Advice jobs in blackburn with darwen

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated, dynamic and commercially minded individual to join the Senior Management Team of one of the UK’s leading museums. Working alongside the Director and Board of Trustees, the Director of Finance and Resources will oversee the financial management of the organisation.

The successful candidate will be a qualified Accountant with a proven track record of operating at a senior level.  They will have the ability to offer insight and challenge for future development, whilst ensuring the financial sustainability and growth.

The Director of Finance & Resources is responsible driving the quality and transparency of financial management and reporting, ensuring robust financial controls and the smooth running and management of Museum and Trading finances.

With experience at Board level, they must be comfortable with presenting to Boards, have the ability to develop strategy and present business plans.

About the role

We’re recruiting for a Head of Retail Operations for our Southern Division. In this role, you’ll be at the heart of driving success within five regions, leading a team of dedicated Regional Managers across 85 shops with around 270 colleagues.

This isn’t just about overseeing operations – it’s about owning them. You’ll have the freedom and autonomy to shape the strategy for your division, making key decisions on everything from financial performance to people development. You’ll build a values-led, inclusive culture – one where our people feel appreciated, respected and supported.

As part of the senior leadership team, you’ll play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of Mind Retail, bringing fresh ideas and driving initiatives that make a real impact. And because every pound we make in our shops helps support Mind’s mission, the work you do will have a lasting and meaningful impact.

This is a role for an ambitious leader – someone ready to take ownership, think strategically and inspire a team to do great things.

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is a natural leader, passionate about creating high-performing teams and building an inclusive culture
• Has senior-level experience leading multi-site, large-scale retail operations and knows how to drive commercial success
• Understands retail finances inside out, from managing P&L’s, to spotting opportunities for growth
• Thinks strategically, but isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and make things happen
• Embodies our values and behaviours

Ready to make a difference?

Join Mind Retail. Join the fight for mental health.

Due to our commitment to work/life balance, you must live within reasonable travelling distance of the division. The geography of the division covers the South East, South West, South Wales, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Mind Retail reserve the right to close the vacancy to applications earlier, should we receive a high volume of strong candidates. Therefore we encourage an early application.

About our benefits

As Head of Operations, you’ll receive:

• A competitive salary of £59,753 per year
• A company car
• A strong commitment to work-life balance with a working pattern that supports this, with the occasional weekend working
• 25 days’ paid holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Development workshops & courses, to help build your career
• Comprehensive, personalised induction programmes, tailored to your role when you join us
• A huge variety of additional qualifications & development programmes for anyone looking to grow their skills
• Family friendly policies & enhanced pay
• A competitive pension scheme & life assurance, available to all our employees
• 25% staff discount in all Mind shops
• Access to exclusive discounts at over 160 retailers through our employee savings app
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Interest free season ticket loan

About Mind Retail

Mind Retail are a network of almost 200 shops across England and Wales, generating an income of around £25 million per year. We have ambitious plans to grow over the next few years and we’re going to be fighting for mental health in a way we never have before. We won't stop until everyone with a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve. There’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We value the power of diversity. We embrace the different perspectives that each of us bring. We are creating an inclusive working environment where everyone is appreciated for being authentic and bringing their whole selves to work.

Safer Recruitment at Mind Retail

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our employees and volunteers and we expect anyone working with us to share this commitment. In line with our Safer Recruitment policy, the successful candidate will be required to provide references and will be expected to undertake an enhanced DBS check with a check of the Children's Barred List and/or ‘Work with Adults' workforce check based on their role and responsibilities. A DBS check is a process to check someone's criminal record (if they have any). A Barred List is a list of people who are barred from working with children. To enable you to predetermine what might be disclosed in your DBS check, please use this disclosure calculator.

Mind Retail is an equal opportunities employer, welcoming applicants from all communities. We are committed to the fair treatment of our staff, potential staff and volunteers, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.

This job vacancy is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. 

More details

For more information and a full person specification, please review the job description.

We are looking to appoint an exceptional individual to join our team of six Strategic Partnership Advisors across England. In this role, you will support key partners, including Active Partnerships, National Governing Bodies of Sport, local authorities, and leisure providers to become more effective in their role of enabling more disabled people to be active.

