Associate Head of Philanthropy (Principal Gifts)

About Resources for Autism (RfA)

We have been around since 1997, when we started as a small playgroup set up by parents dismayed at the lack of provision for their autistic children. Since then, RfA has grown into a major deliverer of services and support in London and the West Midlands with a turnover of around £2.6m per year. Our mission is to support autistic people to live happy and fulfilling lives. We want to change society’s attitude to autism whilst also providing essential services and enriching opportunities to autistic people. We are a value-driven organisation which employs value-driven people who want to make a difference. You will play a vital part in ensuring that we can resource and sustain this amazing work.  

A new CEO with a strong fundraising background will join the organisation in April 2024 so you will be part of the next chapter in RfA’s story.  We have strong relationships with trust funders and statutory partners, but we know we need to grow our income in other areas – can you help us to carve out that journey? 

The main duties of the role will include:

Initially, you will be focusing mainly on helping to maintain our grant and trust fundraising income through bid-writing and supporting colleagues with reporting.  

As the role develops, other elements of the fundraising mix will become increasingly important, in particular building up individual giving, corporate relationships and digital fundraising. You will come in at “ground level” on these initiatives, providing a unique opportunity to shape the future of fundraising in an ambitious and growing charity. 

This will be a multi-faceted role where you will have considerable freedom to develop fresh ways of working. You will be playing a key part in delivering our 2024-26 fundraising strategy, which is centred around building up new income streams for RfA alongside maintaining our strong profile of grant and trust funding income.  

Benefits of the role

90% of our staff say that Resources for Autism is “a great place to work”.

Not only will the work you do ensure making vital differences and inspiring others, but our other benefits also include:

·        flexible working patterns with the option to work in a hybrid way

·        25 days of leave (pro rata for part time roles) each year plus 8 bank holidays and the additional office closure between Christmas and New Year

·        access to ongoing training and progress in the areas that interest you

·        access to our wellbeing initiatives and an Employee Assistance Programme

·        enrolment on to our pension scheme

·        a supportive, warm and fun working environment made up of values driven people who are passionate about changing the world for autistic people

Key Responsibilities:

As Fundraising and Philanthropy Manager, you will work closely with our Head of Fundraising to: 

·        Maintain our pipeline of grant and trust funding prospects 

·        Write high quality funding bids in close collaboration with service delivery colleagues 

·        Manage relationships with key trust funders, including updates and report writing 

·        Define and develop our individual giving offer and build our community of donors 

·        Contribute to cases for support for new corporate supporters 

·        Build and maintain relationships with our supporter base as it grows through regular communication and stewardship 

·        Liaise with service colleagues to build up a bank of inspiring case studies and stories from our work with autistic people 

·        Push forward the development of our digital fundraising 

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who wants to make a real difference to the lives of autistic people – and who will be proud to see the real impact they’re able to make. 

Person Specification:

Essential Criteria for Selection

·        At least 3 years’ experience in a fundraising, philanthropy or relationship management role 

·        A track record of success in securing at least five-figure donations from grant and trust funders 

·        Knowledge of digital fundraising approaches 

·        Outstanding writing and communication skills  

·        Ability to understand financial language and budgets  

·        Strong research and prospecting skills 

·        Capacity to build excellent relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally  

·        An understanding of the essential processes of donor stewardship 

·        Experience of measuring impact and contributing to evaluation reports  

·        A commitment to developing an understanding of autistic people’s needs, capabilities and experiences 

·        A commitment to co-production with autistic people in developing new initiatives 

Desirable Criteria

·        A track record of securing gifts from at least one of the following categories of giver:  

o   individual donors 

o   corporate supporters  

·        Membership of relevant professional organisation, e.g. Chartered Institute of Fundraising 

·        Project management qualification e.g. PRINCE2 

·        Knowledge of fundraising database systems and experience of developing/populating them 

Application process:

To apply, please send us a one-page covering letter and your CV

To discuss the role informally prior to application, please contact Nick Drew, Head of Fundraising through our Head Office.

We particularly welcome applications from black, Asian and global majority candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and disabled candidates, because we would like to increase the representation of these groups at this level at Resources for Autism. We want to do this because we know greater diversity will lead to even greater results for our community. 

As you would expect, we are a neuro-affirming employer, with a strengths and rights based approach to neurodiversity which affirms neurodivergent identity – we don’t want to “fix” or “cure” autism, and we don’t see it as a “disability”. We are working to improve the ways in which we recruit and support neurodiverse employees and those with lived experience of neurodiversity. 

Deadline for applications: 9am on Monday 25th March 
Stage one interviews: week commencing Monday 8th April