Philanthropy Executive

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre and one of the UK's top five visitor attractions, occupying a 17 acre site that sits in the midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. We exist to present great cultural experiences that bring people together and we achieve this by providing the space for artists to create and present their best work and by creating a place where as many people as possible can come together to experience bold, unusual and eye-opening work. We want to take people out of the everyday, every day.

The site has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of Britain. Southbank Centre is made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery as well as being home to the National Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection. It is also home to four Resident Orchestras (London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) and four Associate Orchestras (Aurora Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra and National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain).

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Development team which is looking for a Philanthropy Executive to contribute in securing income from philanthropic donations.  

The Philanthropy Team secures gifts from generous individuals and trusts and looks after donors giving at a range of levels - from £1 in a donation box to Patrons giving £5,000+ p.a., all the way through to five and six figure gifts. The Philanthropy Executive will focus on securing new revenue support (£5,000 p.a. +). Current donors give to specific areas of work which include Classical Music, Hayward Gallery’s Curatorial Salon and recently established Commissioning Committee, and donors who have given a significant capital gift.

The successful candidate will manage a portfolio of around 120 donors and prospects to generate significant income in-year and maximise long term potential. Responsible for finding potential new, high-value donors through research, contacts and relationship management, the postholder will ensure the replenishment of the donor pipeline. The Philanthropy Executive will also assist the Philanthropy Manager in stewarding and cultivating major donors through special events and bespoke opportunities.

With demonstrable experience of raising funds from high net worth individuals and a keen interest in pursuing a career in Development, the ideal candidate will have outstanding written and spoken communication skills and the ability to deal diplomatically with a wide range of people and organisations. You will have strong IT skills including confidence using MS Office and Google Drive and be well organised, with a focused and methodical approach to work and excellent attention to detail. You will have a keen interest in and knowledge of a range of different art forms and be ready to use your existing skills and experience to support fundraising within the Philanthropy team and contribute towards Southbank Centre fulfilling our mission to make the arts available to all.

We present work for everyone and we welcome applications from everyone. We particularly welcome applications from people from a BAME background or those who are Deaf or disabled as they are currently under-represented in our workforce.  If you wish to discuss reasonable adjustments for this role please indicate this on your application form and we will be in touch with you.

By attracting people to work for us from a broad range of backgrounds with diverse attitudes, opinions and beliefs we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.  We offer a stimulating and professional environment in which to work - and the pace and scale can be breathtaking. This is a remarkable place to work and our people require the ability to work in The Southbank Centre Way - to think, act and learn with speed and agility.

Contract: Permanent, full time 

Closing date for applications: 23:45, Monday 24th June 2019 

Interviews: w/c 1st July 2019 

We reserve the right to close the advert early if enough applications are received.

Job Objectives

• Manage a portfolio of around 120 donors and prospects to generate significant income in-year and maximise long term potential.

• To find potential new high-value donors through research, contacts and relationship management to ensure the replenishment of the donor pipeline.

• Assist Philanthropy Manager in stewarding and cultivating major donors through special events and bespoke opportunities.

Main Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of around 120 donors and prospects to generate significant income in-year and maximise long term potential.

• To work with the Philanthropy Manager to develop and implement the strategy to secure new patrons and major gifts.

  • Work closely with the arts programming teams to identify opportunities for support within Southbank Centre’s programme.

  • Prepare and draft compelling proposals.

  • To secure meetings with prospective supporters, and to undertake detailed research and briefing (for self and others) in preparation for those meetings.

  • Manage approaches to potential donors including involving senior volunteers and management.

  • To develop excellent relationships with supporters, identifying creative and relevant opportunities to develop long-term relationships.

  • Solicit gifts from individuals of £5,000+.

  • Achieve agreed financial target, manage risk and operate within the fundraising expenditure budget.

• To find potential new high-value donors through research, contacts and relationship management to ensure the replenishment of the donor pipeline.

  • Work with colleagues in the Philanthropy and Data Insight teams to ensure the best possible use of the database for fundraising purposes.

  • Attend key events for networking purposes.

  • Build relationships across Southbank Centre in order to be able to fully support the fundraising process.

  • To actively prospect for new potential supporters, building up a pipeline of future opportunities.

• Assist Philanthropy Manager in stewarding and cultivating major donors through special events and bespoke opportunities:

  • Work with Arts Programing teams, Individual Giving Administrator and Events team to create a bespoke programme of excellent events designed to bring donors closer to the work they are supporting as well as engaging potential new supporters.

  • Invite prospects and donors to events, ensuring they are well looked after and converting them to donors.

  • To build excellent relationships internally to ensure that opportunities for matching supporters with ways of supporting the artistic programme are identified and developed.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all donor and prospective donor contact and ensure that all financial data on is accurate and well-managed.

• Ensure all gifts to Southbank Centre are tax effective where possible.

• Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably required.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience required

We are looking for someone who:

• Has experience of developing relationships with high net worth individuals in a fundraising capacity.

• Has experience of meeting income targets, prospecting and successfully converting prospects to new donors.

• Is self-motivated with an ability to thrive under pressure in a fast-paced environment.

• Is a good problem solver and results-oriented.

• Is interested in the arts.

• Can speak and write with passion and communicate ideas clearly.

• Has a creative approach and an ability to come up with new ideas.

• Has the ability to make decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future needs.

• Is able to work well and communicate with a wide range of people, including Southbank Centre’s Board, staff and donors.

• Is willing to work with processes, find solutions to problems independently and work as part of a team to achieve goals.

• Has strong numerical skills to underpin strategy and keep budgets updated.

• Has excellent IT skills, including ideally a working knowledge of Google systems (Gmail, Google Drive etc).

• Is able to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to the role that diversity and inclusion play in the activities of the Southbank Centre as a whole and in the work of this particular job.

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience of development within an arts organisation.

• Experience with working with Tessitura or Raiser’s Edge.

• Experience of raising 4 and 5 figure gifts.