Start Network is made up of more than 50 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to national NGOs. Together, our aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and localisation.

We're tackling what we believe are the biggest systemic problems that the sector faces. Problems including slow and reactive funding, centralised decision-making, and an aversion to change mean that people affected by crises around the world do not receive the best help fast enough, and needless suffering results. Our work focuses on three areas to change the system:

·       Localisation: We believe a more balanced system, that shifts power to those closest to the front line will generate more effective and appropriate responses for people affected by crises.

·       New forms of financing: We believe that by understanding the risks we face and providing fast, early, and predictable funding, we can help communities to become better prepared and more resilient to crises.

·       Collective innovation: We believe that new ways of working are needed to tackle the challenges we face. By innovating collectively, we can share expertise, insights and perspectives to shape a more effective humanitarian system.

Start Network is well-positioned to deliver change. More than 200 organisations have expressed interest in joining us, we have a growing donor base, and we are the partner of choice on key innovation platforms delivering change in the sector. 

We became a newly-created independent company and charity in May 2019. The Start Network was previously hosted by Save the Children, with whom we continue to work closely as hosts of some of our programmes.

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm that may be caused due to their encountering the Start Network as well as responding effectively should any harm occur.  We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. 

JOB PURPOSE

This exciting role focuses on raising income for the Start Network and its global initiatives, including the Start Fund, innovation, risk finance and the development of the network.

The post holder will be an experienced trust fundraiser who wants a role focused on relationship development. They will be responsible for a small but exciting portfolio of existing and prospective funders (including one of our largest donors), adopting a relational approach to trusts fundraising.

You will be responsible for carrying out prospect donor mapping, maintaining a fundraising pipeline, building relationships with prominent foundations in the humanitarian space, writing technical proposals as required, pitching to donors well-articulated concepts and building fundraising capacity within the organisation.

It is critical that the post holder is comfortable with developing new relations. Trust and Foundations is a relatively new income stream for the organisation, so proof of having grown an income stream is key.

Finally, the Senior Trusts and Foundations Fundraiser will work alongside the Institutional Fundraiser who will continue to focus on income generation from government donors, with both posts reporting to the Head of Resource Mobilisation. 

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Fundraising for the Start Network, with a focus on new business

·       Responsible for prospecting donors, developing individual plans for large foundations and involving key team members to help set up a plan of action/strategy for each donor

·       Responsible for proactively developing, cultivating and converting new donor relationships, specifically trusts and foundations and corporates globally

·       Meet the needs and expectations of a portfolio of donors, working collaboratively with colleagues to provide relevant information

·       Support the Head of Resource Mobilisation to plan the approach for this new area of income for the network

Lead on proposal development and pitches

·       Lead the proposal writing process coordinating with relevant teams

·       Coordinate pre-qualification proposal processes

·       Monitor funding opportunities and calls, ensuring relevant staff are informed in a timely manner

·       Work closely with programme teams, the finance team and other relevant stakeholders, including Save the Children (who channels some of our funding), to ensure that donor funding requirements are met 

Lead on reporting

·       Work closely with all the relevant teams to provide detailed financial information, reports, and relevant reporting pieces as required to funders

·       Monitor our programmes and make sure donors are continuously updated on key progress or changes in the programmes they fund

·       Support the planning and execution of the Donor Council and the Start Network Assembly as required

Build knowledge and capacity within the organisation

·       Advise on contract negotiations, communication with donors, and compliance with donor requirements, working closely with programme teams

·       Support development of robust systems to manage fundraising growth, including use of Salesforce to manage relationships

·       Participate in key profile-raising events as required in order to build the reputation of Start Network among global funders

·       Support our Hubs in setting up their fundraising infrastructure

PERSON PROFILE

This role is for a Trusts and Foundation Fundraiser. The successful individual will:

-        Identify opportunities and take calculated risks to capitalise on opportunities that further our purpose and mission without compromising our vision

-        Inspire and motivate others by creating passion around our vision and focus, connecting with humility and empathy, and showing openness and resilience

-        Actively promote collaboration by spotting and breaking down barriers to siloed working, connecting colleagues, teams and initiatives

-        Balance the need to follow systems and processes with the courage, identifying when systems and processes do not align with the mission, suggesting alternatives

Technical skills

-        Good understanding of the trust and foundations landscape relevant to the humanitarian sector

-        Demonstrable experience of leading on significant income generation from large trusts and foundations (7 figure grants) for NGOs, including proactive cold approaches

-        Experience of building and maintaining a pipeline of prospect donors with a global focus

-        Experience of writing and/or reviewing project proposals or reports

-        Experience of managing a pool of prospects all capable of giving 6- or 7-figure gifts

-        Experience of troubleshooting grant management issues including donor compliance

-        Financial skills, particularly production of complex budgets for proposals

-        Demonstrable experience of collaboration, including forging and maintaining effective new relationships and partnerships, often across organisational boundaries

-        Demonstrable experience of embracing new approaches, new technology (especially collaborative technologies such as Box, Zoom and Skype) and new ways of working

-        Excellent computer skills including word processing, presentation and use of spreadsheets and ability to maintain office and management information systems

Personal skills

-        Ability to build relationships, negotiate with and persuade a wide range of funding partners

-        Ability to summarise complex information quickly and appropriately for different audiences

-        Excellent team player, able to work flexibly and adapt to changing demands

-        Proven analytical and problem-solving skills

-        Ability to organise own work, and to manage time and resources effectively

-        Ability to work occasionally outside normal hours to meet immediate deadlines or to liaise with people in other time zones

Education/professional skills

-        Graduate degree relevant to the role (desirable)

-        Previous experience of working in a humanitarian programme environment (desirable)

-        Good knowledge of the humanitarian sector (desirable)

Start Network culture

·       To carry out the responsibilities of the role in line with the Start Network Code of Conduct and with a commitment to safeguarding adults and children

·       A commitment to the Start Network vision, principles, values and approach

·       The Start Network team is an agile group of individuals who use their experience and skills across the network, so flexibility to work in and with different teams and functions is a part of our culture

Interviews will take place week of the 5th October.