You will possess a strong understanding of the sport and activity sector, including its operations, and be able to advocate for improvements that help more disabled people become active. Additionally, you will be aware of the broader systems and barriers that disabled people encounter in sports and activities, as well as organisations such as disabled people’s user-led organisations and various charities, to build relationships and foster effective cross-sector partnerships.

We are looking for an individual with experience of working strategically at a place based and/or locality level within the South West region. Someone who can positively influence local developments, systems and investments to tackle the inequalities disabled people face in sport and activity through inclusive practice.

The successful candidate will work remotely from home and be based in the South West region. This role will involve travel across the region and occasional travel to our Loughborough and Manchester offices.

This role is full-time (36 hours) and permanent.

We offer 26.5 days of annual leave, including birthday leave, plus bank holidays. Activity Alliance also closes between Christmas and New Year which means that employees are not expected to work during this time and they are not required to use their annual leave allowance to have this time free from work.

Activity Alliance currently offers the following benefits:

• Hybrid working
• Time off in lieu
• A contributory pension scheme (employee 6%, employer 9%)
• Childcare vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Eye care
• Employee engagement initiatives such as away days
• Access to Employee Assistance Programme
• Menopause policy
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Group Income Protection
• Death in service
• Training and development opportunities

Title: Fundraising Manager

Reports to: Fundraising Director

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Based from one of our RTS offices with the expectation of at least 2 days a week in the office, with some flexibility to work from home, subject to business requirements and line manager approval. 

Hours: 5 days per week (37.5 Hours) Worked between Monday- Friday

Salary: £44,261 - £47,868 (5% employer pension contribution, Medicash and group life assurance, 27 days annual leave per annum for FTE plus bank holidays)

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Role Summary

We are looking for a motivated and dynamic individual who is passionate about collaboration and community-led change. If you believe in the power of strong, connected communities, this role is for you. You will need good organisational skills, energy and the ability to listen, build relationships, and inspire collaboration, which is essential in creating positive, lasting change.

As a Fundraising Manager, you will be responsible for managing a mixed portfolio of supporters with a view to growing this pool to deliver a mixture of revenue which can sustain and grow our ambitions and work. This will involve taking responsibility for nurturing and growing an existing philanthropic pool of funders whilst identifying, cultivating and mapping new high value opportunities, in excess of £75k. For your portfolio you will manage donor acquisition strategies, proposal writing and stewardship and supporter journey planning. 

The role involves securing funding from various sources, including trusts, corporations, and individuals, to support the charity’s mission. This includes developing and maintaining strong donor relationships, managing a portfolio of donors, and managing fundraising pipelines.

The ideal candidate will therefore be proactive, results-driven, and skilled in developing insight-led strategies, managing solicitations, along with the ability to create processes, gather insights, and propose budgets. You’ll be passionate about continuous improvement, have a proactive attitude and be comfortable in suggesting new and/or better ways of working. You’ll enjoy a challenging and fulfilling environment, working with a supportive and forward-thinking team.

Key Objectives:

• As a member of the Fundraising team, you will work across all parts of the fundraising process, from prospect research all the way through to the fundraising ask.

• You will work collaboratively within the Fundraising team and the wider organisation to develop compelling fundraising proposals for corporate donors, high net worth individuals, community appeals and trusts and foundations. 

• You will seek out and identify patterns of prospect and funder data and behaviours which inform our growth and generate ideas and solutions

• You will problem solve with others enabling planning and anticipation of challenges and opportunities

Fundraising Objectives:

• Develop a high value pipeline of prospects and funders which has a balanced approach across acquisition, retention and uplift to meet team targets and which provides the best supporter experience.

• Manage a personal portfolio through all stages of the fundraising cycle, within an overall fundraising team target, demonstrating an understanding of how to mitigate risk, maximise return on investment and give a focus to unrestricted income generation.

• Manage and cultivate prospect and funder relationships in their entirety, with responsibility for planning briefings, proposal writing, stakeholder engagement, reporting, stewardship, delivery, and evaluation.

• Research, prepare, and submit high-quality grant applications to charitable trusts, foundations, and other funding bodies utilising different funder approaches including bids, applications, proposals and EOIs, all delivering high-quality experiences and materials to secure funding. 

