Fund Raising Coordinator

The Charity

Restart Africa is a children’s charity in Kenya founded in 2007 in order to provide a home for street children in the Gilgil/Nakuru area of the Rift Valley.  It has rescued over 150 children and is currently home to 100 of all ages, the youngest just a year old and with some children having already successfully transitioned on to university and careers.  The charity also runs a number of local projects designed to uplift the community and provide income to help sustain the Children’s Centre.

Restart Africa is supported by a UK charity called the Sanata Charitable Trust (SCT) that organises fundraising in the UK and provides mentoring and other assistance.  SCT raises around half of the operating costs required to run Restart with the remainder being raised by the founder through donors in other countries.  SCT is looking for someone with relevant skills and experience to coordinate fundraising  and improve income generation (2-3 days a week). The Fundraising Coordinator’s priority will be to improve SCT’s fundraising in the UK but may extend to supporting the founder’s fundraising efforts in Kenya and other countries.  The role is UK home based and will routinely report directly to the Trustees. Upon completion of a probationary period, a visit to the charity in Kenya is envisaged to become acquainted with the charity’s team and operation in Gilgil.

The Role

The successful applicant will be responsible for coordinating SCT’s fundraising operation.  Key tasks will include:

• Maintaining fruitful relations with existing supporters and inspiring new ones to donate.
• Keeping regular contact with the team in Kenya and collaborating with them on certain fundraising initiatives.
• Managing and updating the existing database of individual fundraisers to ensure that its potential is maximized.
• Developing the child sponsorship scheme alongside the team in Kenya to ensure that income from sponsors is optimised.
• Raising awareness of the charity through website and other social media.  The charity has a well-developed website, and the Fundraising Coordinator will work closely with the marketing lead in Gilgil.
• Developing and coordinating web-based fundraising.
• Producing a quarterly performance report for Trustees.
• Supporting the Kenya team creating a quarterly newsletter for donors.
• Recruiting, organising and managing the network of current/past volunteers to support fundraising – the charity has around 25 volunteers a year working for short periods at the Children’s Centre, a potentially valuable group (including friends and family).
• Organising traditional fund raising activities and developing new and more imaginative approaches, inspiring others to do the same.

Other tasks and activities that the role may involve:

• Support production and delivery of an annual fundraising plan.
• Researching and targeting charitable trusts and other organisations ( eg businesses and independent schools) whose funding criteria match the charity’s aims and activities.
• Writing bid applications to funding organisations
• Develop fundraising initiatives in partnership with volunteers, schools and businesses
• Support planning and delivery of fundraising events as approved by Trustees (eg annual dinner / reception, webinar events)
• Coordinating SCT Trustee support to fundraising (assistance with major bids, briefing potential donors, and involvement in other fundraising activities).
• Ensuring the charity’s fundraising activity remains compliant with GDPR and data protection best practices.

The Candidate

Trustees are interested in applications from graduates with recent relevant experience as a volunteer and/or fund-raiser.  Trustees will also consider applications from more experienced professionals with relevant demonstrable skills (eg fundraising, web marketing, relationship management) and who now seek to combine such a role with existing professional and/or home making duties.

Trustees seek applications from individuals who can demonstrate:

• Genuine enthusiasm for Restart Africa’s aims and objectives.
• Web based communication and social media skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to forge trustful relationships with existing and prospective donors, the Restart Centre team and Trustees.
• Strong report and other writing skills
• Self-starting initiative and both able and comfortable to operate independently.
• Other skills, experience, and qualifications they deem relevant to the role as outlined.

Working mainly from home (Hants/Wilts/Thames Valley preferred) with the ability to travel around UK as required and occasionally to Kenya.  Part time (2 days a week): £18 – 30k pa pro rata depending on experience.