Regional Corporate Fundraising Manager - South West and Wales

Job Description & Person Specification

About Farms for City Children

‘Almost 100,000 children have been to one of our farms. But it should be millions. It’s a week that builds their self-confidence and self-worth as they work on the farm, a week full of fun too, the most memorable week of their young lives. What we do is more necessary than ever as children become ever more disconnected from the countryside, the environment, and the source of the food they eat.’ Sir Michael Morpurgo OBE, author, Founder and Trustee

Farms for City Children is a national charity that gives children the chance to become an integral part of one of our three working farms in Devon, Pembrokeshire and Gloucestershire for a whole week. During their stay the children and their teachers/guardians live and work at the farms, explore the countryside, and find out where good food comes from. They also discover self-confidence as they conquer fears, grow in self-belief as they overcome challenges as part of hard working teams, develop new friendships, create stories and poems filled with the vibrant sounds and language of the rural environment, and learn to see a bigger, brighter future than they might realise exists beyond their crowded city horizons or day-to-day struggles.

Today, Farms for City Children welcomes 3,000 children per year for a week-long stay on our farms. Children participate in the seasonal farming tasks of the week: there are no pick-and-mix preferences or opt-outs – these are purposeful activities pegged to the farming calendar. The charity subsidises over 60% of the true cost of a week on the farm, making it as affordable as possible for all families, whatever their background.

“Some of the children we took to the farms had very difficult and chaotic lives. We took them out of a very difficult environment where they were unable to socialise and didn’t know how to share and put them into a totally different world. It was a haven where they could thrive.” Teacher from London

Further details about the Charity are available on our website www.farmsforcitychildren.org

Job Description – Regional Corporate Fundraising Manager, South West and Wales

Job Title: Regional Corporate Fundraising Manager, South West and Wales Location: Exeter or Home based, ideally in the wider Bristol – Taunton corridor, with frequent

travel throughout the region, two days a week at the charity’s Head Office in Exeter, and occasional travel to London.

Reporting to: Head of Fundraising and Communications Contract type: Full time, permanent. 9.00am to 5.30pm plus reasonable additional hours in the

evenings and over weekends to perform duties. Salary: £30,000 to £35,000. Farms for City Children also contributes 6% into the Charity’s

NEST Pension Scheme. A tax efficient Salary Sacrifice scheme is operated for both pension contributions and childcare costs.

Main purpose of the job

• Take the lead on regional corporate fundraising by developing and implementing a strategy to identify, build and drive new business development opportunities that maximises long-term income from across the region.

• Raise the profile of Farms for City Children by actively engaging in existing networks, generating purposeful new relationships and cultivating opportunities to represent and promote the organisation to corporate audiences throughout the South West and in the communities where our farms and beneficiaries are based.

Responsibilities and Accountability With a significant degree of autonomy the Regional Corporate Fundraising Manager (South West and Wales) will maximise income and raise the charity’s profile with existing and prospective Corporate supporters, by developing engaging partnerships, sponsorships, Charity of the Year opportunities, Cause Related Marketing and CSR initiatives. More specifically, this role will: Strategy, Finance and Reporting

• With the Head of Fundraising and Communications, develop the Regional Corporate Fundraising Strategy and Budget which maximizes existing relationships and builds new business targets.

• Prepare detailed operational work plans that clearly identify interim performance targets. • Monitor progress and report on performance on a monthly basis, devising contingency plans if income

falls behind target. • Ensure that fundraising expenditure is controlled in line with the approved budget.

Recruiting Corporate Supporters and Managing Relationships • Cultivate an in-depth knowledge of the region and its business communities and be a highly-visible,

warm and engaging ambassador for the charity, proactively generating new corporate contacts and key funding stakeholders.

• Identify strategic brand alignment opportunities and secure major CSR and/or COTY support. • Actively participate in and lead a wide range of corporate networks and events, including representing

the charity at public engagements and key engagement opportunities. • Maintain a deep current knowledge of potential funders and evolving trends, seeking opportunities to

position the charity for increased income, influence and impact. • Develop compelling proposals and deliver winning pitches. • Manage existing corporate accounts by providing outstanding level of support, advice and motivation

to key contacts within each company. • With HOFC and wider fundraising team devise and deliver tailored stewardship plans that enhance and

uplift relationships with supporters across the region. Campaigns, Activities and Events • Support and actively promote charity-wide fundraising campaigns and events, and recruit participants

and support for these from across the region. • With Fundraising Team develop a range of innovative corporate fundraising campaigns, activities and

events and deliver these across the region, e.g. Corporate Golf Day, Corporate Volunteer Team Challenge, CRM proposals.

• Maintain a deep current knowledge of potential funders and evolving trends, seeking opportunities to position the charity for increased income, influence and impact.

• Represent the charity at networking events travelling across the region and London as required. Marketing and Communicating (marcomms) • Work with the marcomms team to develop materials that support corporate and partnership

fundraising. • Work with the marcomms team to generate print, broadcast, and online coverage relating to corporate

support initiatives across the region.

Collaborating and Complying • Ensure all activities comply with the charity’s ethical fundraising policy, all charity and fundraising

legislation, GDPR, and other relevant regulations. • With the Farm School Managers, host visits to the farms from corporate partners. • Support the work of fellow fundraising and communications team members. • Utilise CRM database (Salesforce) to record supporter communications and ensure that all data is

managed in compliance with GDPR and other relevant legislation. • Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of Fundraising and Communications.

Person Specification – Regional Corporate Fundraising Manager, South West & Wales

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level • Fundraising qualification and/or professional membership are highly desirable

Experience

• Significant experience as a senior Corporate fundraiser (an equally experience commercial sales professional with transferable skills could also be considered)

• Experience of developing strategy and budgets and of growing income over multiple years • Experience of fundraising in the South West and Wales region • Experience of devising innovative Corporate fundraising campaigns, activities, and events • Line management experience of volunteers/staff • Experience of raising funding and awareness for charities and causes that support at least one of:

disadvantaged children, nature connectedness and outdoor learning, good food and farming, countryside and the environment, mental health and wellbeing, or built and cultural heritage

Knowledge

• Knowledge and understanding of charity law as it applies to corporate fundraising • Knowledge of current fundraising trends and innovations • Knowledge of charity legislation and the IOF Codes of Fundraising Practice

Skills and Abilities

• Highly skilled networker with exceptional relationship development skills and track record of generating valuable long-term connections with supporters

• Articulate and engaging public speaker with the ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences and positively influence key stakeholders

• Excellent planning skills and highly organised • Good CRM database skills (ideally Salesforce) • Expert user of MS Excel, MS Word, and MS Outlook

Personal Qualities

• Motivated by the charity’s work with children, food, the countryside, and farming • Collaborative and supportive, with a can-do attitude and solution-oriented approach • Proactive and conscientious, with the confidence to own the broad scope of the role • Objective, with the ability to assess and logically evaluate issues and present opinions • Reflective, embracing opportunities to critically evaluate outcomes and share learnings

Requirements

• Must have a full UK driving licence and own vehicle which is available for work.

Additional Information Disclosure and Barring Service - This post is subject to a satisfactory DBS check Hours of work – Full time, usually 9.00am to 5.30pm, plus reasonable additional hours in the evenings and over weekends to perform duties Place of work – SW of England home based with frequent travel throughout the region and regular working days at Head Office in Exeter – NB it is essential the applicant resides in SW of England Annual leave - 25 days per year plus 8 public holidays Probationary period - The appointment will be subject to a probationary period of 3 months References - All appointments will be confirmed only upon receipt of satisfactory references