Fundraising Officer

Our small charity is looking for a charity fundraiser who has a real passion and commitment for enabling people with learning disabilities, and other communication difficulties, to understand the world they live in through the medium of picture stories.

Position: Fundraising Officer
Responsible to: Communications Manager
Hours: 0.5FTE (FTE 37.5hrs) 2.5 days per week, or 5 days per fortnight. With the potential of increased hours with successful fundraising
Workplace: Leatherhead - Flexible working arrangements will be considered sympathetically.
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £25,000 - £27,000 pro-rata (0.5 FTE)
Annual leave: FTE 22 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata) plus 3 days at Christmas
Pension: A contributory pension scheme (NEST) is available after three months; employer contribution is 5% and employee 5%.
Probation: This post is subject to a three-month probationary period.

Overview
A Fundraising Officer plays a key role in supporting the charity’s fundraising efforts by assisting with the planning, coordination and execution of fundraising campaigns. This role involves managing donor communications, maintaining donor databases, and helping to secure funding to support the charity’s mission.

Person Specification Skills and Experience
You will:

• Have great interpersonal skills and thrive at building relationships.
• Be able to work unsupervised and to identify ways to reach your financial targets.
• Have excellent communication skills, especially the ability to write inspirational applications.
• Use your emotional intelligence to present powerful case studies that connect with potential donors.
• Be creative and entrepreneurial, able to find new ways to raise funds for Beyond Words.
• Ideally have family, voluntary or professional experience with people with learning disabilities.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from people with disabilities, neurodiverse applicants and those who are seeking flexible employment.

A basic DBS check will be required for this role.

This is a key role within the charity and is a great opportunity for someone wanting to build experience across all areas of fundraising, as well as grant-making.

Fundraising Officer – Job Description
To support Books Beyond Words in the development and execution of fundraising initiatives, under the direction of the Chief Executive. Beyond Words creates word-free picture stories that transform the lives of people with learning disabilities by making information accessible. As it is a small charity, this role is very hands-on, encompassing strategy and delivery.

Key Responsibilities
Manage Trusts & Foundation Grant Process (Target: £400k per annum)

• Identify appropriate ways to present the work of Beyond Words to potential funders.
• Ensure a robust pipeline of potential trusts, foundations and corporate grant opportunities.
• Maintain a calendar of grant application deadlines and other key dates.
• Prepare and submit grant proposals.
• Maintain a record of fundraising applications and successful grants, following up as needed and recording when reports are due.

Individual Donors (Target: £15k per annum)

• Identify and research potential individual donors
• Ensure regular and effective communication, including timely thanking for all gifts and grants received.
• Respond to donor enquiries and provide information about the charity’s programs and impact.
• Assist in the development and execution of donor stewardship programs as required.
• Maintain and update systems for tracking prospects and donors, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality of donor information.

Fundraising Campaigns & Events (Target: 5k per annum)

• Develop and maintain a robust prospect pipeline.
• Assist the Communications Manager in the creation of compelling fundraising materials, including flyers, emails and social media content.
• Assist in the implementation of fundraising campaigns and initiatives.
• Organise activities that aim to increase awareness and generate donations.
• Track and report on fundraising progress, including donor contributions and campaign performance.

With the Fundraising Task Force and CEO, you will explore and implement opportunities to diversify income generation, contributing to the development of the fundraising strategy

As this is a small charity, all staff are expected to respond flexibly to the needs and opportunities that arise from time to time and are therefore expected to be willing to perform such other duties as the CEO may reasonably require.

Applications close midday on Monday 12th August.

First interviews will take place on Wednesday 21st August.