Prospect Research Officer Jobs in London

Since 2018, Connect: North Korea (CNK) has grown from a small community start-up into an effective and impactful organisation with an annual income of approaching £500,000, mainly through grants from Trusts and Foundations. We now want to develop our individual giving programme to build our unrestricted income and secure our long term growth.

As our new Head of Individual Giving, you will be responsible for growing our income from our individual and corporate base to help us reach more vulnerable members of our community. You will lead on  individual fundraising relationships and initiatives, including appeals, fundraising campaigns, and all direct marketing activities and communications. You will position us in our supporters’ minds and encourage them to actively support CNK in 2025 and beyond.

Position: Head of Individual Giving 

Responsible to: CEO

Based at: Our offices in New Malden KT3 with some remote/home working.  We will be as flexible as possible to accommodate the right candidate.

Contract: Permanent. Full-time (35 hours per week) with occasional evening working required. Flexible hours/days possible whilst respecting core hours of 10am-4pm

Salary: £42,000 - £45,000 + 5% pension on qualifying earnings, health insurance and gym membership

Benefits: 28 days holidays exclusive of public holidays. We also offer 2 additional days on top of this – 1 recharge day where the whole charity closes and 1 day in the week of a staff member’s birthday.

The role

Your specific objectives will be to:

• Grow our individual supporter base (individual and corporate) by 30% in 2025 through new donor acquisition strategies

• Increasing our unrestricted income from major, mid and low level donors and corporate partners to £100,000 per annum in 2025 and beyond 

• Delivering impactful messages, responsive and successful direct marketing and digital fundraising campaigns

This is a really exciting opportunity for a creative ambitious self-starter who enjoys a fast paced fundraising environment, is passionate about communications, building donor relationships and driving long-term income growth.

Funding dependent, we would intend that the role also entails future promotion and staff management potential.

You have:

1) ability and enthusiasm to start up our individual giving programme (low, mid, major donors and corporate) to reach our target to raise £100,000 by end of 2025

2) creativity in creating and communicating personal stories and compelling asks that motivate our supporters to give

3) analytical understanding, strategic acumen and practical experience of the supporter journey from recruitment to regular giving, and ability to deliver this for CNK
 

Supported by the CEO, your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Strategy:

• Strategise and plan our annual individual and corporate giving programme with targets and performance indicators.This will be a key focus area within our 2025/6 corporate fundraising strategy.

• Report quarterly on progress. Use online analytics, social media insights and other metrics to help us learn, improve and grow our income from low, mid,major donors and corporate supporters.

Annual Corporate and Individual Giving Programmes:

• Develop and deliver CNK corporate and individual giving fundraising programme of events, campaigns and appeals to raise £100,000 in 2025. 

• Work closely with CEO and CNK team members to craft information into compelling copy, asks, supporter updates, social media content and personalised campaign appeals. 

• Plan and deliver low and mid level individual giving campaigns to cultivate new donors, convert existing supporters from once off donations to regular givers and inspire donors to increase their current support.

• Design and deliver our annual major donor giving programme. Cultivate, communicate and inspire new major donors to join us with the aim of increasing our current major donor pool by 10%. Steward current donors, keep in touch, craft compelling asks to support their progression towards more frequent or higher-value donations.

• Report monthly to the CEO on the success of campaigns and programming, income raised, number of new supporters/followers, conversion rates, offering insight on ROI, learnings and how we will incorporate this learning to improve how we do things in future. 

Fundraising compliance:

• Save all profiles, donations, giving history, gift aid agreements, correspondence, and communications with supporters on CNK CRM database. Uphold GDPR and comply with fundraising best practice.

US Individual Giving Programme:

• Contribute towards developing a new US individual giving portfolio through prospect research and crafting compelling fundraising asks.

Staff & Volunteer Management:

• Create and manage a volunteer fundraising programme to grow individual giving through community events, social media and awareness raising. 

The role has no direct line reports at present but there may be in future, budget permitting

Essential skills and experience:

You will have at least five, ideally eight, years experience of:

• individual giving fundraising for a small charity, with a track record of developing and delivering successful individual giving campaigns that have generated 5 figure sums 

• building a supporter base - both amongst low value, but also mid level and major donors

• gathering information, case studies, data and finances, distilling and crafting high quality, well articulated compelling funding asks

• growing charity brand and positioning, thorough consistent approach, campaigns, asks,use of language and artwork

• digital marketing including social media, email marketing, and website content management

• designing tools, inputting data and keeping CRM software updated, using data analytics to report on donor journey and drive fundraising decisions

• relevant fundraising regulations and best practices, including GDPR compliance.

You:

• Can work quickly under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

• Are highly organised, able to act on own initiative, able to manage multiple projects and deadlines

• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to craft compelling asks to engage and inspire donors.

• Have engaging people skills, friendly, approachable with a positive attitude. You enjoy talking to donors about CNK on the phone, by email, in person and are unafraid to ‘make the ask’ Can engage collaboratively and constructively in a small team with an entrepreneurial feel

• Are creative and confident in suggesting ideas and solutions. you are ambitious for what your role can deliver for our community.

• Are committed to supporting and embedding lived experience across CNK

• Are keen to build and develop your role as suits the needs of the organisation

• Can speak Korean although this is not essential to the role.

