Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust. Job Description

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1 Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust Job Description JOB TITLE: REPORTS TO: LIAISES WITH: Fundraising Proposal Writer Head of Trusts and Partnerships As a member of the Scotland Fundraising Team the post holder will liaise internally with colleagues from across the Scotland and England & Wales Fundraising teams as well as Finance, Communications and Centre-based Programme and Fundraising Staff; also externally with grant-making bodies, corporates, major donors and Maggie s lead volunteers. PAY BAND: 5 BASED: Maggie s Glasgow office with some travel to Maggie s Centres in the UK ORGANISATION: Every year 300,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis brings tough questions, tiring treatment and difficult emotions that can range from shock and anxiety to loneliness, isolation and practical worries. These challenges affect not only the person with cancer, but those who care for them. Maggie s provides free practical, emotional and social support for people with cancer and their families and friends, offering a comprehensive programme of activities that has been shown to strengthen physical and emotional wellbeing. Built in the grounds of NHS hospitals, our Centres are designed by leading architects to be warm, welcoming and full of light and open space. They are places to find practical advice about benefits and eating well; places where qualified experts provide emotional support; places to meet other people who share similar experiences or simply to sit quietly with a cup of tea perhaps between hospital appointments. The first Maggie s Centre opened in Edinburgh in There are now 17 Centres across the UK, an Online Centre and an international Centre in Hong Kong with further Maggie s in development. JOB SUMMARY: Maggie s raises funds from a variety of sources including individuals, companies, charitable trusts and foundations, statutory bodies, lotteries, high net worth individuals and through challenge events and community activities. Support in the form of grants forms a significant part of Maggie s annual income and the Fundraising Proposal Writer will be an integral part of the Scotland Fundraising Team.

2 Working for a young organisation with big plans, the successful candidate will be flexible and comfortable operating in a fast-changing environment. Managed by the Head of Trusts and Partnerships, the Fundraising Proposal Writer s key responsibilities will be to: 1) Produce high-quality proposals and reports to demanding deadlines for existing and potential funders 2) Build strong relationships with and secure income from a range of funders 3) Provide support to the Trusts, Corporate and Major Gifts team in the form of bid writing and research; and to the Centre-based fundraisers in terms of quality-checking applications to funders 4) Contribute to the effectiveness of the Scotland Fundraising team more broadly by helping co-ordinate and providing writing and administrative support to colleagues who are also working with funders (and the individuals who are connected to them as trustees, staff, influencers etc.). The post will suit someone with excellent copy writing skills, and aptitude for fact finding and making connections, the ability to build positive relationships with funders and internal colleagues, a keen interest in and understanding of fundraising application processes and an appetite to try new approaches and develop their knowledge of trusts and statutory funding bodies. The Fundraising Proposal Writer will enjoy producing bespoke funding proposals, researching, analysing and collating information on prospects and producing reports on a timely basis and often to tight deadlines. Strong communication skills and the confidence to present tailored information to a diverse audience is critical as is an aptitude for donor cultivation and stewardship. The post holder will need a good eye for detail and to be practical and consistent in their approach to account management and record keeping. He or she must be able to manage a wide-ranging workload, often with competing priorities. On a day-to-day basis, the job constitutes a balance of independent working on discrete projects and ongoing tasks while also providing administrative support and back-up to other team members. ORGANISATIONAL POSITION: Reports to Head of Trusts and Partnerships. KEY RESULT AREAS: KRA 1. Primary job requirements: 1. To work with the Head of Trusts and Partnerships and other members of Maggie s staff on developing compelling fundraising communications to a range of audiences including new pitches, proposals, reports and associated budgets; 2. To provide support to Maggie s Centre-based fundraisers on building a structured programme of proposals to help meet annual revenue needs, including maintaining a toolkit of current funding opportunities. 3. To manage an ongoing programme of prospect research, identifying and prioritising grant making bodies with a likely interest in Maggie s revenue and capital needs;