• Monitor and report on the progress of fundraising activities and grant applications, providing regular updates to the management team.

• Plan and write bespoke engagement plans (e.g. stewardship reports), including report-writing and impact analysis, and coordinating event and PR milestone activities.

• Work with internal & external stakeholders to develop new projects and ensure donor requirements and engagement opportunities are met.

Team and Operational Objectives:

• Help colleagues and supporters overcome any challenges and maximise their fundraising efforts.

• Manage your time and workload, and utilise our given processes, systems, and parameters to overcome barriers

• Support funder account management and compliance through planning, financial budgeting, and record keeping. 

• Ensure that systems and processes are effective, and that our database is updated and utilised as the central source of information for recording income, supporter interactions and reporting. 

• Ensure all supporters are appropriately thanked and help develop specific supporter journeys.

• Identify potential funding opportunities and contribute to philanthropic discovery exercises across new territories and themes

• Build and maintain relationships with a range of stakeholders from corporate partners through to community groups.

Please note the key responsibilities of this role are described above. They may be subject to reasonable changes from time to time in line with business needs. 

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Person Specification

Experience (essential)

• Experience in a charity fundraising role.

• A successful track record of building strong internal and external relationships and generating income from a broad range of funders

• Experience in fundraising preferably from Trust and Foundations; both family, corporate and individual, and partnership bid development.

• Experience in all aspects of donor cultivation (research, writing, follow-up, and stewardship), required

• Experience closing gifts at the six-figure level, including complex gifts using a variety of giving vehicles

• Pipeline development and management thereof, to ensure multi year planning and team financial target contributions are reflected.

• Proven track record in achieving financial and non-financial targets and in forecasting/ setting KPI’s

• Experience in identifying and acquiring new business opportunities and creatively retaining long term funder relationships

• Knowledge of prospect research techniques

• Maintaining a library of templated materials

Experience (desirable)

• Knowledge of place-based fundraising

• Experience working with under-represented communities 

• Enthusiastic “all hands-on deck” style team player; able to operate and collaborate across multiple teams and thrive in a fast-paced culture

• Advancing or building digital capabilities to support work activities

• Managing relationship milestones in collaboration with colleagues to include performance tracking, solicitations and reporting 

Skills (essential)

• Commitment to the aims and ethos of Right to Succeed and a genuine desire to bring about positive change for children and young people. 

• Knowledge or experience in a broad range of high value income generation practices and legislation

• Highly proactive and organised, with strong project management skills including multitasking and attention to detail

• An ability to identify, research and qualify potential donors and explore networks.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages to different audiences and craft compelling grant proposals

• Ability to nurture, develop and promote effective relationships and communicate with colleagues, community members and funders

• Strong cross team planning and organisation skills ensuring lead time processes for tight deadlines, consultation and proofing 

• Experience in utilising a range of printed and electronic resources and in working with databases to build a strong pipeline of funding and diverse portfolio of supporters

• Confident networker and relationship builder with excellent interpersonal, presentation, and negotiation skills

• Understanding of financial planning and business plans, ability to analyse accounts and data to inform funder activities, decision making and forecasting.

• Demonstrable IT skills and the ability to learn detailed processes quickly and accurately.

Qualifications & knowledge (desirable)

• Awareness of local areas, key challenges and understanding of current contexts 

• In-depth knowledge of education improvement and community development

• Demonstrated experience with Google Suite, fundraising CRM, project management tools

• CIOF or equivalent sector membership or qualification

• Sector Peer Network Participation and knowledge building 

• Fundraising compliance knowledge – inc Data Protection and Due Diligence

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Timetable 
Applications invited by 12:00pm Monday 19th May 2025
First Stage Interviews: Ongoing as applications received
This will be a two-stage interview process with a task to be prepared for stage 2.

Please note we will be interviewing candidates as applications are received and may close the vacancy earlier if a suitable candidate is identified. Candidates are advised to apply as early as possible.
These dates may be subject to change. 

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease. Brain Tumour Research is determined to change this. 

Their vision is to find a cure for all types of brain tumours. To achieve their mission, they are looking for a Community Fundraiser who will proactively engage with supporters, community groups and volunteers across the West Midlands to join their team of 12 Community Fundraisers across the UK.

