Mission without Borders International Job Description

Position: Fundraising Writer/Editor

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title / Fundraising Writer/Editor
Salary / £28,000 - £32,000
Location / 175 Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2AG
Reporting to / International Communications Director

Stories are a key part of the work of Mission Without Borders. They have the power to move donors to give, encourage those who are supporting and inspire us all. Most of our supporters will never visit our work, or the countries we work in but stories and photos can bring that work alive to them.

We are looking for an excellent story teller who can communicate those stories and encourage our staff in the field and fundraising countries.

MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS

Mission Without Borders is an international Christian organization, dedicated to reaching people for Christ and serving the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those suffering the effects of poverty or oppression.


By involving those it serves, Mission Without Borders recognizes the dignity of the individual and strives to help build capacity for self-sufficiency. People are served without regard to their religion or ethnic background.

11 affiliate countries raise funds, obtain goods and remit net funds and goods exclusively and in total for the international programs and services of Mission Without Borders International, as agreed.

Mission Without Borders International programs are implemented in six countries in Eastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine

STRUCTURE

Mission Without Borders International is the central body that co-ordinates the work focussing on the following key areas:

·  Programme Department – driving our overall field strategy and co-ordinating with field countries to ensure the best possible implementation of that strategy

·  Affiliate Department – driving our overall fundraising strategy and co-ordinating with affiliate countries to ensure the best possible implementation of that strategy

·  Communications Department – supporting that work with excellent internal and external communications resources

·  Finance Department – co-ordinating the efficient movement of funds throughout the Mission

·  IT Department – ensuring we have the right IT systems to support our work internationally and supporting IT needs at a country level

This role is part of the communications department but works closely with affiliate and field departments.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Fundraising Writer/Editor is responsible for gathering good quality stories from our field work to support national fundraising plans. This includes story gathering in the field, writing and editing as well as co-ordinating photography and videography.

The role also encourages excellence by supporting communications staff in field and affiliate countries and by sharing best practise.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Area of responsibility / Key parts / % of time
Gathering stories and materials to be used for fundraising / ·  Work with field country staff to select the most appropriate beneficiaries and projects to feature
·  Visit field countries to interview staff and beneficiaries
·  Write fundraising stories to be shared with affiliates
·  Prepare briefs for photographers and videographers
·  Write fundraising appeals, magazine articles and other materials to support the affiliates
·  Upload all stories, photo and other media to our intranet site / 50%
(it is expected that regular trips to the field will take up about 80-90 days per year)
Planning fundraising communications for the year / ·  Co-ordinate with communciations staff in affiliates to understand the needs for the coming year
·  Review analysis of previous appeals and field strategy to work out communications priorities
·  Produce a schedule of stories to be produced through story writing trips and by field staff / 10%
Encourage a culture of excellence regarding communications across the Mission / ·  Communicate regularly with affiliate communications staff to understand their needs and to raise their level of understanding of good fundraising communications
·  Provide communications training – formal and informal to field and affiliate staff
·  Provide regular email updates to affiliate staff to direct them to new stories
·  Contribute to communications workshops for field and affiliate staff / 10%
Support field staff in producing regular updates and information for affiliates / ·  Edit all communications produced by field countries for affiliates, including country updates and annual manager letters
·  Edit short story updates from the field and ensure they are uploaded to the intranet
·  Support the field in providing updates that are suitable for social media
·  / 20%
Play an active role as part of the Communications department / ·  Ensure that all communications you produce are within our guidelines
·  Write copy for corporate communications / 10%
Headings / Essential / Desirable
Writing skills / Excellent creative writing skills
Proven ability to write for different fundraising purposes
Track record of producing successful fundraising appeals
Experience of following brand guidelines
Experience of interviewing children / Experience of working to Plain English standard
Experience of developing brand guidelines
Interpersonal skills / Ability to establish professional credibility
Exceptional communication skills
Demonstrable experience of building relationships with variety of people and groups
Experience of working with external agencies or freelancers / Experience of working with colleagues based overseas
Experience of providing communication training
IT skills / Experienced MS Office user, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook.
Demonstrable experience of using social media / Ability to use page layout/graphics software
Experience of using media management databases
Visual communication skills / Experience of selecting photographs for fundraising communications
Experience of briefing photographers and videographers / Good photography skills
Photo editing skills
Previous or relevant experience necessary / Experience of working in the voluntary sector
Ability to manage and prioritise own work. / Experience of working in Eastern Europe
Personal qualities/ temperament / Able to cope well when under pressure from competing priorities, unpredictable requests and interruptions.
Able to meet deadlines.
Equable temperament.
Friendly, approachable manner
Committed Christian able to articulate their faith
Special requirements of the post / Regular travel to field countries

5