Prospect research and insight manager jobs in bristol, bristol city

Title: Trusts & Foundations Advisor

Location: UK / Remote

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £40,000 per annum 

About the role

Sightsavers’ Trusts and Corporate Partnerships team is excited to be expanding its team in response to growing demands and opportunities in the trusts & foundation sector. We are recruiting for two additional Trusts & Foundations Advisors to be key contributors to the development of Sightsavers trusts and foundations programme. They will play a crucial role in the successful recruitment and cultivation of new business, while also managing a portfolio of existing trust and foundation donors primarily based in the UK, U.S and Europe.

In this role, the Advisor will be instrumental in contributing towards the team’s annual income target and supporting additional planned growth in the coming years. 

Responsibilities

• Manage and cultivate relationships with a portfolio of key trust and foundation donors for Sightsavers (up to 7-figure funding agreements) via proposals, mailings, reports, telephone or face-to-face meetings as appropriate, and coordinate donor visits, dealing with CEOs, Directors, and Trustees.
• Develop key external and internal relationships and donor engagement activities for the achievement of planned objectives with these donors.
• Research, identify, prioritise, and develop personalised engagement plans and donor strategies to cultivate new trust prospects in targeted global markets. Lead on cultivating relationships with CEOs, Directors, and Trustees, with the aim of establishing additional high-value funding relationships.
• Work proactively across the organisation, including cross-culturally, to coordinate, develop, and deliver a high standard of compelling project proposals and reports ready for submission to donors whilst ensuring excellent grant/contract management to existing donor relationships.
• Actively participate in the networks surrounding trusts and foundations, sharing information, insights, opportunities, and fundraising materials produced.
• Represent Sightsavers and/or support staff delegations at conferences and networks to engage with and cultivate new donor relationships.
• Contribute to team, departmental, and wider organisational systems development and initiatives.

This is a highly varied and involved role and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. Please see the Job Description for full details.

Jobholder Requirements

Essential

• Relevant experience working in the charity sector, ideally in international development.
• Experience of long-term grant/contract management of significant funders/clients.
• Proven success in personally cultivating new relationships with prospective donors/clients and maintaining relationships with existing donors/clients.
• Demonstrative experience of excellent written skills, including proposals, bids, and reports for external audiences.
• Proven success in creating successful funding proposals.
• Knowledge of good fundraising practice.
• Experience of in-person networking at conferences or face-to-face meetings with senior trusts and foundations staff/board.
• Understanding of and interest in charity sector and international development issues.
• First-class presentation and writing skills, including preparation of proposals, project budgets, and reports with excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent IT skills, including Word and Excel, and experience of using fundraising databases.
• Capable of relating well to a wide range of people.
• Strong listening and negotiating skills.
• Research experience, including the development of engagement plans.
• Experience of in-person networking at conferences.
• Self-confidence with the ability to take the initiative, manage time effectively, and work to deadlines.
• Good analytical skills – can prioritise and plan opportunities based on available information.
• Highly collaborative approach.

Desirable

• Experience of Fundraising from the US market.
• Experience of writing for the US market.

Next Steps

To apply for this exciting new opportunity, please complete an application via our recruitment portal. We are particularly interested in learning of your motivations for applying.

Successful candidates will be invited to participate in a virtual interview via Microsoft Teams, and we will also ask all candidates to complete a short task related to the responsibilities of the Trusts & Foundations Advisor role.

As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people living with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Due to project deadlines, we are keen to fill this role as quickly as possible. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and considered as soon as they are received. The closing date for applications is 1 June 2025. We encourage you to submit your application as early as possible, as early submissions will be reviewed promptly.

This role supports AvMA’s Seven Pillars of Fundraising:

Supporter Care – Ensuring digital donors and fundraisers have an engaging, meaningful experience.

Organisational Commitment – Aligning digital fundraising efforts with AvMA’s strategic vision.

Responsibility – Maintaining ethical and transparent fundraising practices.

Growing Value – Increasing digital income through optimised supporter journeys and engagement. Strength – Building a scalable and sustainable digital fundraising model.

Leadership and Self-Leadership – Supporting volunteers and fundraisers in their digital engagement.

Diversification – Exploring new approaches to engage supporters and increase income.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a corporate and trusts fundraising plan that builds on AvMA’s existing pipeline.
• Utilise AI and digital tools to streamline prospect research, prioritise funders, and optimise fundraising efficiency.
• Identify and cultivate relationships with prospective corporate partners and trusts that align with AvMA’s mission.
• Write compelling funding applications and partnership proposals to secure financial support.
• Manage and steward relationships with corporate donors, grant-giving trusts, and foundations.
• Deliver high-quality stewardship, ensuring funders receive timely impact reports and updates.
• Provide insights and recommendations on long-term corporate and trust fundraising strategies.

