Job Title: / Philanthropy Officer (Major Gifts)
Reporting to: / Philanthropy Team Manager
Location: / Dogs Trust London (Head Office)
New posts: / November2016
Summary
Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity. We care for around 17,000 stray and abandoned dogs each year through our network of 21 rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland.
We are reliant on voluntary donations in order to continue our work. As part of this, Dogs Trust receives some large donations from charitable trusts/foundations, corporate partners and wealthy individuals (major donors). There is potential to increase funds from these sources significantly in order to continue the expansion of our work.
As a result, Dogs Trust is seeking two more Philanthropy Officers with a solid track record of reaching financial targets, working with high net worth individuals to cultivate prospects and secure six figure gifts. In this role you'll contribute to the development and growth of the philanthropy programme, cultivating and stewarding existing and new major donors, working alongside two existing Philanthropy Officers and an Assistant.
You will build relationships with prospects already identified by Dogs Trust through research, events and cultivation as well as identifying new prospects to build a pipeline and make appropriate methods of approach for Dogs Trust’s core fundraising projects. You will be comfortable in making the ask and ensureall major donors receive the highest standards of donor care.
Duties
You will report to the Philanthropy Team Managerand the role will include but not be limited to:
- Support the Philanthropy Team Manager in delivering the major donor elements of the fundraising strategy.
- Manage a portfolio of existing major donors and prospects, and ensure a first class cultivationand stewardship journey with Dogs Trust which sets us apart from other charities in our sector.
- Attend meetings with existing and new donors, develop bespoke, personalised written communications and proposals that fit with Dogs Trust’s brand; and prepare budgets to accompany approaches.
- Make new approaches by email/letter/phone to individuals of exceptional high-net worth.
- Work with senior staff and senior volunteers at Dogs Trust to support on major donor approaches where appropriate including making introductions and providing expertise on specific Dogs Trust projects.
- Work with the Ambassador Relations Manager to ensure Ambassadors and celebrity supporters of Dogs Trust are utilised fully to support major donor fundraising.
- Work with various staff across Dogs Trust to ensure agreed promotional opportunities and monitoring and evaluation commitments are adhered to for any funding secured from major donors.
- Fully utilise the annual calendar of events for prospect cultivation and direct major donor fundraising.
- Ensuring that the maintenance of Dogs Trust databases for major donors is kept up to date.
- Undertake administrative responsibilities related to new funding being secured including liaising with Donor Administration and Finance teams to record new income and ensuring all funding agreements are signed and returned on time.
- To contribute to and provide regular updates across the organisation to ensure major donor activity is embedded across the organisation and is aligned with the wider plans and objectives of Dogs Trust.
- Any other duties as may be agreed from time to time.
Person Specification
About you
Essential:
- Proven track record of personally securing 5/6 figure major gifts from individuals in a charity environment to meet agreed targets.
- Proven experience of'making the ask' and supporting senior staff, volunteers and trustees to do so.
- Demonstrable experience of writing successful, inspiring, emotive and technically accurateproposals, tailored to a major donor audience and with a focus on outcomes and impact.
- Articulate, persuasive and credible with all audiences, including those at the highest level both within the organisation and outside of it.
- Confidence to pick up the phone and contact new prospects in order to follow-up on written approaches where necessary.
- Ability to write clearly and concisely, and to tailor written style to the needs of different donors.
- Ability to research and match criteria from donors to Dogs Trust activities.
- Strong numeracy skills and the experience of preparing budgets.
- Good organisation skills, and competent in the use of Word, Excel and databases.
- A dedicated team worker, but also able to work on own initiative.
- Willingness to travel and work irregular office hours from time to time, such as for an evening or weekend events or breakfast meeting.
- A commitment to the aims and values of Dogs Trust
- Knowledge of high net worth individuals working in or interested in animal welfare issues.
- Experience of relationship management with VIPs/ celebrities.
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