Director of Fundraising

The Queen’s Reading Room is the charity founded by Her Majesty Queen Camilla in 2023. We believe that books make us happier, healthier and better connected, having a strong positive impact on our mental health, brain health and social connectedness. We’re on a mission to get more people reading more, for all the transformative benefits of books.

Our work is in three areas: neuroscientific study to understand the lifelong benefits of regular reading; the production of accessible content and events; and grassroots work to help shelters and refuges access books and shared reading groups, in partnership with organisations like St Mungo’s, The Elm Foundation and Reading for Wellbeing.

Our audience is predominantly digital, reaching 12 million people annually in 183 countries. We’re concerned that the UK is currently facing a reading crisis, with children’s reading rates the lowest on record and 1 in 2 adults not having read nor listened to a single book last year. We’re working hard to change that.

About the Role

The Queen’s Reading Room is funded entirely by grants, donations, sponsorship and income from events. We’re looking for a vibrant and well-connected individual to join the small but agile team, to lead this function within the charity and design and set up a fundraising committee. You will build on a strong base of income generation and work to sustain and expand it.

You will be responsible for building the fundraising strategy with the charity’s CEO and Board of Trustees; for identifying appropriate opportunities to generate funding in the UK and internationally; and for the targets agreed by the CEO and board. You will be comfortable with, and have experience in, the world of high profile and high net-worth individuals, legacy fundraising, fundraising and friendraising events. You will know how to build relationships with individual donor prospects along with charitable trusts, foundations and other institutional funders. You will attend networking events and meetings with potential donors.

Your role will include devising and creating fundraising events; securing sponsorship for events and festivals; contributing to the writing and submitting of funding applications to charitable trusts and foundations; and advising and providing suitable copy for fundraising marketing and digital materials. You will work with the team to create case studies and grant reports, sharing and telling great stories to supporters to ensure that they understand the difference that their donations make and with a view to securing repeat support.

You’ll create new relationships by preparing and delivering pitches, talks and presentations and prepare reports and give presentations on fundraising progress to the CEO and the Board of Trustees.

You will join as a key member of the organisation, alongside the CEO, Director of Operations, Director of MarComms, Head of Talent, Head of Production and Team Researcher.

About You

Our ideal candidate will have a proven track record of significant and sustained income generation. You’ll have a track record of managing and developing relationships with individual donors and be committed to building good internal and external relationships. You will have experience of performing due diligence and have a careful and considered approach to fundraising. Your knowledge of the fundraising market will be excellent. You will understand the complexity of the charity landscape and the sensitivities of the role. You will understand the need for confidentiality to be paramount.

Strong writing and presentation skills are essential.

There will be a lot going on at once, so we’ll be looking for someone who is flexible with changing priorities and who has excellent administrative, IT, organisational and planning skills. You’ll be able to prioritise your workload, manage administration and be able to work independently. You will be an excellent team player but be able to take responsibility for your own work stream.

You’ll have a passion for charity work and a strong commitment to the organisational ethos and goals of The Queen’s Reading Room.

Details

Part/ full time negotiable.

6 month probation, during which time, the candidate must have raised the equivalent of their salary.

Office-based in London Victoria, with remote team members.

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role.