Alumni and Development Intern in Oxford

Salary: Grade 4.1 (£27,319), rising to 4.4 (£29,540) in the second year, subject to performance.

Contract type: Full time, fixed term - 1 September 2026 to end of August 2028.

Location: Balliol College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ. Occasional remote working may be possible; however office-based work is essential to the role and the post holder will be expected to spend the majority of working hours on-site. Occasional travel within the UK will be required, for which expenses will be paid.

Hours: Full‑time entailing a 37.5‑hour week, normal working hours Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm, with an hour for lunch, at Balliol College, Oxford. The role will involve occasional out‑of‑hours working, for which time off in lieu will be given.

Holiday: 30 days, plus Bank Holidays, during a complete holiday year, five of which are taken during the Christmas period when the College is closed.

Notice period: 1 month on either side (during probation); 3 months on either side (after probation).

Purpose of the Post

The Alumni and Development Intern offers an opportunity for a recent graduate keen to develop a career in alumni relations and fundraising. Initially, the Alumni and Development Intern will provide administrative and organisational support for Balliol’s fundraising and donor stewardship, events and alumni relations activities, including personally soliciting and stewarding donations from Old Members and friends of the College. In the latter part of Year 1 of the internship, and at the latest by the second year, the postholder will develop their focus on making personal fundraising approaches to potential donors, cultivating and soliciting donations through a combination of face‑to‑face meetings, video calls, telephone conversations and written correspondence. The role reports to the Head of Development Operations and works closely with both the Events and Donor Relations Manager and the Events Coordinator. As a two‑year paid internship, the role is designed to give the holder a broad introduction to the work of an alumni and development office in an educational setting, and deeper experience in managing a portfolio of person‑to‑person fundraising approaches as preparation for a wide range of major donor and individual philanthropy roles in the educational and wider charitable sector.

Job duties and responsibilities

The main duties are included below. This is not an exhaustive list and may be amended in line with College needs.

• Act as a first point of contact for enquiries to the Development Office, monitor the office’s general email inbox and receive telephone calls, responding to frequent enquiries personally and directing more complex requests to relevant team members.
• Make fundraising approaches to individual donors via telephone, email and letter, including following up on missed payments and reactivating lapsed regular donations where credit card details have expired.
• Provide support for the College’s telephone fundraising campaigns; including assisting with pre‑campaign preparation and caller recruitment, helping callers during calling shifts and administering post‑call communications.
• Assist with the production of fundraising and donor relations materials; for example sourcing content such as imagery, copy and quotes from beneficiaries.
• Assist with acknowledging new donations, working from daily gift reports and by personalising model messages of thanks and appreciation provided by colleagues.
• Provide support for the events programme, including processing event registrations; responding to enquiries about bookings; assisting with the production of guest lists, programmes and badges; welcoming and registering guests and dealing with queries.
• Drive current student and new alumni engagement with the work of the Development Office through promoting events and career mentoring services and organising and delivering the annual Leavers campaign.
• Process corrections and updates to database records, as updates are received or identifying where information is missing, including through acknowledging and processing contributions to the annual News and Notes publication.

Subsequently

After the first six months of the internship, and at the latest by the second year, the holder will progress into a more fundraising‑oriented role, duties including:

• Manage a portfolio of donors capable of giving between £500 and £5,000 per year, making fundraising approaches through personal meetings, video and telephone calls, discussions at events, and through personal written correspondence, maintaining accurate and complete records of approaches on the College’s database.
• As required, support the Head of Development Operations on the planning and delivery of fundraising campaigns to support the College’s regular giving activities and support the Events & Donor Relations Manager on the delivery of the College’s events programme.
• Provide support and guidance to the Year 1 Alumni and Development Intern on their duties.

General

In all work, ensure adherence to and compliance with relevant legislation: including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI‑DSS) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). Other duties as required commensurate with the grade and scope of the role.

Person Specification – skills and experience

• Experience of working in fundraising and alumni relations, for example as a telethon caller during your time at University.
• Outstanding organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate confidently at all levels, both internally (Fellows, staff and students) and externally (alumni, donors and volunteers).
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent standard of written and spoken English.
• An understanding of the requirements of working with personal and confidential information, and sensitivity to privacy and data protection regulations.
• A demonstrable interest in fundraising, alumni relations and higher education.
• Able to build effective relationships with donors, through empathy, adaptability and resilience.
• Team working skills and a collaborative approach.
• Experience of using a CRM database or other tools to store, retrieve and manipulate information.
• The ability to think creatively to attract interest when planning events or campaigns and maintain donor engagement and commitment to the College.
• An understanding of human behaviour – what motivates others and the ability to connect.

Employee Benefits

• Staff meals: A free two-course lunch is available in the Hall, when the kitchens are open.
• Pension: Oxford University Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS). This is a contributory pension scheme, with contributions from both the employee and the College.
• Travel: Interest‑free ticket loans enabling the purchase of bus passes and annual rail season tickets to Oxford. Discounted travel is available on some services. Cycle to work scheme offering discounted rates on bicycles and accessories. Electric vehicle leasing scheme (salary sacrifice – eligibility criteria apply).
• Healthcare: Free flu jabs and eye tests for computer/VDU users. Free use of the College’s onsite gym and the University swimming pool. Preferential rates for other University sports facilities and the Nuffield Health gym on Woodstock Road.
• University Club: Free membership of the University Club, which offers food, drink and accommodation in an exclusive space for staff, postgraduates and alumni.
• Learning and personal development: In addition to training organised by the College, resources are available from the University.
• Visitor access: Free visitor access to the 45 colleges and halls of the University, the University’s Libraries, Botanic Gardens, Arboretum and Museums.
• Employee discounts: Available at local and national retailers and online services using exclusive discount codes for University staff and with a TOTUM (formerly NUS) card.
• Balliol nursery: A day‑time nursery on Rawlinson Road, subject to availability. Subsidised rates are available for Balliol staff.

Right to Work

Shortlisted candidates will be expected to supply original documentation proving that they have the right to work in the United Kingdom (UK).

Equal Opportunities

Balliol College is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants are asked to complete a separate confidential Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to help us fulfil our duties in this regard. Applicants should let us know if they require reasonable adjustments for any part of the recruitment process.

Data Protection

Personal data is processed in accordance with Balliol College’s Privacy Policy which is available at https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/privacy-policy.