About us

Pro Bono Economics (PBE) uses economics to empower the social sector and to increase wellbeing across the UK. We combine project work with individual charities and social enterprises with policy research that can drive systemic change. Our vision is for a United Kingdom with high wellbeing for all.

Experts and economists at PBE work on a wide range of issues related to wellbeing including mental health, education, employment, poverty, volunteering and civil society. The charity was founded in 2009 by Andy Haldane, former Chief Economist of the Bank of England and is chaired by former Cabinet Secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell.

The services PBE provides to small-to-mid-sized charities help them measure, understand and better articulate their impact, influence and inform policy and make best use of their data. Volunteer economists from across government, regulators and the private sector work in partnership with PBE to provide these services to charities on a pro bono basis. Whether they benefited from short-term support or in-depth evaluation, 94%​ of the charities that PBE has worked with say they would recommend us​.

In 2020, the Law Family Commission on Civil Society was created by Pro Bono Economics with the generous support of Andrew Law and the Law Family Charitable Foundation. The Commission on Civil Society is an ambitious programme of ground-breaking research into how we can unleash the potential of civil society, to harness and enhance the powerful community bonds that exist in our nation.

About the role

Post type: Full-time, Permanent, Flexible arrangements will be considered.

The Fundraising Officer (Trusts, Foundations and Corporates) will report directly to the Fundraising and Events Manager and will be responsible for developing our GMTF pipeline and portfolio, as well as supporting on the development of our corporate fundraising portfolio.  This is a crucial role for our small fundraising and events team with ambitious plans to scale-up our fundraising for 2023 and beyond.

Key Accountabilities

• Preparing and submitting fundraising proposals and bids to charitable trusts

• Actively seeking new opportunities for both GMTF and Corporate fundraising

• Supporting the Director of Development in securing grants and corporate partnerships

• Supporting in the development of our pipeline of current and future donors

Main Duties & Responsibilities 

1. Income generation and stewardship (Grant making Trusts and Foundations) 

• Work with the Director of Development to support the development a creative trust fundraising plan which delivers agreed targets for acquisition, retention and development of trust and foundation supporters 

• Contribute to the overall fundraising strategy with up-to-date knowledge and insight of the trusts and foundations sector and current trends to enable Pro Bono Economics to maximise opportunities. 

• Work with the charity’s Services team to create compelling applications that are aligned with relevant funder programmes 

• Support in the development of services tailored to grant-making trusts and foundations, as well as build compelling case for support templates for current and future applications 

• Develop and write high-quality proposals to encourage new trust and foundation relationships 

• Assist the research and policy team in writing applications for research grants 

• Research and identify new leads to build a strong pipeline of potential funders that connect with PBE’s vision and values and establish the most appropriate way to engage with them to develop an ongoing relationship 

• Collate content and write impact reports to demonstrate impact and cultivate repeat funding 

• Manage data relating to grant administration 

• Work to an excellent standard and towards clear timelines and targets, with a high emphasis on developing relationships 

2. Income generation and stewardship (Corporates) 

• Work with the Director of Development and development team to support the development a creative corporate offer and fundraising plan which focuses on developing a pipeline of new partners including prospect research and networking 

• Provide outstanding account management and stewardship of existing corporate partners. 

• Develop a range of appropriate resources to support corporate fundraising, including a case for support, compelling stories, outcomes and impact assessments. 

• Support the development of a diverse portfolio of corporate partnerships including corporate impact services, programmatic partnerships, applications to corporate foundations and brand partnerships. 

3. Other 

• Maintain all records of activity in Salesforce, and liaison with the Database Administrator to improve systems and processes 

• Support the Fundraising and Events Manager in event organisation 

• Provide proofreading support to the fundraising team 

• Support the development of strategic partnerships as required. 

• Perform additional duties as required to ensure the smooth running of the charity 

About you

We are looking for an exceptional candidate with experience of working in a similar role, ideally within a think tank, charity, umbrella organisation or research organisation, but we also welcome candidates moving into the sector. The role would suit an enthusiastic fundraiser with an eye for detail and good relationship building skills, looking to gain more skills in trust & foundations and corporate fundraising.

Ideal characteristics include:

• A fundraiser who has a strong experience of working with trusts and foundations. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience of bid/application writing and developing and delivering compelling presentations

• Demonstrable success in securing income from either trusts & foundations or corporates.

• Ability to work cross functionally and effectively building good relationships with external parties, colleagues and trustees.

• Creativity and ideation

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and audiences, particularly our trustees, corporate partners, and trust & foundation contacts

• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills 

• Demonstrable experience of donor stewardship and working with high-net-worth individuals

• Calm under pressure with an ability to be working on multiple projects simultaneously 

• A dedication to PBE’s focus on using an evidence-based approach to drive wellbeing improvements in the UK

• Confident computer user - Experience in using a CRM database (Salesforce preferred) and fully competent with Office 365

• Understanding of GDPR and a familiarity with the IoF codes of practice

• Charity sector experience

PBE is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applications from all parts of the community, and we give all applicants and employees fair and equal treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or nationality. We also guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who show evidence that they can meet the role’s ideal criteria.

For details of our applicant’s privacy policy, please see https://www.probonoeconomics.com/policies.