Individual Giving Manager

Welsh National Opera shares the power of live opera with audiences and communities across Wales and England – in theatres, in neighbourhoods and online.

The Development team is required to raise significant funds to ensure annual income targets. This post, is pivotal to the success of the Development & Communications Department. You will be working in a stimulating and challenging environment that builds on your existing fundraising experience to lead a team responsible for generating support from individuals.

The ideal candidate will have an interest and understanding of the arts and will be an experienced and talented fundraiser with specialist knowledge of individual giving with a strong track record of managing existing relationships and building new ones to generate regular support and substantial donations. The role will support the development of exciting new fundraising campaigns to ensure they deliver against challenging development targets.

The post is permanent and office based in Cardiff but will require occasional travel to WNO touring locations and for meetings.

Job title:Individual Giving Manager

Responsible for: Individual Giving Officer, Membership Officer, Research & Database Officer, Fundraising & Communications Assistant, Development Assistant

Responsible to: Director of Development, Communications & Strategy

Main purpose of job

To develop and grow fundraising from individual donors to play a key role in achieving an agreed target and recruitment plan across all donor programmes including the WNO Friends, WNO Partnership, Syndicates, and Annual Fund as well as new campaigns and legacies. To provide line management to the Individual Giving Officer, Membership Officer, Research & Database Officer, Development Assistant

Scope and dimensions
Income generation - Working with the Membership and Individual Giving officers to develop and grow income from individual donors to an agreed target and strategy across all donor programmes including the WNO Partnership, Syndicates, Friends, Annual Fund, legacies and new campaigns.
Strategic Planning - Engaging with the Membership Officer and Individual Giving Officer to develop an individual giving recruitment and relationship management plan overseen by the Director of Development & Communications. This post will also play an active role in contributing to wider departmental strategy.
Implementing and delivering against planned strategies - Provide line management support to Individual Giving Officer, Membership Officer, Research & Database Officer, Development Assistant to implement plans that successfully deliver against strategic objectives.

Key accountabilities

• Work with the Director of Development, Communications & Strategy to develop individual giving strategies in line with the development strategy.

• Engage Individual Giving staff in the development of multiple year campaign recruitment and communication plans. Project manage the successful implementation of these plans in order to achieve against established objectives.

• Support the Director of Development, Communications & Strategy and other colleagues to develop regional marketing and recruitment plans to grow income from corporates and trusts.

• Work with Director of Development, Communications & Strategy and other colleagues, including the Research & Database Officer, to project manage effective database analysis and wealth screening for the benefit of Individual Giving.

• Work independently to develop new campaigns linked to company strategic objectives that identify, cultivate, raise funds from and manage a portfolio of relationships with existing and new individual supporters overseen by the Director of Development, Communications & Strategy.

• Work with the Head of Events and relevant Development Officers and Assistants to ensure a high standard of appropriate supporter cultivation and reciprocation is achieved.

• Provide line management support including regular one-to-one meetings, appraisals, objective setting and personal development support to ensure the team are able to successfully deliver in their roles.

• Monitor progress against plans, including financial reconciliation and projections, manage Gift Aid returns, and provide monthly reports to Director of Development, Communications & Strategy.
• Develop good working relationships with other departmental colleagues and departments to ensure all campaigns are implemented effectively and on time.

• Work with colleagues in Marketing to ensure that all communications and any printed or digital material produced for Individual Giving reflects brand guidelines.
• Undertake any other duties and responsibilities that may be reasonably expected and required.

Person Specification

Essential qualifications, skills & experience:

• Substantial fundraising experience ideally in individual giving
• Educated to a degree level or equivalent
• Experience of managing people
• Proven experience of developing strategies and plans  that introduce new ideas and deliver results
• Experience of budgeting and planning; proven ability to analyse and interpret financial information
• Proven organisational, project  and time management skills
• Excellent communications skills – verbal and written and the ability to write, evaluate and proof-read communications and mailings
• Outstanding presentation skills
• Flexible and adaptable; hardworking and energetic
• General computer literacy – Word, Excel – and willingness to be trained on the Development Department’s database, currently Tessitura
• Good working knowledge of and/or demonstrable interest in the arts, preferably opera and classical music
• Good personal presentation
• Ability to work alone and under own initiative as well as in a team 
• Ability and willingness to work additional hours and to attend WNO events on tour

Desirable attributes include

• Previous experience of using digital communications to increase engagement with supporters
• Understanding of HMRC rules relating to individual giving and gift aid

Deadline for applications:   Friday 12 August 2016 (5:00pm)

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Welsh National Opera is an Equal Opportunities Employer and a Registered Charity.