Post: Major Donor Development Manager – London
Salary: £40,000 - £55,000 (dependent on experience)
Reporting to: Development Director (Major Gifts)
Location: London (Euston Offices)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb18h1TPRNE
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Context of the Role
OnSide was established as a charity in 2008 to create Youth Zones across the UK. It has been growing rapidly ever since and has hugely exciting and ambitious plans to continue and accelerate this growth. Youth Zones are high quality, inspirational and well run places, offering young people ‘somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to’, on an incredible scale. OnSide has already raised over £70 million of funding and the success of the Youth Zones has attracted recognition in national and local government circles. We have a network of ten Youth Zones and OnSide’s role is to support both the existing network and also create new Youth Zones across the UK. The next batch of Youth Zones includes five in the London area, the first being in Barking and Dagenham where all capital funding is secured and it is due to open in late 2018.
Each Youth Zone is a £6.5 million capital project, creating a new local charity, open seven days a week, with state-of-the-art facilities, delivering over 20 artistic, sporting, cultural and general recreational activities and targeted services. The powerful story told by each open Youth Zone is invaluable and the remarkable track record of success provides a strong bank of evidence to support future development.
Many young people, particularly those from socio-economically deprived areas, face an endless maze of boredom, loneliness and temptation, with nowhere to go and a lack of inspiring and productive activities to occupy their leisure time. This can lead to negative impacts on their health, educational attainment and career prospects. These are the young people that will shape the country’s future prospects, yet their wellbeing is intrinsically linked to the increasing pressure on public services such as health, education, welfare and crime. It is this paradox that lies at the heart of OnSide’s drive to establish a national network of Youth Zones; a proven model of youth service provision that is aligned to community needs and supported by cross-sector funding. Youth Zones give 8-19 year olds (up to 25 for those with a disability) quality and affordable access to a broad range of sport, arts, health and employability services, designed to help them lead active, positive lives and raise their aspirations for themselves and their community.
At the heart of Onside Youth Zones is a successful partnership between public, private and third sector organisations, the local community and young people themselves. From the building design, through to the activities on offer, Youth Zones are shaped directly by the people and communities that they benefit. This relevance and sense of ownership has been central to creating the level of attendance and engagement needed to deliver valuable outcomes.
OnSide is continuing the roll out of the Youth Zones model, building on the successful performance of their existing sites. Each project is a substantial fundraising project in its own right. In London, the projects are developing at pace and OnSide is now seeking to strengthen the team to enable it to meet these rapid growth plans, through the recruitment of an additional Major Donor Development Manager to join ourteam of 3.
The Purpose
The arrival of the charity in London is the start of a new chapter and the existing, successful model of fundraising will need to be nurtured in a new environment and adapted over time as new lessons are learnt. Each Youth Zone needs to raise pledges of up to £1m per annum prior to opening. OnSide has delivered this successfully for the open Youth Zones and wishes to replicate and develop this success in London. The role of the exisiting Youth Zones in helping new potential donors understand the opportunity cannot be overstated, visits to the North West or Midlands are an essential part of the process, which will mean significant travel for the jobholder until the first London Youth Zone opens in 2018.
It is anticipated that this role will initially focus on a project in Hammersmith and Fulham (tbc) then move on to other Youth Zone projects in London. This is not a time for developing complex strategies, or ‘reinventing the wheel’ but rather for action and delivering outcomes!
Each Youth Zone has its own private sector-led Board. These high-profile, senior volunteers can be key to securing the first patrons, to get the ball rolling. The Major Donor Development Manager will steer and support them to reach out to others in their network and bring them into the charity. Due to the scale of the task there will also be a requirement to seek out new alternative leads in the area in which the Youth Zone is based, generate new interest and develop new networks.
The Role
Key Responsibilities· Generating £3million of income for each Youth Zone (£1m per annum over three years); this will be achieved by engaging 40 ‘Founder Patrons’ who are prepared to commit to £25,000 per year for three years.
· Create a group of like minded donors who together are enabling the YouthZone through their philanthropy, build their connectivity as the group as part of the stewardship programme
· Gain an excellent understanding of the Youth Zone offer, including how and when to involve Board members, other open Youth Zones, and young people in fundraising.
· Work closely with the wider Development Team, particularly in London - sharing ideas and avoiding overlap.
· Maintain, develop and leverage existing relationships with Youth Zone project supporters.
· To identify individual and corporate supporters using research tools and public information to create an accurate picture of potential donors, particularly those with a vested interest in young people and the region, and to establish a persuasive case for support.
· Organise suitable events and activities to cultivate relationships with potential patrons and maintain the involvement of current patrons.