The Community Fundraiser (West Midlands) is responsible for providing support and guidance to fundraisers within their communities to achieve their ambitions and ultimately raise vital funds for Brain Tumour Research. This is achieved through a wide variety of activities such as helping supporters to make the most of their own fundraising, engaging participants with externally organised events such as the Great Birmingham Run, and encouraging communities to get involved in events organised by Brain Tumour Research such as Wear a Hat Day and Walk for Hope. The Community Fundraiser will be the face of Brain Tumour Research in the area, providing excellent stewardship to existing supporters, and building great relationships with new supporters.

This post has been vacant since Autumn, and as such needs a fundraiser with confidence and capability in fundraising to join the team, provide donor love to the loyal supporters in the area, and approach developing the areas potential with energy and enthusiasm. If you have fundraising experience and are keen to join a charity with ambition and an amazing supporter base, then this could be the role for you.

Please note the successful candidate will need to live within the region (Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Gloucestershire), have access to a car and be willing to travel around their region. If you are not currently based in this area, please clarify if you have plans to relocate.  

Application notes 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps.

To progress your application, please follow instructions in the pack to organise an informal screening call. Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call. 

As this role has been vacant for some time, we are running rolling interview to see suitable candidates as they apply. Interviews will be kept to one stage, and organised to suit the candidate, where possible. Don’t delay – apply today! 

Background 

People and communities around the world have the solutions to social injustice, authoritarianism, and the climate crisis. But repressive governments, corrupt corporations, and armed groups use violence and oppression to try and silence them.

By building resistance and resilience among those challenging unaccountable power, Open Voices supports a shared vision for a world where communities and ecosystems can thrive. 

As a mission-driven nonprofit, we join forces with grassroots activists, community groups, and social movements at risk. Working together, we strengthen their physical safety, digital resilience, and collective wellbeing. As a social impact consultancy, we help high-profile nonprofits and foundations manage risk and care for their teams and partners.

This dual approach allows us to work at every level of civil society, from the grassroots to the global. 

We have scaled to meet a 66% surge in demand for our support over the past two years, with our international team now responding to 11 new cases every week. Last year alone, we:

• Answered 575 calls for assistance across 100 countries.

• Delivered over 6,000 hours of mentoring and accompaniment.

• Trained over 1,000 activists in 112 holistic security workshops.

Whoever we partner with, we start with questions, not answers. Listening before speaking, understanding before acting. Together, we defend those who speak out. 

We are expanding our diverse, inspired, and purpose-driven team. Will you join us as our new philanthropy coordinator?

Role description

As our philanthropy coordinator, you will play a key role in building new partnerships with philanthropists and high-net-worth individuals, with an immediate focus on the UK, US, and Europe. You will design and implement a comprehensive strategy to build a robust portfolio of individual donors, Family Foundations, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) and other personal giving vehicles. 

A proactive and thoughtful relationship builder, you will maintain long-term relationships and lead bold strategies to engage new audiences, including millennial and next-generation philanthropists. You will steward Open Briefing’s first global development board, working closely with our CEO and director of development to engage members around a dynamic programme of activities designed to make Open Briefing more fundable and findable. 

Together with our director of development, you will drive forward a multi-year fundraising strategy to resource our work with activists and organisations on the frontlines of human rights, social justice, and environmental action. 

Your primary responsibilities will include: 

• Designing and executing our philanthropy fundraising strategy. Lead a strategy to identify, cultivate, and solicit high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) —including through Donor Advised Funds, Family Offices, Family Foundations, and other giving vehicles—with an immediate focus on the US, UK and Europe. 

• Prospecting and donor acquisition. Manage HNWI prospecting, generate new leads, develop solicitation plans, brief senior leadership in advance of meetings, and coordinate cultivation and networking opportunities.

• Stewardship and relationship management. Build strong relationships with existing and potential donors through tailored stewardship plans designed to grow income over time. Manage donor tracking and communication systems. 

• Nurture and grow our development board - Work alongside our director of development and CEO to identify and engage members and steward the Board through a 12-month action-orientated development campaign. 

• Budget Management. Manage a programme budget for cultivation and stewardship events and activities.