3 also to continue to add to Maggie s knowledge-base around existing grant makers through desk research, networking etc; 4. To develop and maintain an annual fundraising calendar for trusts and statutory bodies to ensure that funding proposals, annual reports and updates are submitted to Maggie s supporters and prospective supporters in a timely fashion; 5. To assist with the identification and cultivation of major donor prospects and help establish distinct stewardship strategies for existing major donors and prospects; 6. To manage a portfolio of prospects and existing donors through all stages of solicitation with a view to increasing donor engagement, growing retention rates and maximising the income generated for Maggie s; 7. Liaise with colleagues across Maggie s to gather management information, case study material, programme updates, quotes etc. for inclusion in proposals and reports 8. To keep an accurate and up-to-date record of all approaches to and communication with funders - verbal, paper and computer-based - in accordance with Maggie s database and data protection policies; 9. To establish and maintain an up-to-date information bank of key messages and programme details for use in proposals, reports and correspondence; 10. To establish and maintain a database of key funder and prospect profiles; 11. To act as an ambassador for Maggie s in all external communications and contribute to organisation-wide initiatives e.g. by looking for opportunities to increase awareness of the charity and build audience reach; 12. With the Head of Trusts and Partnerships to be Maggie s experts on trends and developments in the grant-making market place; 13. To be proactive in identifying and taking part training and development opportunities to further the professional knowledge and skills in relation to the job; KRA 2. Finance and Policy and Programme Development: 14. To track day-to-day fundraising activity and income generated for internal reporting; KRA 3. Human Resources: 15. To contribute to other Scotland Fundraising Team activities, including occasional outof-hours events as and when required; KRA 4. Research and Development Activity 16. To conduct desk- based research and telephone interviews with colleagues to gather background for funding proposals and reports etc.

4 KRA 5. Administration and Information Technology. 17. Strong IT skills with good knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite; knowledge of the principles of relational databases would be an advantage. KRA 6. Other 18. Conditions of employment are in accordance with contract of employment, Maggie s policies and procedures and other conditions as described in Maggie s Staff Handbook.

5 Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust Person Specification Job title: Fundraising Proposal Writer Essential Desirable Proven by Training and qualifications Educated to degree level IoF membership and/or qualification CV Experience At least 2 years experience in a similar role, securing income from a range of funders, Experience of face-to-face fundraising and working with lead volunteers as well as seeking funding through bespoke written communications Experience of preparing proposals and budgets, often to meet set criteria for submission to external stakeholders. Experience of developing effective cultivation and stewardship plans for a range of funders. Experience of securing funding via healthcare commissioning/ contracting bodies Experience of cross-team working Experience of managing and/or assisting with BLF reporting Experience of working with service deliverers to identify potential new opportunities for fundraising and fundraising proposals CV, interview and references Knowledge and Skills Experience of using a database for fundraising. Prospect research good understanding of how to identify and qualify new prospects; also create funder profiles for trust/statutory fundraising. Excellent copy writing skills and the ability to précis long or complex documents. Aptitude for fact finding and making connections with understanding of and familiarity with 7 steps of solicitation and their practical application Knowledge of UK healthcare sector, and charities role within it. Familiarity with key data sources for fundraising research Understanding of key elements of project management and evaluation CV, references, interview

6 Ability to cost up an area of programme work at Maggie s and create budgets for proposals, applications and reports; Demonstrable knowledge of the market place across England & Wales in relation to Trusts, Foundations and other institutional funders Good analytical and lateral thinking skills. Personal Good eye for presentation of written materials with strong administrative, IT and organisational skills. Motivation to support the objectives of Maggie s Centres Able to adapt to change in the work place CV, interview Ability to organise, plan and prioritise own workload to meet deadlines and targets. Team player, ready to offer support and respond to ad hoc requests for help from colleagues, Methodical and detail orientated, and accurate with text and financial data Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Professional, confident approach when dealing with a wide range of people: colleagues at all levels, Maggie s donors, lead volunteers, board members etc Responsible and collegiate attitude to working in an open plan environment and comply with Maggie s staff protocols Willingness to undertake travel within the UK.