Job title:Participation Giving Officer

Post number:PA5008

Reports to:Director of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

Department:Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement (PAE)

Location:Mithras House

Grade:5

Purpose of the role:

To support the university by growing and diversifying a sustainable income stream via participation giving from individuals (mainly alumni, but also including other audiences such as current/retired staff, students, family members and local residents), thereby creating a culture of philanthropic participation. The post holder will deliver a year-round high quality programme of mass communications and campaigns that will both raise higher levels of philanthropic revenue and also increase the numbers of donors giving on a regular basis to the University.

Line management responsibility for: The role has no line management responsibilities, but will supervise and train student fundraising callers (casual contracts, c.20 during campaigns lasting up to 4 weeks, twice a year).

Main areas of responsibility:

  • To develop a portfolio of fundraising activities (telephone campaigns, direct mail, social media, crowdfunding) specifically aimed at encouraging increased levels of giving amongst alumni, friends and other university stakeholders, in order to generate higher levels of income and also to develop further a culture of giving across the university’s community.
  • In collaboration with colleagues in Marketing and Communications, utilise the most effective language, tone, content and visual imagery in all participation giving approaches so as to communicate compelling cases for support that will influence decision making amongst alumni and friends.
  • To be responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the department’s telephone fundraising campaigns and the recruitment, training and motivation of the student calling team to ensure stronger results and a positive experience for every alumnus/a telephoned.
  • As part of the department’s prospect review process led by the Director, develop face to face relationships with allocated prospects (with the capacity to make donations of between £500 and £999 per annum) in order to both increase levels of giving/participation and also to populate the pipeline for future leadership and major gift donations.
  • To enter all activity and results arising from participation giving activities on the departmental database, in line with agreed protocols, so that progress can be measured and the university can benefit from these details in the future.
  • Working with colleagues both within the department and in other areas of the university, deliver activities to raise the profile of philanthropy amongst current students (including facilitating and supporting fundraising for student-led projects via the university’s new crowdfunding platform) thereby further normalising the concept of giving back amongst students and alumni.
  • In close collaboration with the department’s Head of Data and Insight, evaluate and report upon the effectiveness of our participation giving activities and to keep abreast of developments and innovations in the sector in order to enable the university to benefit from a high quality, creative and engaging approach to this type of fundraising.
  • To actively participate in the wider work of the department, taking on special projects or additional duties from time to time, making a positive contribution to departmental issues and ensuring joined-up activity with other work areas, in particular, alumni engagement,leadership/major gift fundraising and stewardship.

General responsibilities

These are standard to all University of Brighton job descriptions.

  • To undertake other duties appropriate to the grade and character of work as may be reasonably required, including specific duties of a similar or lesser grade.
  • To adhere to the University’s Equality and Diversity Policy in all activities, and to actively promote equality of opportunity wherever possible.
  • To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act.
  • To work in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

The person specification focuses on the knowledge, qualifications, experience and skills (both general and technical) required to undertake the role effectively. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria. You will be assessed by your completed application form (A), at interview (I) and in some instances through an exercise (E).

Essential criteria / A, I, E
Knowledge /
  • Strong communication skills, written and verbal
  • Able to form effective relationships with a diverse group of individuals to encourage engagement with the work of the department
  • Customer service focussed
  • Administrative and organisation skills, including planning/prioritising simultaneous projects, delivering on time and to a high standard with minimal direct supervision
  • Able to work effectively with others
  • Proactive and creative approach to problem-solving
  • Ability to translate complex and/or institutional data into compelling fundraising cases for support
  • An understanding of the principles of Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation and experience of working within their boundaries
  • Flexible approach to work and specifically working as part of a wider team
/ A, I, E
A, I
A, I
A, I
A, I
A, I
A, I, E
A, I
A, I
Qualifications /
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent experience
/ A
Experience /
  • Experience of managing telephone marketing, preferably fundraising campaigns
  • Experience of working in a philanthropic setting and directly communicating with donors, including making asks for donations
/ A, I
A, I
Technical/work based skills /
  • IT skills with good working knowledge of MS Office products and CRM databases
  • Numerical skills, including the ability to interpret and present data to a varied audience in a variety of formats
  • Knowledge and use of web and online technology
  • An understanding of tax effective giving in the UK
/ A, I, E
A, I, E
A, I
A, I
Other requirements /
  • Undertake occasional evening and weekend work
/ A
Desirable /
  • Experience of supervising, training and motivating others
  • Understanding of the special requirements of the fundraising and alumni engagement function in higher education
  • Understanding ofGDPR and its impact on data protection
/ A, I
A, I
A, I
  • Any appointment is generally made at the bottom of the salary range for the grade dependent upon experience and previous salary.
  • This is a full-time post and is permanent.
  • The University of Brighton welcomes job sharers. Job sharing is a way of working where two people share one full-time job, dividing the work, responsibilities, pay, holidays and other benefits between them proportionate to the hours each works, thereby increasing access to a wide range of jobs on a part-time basis. The advert for the post for which you are applying will indicate whether applications from job sharers can be considered (this may not be possible for a post that is already part time for example) and further information can be found on the ‘Balancing Working Life’ section here Benefits and facilities.
  • Annual leave entitlements are shown in the table below and increase after 5 years’ service. In addition, to the eight Bank Holidays, there are university discretionary days between Christmas and New Year. All leave, including bank holidays and discretionary days, is pro-rated for part time employees.

Grades / Basic entitlement per year / Grades / After 5 years’ service
1-3 / 23 days / 1-3 / 28 days
4-7 / 25 days / 4-7 / 30 days
8-9 / 27 days / 8-9 / 30 days
Band 10 and above / 30 days / Band 10 and above / 30 days
  • More information about the department can be found here Professional Services Departments
  • Read the University’s 2016 - 2021 Strategy
  • The University has an attractive range of benefits and you can find more information about them on our website

Date: March 2018