We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability (physical or learning), LGBTQI+ or relationship status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, gender or social class.

About Us

At Share Community, we work with disabled people in South West London who need extra help and support to realise their dreams and aspirations. We are a registered charity and centre for training and wellbeing, providing a range of programmes and activities for adults with learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, mental health and other support needs. 

We aim to help people live happier, healthier and more independent lives and make their own choices, focusing on what they can do, not what holds them back. We believe that everyone has something to offer their community, whether it be in employment or as active members of our society. 

We are now looking for a Fundraising Manager to join our team on a full-time, permanent basis, working 35 hours per week. Some flexibility around days and hours worked can be considered.

The Benefits 

• Salary of £35,514 per annum 
• Pension scheme with 5% employer contribution 
• 25 days’ annual leave per year, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days 
• An extra day off for your birthday 
• Free 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for employees and their families 
• Free and full access to Headspace (a mindfulness and meditation app) 
• Season ticket loan 
• Cycle to work scheme 
• Remote working options 

This is an incredible opportunity for an enthusiastic and talented fundraising and individual giving professional to join our ambitious organisation.

Working with a passionate team, you’ll be making a vital contribution to improving the lives of adults with disabilities, supporting their journey towards greater independence and happiness. 

What’s more, our Investors in People Gold and Investors in Volunteering accreditations demonstrate our dedication to our people and you’ll be joining a welcoming working environment, surrounded by people who support you, challenge you and inspire you. 

So, if you’re ready to drive meaningful change and become a pivotal part of our mission to create a world where everyone is valued and included, then apply today.

The Role 

As our Fundraising Manager, you will take on a key role, creating the income we need to undertake our vital work supporting disabled people. 

We are looking to further develop and diversify our income streams beyond Trusts and foundation and focus on increasing donations from individuals with an interest in our cause. 

Growing our individual supporter base, you will recruit new supporters and build on the excellent foundations laid by our outgoing Community Fundraiser to raise our profile amongst our neighbours. 

You will provide outstanding relationship management and donor care to supporters, ensuring they are recognised and thanked for their contribution. Additionally, you will develop and deliver fundraising operational plans, helping to create fundraising materials that encourage and support fundraising potential.

About You

To be considered as our Fundraising Manager, you will need: 

• Experience increasing fundraising income from individuals and achieving income targets 
• Experience of the effective stewardship of charity donors 
• Project planning and management experience 
• Experience managing and hitting budgets 
• Knowledge of fundraising good practice 
• An excellent understanding of donor stewardship and relationship management 

Please note, this role will be offered to the successful candidate subject to two satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check and providing evidence of the right to work in the UK. 

We actively encourage applications from people from minoritised ethnic communities and with lived experience of a learning disability and/or autism. This is because we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of our student body wherever possible in order to provide the best possible service. 

How to apply 

Please send us your CV and a cover letter. In your letter, please tell us: 

• What attributes would an effective and successful Individual Giving Fundraiser have at a charity like Share? 
• What would be your top three priorities for growing individual giving at Share? 
• Who would be your key allies within Share to grow our individual fundraising? 

If you would like to have a chat about the role or visit us prior to applying, please contact a member of the HR team. 

We focus on ability and believe people work best when they feel valued, safe and happy. We do all that we can to make sure that Share is friendly and welcoming to everyone. All CVs and applications are sanitised to ensure unbiased recruitment, and if you make it to the interview stage, some questions will be sent in advance. All disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria will be offered an interview. 

This job is subject to two satisfactory references, an enhanced DBS check and providing evidence of the right to work in the UK. If you are disabled and would like to discuss other ways of submitting your application, please contact us. 

We look forward to receiving your application. 

For nearly 25 years, Ashden has partnered with enterprises and organisations in the UK and Global South to scale solutions to the climate crisis. We help bring clean energy to farms, villages, and refugee camps, while also driving greener schools, warmer homes, and climate action in UK towns and cities. By shining a spotlight on innovators and connecting them with partners, funders and policymakers, we inspire change, support green jobs, and work toward healthier, fairer societies.

Ashden is a well-regarded and well-connected organisation with a strong track record of building meaningful relationships with high-net-worth individuals across philanthropy, finance and business. However we must aim higher to tackle the climate emergency. To accelerate our efforts, we're recruiting a new leader for Major Donor fundraising to help reinvigorate and scale our fundraising success in this area.

This pivotal role will lead our Changemakers campaign, securing mission-aligned donations of five figures and more from high net worth individuals. You will also collaborate with the Director of Business Development to secure six- and seven-figure gifts to drive transformational solutions to the climate crisis.

We’re seeking an experienced fundraiser with a track record of securing major gifts and building strong relationships with high-net-worth individuals. While climate or environmental exposure is not essential, alignment with Ashden's values and passion for driving systems change is crucial. You’ll be supported by a collaborative team, including senior leadership and the Chair of Trustees, and will have key strategic and operational input into the success of our fundraising, the growth of the team, and the broader impact of our charity.

To read more about the role and organisation, please download the full appointment brief below.

Closing Date: 4 November 2024

People Beyond Profit Conversations: 1-6 November 2024

Ashden Interviews: 13 November (online) and W/c 18 November (in person).