Trusts Fundraising Manager

Living Paintings is an award-winning national charity publishing unique Touch to See books that bring the visual world to life for blind and partially sighted people.  Our books help children learn to read, support students in schools, inspire interests and enable lifelong learning for adults. Our purpose is to end the social and educational isolation suffered by blind and partially sighted people at every stage of their lives. We distribute our Touch to See books nationwide via our free postal library to thousands of children, young people and adults living with sight loss.  Our books and service are unique.

We are looking for an outstanding and highly skilled trusts fundraising manager who can lead a team and meet ambitious funding targets at an exciting time of growth for the charity.

Flexible and remote working arrangements available. The successful candidate will be expected to attend our office in Kingsclere on the Hampshire/Bershire borders approximately once a week as soon as Covid-19 restrictions allow.

Salary will be commensurate with skills, experience and proven history of achievement.

Reporting the Chief Executive, the Trusts Fundraising Manager will be responsible for developing and delivering a trusts fundraising strategy. Grant Making Trusts are the main income stream for the charity, and this role is key to achieving our ambitions for growth. The role holder will manage their own portfolio of trusts, research and develop new funders, and lead a team of two fundraisers. We are looking for an experienced trust fundraiser, with the ability to uncover new opportunities, write high quality applications, develop great relationships, and support their team.

DIMENSIONS & LIMITS OF AUTHORITY

• Home working for the time being, when Covid-19 restrictions allow the role could be based either in the main office in Kingsclere, Berkshire, or a combination of home working and working from the office (minimum 1 day per week office based).
• Contributes to agreeing and meeting income targets 
• Responsible for managing two Fundraising Officers and fundraising volunteers
• Responsible for producing or overseeing production of all fundraising proposals, reports and other communications
• Responsible for establishing and developing relationships with funders and other donors to the charity

Flexible and remote working arrangements available. The successful candidate must be prepared to travel throughout the UK if required.

DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and implement a three year trust fundraising strategy
• Create and deliver an operational plan for trust fundraising activity on a rolling 12 month basis
• Research new trust funding opportunities
• Produce high quality proposals and trust applications and support the team in their applications
• Build and maintain positive external relationships with existing and new trusts
• Recruit, develop and manage all members of the trust fundraising team including volunteers 
• Ensure all fundraising processes (eg thanking and banking, trust fundraising systems, income and expenditure monitoring and reporting) are achieving excellent customer service and are fit for purpose and working effectively
• Undertake specific projects that may be additional to the tasks detailed above as agreed with the Chief Executive
• Act as a representative of Living Paintings.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience

• Significant experience securing grants, including high value grants.
• Developing and implementing a successful trust funding strategy or plan.
• Developing new trust funding opportunities at a level likely to impact upon financial security of an organisation.
• Financial management and budgeting for significant income.
• Managing and developing people. 
• Working collaboratively and effectively with a wide variety of people both internally and externally, at all levels.
• Writing complex funding proposals and funder reports.
• Project management and managing multiple projects 
• Using a fundraising/CRM database.

Skills

• Excellent written communication skills and ability to present complex concepts to funders.
• Project management skills.
• Analytical skills (both numerical and conceptual) 
• Ability to combine strategic development and leadership with general day to day operational delivery.
• Strong communicator with the ability to inspire and enlist the support of others. 
• Excellent team player, ambitious and results driven, a confident manager.
• Excellent ICT skills
• Excellent numeracy and attention to detail.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of trust and foundation funding.
• Managing people.
• CRM databases.

Personal attributes

• Self motivated and able to work effectively alone and with a team
• Able to demonstrate empathy with our aims
• Drive and ambition to meet financial targets
• A positive and pragmatic approach, able to juggle and manage a breadth of projects and range of competing priorities. 
• Able to deal confidently with people at all levels, gets on well with colleagues and supporters.
• Able to motivate people and generate enthusiasm, motivated to learn new things.
• Able to work on own initiative, introducing new solutions and innovative ways of improving working procedures.

Safeguarding

• Living Paintings is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We expect all of our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment

Eligibility to work in UK

• Proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK.

General

• Able to travel for work within the UK occasionally
• Able to work flexibly to include evenings and weekends to meet the demands of the job

Travel: Living Paintings reimburses all business mileage and travel expenses.

Working Week:  The working week is five days normally during Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.00pm with one hour for lunch. Some weekend and evening work may be required from time to time for which time off in lieu will be given.