Introduction

The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) is the leading membership association for foundations and independent grant-makers in the UK. We strengthen trusts and foundations so they can rise to the challenges of our times.

In 2023, ACF launched a new five-year strategy focused on our role as a membership association and how we can effect positive change with and for our members.

We have over 450 members who together hold one third of the assets of the charity sector and make over 40 per cent of the grants given by UK foundations. They range from large to small and operate in fields including social change, the environment, research and education, across the UK and overseas.

Our culture is shaped by our values: we are open, evidence-based, ambitious and we care. We value and recognise the contributions of every colleague in our small team, empowering each other to own what they do, while listening, sharing ideas and information, helping each other and working as a team.

We are looking for a practice officer to support our work to develop a compelling practice offer for our members, creating practical resources and curating information to help foundations strengthen their work.

This is a new role that will enable us to build on ACF’s existing suite of practice resources, including our flagship Stronger Foundations initiative and our Funders Collaborative Hub, ensuring that these remain dynamic, relevant and engaging.

You will regularly engage with people working in a variety of roles across the foundation sector, to monitor emerging developments in foundation practice and identify needs that ACF can meet through new or improved resources. You will collaborate closely with colleagues to develop resources that strengthen foundation practice and enhance ACF’s membership offer.

A key part of the role will be maintaining the Funders Collaborative Hub as a source of up-to-date information about funder collaboration opportunities. As the main point of contact for Hub users, you will encourage and support funders to make effective use of this resource.

View the job description to find out more

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE ROLE 

The role will make a key contribution to delivering ACF’s strategic objective of supporting foundations to aspire to and achieve excellent practice, by ensuring that ACF’s practice resources (including the Funders Collaborative Hub) are up-to-date, relevant and engaging for a wide range of foundations.  

Through regular contact with foundations and other stakeholders, the role-holder will gather insights into current examples of excellent practice, challenges foundations are facing in strengthening their practice, and available sources of guidance and support. Working closely with the head of practice and other colleagues, they will contribute to developing new resources that strengthen foundation practice and enhance ACF’s membership offer.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Funders Collaborative Hub:

• Act as the main point of contact for current and potential collaboration leaders, supporting them to make effective use of the Hub to share information and to keep this up-to-date

• Day-to-day management of content published on the Hub website, ensuring this is consistent with ACF style guidelines

• Liaise with ACF’s Marketing & Communications team to ensure that Hub content is effectively promoted in appropriate channels

• Supporting the head of practice to deliver the Hub’s impact and learning plans, including gathering and analysing data and feedback to identify potential improvements to the Hub service model

Practice resources:

• Actively monitor the foundation landscape to maintain an up-to-date understanding of how foundations are demonstrating the Stronger Foundations pillars of practice, capturing and sharing insights so that they can inform ACF’s work

• Regularly review the practice resources produced and curated by ACF to ensure that content is relevant and up-to-date

• Work with the head of practice and other colleagues to identify potential new resources that could strengthen foundation practice and enhance ACF’s membership offer, and contribute to the development of these resources

• Represent ACF at external meetings and events to advocate for Stronger Foundations practice, promote ACF’s practice offer, gather insights into foundation practice and build our network of relevant stakeholders

• Write or contribute to ACF reports and blogs on foundation practice issues

Contribute to the development of practice-related content for ACF events

Key Contacts – Internal & External

Internally

• Head of practice

• Director of policy, practice and research

• Head of policy

• Senior research and engagement manager

• Senior policy and practice officer

• Senior marketing and communications officer

• Senior membership development officer

• Events manager

• Network development manager

• Senior finance and data officer

Externally

• Staff of foundations and other funding bodies

• Staff of philanthropy support organisations

  Experience, knowledge and skills

Essential experience

• Experience of working in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment

• Experience of producing outputs to high standards of accuracy and usability

Desirable experience

Experience of working with trusts and foundations or other grant-makers

Essential skills

• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to summarise complex information clearly and succinctly

• Ability to prioritise, plan and organise day-to-day activities, ensuring efficient and effective performance 

• Developed IT Skills including Office 365

  Essential personal attribute

• Customer-focused

• Intellectual curiosity

• Willingness to learn

• Rational, logical thinking

• Creative thinking

• Flexible