – embraces all blood cancer patients, unites everything we do, and we believe it truly reflects who we are today.


Our Research

Blood cancer research in the UK is recognised for its high quality around the world and our role as a funder has been pivotal, with four in every five blood cancer researchers in the UK having received funding from us for their work. Patient-centred research has been at the core of our work since we began in 1960. We can look back and be proud of the change that we have contributed to in many different ways: from the vast improvement in survival rates from childhood leukaemia, to the development of targeted therapies in Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia and Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia.

Our work spans all stages of the research pathway, from understanding the biology of blood cancer, to identifying new targets for treatment or developing better tests to guide treatment, to testing these findings in clinical trials that will move research into clinical practice - including through our innovative Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP). Every year our researchers publish findings that change clinical care and provide hope for cures for blood cancer.

Over the last five years we have been changing in a significant way – centred on how we can improve the outcomes and experiences of people affected by blood cancer. Our research informs all that we do, and in recent years we have begun to use the knowledge and experience in other ways, stretching our sphere of influence beyond the research community. More recently we’ve entered the policy arena and owned our position as the second largest cancer research charity in the UK, and certainly the leader for blood cancer patients. This has enabled us to begin to influence opinion and to leverage resource beyond our income for the benefit of blood cancer patients.

Our Patient Services

Our research has contributed to the unprecedented understanding of blood cancer and over time we have evolved from a purely academic research charity to a charity with the patient at the heart of all we do.

We want to make sure that the next £500million that we invest addresses the needs of patients further and even faster. To do this we need an evidence base. In 2014 we conducted the largest ever blood cancer research project into patient need to gain an understanding of what most affects those living and working with blood cancer. We now have a comprehensive and holistic evidence base so that we can wisely decide how we invest the money our supporters raise, now and in the future.

As a result of our Patient Need Research we established a new Patient Experience Directorate in 2015 with the aim of improving patients’ lives by reducing isolation and improving care and access to treatment. We provide high quality information and support, raise awareness of blood cancer and needs of our patient group and provide a voice for patients creating a higher profile for blood cancer and all those affected. In 2016 we launched our support line for anyone who needs us; a Bloodwise Ambassador programme training volunteers to speak on behalf and represent the charity and in 2017 we will be launching Blood Cancer Connect, an online community and signposting service.

Our Strategy

Everything we do is aligned with our four key strategic aims:

Deliver World Leading Research

Funding priority research in line with our research strategy, and ensuring our research and fundraising teams work closely together to maximise the amount of funding we can provide.

Improve Care for those Living with and Beyond Blood Cancer

By delivering high quality and accessible services, and using our influence to improve patient access to the best care and treatment.

Extend Our Reach and Relevance

Increasing the public’s awareness, understanding and willingness to engage with our cause, mission and brand.

Increase Income, Efficiency and Effectiveness

Maximising our income and money to mission by increasing the return on our fundraising activities, developing efficient working practices, and ensuring we have a motivated, talented team.

Our Vision

Our vision is simple: we’re here to beat blood cancer.

Our Mission

We stop people dying from blood cancer, wemake patients’ lives better, and we look for ways to stopblood cancerhappening in the first place.

We stop people dying from blood cancer

We won’t stop until every single person with blood cancer survives and no one dies from blood cancer again. 100% survival, nothing less.

We make people’s lives better

People with blood cancer should be able to live their lives to the full: free from the fear of relapse; free from side effects and free to do the things they love. We’ll work to improve quality of life until blood cancer no longer has an impact.

We look for ways tostop people getting blood cancer in the first place

If there are ways to prevent blood cancer, we’ll find them. We’ll uncover how blood cancer works, so we can stop it happening.

Our Belief and Principles

Our belief and principles underpin everything we do as an organisation. They’re key to us being successful in our vision of beating blood cancer. Inspiring leaders and organisations think, act and communicate from the inside-out.

Our principles are for everyone to consider, connect with and hopefully be inspired by. They reflect the fact that while you work here, you should feel you have permission to innovate, create, question, query, be yourself, work with others, have ambition and celebrate success.

  • We bring all that we are to our work.
  • We’re always searching for better ways to do things, big and small.
  • We work with other people to unlock what’s possible.
  • We have the courage to keep going and do what needs to be done, even if it’s hard.
  • We’re here to change the world.

Our belief is at the heart of our organisation: it’s what we stand for. We believe that life is a gift to be used wisely and lived fiercely.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: / Director of Fundraising & Marketing
Reporting to: / Chief Executive
Directorate: / Fundraising & Marketing
Location: / London

The Opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to strategically lead our recently formed Fundraising and Marketing department and help us to achieve transformational growth.

We changed our name to Bloodwise in September 2015. In a challenging external environment, with an urgent business imperative to commercially optimise our brand, we brought together our marketing and fundraising functions under one directorate in 2016 – to develop a more integrated approach to raising awareness, building relationships, generating income and delivering on our strategic priorities.

Building on the momentum generated by our new name and our strategy to bring people affected by blood cancer to the heart of the charity, we are seeking an experienced leader to help Bloodwise thrive and grow throughout a period of exciting change and development.

