Development Officer Jobs
About the Foundation:
The Avicenna Foundation was set up in 2023 to to support outstanding young British Muslims by providing them with scholarships for their undergraduate degree. The scholarships are mainly focused on awarding scholarships in the Social Sciences and Humanities for those interested in politics, policy-making and becoming agents of positive change.
Alongside the scholarship, the Avicenna Foundation runs a development programme for the scholars to expand their skills and abilities in various areas like leadership, communication and collaboration.
The Foundation has developed immensely in the first year with the launch of the charity; onboarding of it’s first cohort of 30 scholars and the development of a leadership programme. It now needs propelling into the next stage as the charity develops to ensure a robust charity structure and programme in place.
Key Responsibilities:
Operations:
- Manage the day-to-day operations of the charity, and manage changes required within programmes and activities as a result of changing external landscapes or contexts.
- Implement strategies for advertising the scholarships, receiving and reviewing applications, shortlisting candidates, conducting interviews, and making final selection decisions. Some of these things are already in place and may need reviewing and enhancing.
- Work with the Scholar Development Coordinator to oversee the leadership development programme, provide guidance and help the programme to grow.
- Maintain regular communication with the scholars, their progress, and address any issues or concerns that may arise.
- Ensure programme objectives and outcomes align with the overall strategy and aims of the Foundation, and are realistic and achievable within timeframes and budgets.
- Organise any events, programmes necessary to the scholars.
- Use data to track progress and drive improvement; proactively manage risks; and ensure effective use of the Foundation’s resources and budgets allocated to you.
Governance:
- Provide leadership and guidance to achieve consistency of governance across all of the Foundation’s activities, from development, delivery, measurement and evaluation and reporting perspectives.
- Regular communication and updates to the board, prepare board papers and contribute to Trustee meetings as required.
- Create, maintain and ensure continued adoption of governance frameworks, policies and templates.
- Ensure implementation and maintenance of risk registers for the charity and across all programmes.
- Manage finances, budgeting, reporting, and record-keeping
- Prepare the Foundation’s annual report.
External Engagement
- Lead on strategic communications by developing and implementing an integrated public affairs and communication plan that are consistent with the goals and values of the Foundation.
- Building and cultivating exceptional diverse reciprocal partnerships across a wide range of stakeholder groups, grounded in delivering impact through collaboration.
- Work with educational partners to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the scholarship programme
- Leverage messaging and networks to positively impact the growth and reputation of the Foundation.
- Strengthen our brand reputation to maximise our impact and reach.
- Help identify, create and develop meaningful opportunities for the young people the Foundation works with.
- Establish an alumni network and support continuous professional development for alumni.
- Produce briefings and critical information for internal and external stakeholders, and review reports, submissions, and letters where appropriate.
Experience and Skills
This is not a prescriptive list, and we do not expect applicants to meet every item outlined below. We recognise that it can be hard to find the ideal balance of knowledge and skills for this role. We are open to what this balance is, so if you are stronger in one or the other area but think you could do the job please still apply, and tell us why the role is right for you.
Required
- An appreciation and understanding of the Foundation’s values and vision.
- Outstanding communication skills, both verbal and written, combined with the ability to liaise with senior stakeholders.
- Experience in successful partnership working.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships, lead, influence and motivate others.
- Good financial acumen and experience of managing and working within set budgets.
- A proactive, flexible approach, and ability to progress work independently in a fast-paced environment.
- Diplomatic approach and highly self-motivated with a positive and energetic attitude.
- Focuses on what matters most, setting priorities and adapting them where required, with the right level of communication.
- Excellent attention to detail, accuracy and organisational skills.
- Takes satisfaction in delivering work to a consistently high standard, and programmes on time and on budget.
- Communicates clearly and confidently to senior team members, and presents information effectively, at the right time, with the right level of information.
- Plans ahead, anticipates and reacts to change and project needs, and remains flexible and adaptive in the face of change.
- Experience of working to tight deadlines without close supervision.
- The ability to identify personal strengths and weaknesses, and a willingness to develop, adapt and learn
- A passion and interest in developing work streams to support the development of young people.
- A high level of digital literacy to include MS Office, G Suite, social media and other online platforms.
Advantageous
- Knowledge and experience in effective charity governance, with experience working within the charity/non-profit space.
- Understanding of the policy and campaign landscape in the UK as it relates to issues impacting students, young people and Muslim communities.
- Expertise in project/programme management with proven ability to manage complex projects, including the ability to develop and manage budgets, timelines, and resources.
- Structured thinking when working through problems, overcoming hurdles, mitigating risks and dealing with issues.
- Confidence in, and experience in, liaising with a wide range of stakeholders and project participants
- Previous work within areas of young people, local communities, or further education is a plus.
- An understanding of effective safeguarding (training can be provided, but experience an advantage)
- An undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a relevant field.
Please note that this job description is a guide to the work you will initially be required to undertake, but does not cover all of the duties the post holder may have to perform. Responsibilities will evolve over time, in discussion with the post holder.
Key information:
Location: London, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle or Manchester (Hybrid)
Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours p/w, permanent
Start Date: ASAP (we will work with your notice period)
Salary: £39,500 - £42,500 (London), £37,000 - £40,000 (Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester & Newcastle)
Application Deadline: 11pm, Saturday 6th April 2024.
