Development Manager

At the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF), we want everyone in the UK to benefit from great journalism that speaks to them, for them and with them. Can you help us raise the funds to transform British journalism?

We are looking to appoint a Development Manager, on either a 12-month renewable employment contract at £40,000 pro rata, working three days per week = £24,000pa; or a consultancy contract at £240 per day, working eight or nine days per month = £24,000pa. We can offer flexible working from home and/or a co-working space in the United Kingdom, as part of a small, dynamic team.

About the Public Interest News Foundation

At a time when dramatic changes in the media have led to audience distrust and disengagement, we provide funding, leadership development and networking opportunities for high-quality independent news providers across the UK.

Communities depend on independent news media for reliable information that builds a sense of belonging and empowerment. But this kind of journalism costs money. So, we are working to attract new sources of funding into this sector.

We are a small, dedicated team with big ambitions. We work remotely from home or in co-working spaces with monthly away days in London or Bristol – and potentially other locations. We all contribute to PINF’s strategy, and we support and stretch each other to do our best work.

We are committed to building a diverse team who can bring their life experience into this role. Therefore, we actively encourage applications from Black, Asian or minoritised groups, LGBTQI+ people and people with disabilities.

About the role

To achieve our vision, we need to generate funds both to cover PINF’s costs and to support the work of public interest news providers across the UK. In the four years since we were established in 2019, we have raised a total of more than £1m from a range of UK-based and international trusts, foundations, corporate and individual donors. We’re delighted by this early success, but we have so much more to do.

Until now, the Executive Director and other members of staff have taken direct responsibility for fundraising. We are now ready to appoint a development professional to lead on fundraising, creating more capacity for the rest of the team to focus on what they do best.

The Development Manager will be at the heart of our small team, creating a development plan, identifying and cultivating potential donors, working with colleagues to craft and deliver funding pitches, managing the donor journey and ensuring compliance with fundraising laws and regulations.

We envisage this as a part-time or freelance role, with scope to expand into a full-time role, subject to funding.

Key responsibilities

• Work with the Executive Director to translate PINF’s strategic and operational objectives into an ambitious but deliverable development plan with clear targets.
• Monitor and evaluate the success of the development plan, including through regular meetings with the Executive Director and quarterly reports to the Board of Trustees.
• Identify prospective funders for PINF, including trusts and foundations, corporates, individuals and statutory bodies, to ensure a steady pipeline of prospects.
• Carry out due diligence into prospective and actual funders to ensure that they do not compromise PINF’s legal duties or reputation as a charity.
• Cultivate strong relationships with prospective and actual funders, ensuring that all funders – no matter how large or small – feel highly respected by PINF and understand the valuable contribution they are making.
• Work with the Executive Director and colleagues to develop projects that advance PINF’s charitable purpose and are potentially attractive to funders.
• Lead on pitching to prospective and renewing funders, including through in-person presentations and written applications.
• Support the Executive Director and other staff and Trustees to make effective fundraising presentations.
• Lead on the planning and delivery of fundraising events and maximise the fundraising potential of other PINF events.
• Contribute compelling written content for PINF’s media output, including through our blog, social media channels and articles for national, local and specialist media.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive records and ensure that funders’ reporting requirements are met in full.
• Keep funders’ records accurate and up to date on the CRM.
• Ensure that PINF’s fundraising activities comply with relevant laws and regulations.
• Support the Executive Director with other relevant tasks as required.

Skills & attributes:

• Fundraising: You will have a demonstrable track record of fundraising success in at least two of the following categories: trusts and foundations, corporates, individuals and statutory bodies.
• Professionalism: You will have outstanding teamwork and interpersonal skills, driving plans forward with energy and attention to detail, using effective time management and self-motivation whether working from home or in a co-working space.
• Communications: You will be able to communicate clearly and with integrity in writing, in person and through video calls.
• Creativity: You will enjoy solving problems as they arise, working closely with other members of the PINF team to see opportunities and address challenges where necessary.
• Compliance: You will have sound knowledge and understanding of relevant legal and regulatory requirements such as GDPR and fundraising regulations.
• Administration: You will be able to use Microsoft applications and a CRM.
• Enthusiasm for PINF’s mission: You may not have worked in or around journalism before, but you will understand and be able to convey the importance of journalism for communities, democracy and society as a whole

Benefits

We are a small and friendly team of dedicated people who work remotely with a high degree of responsibility and autonomy. We meet in person at least once a month and can cover reasonable travel costs for employees to attend these meetings. We can also pay for employees to use co-working spaces in their local area if they prefer not to work from home. We are happy for employees to manage their own time, so long as they are available to take calls and meetings and respond to emails within normal office hours (9.30am-5.30pm on weekdays). As an employee, the Development Manager will be entitled to 17 days (28 days pro rata) paid leave per year, including bank holidays.

At PINF, we are committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive organisation. We offer flexible working arrangements to support staff from different backgrounds, and we particularly encourage applications from people whose backgrounds are under-represented in the news media.

We intend to appoint the Development Manager on a twelve-month renewable employment contract (three days per week) OR a consultancy contract (eight or nine days per month). With further funding, we hope to develop this into a permanent role, so, for the right candidate, this could be the start of a long-term involvement with the Public Interest News Foundation. Permanent employees receive matching pension contributions of 5% and can participate in our salary sacrifice scheme to lease an electric car.

What are the next steps?

Please apply via Charity Job, where you will be asked to write a short response to the following questions. It’s worth preparing your answers to these questions offline:

• Which type of funder (trusts and foundations, corporates, individuals or statutory bodies) do you think holds most potential as a source of funding for PINF and the independent news sector in the UK, and why?
• Craft a pitch to a prospective funder.

The deadline to receive completed applications is 12pm on Friday 27 October.

Interviews with shortlisted candidates will be held during the week commencing 13 November,

The successful candidate should be able to start no later than 1 February 2024.