Fundraising Manager – Individual Giving

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your individual giving fundraising skills to this highly effective and growing heritage charity. The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust is a separate entity to the SVR Holdings Company who operate and run this much-loved attraction.  The Trust’s focus is to help secure the future of the Severn Valley Railway through donations, grants, and sponsorship.  The position of Fundraising Manager for individuals is key to our future success, understanding our donor base and creating a clear donor stewardship programme for the 15,000 donors we have.

In addition, you will create engaging fundraising asks, strong engagement processes and effective recruitment campaigns.  You will have the support of a Donor Care Officer to help deliver your plans.

You will be able to demonstrate your experience in creating and delivering effective donor stewardship plans to include single, legacy and in-memorial giving.  Access ThankQ database and Tessitura experience is desired.

We are seeking a resourceful, proactive team player who demonstrates initiative and takes ownership and responsibility for completing and finishing tasks, including setting and achieving targets.  You will naturally identify opportunities and maximise these for the benefit of the Railway.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust, taking the reins of individual giving fundraising.  This is your chance to join a passionate local charity that is committed to safeguarding the Severn Valley Railway. 

Overview

Post: Fundraising Manager, Individual Giving

Reporting to: Executive Director

Employer: Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust

Salary:  £30,000 to £35.000 FTE

Primary location: Number One, Comberton Place, Kidderminster

Hours: Part-time, 4 days per week (30 hours)

Holiday: 31 days (inclusive of Public holidays) FTE

Summary of Role

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your proven fundraising experience in individual giving to this driven and passionate heritage charity.  This position is a hands-on role and comes with line management of a part-time Donor Engagement Officer and 3 volunteers.  We envisage this area of the business growing as the successes of your initiatives are realised.  We have been extremely successful in our individual giving thus far, but it is time for a new experienced fundraiser to take it to the next level, focusing on both retention, uplift, and acquisition, whilst building a stronger fundraising volunteer base to assist you in delivering your plans. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy & Development

• To increase income generated from individual giving fundraising activities.
• To create and execute a donor retention, uplift, and acquisition strategy.

·To lead on developing our CRM system, working with the Executive Director and Finance Manager to review the Trust’s CRM database and implement an Organisation wide CRM system.

• To manage the individual giving budget in line with objectives and KPIs, reporting to the Executive Director on income and expenditure and highlighting variances in a timely manner.
• To test, implement, monitor, and evaluate existing and new fundraising asks and channels to increase two-way engagement with donors.
• To develop and manage high quality supporter care including responsive and prompt thanking and updating our donors on the impact of their support.
• To develop a volunteer-base of fundraisers.

Direct Marketing

• To manage and deliver integrated online and offline campaigns.
• To manage the design, print and production of direct marketing activity, negotiating bought in services and ensuring invoices are in accordance with quotes.

Administration and Reporting

• To manage the Individual Giving budget and provide monthly updates to the Executive Director.
  • To keep accurate and up to date records of all activities, using ThankQ CRM database, extracting reports for the team as required, and maintaining high standards in customer care and record keeping.

Managing Relationships

• To provide management and guidance to the Donor Care Officer to ensure that KPIs and objectives are achieved, and a clear personal development plan is in place.
• To build strong internal working relationships with colleagues.
• Organise face to face thank you events for our supporters.
• To work with the SVR Holdings Marketing and Communications team to gain support and cross selling opportunities within the different SVR audiences.

Other

·Proactively ensure all materials produced are accurate and compliant with relevant GDPR protection and Gift Aid legislation.

·To undertake all activities in line with best practice standards and processes as set out by the Fundraising Code of Practice and industry regulatory bodies.

·To keep abreast of developments in individual giving and ensure charity compliance.

·To contribute to the Fundraising Team’s strategic planning and budget process.

·To carry out any other tasks as reasonably requested.

·To actively implement the principles of Equality and Diversity.

Person Specification

Educated to degree level and / or an accredited fundraising qualification such as Certificate or Diploma in Fundraising.

Experience

• Creating and implementing successful individual giving donor stewardship plans.
• Implementing donor segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategy.
• Proficient with fundraising CRM systems ideally ThankQ and Tessitura.  To include building, analysing, and reporting.
• Creating, writing, and delivering strong fundraising appeals across all platforms.
• Writing compelling cases studies.
• Legacy and in-memoriam fundraising.
• Managing income and expenditure budgets.
• Presenting to internal and external stakeholders.
• Managing and motivating staff.