Interviews will be taking place on the 15th and 16th April 2024.
About upReach
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects? We don't.
upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Simply getting a degree is still not enough and a student from a disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity driven to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing a personalised programme of support, empowering young people and overcoming barriers to graduate employment.
To find out more about how we support students, visit our website and read ourAnnual Report, and Impact Report.
Our values
upReach upholds the following values:
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Perseverance
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Integrity
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Advocacy
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Aspiration
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Proactivity
Team Culture and Benefits
By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture.
We offer:
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Flexible and hybrid working.
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Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us.
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Birthday leave.
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Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members.
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3% Pension Contribution, this increases to 5% after 5 years of working with us.
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Cycle-to-work scheme.
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Monthly socials.
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Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training.
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Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.
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The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks:
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Disability and Inclusion Network
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Ethnic Minorities Network
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Green Network
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LGBTQ+ Network
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Mindfulness Network
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Parents and Carers Network
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Socio-economic Background Network
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Role Summary
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced senior fundraiser with expertise in managing income from trusts, foundations and companies to join upReach as we develop our new three year strategy; 2024 - 2027. The Senior Fundraising Manager will make a significant contribution to the growth of upReach through the raising of five and six figure, multi year gifts from Trust & Foundations and Companies.
Reporting to the Director of Fundraising and Development, you will have responsibility for approved income targets, line management and accountability for a portfolio of high profile funders. You will work collaboratively across the organisation including the delivery and impact teams, finance, partnerships, Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Trustees.
Core Responsibilities
The Senior Fundraising Manager will uphold upReach’s mission by meeting financial targets, leading on the acquisition and stewardship of key funders and having a significant impact across your area of responsibility and the charity as a whole.
Working with stakeholders (internal and external)
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Develop and maintain positive, mutually beneficial relationships with key external contacts, including funders and volunteers.
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Champion and model a culture of outstanding donor stewardship and supporter care; including best practice and behaviour.
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Make the fundraising ‘ask’ as and when appropriate, or assist others to do so.
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Respond promptly to requests for information and action from supporters.
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Report and disseminate the key issues to emerge from supporter feedback.
Fundraising
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Lead and develop the fundraising strategy for trusts, foundations and companies.
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Manage our pipelines; researching opportunities from trust & foundations and companies.
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Responsible for submitting and managing five and six figure applications.
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Prepare briefing documents on potential funders to inform senior colleagues of relevant information ahead of applying to or speaking with the funder.
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Lead the cultivation of potential funders.
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Oversee relationships with a portfolio of funders maintaining the highest level of donor care.
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Lead on grant reporting, collaborating with colleagues in the Impact, Finance and Programme teams to collate required information.
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Manage philanthropic/CSR relationships with companies including volunteers and employee fundraising.
Financial
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Meet fundraising income targets in line with the overarching strategy.
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Monitor and report monthly on progress towards income targets, proposing corrective action when required.
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Manage income and expenditure budgets and lead the annual budgeting process for areas of responsibility.
People management
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Manage the Fundraising Officer, rotatees (employees participating in the Future Charity Leaders Programme; upReach’s graduate scheme) and volunteers as required.
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Ensure upReach promotes a high performance culture and professional integrity.
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Promote the implementation of business improvement and people development initiatives including training and rotations.
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Work with colleagues across the department and organisation.
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Play an active role in the Leadership team.
Developing, maintaining systems and procedures
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Maintain accurate and up to date records on the CRM to deliver activity and enable effective donor, supporter, supplier and volunteer relationship management.
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Ensure the management of systems and processes comply with the organisation’s data protection obligations, charity law and other legal requirements.
Other
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Continue to develop the skills and knowledge of you and your team to ensure you are up-to-date with changing regulation and fundraising best practices.
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Undertake other fundraising or administrative tasks that are required within this role.
Please note that it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit and core responsibilities.
Skills and Experience
To be successful, it is anticipated that you will have experience working in a fundraising role within a charity or similar environment. The ideal candidate for Senior Fundraising Manager should display these skills:
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Knowledge of high value fundraising techniques including a clear understanding of prospecting, cultivating, securing and managing partnerships
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Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, both written and oral, with the ability to turn complex ideas into concise and effective cases for support
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Highly organised with attention to detail, and an ability to work autonomously and be a confident decision-maker in a fast-paced environment
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Manage multiple areas and projects, leading others to be effective
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Able to manage a varied workload and balance conflicting priorities to meet deadlines
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Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, such as Funders, Trustees, upReach partners and employees across the organisation
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Skilful management of risk and opportunities with ability to escalate appropriately
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Good knowledge of GDPR legislation and regulations
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Experience of contributing to strategy and budgeting processes
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A proactive attitude and an ability to suggest, research and implement new ideas
This position would be suited to individuals who are committed to upReach’s mission. We are looking for someone who is passionate about social mobility and believes that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment.
Equal Opportunities
upReach is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We support workplace diversity and believe it creates dynamic and effective organisations. We are working hard to increase diversity in our team and would particularly welcome applications from ethnic minority candidates.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.