LEGACY OFFICER (Donor Development)
Job Title: / Legacy Officer
Reporting to: / Head of Donor Development
Location: / Dogs Trust London (Head Office)
Revised: / March 2015
Summary
Dogs Trust is the largest dog-welfare organisation in the UK. We rescue, rehabilitate and rehome nearly 17,000 stray and abandoned dogs a year at our 21 rehoming centres across the UK and Ireland. Dogs Trustrelies on the skills, creativity and innovation of our fundraisers in order to raise vital funds and allow us to continue our work with stray and abandoned dogs.
Reporting to the Head of Donor Development, the Legacy Officer will be responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring Dogs Trust legacy and in memoriam fundraising strategy.
With the support of an Assistant, as well as strategic, creative and media agencies you will manage a significant advertising budget to build effective relationships with all relevant audiences, both consumer and influencer, to optimise legacy and in memoriam income for Dogs Trust.
Proven experience of legacymarketing and excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, are required. A good standard of IT literacy, analytical and numeracy skills is also essential.
Duties
Legacy & Canine Care Card
  • Manage queries of a sensitive and confidential nature from supporters wishing to donate generous and often large gifts in their Wills.
  • Promote and ensure records are correctly maintained for our Canine Care Card, a free service whereby Dogs Trust promises to care for an individual’s dog(s) if they pass away first.
  • Produce new legacy and Canine Care Card materials, including mail and online.
  • Management of the legacy and Canine Card Card advertising campaign, with guidance from Manager, from strategy to fulfilment.
In Memory
Work with the Manager in the planning and implementation of in memoriam products.
  • Monitor and develop income from in memoriam websites.
Direct Mail
  • Account manage legacy appeals, including national legacy campaigns and regional projects.
  • Work with regional Fundraising Officers based at our 21 rehoming centres throughout the UK to develop mailings to enable them to establish relationships with their local community.
  • Input into creative process within Direct Marketing strategy.
  • Copywriting and proofreading, in line with Dogs Trust brand.
  • Brief internal teams and external suppliers.
  • Undertake detailed data analysis after mailing has been mailed.
  • Assist in the development of the relationship with new external marketing agency.
Data & Database Work
  • Use in-house software to carry out data analysis and mailing selections.
  • Produce reports as requested.
CRM Magazine
  • Write articles for our tri-annual supporter magazine to promote legacies, Canine Care Card and in memoriam giving.
Pledger CRM
  • Account manage a Christmas mailing to all legacy enquirers, intenders and pledgers. You will work with a print broker to manage the project from design to mailing.
General
  • Dealing with supporter queries and complaints by telephone, email and letter.
  • Assisting Fundraising Assistant with admin during busy periods.
  • Keeping up to date with current industry thinking.
  • Liaising and negotiating with agencies and suppliers over costs and production of materials.
  • Develop and establish relations with other teams within Dogs Trust.
  • Maintaining good relations with agencies, photographers, printers and rehoming centre staff.
  • Run stock checks and restock printed materials.
  • Assist in briefing agencies and attend agency meetings as directed.
  • Undertake any other duties as required.

Person Specification

Essential Qualities

  • Experience of legacy marketing.
  • Direct Marketing experience, ideally in a charity.
  • Experience of working with data and databases.
  • Exceptional communication skills, both oral and written.
  • Able to prioritise own workload effectively and work to deadlines across a variety of projects.
  • Good IT skills.
  • A proactive, confident and dynamic personality – passionate about their work and willing to go the extra mile.
  • Sensitive to the subject matter.
  • Sympathetic with the aims and objectives of Dogs Trust.
  • Able to work effectively as part of a team.
  • Able to work the occasional evening and weekend (time off in lieu given). Occasional overnight visits are also a requirement.

Preferable Qualities

  • Full, clean, manual driving licence.
  • Educated to degree level.

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