Skills and abilities

• Outstanding verbal and written skills. Able to engage audiences using a range of communication tools.
• Exceptional analytical skills to be able to evaluate our donor base and create effective tiered donor stewardship plans.
• Significant direct marketing skills: devising and delivering social media and print campaigns.
• Ability to work cross-functionally and to secure resources and support from colleagues in different business areas.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills; confident and personable with the ability to manage and build strong relationships with key individual donors.
• Exceptional organisation and time management skills. Able to plan / prioritise own work and meet agreed deadlines.
• Excellent attention to detail and methodical approach to tasks.
• Competent use of MS Outlook, Excel and Word.
• Strong numerical / budgeting skills.

Attitude and Personal Qualities

• Motivated, task-orientated, and professional.
• Flexible, able and willing to respond to changing priorities.
• Strong team player with collaborative working style, who enjoys individual and team working.
• Willing to participate in all activities relevant to the role.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Commitment to GDPR and Fundraising Code of Practice.
• Commitment to the principles of Equality and Diversity.
• An interest in heritage railways.

As a volunteering organisation, we ask staff to volunteer 5 days per year to support our operational staff in the busy season.

SVR Family

The SVR Family consists of the three separate companies

1. Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Plc (Company number 01046274) is a not-for-profit company limited by shares.  No dividend is paid to shareholders with all profit used to support the running of the Railway. It owns the infrastructure and assets of the SVR, employs the paid staff, and is responsible for the governance, operation, finance, planning, customer service and management of the SVR.

2. Severn Valley Railway Company Limited, (Company number 00906842), a company limited by guarantee, supported by a paid membership of 12,500 members and provides volunteer staff who assist in the operation of the Railway from a working volunteer membership pool of 1,700.

Both organisations are led by Helen Smith, Director and General Manager.

3. Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Limited, a company limited by guarantee (Company Reg, No.04341280) Registered with the Charity Commission (Reg.No.1092723).

The focus of the SVR Charitable Trust is to generate funds:

• To enhance, maintain and restore SVR rolling stock and infrastructure.
• To provide educational and interpretive displays for the SVR
• To provide educational and heritage skill training used in the restoration, repair, and operation of the SVR.

The Charitable Trust is led by Shelagh Paterson, Executive Director.

Our Staff

Volunteering

The Severn Valley Railway is run by a team of 150 full-time equivalent paid staff and 1,700 volunteers.  As part our commitment and recognition to our volunteers, we request that all paid staff give five volunteer days to the Railway every year, this may involve supporting key events, to include Santa Specials, Halloween, and Gala’s.

Our Objective

SVR is recognised as an outstanding visitor attraction, with great days out and inspiring events, all with consistently high standards of customer service. SVR provides an authentic heritage railway experience where you can let your senses take you on a journey through history, with learning opportunities in abundance.

The organisations to support this are professionally led, values-based, and commercially strong. While it may be old on the outside, on the inside, SVR uses 21st century technology to run its activities effectively. It is able to recruit, train and retain the Staff and Volunteers it needs, and brings in the wide range of Financial and other support required to develop further. SVR is known for having good and enduring relationships with its stakeholders, from the diverse local communities in which it sits, to the Loco and Rolling stock owners, the Regulators and Industry partners.  On a day-to-day basis the 3 key areas of Management focus for SVR are Safety, People and Heritage. In addition, SVR has an industry-leading approach to the issue of Sustainability.

A great opportunity has arisen for a Fundraising Manager- Individual Giving for a fantastic heritage charity in order to increase income generated from individual giving fundraising activities.

Contract type: permanent, 4 days a week (30 hrs a week)
Salary: 30,000 to 35.000 FTE

Please Apply ASAP!

Key responsibilities:
To create and execute a donor retention, uplift, and acquisition strategy.
To lead on developing our CRM system, working with the Executive Director and Finance Manager to review the Trust s CRM database and implement an Organisation wide CRM system.
To manage the individual giving budget in line with objectives and KPIs, reporting to the Executive Director on income and expenditure and highlighting variances in a timely manner.
To test, implement, monitor, and evaluate existing and new fundraising asks and channels to increase two-way engagement with donors.
To develop and manage high quality supporter care including responsive and prompt thanking and updating our donors on the impact of their support.
To develop a volunteer-base of fundraisers.
To manage and deliver integrated online and offline campaigns.
To manage the design, print and production of direct marketing activity, negotiating bought in services and ensuring invoices are in accordance with quotes.
To manage the Individual Giving budget and provide monthly updates to the Executive Director.

