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Development Director

Employer
Somerset Community Foundation
Location
Based in Shepton Mallet with travel throughout the county of Somerset
Salary
c. £47,500 pa + pension contribution (negotiable for exceptional candidates)
Closing date
23 Aug 2018

Job Details

The opportunity

You have an opportunity to join one of the UK’s most innovative and dynamic Community Foundations to deliver our growth strategy and make a lasting difference to lives of people across Somerset.

You will create strong and long-term relationships between the Foundation and high net worth individuals, trusts and local companies, attracting significant new funds into the Foundation and forming strategic partnerships with other funders to achieve shared goals, tackling disadvantage and inequality in Somerset.

In doing so, you will ensure we significantly increase our impact by supporting more local charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises and, through them, transforming more peoples’ lives and creating vibrant and inclusive communities.

About Somerset Community Foundation

Somerset Community Foundation is an award-winning and Quality Accredited member of a growing national and international movement of Community Foundations. We were established fifteen years ago to promote philanthropy and fund local organisations, making a difference throughout our county.*

We want Somerset to be a county of vibrant, inclusive communities where local charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises thrive, transforming and enhancing the lives of the most disadvantaged people.

Our role is to be the catalyst for inspirational philanthropy for Somerset, providing a simpler and more effective way for donors to make a lasting difference through community investment and leadership.

Somerset is a wonderful county to grow up, live and work in. However, a significant minority, often hidden from view, face considerable challenges in their lives. We believe that philanthropy will have an increasingly important role to play in reducing inequality and increasing access to opportunities for healthier and more fulfilling lives.

We have considerable experience and expertise in supporting positive change in our communities and we will build on this to increase and diversify our impact in the future.

The role

You will bring considerable energy and enthusiasm to inspire new philanthropy for Somerset, have understanding and empathy with the causes we support, and share our commitment to the people that live and work in Somerset.

In particular you will have a central role in enabling us to increase our impact by achieving key income generation targets, principally by building strong and trusted relationships with potential donors and their advisors.

Our headline financial goal is to increase our regular annual community investment (excluding the Hinkley Point C Community Fund) from £500k to £750k by 2020 , and to £1m pa by 2025. This will be underpinned by rapid growth in our endowment, which is currently valued at £5.3million, as well as long-term ‘flow-through’ funds.

As part of the senior management team you will have a central role in the development of strategy, particularly in shaping how we respond to changes and trends in philanthropic giving and emerging need and opportunities in Somerset. You will agree annual delivery plans and income generation targets with the Chief Executive.

While the role is largely ‘self-servicing’ you will be supported by the Communications Executive and Administrator. You will work closely with the Programmes Director to ensure that new funds are aligned with our strategy and with the Operations Director to ensure that fundholders and key stakeholders receive a first-class professional service from the Foundation.

Key Areas of Responsibility

  1. (50%) Plan and deliver a strategy for attracting (a) significant donations from High Net Worth Individuals  and (b) donations, transfers and partnerships with local charitable trusts, to expand our community investment programmes and grow our endowment by:
  • building on and expanding the Foundation’s existing networks to secure introductions to new potential fundholders
  • researching, scoping and approaching local and regional charitable trusts
  • growing our Somerset Philanthropy Network to fifty members by 2020
  • promoting the benefits of the Foundation to local and regional professional advisors, particularly private client lawyers and financial planners
  • creating and delivering a programme of engaging philanthropic ‘events’ to engage potential donors and trusts
  • identifying key marketing and communications channels to reach a wider audience of potential donors and influencers
  • develop a strategy and plan for an effective legacy campaign
  1. (40%) Create and deliver a marketing and sales strategy for targeting local businesses and other potential donors to grow The Somerset Fund to £100,000 per annum by 2021, by:
    • researching and identifying suitable target business
    • using existing networks to reach a wider business audience
    • accessing opportunities to speak at business events
    • successfully approaching businesses with a strong ‘pitch’ to secure donations
    • developing and implementing plans for engaging other potential supporters of The Somerset Fund
    (10%) Provide support and leadership to the Foundation team, in particular:
    • working with the Programmes Team to ensure synergy between fund development, donor expectations and community need
    • providing a professional service to fundholders, with lead responsibility as an account manager for a number of major fundholders, and implement an annual fundholder survey
    • leading on securing sponsorship for key Foundation events and publications
    • as part of the Senior Management Team, developing strategy and costed operational plans and support the delivery of key performance indicators and budgetary targets across the team
    • representing the Foundation at our own events and external events
    • ensuring database records are kept up to date and the database is used to its maximum capability.
    • supporting and delivering other projects and tasks, in line with your skills and experience as requested by the Chief Executive, including deputising for the Chief Executive as requested

The successful applicant will be expected to observe the Foundation’s values and policies at all times and to actively engage with continuous professional development.

Person Specification

Skills, Knowledge and Experience – essential unless otherwise noted

  • Strong interpersonal, networking and relationship-building skills at the most senior level
  • Highly effective and persuasive spoken, written and presentational communication skills
  • Proven track record in negotiating and ‘closing’ high value deals
  • Good understanding of marketing and knowledge of data protection law
  • Excellent self-organisation, project management, administrative and ICT skills
  • Strategic thinker with experience of working with charity or company boards
  • Understanding of donor motivations, the role of philanthropy and the distinct role that ‘place-based funders’ can play in society (desirable, but not essential)
  • Working knowledge of financial investment, charity finance, charitable tax benefits (desirable, but not essential)

Personal qualities and attributes

  • Personable, diplomatic, and confident with people from all backgrounds
  • Driven by achieving targets and results, able to thrive under pressure and committed to excellence and quality
  • Empathy and understanding of the role of local charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises, and the people they help
  • Understanding of priority social issues affecting Somerset communities
  • Motivational manager, flexible and collaborative team-player, and able to provide strong leadership when required
  • Adaptable and capable of fresh and/or lateral thinking
  • Access to a car and a clean UK driving licence

Somerset Community Foundation is an equal opportunities and living wage employer. Job Share would be considered for this role. 

*We principally operate across Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset and work closely with neighbouring Community Foundations across the South West

Company

Somerset Community Foundation is a charitable foundation tackling disadvantage and exclusion through our support to local charities and voluntary organisations across the county.

 

Company info
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