Individual Giving Assistant Manager

Individual Giving Assistant Manager

Full time, permanent contract with an option for some hybrid working.

We are Chester Zoo

We’re not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that’s home to over 30,000 incredible animals within 128 acres of stunning gardens. We’re not just the UK’s most popular zoo. We’re an international wildlife charity that’s committed to the recovery of endangered species.

The Role – Individual Giving Assistant Manager

The Fundraising Department of Chester Zoo, a major wildlife charity, with a mission of Preventing Extinction works to secure income which contributes towards the delivery of our strategic development plan and ambitious conservation plan, helping to ensure nature can survive and thrive.

Reporting to the Fundraising & Philanthropy Lead and working with the wider Fundraising team, the Individual Giving Assistant Manager will lead on securing and managing small to medium donations from individuals. This includes our newly created Patron Scheme, multiple fundraising campaigns and all challenge events for the zoo (including Run for Nature).

We are looking for a proactive and conscientious individual who will take a data led approach to raise money in effective and creative ways, working with our Senior Marketing Manager and Senior Data and Insights Manager to identify patterns and drive donations through individual giving. They will also manage and drive revenue through onsite giving mechanisms including in-memory, naming opportunities and point of sale giving – all whilst helping to strengthen our supporter base and foster their long-term relationships with the zoo.

They will work across the organisation to support our team of conservationists and scientists at Chester Zoo to engage, train and support targets within our strategically important field, education and science led projects.

We’re looking for someone who can:

• Fundraising Strategy: Help to develop and implement new plans to continue to grow our Individual Giving income led by the Fundraising & Philanthropy Lead
• Prospect Development: Work with our Senior Marketing Manager and Senior Data and Insights Manager to identify patterns in giving using data from our CRM and drive donations through appeals and public campaigns across the organisation
• Donor Cultivation and Stewardship: Develop an annual programme of stewardship and contact opportunities
• Campaigns: Develop and deliver engaging campaigns across multiple channels (direct mail, digital, email, on-site) aiming to grow a sustainable donor base. Monitoring and reporting on campaign performance using data to optimise and drive continuous improvement and donor retention
• Onsite Giving: Maximise onsite giving opportunities including naming around animal habitats and our newly installed Celebration Tree, alongside site wide donation boxes, point of sale items, round-up giving and contactless. Working with the Fundraising Administrator to include coordinating collections, reviewing messaging, reporting and identifying areas for improvement
• Event Management: Work across the organisation to create engagement and stewardship opportunities through events and experiences as the role requires
• Donor Stewardship: Keep accurate records on the database to include all communications, donor plans, pledges, proposals, gifts and restrictions. Work with the Fundraising Administrator to maintain a regular and engaging program of communication with donors, keeping them informed on the impact their donation is having on conservation activities at Chester Zoo well as recognition.
• Reporting and Analysis: Track fundraising progress and report on KPI’s

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes…

We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place.

As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey.

Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

The Package

• Permanent Contract
• 40 hours per week
• Salary – £30,000 per annum
• Opportunity for some working, based at Chester Zoo a minimum of 3 days per week.
• 33 days annual leave (includes bank holidays) plus the option to buy or sell up to 5 days.
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%
• Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme.
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks

Our Requirements

• A demonstrable track-record in individual fundraising and/or high-level customer service
• Experience of using a database to manage and track donor gifts, relationships and pipeline
• The ability to create exciting and compelling fundraising campaigns across a range of different channels
• Skilled in managing and developing a portfolio of funders and meeting fundraising targets
• Experience in developing and building long-term donor relationships
• Confident communication skills, motivating supporters, as well as internal and external stakeholders and face-to-face contact with supporters
• Proven experience of delivering consistently high levels of supporter care
• Experience in curating and managing stewardship events
• Experience of prioritising and balancing a busy workload
• Experience of working closely with other fundraising streams

Although not essential, the following would be desirable:

• Strong working knowledge of Individual Giving, fundraising regulations and best practice
• Ability to recognise the needs of differing stakeholders
• Ability to manage varied tasks and workload
• Ability to work well independently and under pressure
• Highly organised with exceptional attention to detail

Shortlisting of applications and arrangement of interviews will take place while the advert is live, candidates are therefore encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close the advert early.