Fundraising Manager

ABOUT SMART WORKS

Smart Works is a dynamic, high profile and fast-growing UK charity that dresses, coaches and empowers unemployed women for success at their job interview. After visiting Smart Works, 63% of clients secure a job within a month, gaining financial independence and transforming their lives.  

The Smart Works service is delivered in 11 centres across the UK. Over the past ten years, Smart Works has helped over 40,000 women. It is our mission that any woman who needs our service should be able to find her way to a Smart Works centre. In early 2025, Smart Works will be opening our 12th centre in Bristol, bringing our in-person services to women in the South West for the very first time. 

More information about who we are can be found on our website.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Smart Works Bristol exists to empower all women who need heflp getting into work. We aim to support 1000 clients with our Interview and Preparation service per year. As such, we require vital funding from Grants, Trusts & Foundations to enable us to achieve our mission, and continued support to deliver our calendar of Corporate Events. 

As our charity grows, we are seeking a Fundraising Manager to join our small and ambitious staff team. The successful post holder will be researching and building a strong pipeline of grant funders and five and six-figure gifts from Trusts & Foundations, including core funding and restricted funding.

This is a unique opportunity to work alongside our Board of Trustees to maximise local funding opportunities, expand our portfolio of grant funders, and contribute to a growth in income for the charity. The successful candidate will be responsible for researching and identifying prospective funders, writing and submitting high-quality applications and proposals, and delivering excellent grant management and stewardship updates. They will also work closely with the Trustees to deliver an exciting calendar of corporate and community fundraising fashion events, and lead our corporate sports challenge.

We are seeking a proactive self-starter, with experience in philanthropic fundraising, excellent written communication skills and demonstrable attention to detail. We would also love to hear if you have experience working with grant applications and/or funding proposals, and utilising a range of tools to identify new funding opportunities. 

Smart Works is a collaborative environment, with dynamic teams and ambitious plans across the UK. It is a rewarding national community with regular liaison to the London Charity Partnerships and Fundraising Team. 

You will be based in our Bristol Centre. Some evening and weekend work is required to lead on philanthropic fundraising and support wider fundraising events such as Fashion Sales. Initially, this role will be primarily home-based until the Bristol centre is established.

Are you organised, enjoy writing, researching and communicating, and are passionate about supporting women into work? If so, then this could be the ideal opportunity for you. We would love to hear from you.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reporting to the Head of Smart Works Bristol, the successful candidate will lead on a range of activities, including:
• Building excellent relationships with corporate and community partners, generating awareness and income of c. £165k for the centre across grants, events and corporate fundraising.
• Delivering financial activities to target, maintaining an up-to-date database with relevant income tracking and pipeline data to facilitate regular KPI and financial reporting to the Board of Trustees.
• Lead our annual signature corporate challenge to target income c. £50k, known as Step Up for Smart Works – managing the project locally from planning to delivery, including identifying and onboarding participant teams and their stewardship.
• Securing one-year and multi-year grants from a range of Trusts and Foundations, including traditional grant funders, local charities, family foundations and corporate foundations to meet income targets c. 50k.
• Researching and identifying prospective grant funders who could support Smart Works Bristol. 
• Writing high-quality grant applications, working collaboratively with the Chair of the Board and staff team to deliver creative and compelling proposals for both core and restricted funding. 
• Maintaining strong relationships with current and prospective funders, including the preparation of impact reports and sharing regular updates on grant management. 
• Maintain an accurate data record of pledged, banked and prospective income for the Bristol centre, working in collaboration with Smart Works Charity to maintain local management accounts. 
• Representing Smart Works Bristol to a diverse range of stakeholders and audiences to generate income and raise brand awareness within the local community. 
• Support the Trustees with stewardship of fashion and retail partners, including venue and catering supporters, as well as our corporate partners supporting the charity. 
• Support the delivery of our signature fundraising events, including high-end supporter events and fashion sales, where the Trustees manage the project from concept to execution and ensure income targets are met. 

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Essential Criteria:

• Extensive experience generating income of at least five figures from philanthropic income. 
• Demonstrable experience securing corporate partnerships of five figures. 
• Experience working with grant applications and/or funding proposals, and utilising a range of tools to identify new funding opportunities.
• Excellent written communication skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to prepare high-quality funding proposals and reports, adapting the communication style for different audiences and stakeholders to maximise impact.
• Target driven with excellent organisation and time management capabilities, demonstrating an ability to prioritise and work to deadlines.
• Creative and proactive approach to problem-solving, with an entrepreneurial attitude towards fundraising strategy.
• Passionate and enthusiastic about the mission and vision of Smart Works, demonstrated through clear initial research and understanding in the written application.

Desirable Criteria:

• Proven track record in securing six figure philanthropic income. 
• Experience in cultivating strong and positive relationships, both internally and externally, with multiple and senior stakeholders.
• Experience of organising fundraising events. 
• Interpersonal, verbal communication and presentation skills, in order to build strong working relationships with external stakeholders.
• An understanding of the Trusts & Foundations and high-value fundraising landscape, such as the current challenges, opportunities and trends.
• Knowledge of the local fundraising landscape in Bristol and the South West.

Smart Works promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, disabled candidates, and candidates with lived experience of unemployment as we would like to increase the representation of these groups at Smart Works.

BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• Full-time role, based in our Bristol Centre. 
• Monday-Friday with typical working hours 9 am-5 pm in line with centre opening hours. Happy to discuss flexible working at the interview. 
• Salary of £34,000- £38,000 FTE depending on experience.
• 25 days annual leave, excluding bank holidays. 
• Company pension. 
• Positive, supportive working environment with opportunities for practical training and progression. 
• VIP access at Smart Works sales, events and pop-up shops. 
• All successful applicants must provide two satisfactory references and complete a Basic DBS check.

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a CV and answer the following questions via our recruitment portal here by midday on Thursday 5th December 2024. Your application should be addressed to the Head of Smart Works Bristol, Imogen Franklin.

1. Why do you want to work for Smart Works? (Max 250 words)
2. What experiences and skills do you have that makes you well suited to the role? (Max 400 words)
3. In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge and biggest opportunity in the current Philanthropy and Grants space? (Max 400 words)

First interviews will take place virtually on Tuesday 10th December. Final interviews will take place in person in Bristol on Monday 13th December.

If you require any reasonable adjustments or alterations for the application and recruitment processes, please contact the recruitment team (see job pack for details) about submitting a manual application.

At Smart Works we will apply suitable measures to keep your information secure in accordance with our Privacy Policy (a current version of which is available on our website).