Head of Fundraising and Membership

Compass is looking to recruit a Head of Membership and Fundraising, to grow our membership base as we gear up to launch an ambitious new campaign this autumn. The Head of Membership and Fundraising will drive our membership programme, help develop a strategy, build our offer to members, grow the list and generate funds to fuel our campaign work.

You should be experienced in either a fundraising or membership role, with proven ability to engage values-driven members and supporters, build a list and fundraise through individual gifts. We are seeking someone who is both a ‘planner’ and a ‘doer’ – with the experience and knowledge to build successful fundraising plans, as well as the drive and project management skills to implement them.

You should be comfortable handling data, overseeing digital processes and operationalising a membership strategy. You should also be able to demonstrate the ability to build relationships with key funders and draft funding bids. The HMF will also be required to line manage one other team member, so experience in a managerial capacity is desirable, but not essential.

Our membership programme is currently being run by our partners, Small Axe, and this role would help us bring our membership work in house, so a successful applicant would be ready to work closely with them to help make this transition a success.

The HMF will form part of a small senior management team at Compass, a growing and dynamic organisation, which works closely with a broad network of progressive allies, partners, stakeholders and associates. Compass also hosts the Basic Income Conversation, so fundraising will also cover support for their work as they seek to grow both from individual giving and support from foundations.

This is a crucial role for the organisation as we move into a period of growth and expansion – the heart of which is our membership. We’re looking for someone self-motivated, independent and reliable, with a proven ability to think systematically and strategically and operationalise a plan. You should be a self-starter, with a proven ability to self-organise and comfortable working in a small, dynamic team. If you’re looking to be at the core of an organisation pushing for progressive change, this is the role for you.

This role involves:

• Helping set and deliver an overall strategy for fundraising and membership, including regular membership subscriptions, one-off donations from the list and fundraising from trusts and foundations
• Running the day-to-day membership programme, including responding to member queries, processing membership data and tracking list growth
• Line-managing the Membership and Operations Officer and working with them on member engagement
• Working closely with our communications and campaigns team to align fundraising asks to messages and moments
• Selecting, briefing and managing external agencies and suppliers

Key responsibilities

• Running our membership programme – engaging existing members and converting supporters to members by improving and promoting our membership offer
• Fundraising from our supporters and members through individual donations
• Integrating our membership and fundraising strategy with campaigning, to ensure we are focused on driving list and membership growth through our work
• Recruiting new members and supporters using the most effective methods and channels
• Identifying other fundraising opportunities in the political landscape, whether through foundations or independent donors and supporting draft applications
• Ensuring our database and records are comprehensive and up to date
• Supporting with research to spot funding opportunities from trusts and foundations

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Efficient and reliable: able to think systematically, follow and improve processes
• Smart and strategic: confident both creating and implementing effective strategy
• Approachable and adaptable: able to receive, process and respond to member requests
• Self-sufficient: able to self-motivate, be proactive and work independently to an approved schedule
• Encouraging and enabling: being accountable for the direction of the work and supporting people in both paid and voluntary positions to achieve their goals by monitoring key results
• Able to show sound political judgement: a clear understanding of the political context we work in and the culture we represent
• Collaborative and communicative: able to work in a small, agile team, with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, online and in person
• Enthusiastic and energetic: a demonstrable passion for the political change we seek and a willingness to work in pursuit of it

EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE

• At least 3-4 years experience in a fundraising or membership capacity, especially in relation to individual giving
• Familiarity with digital systems used for storing and processing member data
• Confidence in writing and implementing a fundraising strategy
• Proven ability to fundraise for a cause – primarily from individual giving but sometimes including foundations and HNW
• Understanding the methods and metrics required to build, sustain and activate a passionate community of individual supporters (desirable, but not essential)
• A keen understanding of the UK progressive political scene and support for the aims, vision and values of Compass

BENEFITS

Compass is a highly ambitious organisation, working to change the way we do politics. With a strong track record of bold and innovative campaigns, Compass is rapidly expanding its political influence and reach in the emerging and challenging era of the 2020s.

This post is suitable for someone who believes in and wants to be part of creating the vision and culture of a good society and wants to work flexibly and energetically to further these goals.

With plans to rapidly scale the organisation over the coming months, you’ll be joining an energetic and highly motivated team, who are preparing to launch our biggest campaign yet. This is an exciting time to take on this pivotal role, becoming the driver behind our membership growth, which in turn will fuel our campaign to change British politics.

Pay will be in the range of 35 – 40k depending on experience, ideally but not essentially London-based, with room for flexible working in terms of hours and location. The team has an office in central London (near Vauxhall) and we expect to be slowly increasing in-person working, such that the likely candidate would need to be comfortable travelling to the office at least 1-2 times a week.

The position is full-time and permanent, subject to a 3-month probationary period, starting as soon as possible.

Compass is committed to providing equal opportunities to people regardless of background and we actively seek applications from people with backgrounds that are underrepresented in our sector, especially in regard to race and class. We recognise that representation in our organisation and our sector is not good enough; this makes our politics and our campaigns weaker. As such, we particularly encourage applications from people who can demonstrate their skills, even if they have never worked in politics and campaigning. We welcome people to apply who can demonstrate their aptitude, even if a career in politics has so far been closed off to them.