Key information:

Location: London, Bristol, Nottingham, Newcastle or Manchester (Hybrid)

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours p/w, permanent

Start Date: ASAP (we will work with your notice period)

Salary: £37,000 - £40,000 (Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester & Newcastle), £39,500 - £42,500 (London)

Application Deadline: 5pm, Monday 12th February 2024

Interviews will be taking place on the 19th and 20th February.

About upReach

Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?  

upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2. 

We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment. 

To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read ourAnnual Report, and Impact Report.

Role Summary

The Senior Fundraising Manager will contribute to the growth of upReach through the raising of significant funds. You will have responsibility for income generation from Trust & Foundations and Companies. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced senior fundraiser with expertise in managing income from trusts, foundations and companies.  

Reporting to the Director of Fundraising and Development, you will be accountable for agreed income targets and will manage a portfolio of funders giving five and six figure, multi year gifts. You will work collaboratively across the organisation including the programmes and impact teams, finance, partnerships, Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Trustees.

Our values

upReach upholds the following values:

• Perseverance

• Integrity

• Advocacy

• Aspiration

• Proactivity 

Core Responsibilities

The Senior Fundraising Manager will support upReach’s mission by meeting financial targets,  leading on the acquisition and stewardship of key funders and having a significant impact across your area of responsibility and the charity as a whole.

Working with stakeholders (internal and external) 

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with key external contacts, including funders and volunteers.

• Champion and model a culture of outstanding donor stewardship and supporter care; including best practice and behaviour. 

• Make the fundraising ‘ask’ as and when appropriate, or support others to do so.

• Respond promptly to requests for information and action from supporters. 

• Report and disseminate the key issues to emerge from supporter feedback. 

Fundraising

• Lead on the fundraising strategy for trusts, foundations and companies.

• Manage our pipelines; researching opportunities from trust & foundations and companies.

• Responsible for submitting and managing five and six figure applications.

• Prepare briefing documents on potential funders to inform senior colleagues of relevant information ahead of applying to or speaking with the funder.

• Lead the cultivation of potential funders.

• Oversee relationships with a pool of funders maintaining the highest level of donor care.

• Lead on grant reporting, collaborating with colleagues in the Impact, Finance and Delivery teams to collate required information. 

• Manage philanthropic/CSR relationships with companies including volunteers and employee fundraising.

Financial

• Meet agreed fundraising and event income targets in line with the overarching strategy

• Monitor and report monthly on progress towards income targets, proposing corrective action when required.

• Manage income and expenditure budgets and lead the annual budgeting process for areas of responsibility.

People management

• Manage the Fundraising Officer, rotatees and volunteers as required.

• Ensure upReach promotes a high performance culture and professional integrity.

• Champion the implementation of business improvement and people development initiatives including training and rotations.

• Collaborate with colleagues across the department and organisation.

• Play an active role in the Leadership team.

Developing, maintaining systems and procedures 

• Maintain accurate and up to date records on the CRM to deliver activity and enable effective donor, supporter, supplier and volunteer relationship management. 

• Ensure the management of systems and processes comply with the organisation’s data protection obligations, charity law and other legal requirements.

Other

• Continue to develop the skills and knowledge of you and your team to ensure you are up-to-date with changing regulation and fundraising best practices.

• Undertake other fundraising or administrative tasks that are required within this role.

Please note that it is not possible for the job description to cover the exhaustive list of responsibilities of your role due to the varied nature of the role. The job description aims to provide an overview of your remit and core responsibilities.

Skills and Experience

To be successful, it is anticipated that you will have experience working in a fundraising role within a charity or similar environment. The ideal candidate for Senior Fundraising Manager should display these skills: 

• Knowledge of high value fundraising techniques including a clear understanding of prospecting, cultivating, securing and managing partnerships

• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, both written and oral, with the ability to turn complex ideas into concise and effective cases for support

• Highly organised with attention to detail, and an ability to work autonomously and be a confident decision-maker in a fast-paced environment

• Manage multiple areas and projects, leading others to be effective

• Able to manage a varied workload and balance conflicting priorities to meet deadlines

• Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, such as Funders, Trustees, upReach partners and employees across the organisation

• Skilful management of risk and opportunities with ability to escalate appropriately

• Good knowledge of GDPR legislation and regulations 

• Experience of contributing to strategy and budgeting processes

• A proactive attitude and an ability to suggest, research and implement new ideas

This position would be suited to individuals who are committed to upReach’s mission. We are looking for someone who is passionate about social mobility and believes that background should not be a barrier to graduate employment.

Team Culture and Benefits

By joining the upReach team, you will be joining a team who are committed to supporting you in your career journey and fostering an inclusive culture. 

We offer: 

• Flexible and hybrid working.

• Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us. 

• Birthday leave.

• Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members. 

• 3% Pension Contribution, this increases to 5% after 5 years of working with us. 

• Cycle-to-work scheme.

• Monthly socials.

• Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training. 

• Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.

• The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks: 

  • Disability and Inclusion Network

  • Ethnic Minorities Network 

  • Green Network 

  • LGBTQ+ Network

  • Mindfulness Network

  • Parents and Carers Network 

  • Socio-economic Background Network

Equal Opportunities

upReach is an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We support workplace diversity and believe it creates dynamic and effective organisations. We are working hard to increase diversity in our team and would particularly welcome applications from ethnic minority candidates.