Other:

• To undertake other duties as required commensurate with this post. To travel as necessary for events and fundraising activities

Person Specification

Essential:

• An experienced corporate or trust fundraiser, with a strong track record of securing funding.
• A confident relationship-builder, able to engage with potential funders and partners.
• Strategic and data-driven, with experience in using AI or digital tools to prioritise and streamline fundraising activities.
• A persuasive communicator, with excellent proposal writing and pitching skills. Results-driven, with a proactive and self-motivated approach to achieving income targets.
• Passion, commitment and drive to promote patient rights and follow the aims of AvMA.
• IT literate and confident with technological change. 
• Able to identify opportunities to improve our data collection systems; an awareness of the power of social media and how to use it to promote AvMA’s work.
• Committed to principles of equal opportunities and diversity and inclusion.

Join Amala, an ambitious international non-profit, as our newly created Head of Fundraising, and play a pivotal role in achieving our bold 2024-2027 strategy to triple our impact.

Are you a strategic, driven, and passionate senior fundraiser ready to lead the charge in securing the vital resources needed to provide transformative education opportunities for refugee and displaced youth globally? 

This is an exciting opportunity to develop and execute high-impact fundraising strategies and contribute directly to our mission of reaching at least 5,800 students annually by 2027.

About Amala:

Amala’s mission is to use the power of education to transform the lives of young refugees, their communities and the world. We are a founder-led, non-profit organisation with big ambitions to create a deep and lasting impact for young people who are displaced. We have developed the first, internationally accredited, upper secondary level programme for out of school refugees and crisis affected youth, and currently reach approximately 1400 students a year. As demand for our education programmes continues to grow, and in line with our 2024-2027 strategic plan, we aim to triple the number of young people we serve, reaching at least 5,800 students per year by 2027. Our bold vision is that millions of refugee youth have access to transformative education by 2040. 

Our team is fully remote, with our Global Team based in the UK, Canada, Singapore and Greece. We also have two learning centres, one in Amman, Jordan and one in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya and work with a growing list of partners across Kenya, Uganda and Malaysia. 

The Opportunity:

This is where this new role comes in: The Head of Fundraising will play a crucial role in supporting the stewardship of the current donors while also securing the vital resources needed to realise our bold ambition and help us transform the lives of millions of young refugees and conflict affected youth across the globe.

You will be part of leading a growing and changing organisation, and will work closely with Amala’s two Co-founders and the Fundraising Manager to develop and implement a multi-year fundraising strategy, cultivate and deepen key donor relationships and boost our income growth from our current £800k towards our £3 million target by 2027, driving the financial sustainability necessary for Amala’s continued growth and impact.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Lead the development and execution of a multi-year fundraising strategy 

• Lead all fundraising, communications and stakeholder engagement

• Lead donor engagement and management 

• Team management and leadership

• Reporting, evaluation and budgets

• Foster a fundraising culture across the organisation 

Who we are looking for:

A strategic, entrepreneurial and ambitious senior fundraiser with a proven track record of securing significant UK and international funding (£1m+ annual income generation), developing high-impact strategies, and building strong donor relationships. You will be an inspiring leader with exceptional people management skills, with experience in leading growing organisations, and who enjoys the strategic side of the role as well as having a hands on approach. 

The role would be best suited to someone who is committed to making a difference to the lives of young refugees, with a strong grounding in international charity sector fundraising. and international funding.

Essential experience:

• Proven experience in a senior fundraising management role within the non-profit sector, ideally within international development.

• A proven track record of success in fundraising, particularly in developing and executing complex fundraising strategies for a growing non-profit organisation.

• Experience developing and implementing multi-year income generation plans.

• A strong history of securing six-figure, multi-year grants and contracts in the UK and internationally, with an annual income generation of £1m+.

• Senior-level experience managing relationships with multiple, diverse funders and donors.

• Experience writing successful partnership bids, grant proposals, cases for support, and theories of change.

• Experience in leading change in a growing organisation.

• At least three years of experience leading and managing a team, with a track record of developing and supporting staff.

What we offer:

This full time, fully remote position offers a salary of £50,000-55,000 if you are a UK resident. If you reside in a different location, the salary will be adjusted accordingly. You will work closely with a driven, collaborative, entrepreneurial and supportive team from around the world, and you are required to be in a time zone GMT +/- 3 hours.

Apart from the salary, a unique culture and a great team, we also offer benefits including flexible time off, paid parental leave and flexible work arrangements. To support your remote work set up, Amala offers a stipend for a co-working space and similar.

How to apply:

For detailed information on this role, including the full list of responsibilities, experience, and instructions on how to apply, please refer to the job description on our website.

Closing date: Friday 30 May 2025, 12:00 BST