Job Description

Job Title:Head of Fundraising and Communications

Job Purpose:The Head of Fundraising and Communications is a member of Peace Direct’s Senior Management Team, reporting to the Chief Executive and directly responsible for providing strategic direction forall communications as well as unrestricted incomefrom a range of sources, including individual donors, community events, and corporate partners.

Responsible to:Chief Executive

Responsible for:Fundraising Officer, Communications Officer, Database Officer, Corporate and Major Donor Officer;

Interns(as necessary)

Main Responsibilities

i)Lead in Peace Direct’s efforts to grow our supporter base and unrestricted income through integrated acquisition, retention, upgrade and regular giving activities.

ii)Provide strategic direction to Peace Direct’s communications outputs, ensuring that they support our fundraising, engagement and advocacy objectives.

iii)With the Head of Programme Development, lead in the development and implementation of Peace Direct’s fundraising strategy, and produce detailed forecasts for the operational plan.

iv)Manage Peace Direct’s Major Donor programme, ensuring that targets for Major Donor income are engagement are met.

v)Develop and maintain a portfolio of fundraising events (community events, challenge events etc) that generate income, build loyalty and help grow our long term donor base.

vi)Seek out, maintain and manage corporate funding partnerships (excluding Corporate Trusts and Foundations).

vii)Maintain quality standards in donor stewardship, data management and fundraising communications.

viii)Effective line management of all direct reports, ensuring high levels of motivation, retention and performance.

Key Tasks

Lead in Peace Direct’s efforts to grow our supporter base and unrestricted income through integrated acquisition, retention, upgrade and regular giving activities.

  • Plan and implement a range of acquisition and retention activities including appeals (online and print); new acquisition products, insert campaigns and public events.
  • Explore opportunities for engagement with potential supporters including challenge events, talks, university links etc
  • Ensure that supporters have adequate opportunities for engaging with Peace Direct, including feedback mechanisms, so that they feel valued and part of Peace Direct’s success.
  • Manage the production of all fundraising materials for Peace Direct (including Peace Direct US), including annual appeals, supporter newsletters and project updates for Major Donors.
  • Source, negotiate and manage relationships with relevant external suppliers, including mailing houses, printers and photographic libraries.
  • Collaborate effectively with Peace Direct’s corporate partner, AWAY, in order to tap into and utilise AWAY staff skills in digital marketing, event planning and acquisition.

Provide strategic direction to Peace Direct’s communications outputs, ensuring that they support our fundraising, engagement and advocacy objectives.

  • Develop and deliver an ambitious communications and engagement strategy for Peace Direct and ensure that staff across the organisationcontribute effectively to this strategy.
  • Ensure that Peace Direct’s communications outputs are of the highest quality, are engaging and are tailored to each specific audience.
  • Drive innovation and continuous improvement in all of our digital communications outputs, so that Peace Direct stays at the forefront of digital communications.
  • Work closely with the International Programmes team to produce engaging and creative supporter communication materials.
  • Work closely with the Research and Engagement team to ensure that our Advocacy and Campaigns targets are supported with high quality communications.
  • Supervise the work of Peace Direct’s external PR and communications agency to ensure that it meets agreed objectives.
  • Provide guidance and strategic oversight to the communication needs and ambitions of Peace Direct’s sister organisation in the US, Peace Direct, Inc.

With the Head of Programme Funding, lead in the development and implementation of Peace Direct’s fundraising strategy, and produce detailed forecasts for the operational plan.

  • Co design the fundraising strategy for Peace Direct (including Peace Direct in the US), ensuring that all relevant staff within the organisation contribute and are aware of their role in helping achieve targets.
  • Ensureregular structured communication is maintained with the Head of Programme Funding so that targets are closely monitored and implementation of the fundraising strategy is kept on track.
  • Develop accurate income forecasts for the CEO to enable better financial planning.

Manage Peace Direct’s Major Donor programme, ensuring that targets for Major Donor income are engagement are met.

  • Develop and maintain a high quality Major Donor programme that meets income targets and helps maintain strong engagement.
  • Explore opportunities for increasing Peace Direct’s pool of Major Donors both in the UK and US.
  • Support the development and running of a Peace Direct fundraising committee to support Major Donor outreach, income growth and engagement.

Develop and maintain a portfolio of fundraising events (community events, challenge events etc) that generate income, build loyalty and help grow our long term donor base.

  • Effective line management of the Fundraising Officer
  • Development of a diverse and sustainable portfolio of public fundraising events

Seek out, maintain and manage corporate funding partnerships (excluding Corporate Trusts and Foundations).

  • Co-manage the partnership with AWAY, including all AWAY-assigned tasks
  • Manage AWAY content trips
  • Proactively explore new Corporate funding partnerships

Maintain quality standards in donor stewardship, data management and fundraising communications

  • Act as the nominated Data controller for Peace Direct.
  • Ensure that Peace Direct complies with all ICO regulations and that data management is maintained to a high standard.
  • Ensure that all fundraising materials comply with IoF good practice and act as the enforcer of ethical standards for fundraising communications within the organisation.
  • Co-draft and maintain (with the Head of Programme Funding) an ethical fundraising policy.
  • Ensure that PDs database is efficiently maintained, and that donor data is routinely analysed in order to identify areas for improvement and growth.
  • Work closely with the Head of Finance and Administration to ensure that the office duties of the Database Officer are given adequate attention

Contribute to the strengthening of Peace Direct’s reputation as a leading peacebuilding organisation (External relations):

  • RepresentPeace Direct at relevant meetings and conferences, under the Direction of the CEO.

Internal Relations:

  • Work very closely with the International Programmes team and other members of SMT to help deliver PDs strategy
  • Perform any other tasks as directed by the CEO

Organisational Learning:

  • Work closely with other SMT staff to promote organisational learning.
  • Ensure that other staff within the organisation have adequate knowledge about IG to enable them to support Peace Direct’s fundraising ambitions.

Travel:

  • Conduct overseas visits on PD’s business, sometimes to rural / difficult locations.
  • Occasional travel in the UK to represent PD externally

Environment:

  • The position is based at PD office in London.

Discretion to Act:

Working within the framework of the strategic plan, the post holder will take responsibility for his/her own work and for reaching targets set for him/her.

Person Specification

Essential

Technical skills/experience

  • Educated to degree level.
  • A minimum of five years’ experience at a senior management level in either fundraising or communications.
  • At least five years’ experience in managing staff.
  • Demonstrable experience of securing and growing six and seven figure income from a range of sources.
  • Experience of developing integrated fundraising, communications, PR or marketing strategies.
  • Proven track record of using digital and traditional marketing and communications to achieve organisational objectives.
  • Excellent written and spoken English
  • Highly proficient in budgeting and planning.

Personal attributes

  • Excellent interpersonal and team working skills
  • Able to communicate with a wide range of people
  • Highly organised, able to work to tight deadlines
  • Open and communicative, keen to help others achieve their objectives
  • Calm and positive under pressure
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Strong commitment to quality

Desirable technical skills/experience

  • Post graduate degree/certificate/diploma in digital communications orfundraising or another related field
  • Experience of using DTP software such as InDesign
  • Experience of using Google Analytics