The Director of Fundraising & Marketing will lead the media and communications teams, further develop our fundraising function to ensure we are maximising our income opportunities, and promote and protect our corporate identity and brand. Leading a team of around 50 people nationally, they will have specific responsibility for the delivery of several new and existing major programmes in areas such as stakeholder engagement, corporate partnerships, major donors and individual giving.

We are looking for someone who has already built and developed fundraising capability within a third sector organisation and has a strong track record of income generation and delivery, ideally at Director level. You’ll have extensive proven experience of strategic thinking, including the development of integrated, long-term plans, and strong leadership and management skills.

As a well-connected leader, with demonstrable evidence of building purposeful relationships, you will see the urgent and longer-term brand opportunities for Bloodwise to grow income and deliver on our vision to beat blood cancer. To do this you will continue to develop and embed the environment for income growth including management, operations and culture. Uniting our marketing and fundraising functions, you will help the team become truly supporter-centred ensuring every experience that our supporters have with Bloodwise is uplifting and positive.

With plenty of demonstrable experience of creating and implementing successful income & engagement strategies, you will help realise our ambition to improve awareness of blood cancer and significantly grow our income to increase our funding of the UK’s leading blood cancer research programmes and meet the needs of patients and their families.

Organisational Structure

You’ll be part of a Director team of 5, reporting into the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive reports directly to the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the executive team meet with the Board of Trustees six times a year, usually on a Wednesday evening. You will report to and engage with the Trustees on all aspects of marketing and income generation.

The Role

You will strategically lead and inspire the Fundraising and Marketing Department to deliver and grow a multi-million pound portfolio of events and campaigns in a challenging fundraising and market environment. With an annual income target of £17m by 2020 and a 20% increase in profile, reach and awareness, integration will be the key to your success as you lead a team that delivers a diverse and successful portfolio of income streams, campaigns and external communications, to generate the money we need to fund the vital research that brings us closer to beating blood cancer and improving lives of people affected by blood cancer.

More specifically the purpose of the job is:

  1. Strategic fundraising leadership in order to bring in £17 million per year by 2020
  2. Marketing and communications leadership; establishing and delivering a 3 year operational plan to increase brand awareness and supporter engagement by 20% by 2020
  3. Strategic planning, budgeting and development of the fundraising and marketing functions.
  4. Working as part of the senior leadership team, develop and guide the strategic direction of Bloodwise ensuring the successful achievement of all organisational goals and performance targets.

Our leaders need to be inspirational, bringing enthusiasm, energy and conviction – to lead by doing, not just saying. With a ‘can do’ attitude and collaborative management approach, our leaders engage their teams and make their work fun as well as rewarding.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic direction

  • Set clear strategic direction and drive ambitious, achievable stretch targets for all income streams aligned with our vision, mission and strategic goals.
  • Drive innovation and fundraising excellence, with a particular focus on unrestricted individual giving, corporate partnerships and major donor relationships
  • Build alignment between fundraising goals and public campaigning, advocacy and awareness raising efforts to reflect coherence in Bloodwise’s public-facing engagements.

Developing our fundraising portfolio

  • Ensure ongoing review of our existing fundraising portfolio; agreeing future investment areas.
  • Analyse the market environment and work with the fundraising teams to identify opportunities for improvement, development and innovation.
  • To be accountable for developing and delivering against cross-departmental KPIs and budgets relating to income, expenditure, ROI and recruitment; monitoring performance across the department and providing effective support and management where required
  • Maximise the contribution from maturing income streams ensuring current fundraising and related marketing activities are effective, efficient and aligned to supporter needs.
  • Work with the teams to develop a culture of high-performance, supporter-led fundraising based on an evidence-based approach.
  • To support the development of business cases for investment in new fundraising opportunities and to manage the case for disinvestment in other areas in order to maintain a well-balanced portfolio of offers for supporters.
  • To maintain an excellent understanding of the external Fundraising environment, in order to maximise commercial opportunities for development and diversification
  • Ensure effective, and cost efficient, communication and fundraising support services are provided, driving value for money and maximum ROI from budgets
  • Play a lead role in identifying and securing new supporter/partner opportunities with an emphasis on significant corporate partners and major donors
  • Benchmark Bloodwise against our competitors and partners ensuring that our fundraising ratios are competitive and below sector average
  • Provide guidance and leadership on events, community/regional and individual giving fundraising.
  • Provide guidance and leadership on our areas of newer income including corporate, major donor and trusts. Build on these areas to help the teams ensure that they become part of our sustainable fundraising foundation.

Supporter engagement and awareness

  • Develop and implement a customer centred strategy and culture for income generation and engagement, using customer insight and knowledge, delivering year on year growth
  • Champion customer relationship management, ensuring all stakeholders get the right experience when they interact with us
  • Alongside the Directors of Research and Patient Experience, provide strategic leadership to ensure we have a clear strategy for marketing our services to health professionals, researchers and patients, and to lead in further developing our strategy of supporting the transition of beneficiaries to supporters

Marketing and Communications