Head of Development and Fundraising

Introduction to Borne

Funding for research into complications during pregnancy and childbirth lags far behind other medical conditions. Borne is a young, dynamic medical research charity with great ambition to strengthen the research base and bring about ground-breaking collaboration between clinicians and scientists in order to make scientific breakthroughs possible. We seek to bring about lasting change by finding answers, nurturing talent, and improving care in this pressing area of need. 

Preterm birth is the number one cause of infant death and disability worldwide.  Around the world, 15 million babies are born prematurely. One million children are born too early to survive; and those who do survive often suffer life-long disability. In the UK, over 50,000 babies are born preterm each year. Babies who are born too soon face many challenges. The earlier a baby is born, the more likely their organs will suffer damage or not develop as they should because they are less mature. Each day in the womb is essential to a baby’s healthy development and survival. We invest in world-class early-stage research projects aimed at unravelling the science behind the complex biomedical conditions that lead to premature birth.  We want the best ideas, backed up by the strongest science, to have the greatest chance to succeed.

We are looking for a dynamic Head of Development and Fundraising with the experience, drive and ambition to strengthen and grow Borne’s fundraising capability through major gifts, corporate partnerships and philanthropic trusts and foundations. The incumbent will be a key member of the charity’s senior leadership team, instrumental in driving forward strategic fundraising initiatives that are key to the charity’s continued growth and impact.

Thank you for your interest in Borne. We hope you will seriously consider joining us on our mission to ensure babies are not born too soon.

Borne’s Mission

Borne believes that every child should have the chance of a full and healthy life, unaffected by disability. A baby’s first hours should not be its hardest, or its last.

Borne brings scientists and medical teams together to advance our understanding of pregnancy, and to identify what causes premature birth so that outcomes can be improved.

Capacity building by attracting more of the best scientific and medical minds to this area of research is key to strengthen the base of research into pregnancy and childbirth, and the conditions in pregnancy that may lead to preterm birth.

By investing in big science –the latest technology and bioinformatics expertise – Borne aims to foster collaboration across institutions and geographical borders to accelerate scientific analysis and discovery.

The Role

Reporting to the Chief Executive as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Head of Development and Fundraising is responsible for shaping the charity’s fundraising and development strategy, and instrumental in executing the charity’s fundraising strategy in partnership with the Chief Executive, a very proactive Board of Trustees and a Development Board that the incumbent will be instrumental in helping set up.

You will work to secure new income, identify, and purposefully steward fundraising and development opportunities from new sources. You will strengthen relationships with a growing network of major donors, philanthropic entities and corporate partners and individuals, inspiring them with vision, passion, and opportunities to support the charity’s ground-breaking research work.

You will have substantial experience raising philanthropic income at the six and seven figure gift level from high-net-worth individuals, companies and trusts and foundations, and will be comfortable owning the steps it takes to secure that income. You will also have experience in creating fundraising plans and setting targets while initiating, developing, and maintaining excellent relationships with prospects and donors, and building corporate partnerships for long term mutual benefit.

Teamwork is key within Borne’s small, high performing team. The role will suit someone who enjoys working with others, rolling up your sleeves to get stuck in while excited about the prospect of accelerating the realisation of the charity’s ambition and impact.

Borne are ambitious to double its annual income from £1.5 million (pre-COVID) to over £3 million p.a. by delivering sustainable income growth from a strong network of support.

The Candidate

We are looking for someone who:

• Is a strategic thinker that can be target driven to deliver on objectives on time and within budget; able to demonstrate an ability to identify new opportunities for developing the charity’s development and fundraising programme.

• Has highly developed communication and interpersonal skills; persuasive with both internal and external stakeholders demonstrating a natural ability to understand donor motivations and able to be highly influential and responsive to senior-level individuals in articulating an inspiring and compelling case for major philanthropic support of Borne.

• Is comfortable engaging senior academics, scientists, clinicians, and researchers with an intellectual curiosity to understand and communicate complex scientific areas of research.

• Is a motivated self-starter who has a real ‘can do’ attitude working within a small team.

• Can craft and manage compelling bids and proposals for fundraising purposes; capable of negotiating funding agreements with follow-through on impact reporting and the proactive stewardship of relationships.

• Models leadership qualities and behaviours within the charity that is empowering of colleagues and team members.

• Is IT literate with experience of using Microsoft Office and can harness the power and potential of CRM to support a data and process driven approach to fundraising.

• Has a clear understanding and experience of relevant regulatory compliance, international tax codes, and ethical codes of practice associated with fundraising

• Is educated to graduate level or equivalent with experience of raising funds for higher education or medical research desirable.