Fundraising Manager

Make a big impact with a small but effective campaign organisation based in south London.

Free Tibet is a campaign group (UK company) that brings human rights abuses in Tibet to international attention through parliamentary advocacy, media outreach, and mobilising thousands of supporters for change.

We stand with Tibetans around the world. For their homeland, for their future and against China’s brutal occupation. We keep the eyes of the world on the atrocities being committed in Tibet and lead effective campaigns to push back.  

Free Tibet’s work is supported by our research partner Tibet Watch (UK charity), which gathers crucial information from occupied Tibet, one of the most closed-off places in the world. 

Post Details 

Job title: Fundraising Manager

Reports to: Free Tibet Board

Key relationships: Fundraising Officer; Supporter Care & Shop Officer; Head of Campaigns, Policy & Research.

Working hours: 35 hours per week - full time.

Salary: Up to £45,000 based on experience.

Location: Based at our south London (Brixton) office. We are happy to offer hybrid working.

Post Summary 

Free Tibet is a small but effective campaign organisation based in south London. We’re looking for a Fundraising Manager who can transform our routine fundraising and lead expert strategies for income generation.  This role is best suited to an experienced fundraiser who is confident in managing multiple streams of income and a small team. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse professional backgrounds, but you need to have worked in a fundraising management role before.

We are currently implementing a pay grading system at Free Tibet, offering increases with each year of service. The salary for this position starts at up to £45,000 based on the successful candidate’s experience.

Location

Our main office is in Brixton, south London. We encourage applications from candidates across the UK and are willing to discuss hybrid working, but ideally the successful candidate would be able to travel to the office at least one day per week. Some evening availability is also required for quarterly board meetings, which are carried out online. Unfortunately, we cannot support relocation, so can only accept applications from candidates with the right to work in the UK. 

Perks

Benefits include flexible working hours (including a robust working from home policy), training and development opportunities, pension scheme, interest-free season ticket loans and a generous annual leave allowance (25 days plus public holidays of leave). 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Diversity is key to doing our best work for Tibetan freedom. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse professional and lived experiences. Both organisations have a strong policy against discrimination based on someone’s age, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity status, religion or belief, race or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, transgender status or socio-economic background. We welcome applications from those who wish to return to the workplace after a period of absence.

Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet 100% of the criteria. If you’re excited about this role but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we encourage you to apply.

Suitably qualified Tibetan candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Job description

Fundraising

• Oversee all income-generation activity across Free Tibet and Tibet Watch. Ensure continuous improvement and innovation and an appropriate balance of fundraising activity across all streams. Current streams include postal appeals, online appeals, and the Free Tibet online shop.

• Manage applications for grant funding on behalf of both Free Tibet and Tibet Watch, working with the Fundraising Officer to build a strong portfolio of five and six-figure grants and steward them for renewal.

• Lead on the recruitment and retention of donors, especially Major Donors, and redevelop supporter journeys and stewardship programs. 

• Evaluate new ideas for income generation and strategies for implementation, especially corporate and challenge events / community fundraising. 

• Impact reporting of fundraising activity and the performance of quarterly appeals, with a view to improve internal processes for greater income innovation and ROI.

• Liaise with the Free Tibet Campaigns & Research Teams to ensure that campaigning, digital and fundraising activities are seamlessly coordinated.

• Managing relationships with third party agencies, like mailing services and digital mobilisation agencies, making sure projects are delivered on time, on budget and to the highest standard.

• Ensure that our new Client Relationship Management (CRM) system, Raiser’s Edge NXT, is used effectively and to its full potential. 

• Take a supporter-facing role in managing relationships with Major Donors, leading by example in securing mission-critical income.

• When needed, providing on-the-ground support for direct marketing, including copywriting and editing.

Leadership & management

• Line manage the Fundraising Team, which currently consists of a part-time Fundraising Officer and part-time Supporter Care & Shop Officer, nurturing their professional development and working collaboratively to produce fundraising projects. 

• Act as a leader within the organisation, representing staff to the board and executive committee where appropriate. 

• Work with the Finance and HR Manager to monitor expenditure against budget and prepare regular reports on expenditure and projected income for the Free Tibet and Tibet Watch boards. 

• Develop annual and project-specific Fundraising Strategies, reporting on appropriate indicators. 

General responsibilities

• Participating in regular team meetings.

• Participate in events and actions as required, with protest attendance highly encouraged.

• Ensure that volunteers working with your team are managed appropriately.

• Participating in monthly finance/fundraising meetings.

• Provide regular fundraising reports for the FT-TW Boards and Head of Campaigns. 

• Any other tasks, where appropriate, required to ensure the smooth-running of the organisation.

Person Specification

Essential 

• Experience of fundraising management.

• Proven ability to look at the big picture of an organisation’s fundraising and prioritise what needs particular attention.

• Proven track record of delivering income across one or more of the following income streams:

  • Individual Giving: postal appeals, online appeals; emergency appeals; matched giving campaigns.

  • Major Donor Fundraising: soliciting and stewarding donations from HNWIs; prospects research; Major Donor recruitment.

  • Trusts and Foundations: soliciting and stewarding major grant funding.

• Digital fluency with a deep understanding of how this relates to fundraising.

• Line management of other fundraisers, especially with agile working and diverse skill sets.

• Experience of overseeing the development of team members.

• Excellent knowledge of proper practice in fundraising data and compliance, especially with reference to The Code of Fundraising Practice and GDPR principles.

• Confident reporting directly to the Board of Trustees and representing staff interests.

• Commitment to Free Tibet’s mission.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a high intensity environment, working collaboratively and skillfully in response to fast-moving developments in global news.

• Personal achievement/s securing five or six-figure grants, especially for research or human rights projects.

• Experience of managing lead generation campaigns at both a strategist and practitioner level, especially Facebook ads, with past examples of success.

• Experience using RENXT, Mailchimp, and digital tools (e.g. Engaging Networks or Impact Stack).

Application Process
Completed applications must be received by 10am on Wednesday 24 July. There will be two rounds of interviews, with the first round of interviews expected to take place the week of 5 August. 

Your application should consist of:

• Your CV (1-2  sides of A4), attached as a PDF. We recommend including any qualifications or training from fundraising bodies and showcasing your personal achievements in fundraising.

• Cover letter (1 side of A4), attached as a PDF, detailing how you meet each point in the personal specification. We recommend highlighting your specific interest in working for Free Tibet and Tibet Watch.