Senior Philanthropy Operations Manager

Fundraising department

Our dynamic fundraising department generated £4.5 million through donations in 2023/2024, and we are now preparing for an ambitious multi-million-pound campaign in support of a ground-breaking cancer centre on the site of the Royal Free Hospital.

We pride ourselves on being a supporter-focused and agile function, working at the heart of the charity to deliver impact for patients and staff across our hospitals.

Responsible for attracting and retaining donors, and delivering an outstanding supporter experience, the fundraising department comprises two teams which work closely together to achieve our shared objectives:

• Our Philanthropy & Campaigns team builds relationships with individual philanthropists, trusts, foundations, corporate organisations and intermediaries, giving or facilitating donations of £10,000 or more to the charity each year. They lead major appeal activity for the charity, currently focused on our forthcoming cancer campaign, our essential existing services, the charity’s first patron programme, and special events to support these activities.
• Our Public Fundraising team harnesses the support and energy of individuals and groups, helping them to give back in the way that works for them. This includes committed giving, in memory support, gifts in wills, and fundraising events and challenges. Our database and supporter care teams sit within Public Fundraising, with their work underpinning and supporting the entire department.

Building on our achievements, our board of trustees has agreed to invest in expanding the fundraising function to develop a sustainable infrastructure that will support our growth ambitions. We are currently restructuring our teams, within the above parameters, to deliver this vision.

Job Purpose

We are seeking a proactive, experienced and hands-on person to join our team as Senior Philanthropy Operations Manager on a permanent basis. Working alongside the wider team, you will oversee all philanthropy operations, leading on delivering and further developing the charity’s approach to portfolio, information, and policy management and reporting, and helping to evolve our approach to database and systems processes, to support the team to meet ambitious engagement and income targets.

You will play a vital role within our Philanthropy & Campaigns team, using insight and expertise, and working closely with a range of stakeholders across RFC, RFL and the wider sector. Your commitment to excellence will enable sector-leading research, engagement and stewardship.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Philanthropy & Campaigns, with a dotted line to the Campaign Director, this role is responsible for line managing the Prospect Research and Operations Manager, with further direct and indirect line management anticipated as we prepare for and deliver our forthcoming cancer campaign.

Principal accountabilities / responsibilities

Team leadership

•   Proactively lead and manage all operations for the Philanthropy & Campaigns team as we deliver challenging core activity alongside moving towards delivery of a c£70m cancer campaign
•  Manage a growing team to deliver productively and at pace, modelling behaviour and setting standards

Prospect research and portfolio management

• Work with the Prospect Research and Operations Manager to grow the prospect research strategy and associated processes, ensuring the development of an effective philanthropy prospect pipeline, sourcing prospective donors to fund key priority projects
•  Lead on the use of data and analytics to drive decision making across the team
• Work with the Philanthropy & Campaigns team to build the income budget, supporting with re/forecasting throughout the year

Information management and reporting

•     Ensure data capture processes for prospect management and research are effective, reviewing and improving, as needed
•   Provide high-quality information and intelligence, to include prospect and pipeline reporting, to support decision making and strategy development in the Philanthropy & Campaigns team, working in collaboration with other teams as required
• Track and report on the Philanthropy & Campaigns team’s activities against agreed priorities, highlighting areas for potential new asks
• Oversee the analysis of management accounts, and deliver data and insight for committee and board reports  

Compliance and policy management

•   Lead on the team’s approach to compliance, ensuring alignment with gift acceptance, naming, data protection, gift aid and due diligence requirements
•   Develop and introduce processes and guidance to enhance the efficiency and impact of the Philanthropy & Campaigns team
•   Lead on the delivery of internal training for the Philanthropy & Campaigns team to ensure all legal requirements are met

Database and systems support

•   Alongside the Database Team and Prospect Research and Operations Manager, develop the processes required to qualify prospective supporters, evaluating their warmth to the cause, as well as their capacity and propensity to give
• Work with the Database Team to ensure appropriate systems are in place for the Philanthropy & Campaigns team; providing clear processes for the team to keep track of progress and be aware of upcoming opportunities and potential philanthropy prospects.

This job description is not exhaustive; the role will include other tasks and responsibilities commensurate with the post and subject to change to meet legislative requirements.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Qualifications, experience, skills and knowledge
Qualifications

No specific qualifications are required for this role.

Experience

Essential

•   Demonstrable experience working in an operations or research function, ideally within a fundraising team, developing plans, processes and guidance, in accordance with relevant laws and guidelines
•  Extensive experience working with a relationship database, developing client/supporter journeys, using analysis to identify and segment prospects, and building analytical reports (we use RE and Power BI)
• Experience delivering insight reports, understanding requirements and expectations and adding value, to inform team activity
•  Proven experience in devising, testing and implementing systems across a team

Desirable

• Experience of team leadership, driving growth through periods of change
• Experience providing insights to support fundraising teams to plan and deliver their approaches
• Track record of delivering internal briefings that have contributed to philanthropic gift solicitations, or equivalent private sector experience
•  Experience in developing and implementing policies, leading on team compliance
•  Line management experience, including setting, monitoring and managing objectives, KPIs and activity plans

Skills and knowledge

•  Exceptional database understanding and reporting skills
•   Excellent written communication skills, with a meticulous eye for detail
• Sound knowledge of data protection regulations and other relevant laws, principles and guidelines
• A keen interest in the fundraising sector and how systems and insight can be used to improve team performance
• Commitment to quality of service, with the ability and motivation to contribute actively to a collaborative and agile team
• Ability to deal with sensitive information in a confidential and professional manner
• Ability to manage and juggle workload whilst maintaining an excellent service level to all stakeholders
• Strategic thinking with an ability to find innovative ways to overcome obstacles and rise to challenges
• Excellent IT skills, including a working knowledge of MS applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams) and strong experience with relationship databases
• Comfortable navigating change and growth
• Engagement with equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to act in accordance with best practice in these areas

All staff are expected to:

•  Work to the charity’s vision, and adhere to our values of dedication, innovation, partnership, energy and respect. These underpin everything that we do.
• Treat everyone equally, regardless of sex, age, disability, gender reassignment, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. We’ve recently created a staff-led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Board to deliver our first EDI strategy and to hold ourselves accountable for our performance.
•  Be flexible and respond to business needs.
•  Read and adhere to the charity policies, and all relevant legislation, and ensure that any team members who report to you do the same.
•   Be aware of and have a good understanding of Health and Safety at Work and the Fire Procedure.
•  Attend meetings and training as required.