· Oversee an active stewardship programme for each patron, appropriately recognise their contributions.
· Make best use of the Gift Aid process in discussions with potential donors and ensure maximum Gift Aid reclamation.
· Ensure there are effective procedures for accurate and timely acknowledgement, recording and banking of pledges and donations.
· Support, train and develop the incoming Chief Executive of the new Youth Zone to continue the stewardship of the founder patrons and broaden the base of donors over time and post-opening.
The Person
As a successful, face-to-face major donor fundraiser, applicants should be able to demonstrate that they are self-motivated and action orientated. They must thrive on ‘making the ask’; be willing to strip away the complexity that has grown up around fundraising; and be motivated by progress and success, rather than planning. They must be totally aligned to the OnSide concept and demonstrate that they are an enthusiastic ambassador for the work of the charity. They will be comfortable seeking donations in excess of £50k.
They must be able to seize the moment; be creative in their approaches; and just make things happen. OnSide will provide all the resources to get the job done. A successful fundraising model is already in place and outcomes, not strategies, are the priority.
Donors are typically highly influential, dynamic and interesting people, who are often looking to find strategic and effective ways to give back to society. We need individuals with the confidence to work closely with them and develop a team approach to winning the support of others.
Experience
· Proven experience and track record of personally securing major donors.
· Experience of developing substantial new income streams from a range of sources.
· Experience of delivering effective and practical fundraising strategies.
Skills, Knowledge and Aptitudes
· A sound understanding of fundraising techniques and processes.
· An understanding of what motivates people to give.
· Strong and persuasive written and verbal communications skills and an ability to listen.
· Resilient and resourceful with high levels of energy.
· Ability to communicate with, and enthuse, a wide variety of people in an approachable and professional manner, whilst demonstrating a passion for the work of the OnSide.
· Ability to develop and maintain strong working relationships with donors.
· Strong team work and collaborative skills.
· Ability to make presentations at Board level and to other senior, or large, audiences.
· Excellent organisational skills and an ability to manage competing priorities – busy fools will not succeed in this role!
· Self-starting, proactive, creative and empathetic approach.
· Proficient in the use of MS Office applications.
· Ability to work flexibly, including some evenings and overnights, as required.
Large egos are not required and prima donnas need not apply – this is a time to roll up your sleeves!
Package:
Annual Leave: 25 days plus bank holidays, increases with service
Pension: up to 5% matched employer contribution
Other: a range of employee benefits such as leisure and retail discounts; in addition to employee assistance and wellness programmes.
Up to 2 days voluntary work per annum
OnSide Youth Zones Values
As a Youth Zone community our values provide us with cohesion as a group. We celebrate our differences; however, these values help ensure our actions, behaviour and motivations as colleagues and volunteers reflect our shared vision.
1. Serving Young People
· Focus on serving young people
· Continuous improvement in the service we offer
· Building relationships
We are dedicated to the development of young people and shall always strive to provide them with an environment and activities that will best inspire and develop them; that can deliver the ‘wow’ factor and leave a lasting impression. We shall work to high standards and go the extra mile to build strong, positive relationships with young people. We welcome all young people as they are, and support them to make good decisions, ensuring their changing needs remain at the heart of our services.
2. Can-Do Approach
· Getting results
· Motivating others
· Determination
We shall deliver exceptional results through our passion and energy, pushing the bar higher. We will encourage ourselves and others to take on new challenges, whilst offering support and seeking advice at times, with a real pride in what we do. We must be resilient and determined to achieve our goals. We all understand that sometimes we will not get there but often we will achieve spectacular success.
3. Teamwork
· Openness
· Supporting others
· Valuing and respecting others
In our network every job and volunteer role is important. We value each person and his or her job as much as we value our own. We recognise the efforts of others, whether seen or unseen. We strive to be a team of high quality coaches; sharing our experience and best practice across the network and in turn benefiting from the experience of others. We should encourage different views to our own, and support colleagues in their decisions irrespective of their outcome. We should be able to challenge colleagues openly, speaking up on controversial issues without fear. Therefore, our relationships will develop with each other based on trust, respect and dignity.
4. Doing it Right
· Acting with integrity
· Constant personal improvement
· Developing others
We are passionate about doing it right and are happy to seek specialist help when needed. We will train and be trained. We encourage learning and development and will achieve ever-increasing personal competence resulting in a culture of constant improvement and professionalism.
5. Innovation Friendly
· Innovative environment
· Individual creativity
We want to provide an environment that generates innovative ideas and solutions; we are trailblazers. We wish to encourage employees, volunteers and young people to experiment with process and service provision. We want an environment where innovation and creativity can flourish. We want a network where there is the freedom for individuals to think differently.