Senior Trust Fundraiser

Sailors’ Society is a Christian maritime welfare charity that meets the practical, emotional and spiritual needs of seafarers and their families, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, in ports all around the world. 

With their roots in the post Napoleonic war era when thousands of sailors returned to London destitute, Sailors’ Society has helped seafarers in need for almost two hundred years. 

From providing floating homeless shelters and chapels on the banks of the Thames in the 1800’s to the international network of chaplains and Seafarer Centres in the 20th century, the Society has always been a leading provider of maritime welfare, constantly revising its programme to meet the demands of a fast changing industry. 

In the last 30 years the shipping industry has further increased pace, reducing the time a ship and her crew spend in port and therefore the contact a seafarer might have with the world beyond their vessel. 

The average crewmember now spends 9 months at sea, often more, and it’s the place of maritime welfare charities such as Sailors’ Society to help them whilst they are away from home and family. 

Sailors’ Society is responding to these changes with a robust programme of services to seafarers ‘At Home, In Port and At Sea’. 

Job purpose

To be pro-active in identifying and developing new and existing relationships with trusts, foundations and statutory bodies in order to generate income and assist the team in reaching agreed income targets.

Key responsibilities include:

• Identify, research and approach prospective contacts in order to cultivate relationships and generate new business.
• Support the Head of Fundraising in maintaining and building upon existing trust partnerships.
• Compile, create and submit compelling applications to new and regular Trust / Foundation and Statutory funders.
• Supervise a member of staff within the trust income stream and provide cover during absences.
• Gain an in-depth knowledge and keep abreast of the progress of all Sailors’ Society’s programmes, projects and events in order to prepare high quality, commercially relevant and compelling proposals, reports and presentations.
• Take responsibility for the entire ‘portfolio’ of trusts, foundations and statutory relationships, following all leads through to completion, meeting income raising targets and accurately recording all correspondence. 
• Keep accurate records of all correspondence with Society stakeholders on Raisers’ Edge NXT.
• Attend internal and external meetings, events and presentations as required.

Person specification to include:

• A strong understanding and proven experience in fundraising in trusts, foundations and statutory grants.
• Proven experience in managing and delivering a pipelines in excess of £400k
• Excellent writing skills with the ability to write accurate, powerful, compelling and persuasive copy in a range of formats e.g. cover letters, case studies, proposals, grant applications and impact reports.
• Ability to match the needs of prospective trust requirements with the needs of programme.
• Confident and competent at approaching new business prospects on the telephone, face-to-face and in writing.
• Excellent networking skills ands willingness to travel occasionally for partnership meetings.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to people at all levels and to represent the Society in person.