• Collaboration and Communication. Work closely with our communications coordinator, director of development and programme teams in the production and dissemination of donor-relevant reports, updates and other content; and contribute to the conception and organisation of donor-facing online and in-person events.

• Team support. As a key member of our development and communications team, undertaken other duties as reasonably requested relevant to team and organisational goals. 

Person specification 

Essential 

• You will have extensive experience managing a HNWI or major gift portfolio. 

• You will have a proven track-record of personally securing four, five, or six-figure donations from HNWI and/or major gift donors in the UK, US and/or Europe. 

• You will have experience working within a nonprofit focused on human rights, social justice, and/or environmental action. 

• You will have excellent verbal communication skills, including English language skills, both spoken and written. 

• You will have experience working with senior stakeholders and board members to support fundraising activities. 

• You will have an ability to work both strategically and operationally.

• You will have creative thinking and problem-solving aptitude.

Desirable

• You may have experience working within a global nonprofit. 

• You may have knowledge of the human rights, social justice, environmental justice, and/or international development funding landscape. 

• You may understand grant-making and grant-management processes, especially with respect to private philanthropic funding, including family foundations, DAFs, and Family Offices. 

• You may understand tax-efficient donation mechanisms in the UK, US, and across Europe. 

• You may understand the trends in dynastic giving as well as emerging and next-generation philanthropists. 

If you feel you meet some but not all of the criteria, we would encourage you to get in touch. 

Terms and remuneration

This is a remote, home-working role. You will be contracted for 40 hours a week on a full-time, fixed-term contract. Flexible working is available and encouraged. 

We are looking for someone who wants to embrace this pivotal role within our close-knit team and develop a long-term working relationship with us. You will be properly onboarded and continually supported by experienced and compassionate managers and colleagues. Your line manager will be our director of development, Vicky Nida. 

In return for your time and dedication, we will offer you a remuneration package made up of fair pay, sector-leading benefits, and progressive leave policies, including:

• Salary of £46,900 per annum.

• 7% employer pension contribution.

• Family private medical insurance.

• Employee Assistance Programme, including welfare counselling.

• Unlimited professional coaching.

• Enhanced annual leave of 25 days plus local public holidays.

• Additional leave days for annual closedown.

• Enhanced sick pay.

• Flexible working, including flexitime and remote and home working.

• Access to local coworking spaces.

• Support for climate action:

  • Personal carbon emissions offsetting.

  • Up to two additional leave days for sustainable travel.

  • Up to two additional leave days for climate activism.

• Apple MacBook and peripherals.

If you are based outside the United Kingdom, you will be offered comparable compensation through our local employer of record, Remote. For parity, we contribute 4% above the local statutory requirements into the personal pension plans of staff members employed outside the UK. We will contribute 7% into the personal pension plans of staff members employed in counties where there is no  local statutory provision. 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Open Briefing values diversity. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all can be their authentic selves. We therefore encourage applications from all who meet the person specification and particularly from candidates who are from racialised communities and those under-recognised in our development team. This currently includes people of colour and people from countries in the global majority.

Please read our diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for more information. Our ethical and environmental policies are also available. And you may find our Vision, Mission, and Values statements of interest.

Open Briefing is a Disability Confident Employer and a signatory of the Charter for Employers Who Are Positive About Mental Health. We will make reasonable adjustments for disabled and neurodivergent people during the recruitment process and any subsequent employment. Please let us know in your cover letter how we can be the recruiter and employer you need us to be.

We have checked the text of this advert using the Gender Decoder tool.

Safeguarding

Open Briefing is dedicated to upholding the highest safeguarding standards, ensuring a culture of respect and protection for both our internal and external stakeholders. Our approach encompasses preventative measures and a strong response mechanism to any safeguarding concerns, guided by a survivor/victim-centred ethos. We enforce a strict no-tolerance policy towards any violations of safeguarding policies, ensuring that all concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately. Our safeguarding policy is available here.

How to apply

Please submit your application using our online form and note the following dates:

• Closing date: 30 May 2025

• Interviews: w/c 9 June 2025 

• Desired start date: As soon as possible 

Please let us know on the form if any of these dates are problematic and we will try to accommodate. The successful candidate will need to complete a reasonable vetting process before engagement.