Person specification:
Creating and implementing successful individual giving donor stewardship plans.
Implementing donor segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategy.
Proficient with fundraising CRM systems ideally ThankQ and Tessitura. To include building, analysing, and reporting.
Creating, writing, and delivering strong fundraising appeals across all platforms.
Writing compelling cases studies.
Legacy and in-memoriam fundraising.
Managing income and expenditure budgets.
Presenting to internal and external stakeholders.
Managing and motivating staff.
Outstanding verbal and written skills. Able to engage audiences using a range of communication tools.

Salary - £37,300 - £40,248 + up to £5,000 accountancy allowance

The Government Property Agency’s mission is to provide great places to work for civil servants. We are using our scale and commercial expertise to do this effectively, efficiently and sustainably, helping to support growth in all parts of the UK. We are growing rapidly through acquisition of Government properties from Departments. Turnover has risen from £0.4bn in 20/21 to £1.1bn in 21/22 and it will continue to grow as more properties are transferred and run by GPA. The postholder can be based at any of the GPA locations with Finance presence outside London. GPA has offices in Birmingham, Platform 21, Leeds, The Lateral; Manchester, Piccadilly Gate; Nottingham, Apex Court. Some business travel may be needed in due course when travel restrictions allow. 

With a strong focus on improving the GPA’s customer service offering, the Client Finance Manager will be responsible for providing financial management and reporting services to a portfolio of clients, delivering excellent financial reporting and property accounting to new and existing customers alike. The postholder will have full responsibility for all aspects of financial services delivery for existing and prospective clients including budgets, forecasts and client liaison.

The responsibilities of the Client Finance Manager will include

• Being accountable for financial control over property services accounting, ensuring high levels of client satisfaction by providing accurate forecasting, explanations and billing
• Maintaining a focus on process improvement, including planning and establishing new systems and processes for quarterly financial reporting to ensure clients understand their costs and bills, delivering an ongoing service that meets and exceeds expectations
• Being the key liaison between senior finance and property staff for client meetings, involving being acutely aware of the customers’ needs and acting upon them, and being proactive in problem solving and finding solutions
• Delivering budgets and forecasts for each client, property and tenancy, using complex data from the MRI Horizon general ledger and other systems, Hyperion and Excel tools to provide accurate and meaningful financial information
• Leading the service delivery to clients alongside management accountants and other colleagues, supporting the growth of the GPA, and matching resources to client demand
• Manage due diligence exercises on estate-related financial information provided by the client and interrogate to identify material financial risks to GPA and ensure correct account treatments are applied

Key Skills & Experience

• CCAB, or equivalent, qualified/part-qualified accountant with a recognised professional body
• Be proficient in Microsoft Excel skills and able to manipulate complex data sets
• Strong attention to detail and ability to analyse and interpret significant amounts of financial data
• Have experience in client finance, including reporting to clients, managing systems and processes, working in partnership with clients to deliver results (desirable)
• Have experience with property management systems such as MRI Horizon, Yardi Voyager, or similar systems, in addition to Excel and Hyperion (or similar) for financial reporting (desirable)
• Ideally have experience in the property industry within medium to large organisations where customer service is a priority (desirable)

To apply for this opportunity, you will be required to produce a supporting statement against the four GPA core values, answering specific role focussed questions. For more information, please apply using the link, or contact Michael Swinburn or Jack White at our retained search agent, Robertson Bell.

Volunteer Manager

37 hours per week

£26,305 plus pension and healthcare scheme benefits

The opportunity

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our organisation. You will be able to demonstrate excellent people and communication skills, with an ability to motivate and engage with volunteers. You will also work with colleagues to ensure volunteers have a positive experience and the impact of volunteering is recognised, evaluated and communicated.

The ideal candidate

This is a forward thinking, energetic role for someone passionate about supporting and developing volunteers. You will have proven experience recruiting and supporting volunteers in the third sector. You must have excellent communication and organisational skills, with a commitment to energising and developing volunteers.

The organisation

We are a locally focused charity with over 130 volunteers across Birmingham and Sandwell. Our services, including charity retail shops, support older people to remain independent at home and connected to their community. We are looking to grow and expand to support more older people across Birmingham and the Black Country

Application forms must be completed fully; CV’s will not be accepted. Application forms available on the Age UK Birmingham website. 

The deadline for applications is Monday 22nd October.  Interviews to be arranged W/C 25th October.