Director of Fundraising and Development

Core Purpose

To accelerate the growth of fundraising across a diversified range of income streams to achieve long term, sustainable income growth. To develop partnerships and supporter relationships which enhance the wish experience, generate donations in-kind and improve understanding of the impact of a wish.

The day-to-day
Typically, a head of fundraising will:

• Devise a fundraising strategy to be approved by the chief executive or senior leadership team
• Agree a departmental budget and work to achieve or exceed a fundraising target
• Co-ordinate and manage fundraising, comprising community, trust, corporate, major donor and digital fundraising, across the organisation
• Line manage and motivate a team of fundraising managers and officers across different fundraising functions
• If necessary, manage and motivate a team of volunteers who engage in fundraising activities
• Build relationships with high profile and high net worth individuals as potential donors to the organisation
• Build relationships with charitable trusts, foundations and other institutional funders
• Write or approve funding applications to charitable trusts and foundations
• Attend networking events and meetings with potential donors Prepare reports and give presentations on fundraising progress to the senior leadership team and the trustee board

Key skills

• Excellent written and oral presentation skills: Heads of fundraising need to make regular presentations to trustees, senior managers or potential donors and write winning fundraising applications
• Networking skills: Heads of fundraising will be called upon to represent their organisation to high profile and high net worth individuals and persuade them that their cause is one they should contribute to
• Effective management skills: Heads of fundraising invariably have to line manage a fundraising team.
• Digital skills: Mobile and online giving are an increasingly integral part of the fundraising mix. Heads of fundraising need to be adept at using these technologies and aware of their fundraising potential
• Innovation skills: Charities believe that new fundraising rules will hinder their ability to fundraise and interact with the public. So, strong ideas about how to hit fundraising targets in this climate are at a premium Budget management skills: You need to be able to work effectively with limited resources

Qualifications
An undergraduate degree is expected, and a masters is often required. Many charities would also like their head of fundraising to be a member of the Institute of Fundraising. Career qualifications from the Institute of Fundraising such as the Diploma in Fundraising and Advanced Diploma in Fundraising, can be advantageous.

Relevant experience
A track record of up to five years’ successful fundraising in the charity sector is frequently desired. The most popular background for a head of fundraising to have is in corporate or major gift fundraising.