Trusts and Grants Officer

ROLE PURPOSE

This position involves identifying and prioritising potential donors capable of making significant contributions to help us deliver a range of projects aimed at enhancing the student experience and supporting the local community. By providing the Development and Fundraising Team with tailored and insightful research, this role will enhance the prospect funding pipeline and facilitate the cultivation of a diverse pools of donors, including individuals, grant-making trusts, and companies. This role will also manage a well-structured stewardship program for donors. Responsibilities include promptly acknowledging donations, creating personalised impact reports, and overseeing bi-annual events which recognise and celebrate their support.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

·         To maintain and develop the University’s database of fundraising prospects through proactive identification, analysis, and segmentation, (individual and aggregate) record updating, and original research, including the identification of new prospects.

·          To prepare prospect profiles (which may include wealth ratings), and work with relationship managers to devise appropriate tailored cultivation and solicitation plans, enabling appropriately targeted fundraising asks.

·          To develop and manage reporting in the database across fundraising portfolios to help ensure prospects are strategically moving along the prospect pipeline towards major gift solicitation • To produce and provide due-diligence reports on prospective donors as part of the University’s gift acceptance procedures.

·         To deliver an annual donor recognition event to acknowledge and celebrate the support of the University’s most generous supporters.

·         To organise smaller bespoke events for higher level donors to the university, for example, site visits to project sites and/or opportunities to meet student beneficiaries.

·         To write insightful and impactful bespoke reports for donors supporting the University, ensuring reports demonstrate the positive impact of support and encourage repeat gift solicitation from the fundraising team.

·         To keep abreast of regulations, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) ensuring that all prospect research and cultivation is compliant and understood by fundraisers.

·         To undertake any other duties as appropriate within their competence, as required by their Head of Unit from time to time.

CONTEXT

The primary purpose of the Development team is to secure philanthropic income to support the delivery of the University’s Being Westminster 2022-2029 strategy. The Development team forms part of the Global Recruitment, Admissions, Marketing and Communications (GRAMC) directorate. The team also works closely with the Business Engagement Directorate to deliver an integrated approach to the University’s relationships with its key external stakeholders. The Development team collaborates with the Alumni Relations team to inspire and engage the University of Westminster’s vibrant, global community of alumni and supporters to build lifelong and mutually beneficial relationships with the institution.

DIMENSIONS

·         The role has no budgetary responsibility.

·         This role will be expected to manage a varied workload with limited, direct supervision.

·         The post holder will be expected to support key GRAMC activity which may include some unsocial working hours.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential

·          Educated to degree level.

·          Membership in a relevant professional body (e.g. CASE)

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

·         Experience researching potential funders/prospects or investors using a range of sources and analysing and synthesising findings.

·         Familiarity with a range of tools and information sources useful to prospect research

·         Strong working knowledge of fundraising and understanding of the fundraising and gift management process.

·         Experience of working with CRM systems

·         Experience in working with large and complex sets of data; analyzing and communicating key findings in an understandable way

·         Experience in handling confidential data with tact and discretion, with good practical knowledge of the Data Protection Act

·         To understand individual health and safety responsibilities and an awareness of the risks in the work environment, together with their potential impact on both individual work and that of others.

·         Experience in delivering events that recognize and acknowledge key stakeholders thoughtfully and creatively.

 Desirable

·         Experience working within a Development and Alumni Relations/Advancement function within a UK HEI

·         Experience of The Raiser’s Edge

·         Thorough knowledge of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

APTITUDES, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Essential

·         Excellent interpersonal, networking, and verbal communication skills and proven credibility in engaging senior internal and external stakeholders, clients, and donors

·         Strong writing skills and the ability to write compelling and insightful reports that demonstrate impact.

·         Ability to work well under pressure and to successfully manage several projects simultaneously, to deadline.

·         MS Office proficiency and experience with Excel spreadsheets

·         Excellent organizational skills, methodical approach, and attention to detail

·         High attention to detail

·         Fully committed to contributing to a stimulating learning and working environment that is supportive and fair, based on mutual respect and trust, and in which harassment and discrimination are neither tolerated nor acceptable.

·         A proven record of working cooperatively and flexibly as part of a team.

·         Commitment to the role of philanthropy within a university setting

·         Resilient and tenacious

·         Self-starter, able to act on own initiative.

·         The post holder will be expected to work unsocial hours on occasion.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this vacancy, please visit our vacancies page where you will be able to download our application form template. You will then be requested to complete a quick registration before being able to upload the completed application form and any supporting documentation.

Applications should include:

·         A concise statement in support (ideally no longer than two pages), addressing the criteria in the Person Specification and motivation for applying.

·         You may also include an up-to-date curriculum vitae;

·         names and contact details of two referees (although referees will only be approached at the offer stage).

The deadline for receipt of applications is midnight on 7 April 2024.

Interviews will take place on 16 April 2024.

An appointment will be made subject to proof of eligibility to work in the UK and satisfactory references being obtained.

At the University of Westminster, diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity are at the core of how we engage with students, colleagues, applicants, visitors and all our stakeholders.

We are fully committed to enabling a supportive and safe learning and working environment which is equitable, diverse and inclusive, is based on mutual respect and trust, and in which harassment and discrimination are neither tolerated nor acceptable.

The University has adopted Smart Working principles to support and further our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion aims of being an inclusive, collaborative and flexible employer. Further details of Smart Working can be discussed at interview stage.