TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS MANAGER
- Salary:£35,000 to £40.000 per annum
- Location:Mitcham, Surrey, Greater London
- Job Type: Full or P/T
The African Prisons Project works to restore dignity and hope to prisoners across Africa. We work holistically to change the way that criminal justice issues are addressed in the countries in which we work and empower prisoners to drive positive change.
African Prisons Project currently has a vacancy for a talented Bid Manager who can work with Foundations and Trusts. The successful candidate will be ambitious, self-motivated, have a good knowledge of relationship management, at least a 3 year+ proven track record of writing and gaining bids and be able to work under pressure. The role will be based in the UK at our Mitcham office, with an opportunity to travel to our Uganda and Kenya offices.
The main purpose of the role is to undertake all actions in relation to development of new business, support the development of existing relationships, manage the process of responding to complex tender opportunities, driving activities through all stages of the bid process from identifying potential prospects and developing win strategies through to producing compelling bids.
This role will appeal to someone who wants to be a part of a growing, vibrant and enthusiastic charity who wants to make a difference to people lives.
Previous experience working in the Third Sector or Ministry of Justice would be desirable.
African Prisons Project has a strong Christian ethos and is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age. We recruit individuals with the right mix of talent, skills and potential and welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records. We select candidates for interview based on their skills, qualifications and experience.
Location: Unit 16, 95 Miles Road, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 3FH
THE ROLE
The Bid Manager (Trusts Foundations) will be responsible for working with trusts, foundations and statutory bodies to generate substantial income for the charity. There is a wide range of regional, national and international funding bodies that could support the charities’ work. The role is to identify and research these opportunities and to work with the Director General, Fundraising Manager and other members of the team to maximise this income stream.
Key responsibilities will include trust and foundation research, identifying suitable projects for funding, writing funding bids, maintaining relationships with trusts and foundations by providing regular updates and project reports and ensuring all contact with trusts and foundations are recorded.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Fundraising
- To raise funds in the form of significant grants (£10k+) from charitable trusts, foundations (including corporate foundations), and statutory bodies
- To develop a comprehensive rolling programme of targeted and specific trust applications
- To synthesise information from a variety of sources in order to write compelling funding bids
- To work closely with colleagues to identify potential fundraising priorities then in consultation with the senior team develop them into viable projects to be approved
Research
- To identify prospective funding bodies whose strategic objectives match the work of the charity
- To research trust objectives in order to craft well informed funding bids
- To identify and research trusts and foundations to produce comprehensive trust profiles which are recorded and shared with relevant members of the senior team.
Relationship Management
- To support relationship management systems to ensure that the giving potential of each individual funding body is maximised
- To develop relationships with a portfolio of prospective funding bodies, using a wide range of appropriate mechanisms to retain and develop their involvement with the charity, including meetings with Trustees, stewardship events and recognition opportunities
- To ensure that funding partners receive timely and appropriate information about the progress and outcomes of projects
- To ensure that robust systems are established to support the effective and timely engagement and thanking of Trusts and Foundations, including processes to learn from unsuccessful applications
- To brief the Director General on developments and progress of key relationships
Strategy, planning and management
- To help monitor trust budgets to maximise income and deliver excellent cost to income ratios
- To provide timely and accurate reports to the Director General on trust fundraising activity
- To work with the rest of the team on the development of robust cases for support that will effectively engage with trusts and foundations
- Adhere to the highest standards of fundraising best practice
- Throughout all fundraising ensure that all activities comply fully with the relevant Data Protection and any other legislation
- To support the donor-centric culture of the charity to engage with donors and partners personally and effectively
- The Trusts & Foundations Manager may also be expected to carry out other duties, which may be reasonably requested. As such, the job may involve occasional evening and weekend work, for which time off in lieu can be claimed.
IDEAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:
Criteria / Essential / DesirableQualifications
Educated to at least first degree level or equivalent. /
Training/Courses taken
Evidence of continuing professional development through participation in suitable Fundraising type events /
Experience/Knowledge
Proven experience of working in a results-oriented environment e.g. fundraising, sales, marketing, recruitment. /
Proven success in raising substantial levels of philanthropic funding in the form of major gifts from trusts and foundations /
Experience of stewarding and cultivating relationships with funding bodies. /
Experience of working with colleagues at senior level, i.e. Chief Executive, Director or Trustee level, and of representing an organisation at a high level. /
Experience of producing tailored proposals and materials to appeal to specific audiences /
Experience of working within the higher education and/or not-for profit sector. /
Experience of working with a diverse range of colleagues within a large and complex organisation. /
Skills
Proven ability to develop strong relationships with, and to solicit major gifts from, trusts and foundations. /
Excellent negotiating skills. /
Ability to establish and maintain positive relationships with a wide range of people /
Excellent written and oral communication skills /
The ability to produce reports, proposals or publicity materials to a high standard of presentation requiring excellent skills in written communication and accuracy. /
An articulate and confident manner, demonstrating sensitivity and diplomacy in order to develop good relationships and solicit major gifts. /
The ability to understand and convey technical or scientific information, sometimes communicating complex academic visions to non-academic supporters. /
Excellent IT skills, including components of Microsoft Office software, with good working knowledge of using relationship databases, ideally the Raiser’s Edge database. /
Attributes/Personal Characteristics
Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritise a varied and diverse workload and to work independently with minimum supervision, calmly under pressure and to meet deadlines. /
Highly motivated and goals orientated. /
Proactive and positive approach, a willingness to take the lead in asking for financial support. /
Ability to deal with confidential matters and act with discretion. /
Flexible approach to work and over working hours when required. /
Ability and willingness to travel and occasionally to work at evenings or weekends. /
A strong belief in the importance of universities to society, coupled with an understanding of the need to diversify the funding base of these institutions, particularly with philanthropic support. /