Fundraiser

This is a unique opportunity to join a dynamic and ambitious new charity as we make a step-change to grow our work significantly over the next 3-5 years. We are not just looking for a typical Fundraiser. At such a crucial moment in our charity’s growth, every staff member has such a significant impact on our work and the potential to make a fundamental difference to our future.

We are looking for a highly innovative, adaptable and dynamic individual who is excited by the idea of joining a small, dedicated team all focused on building a new and emerging charity to the next stage. We are looking for the right core skills, but alongside that, we’re looking for an enthusiast, a driver, a creative, someone who can think outside the box. We welcome applicants at all levels of experience but most importantly, we’re looking for a storyteller, a natural relationship builder, someone who is able to captivate new potential supporters.

From carefully crafting grant applications to building long-term, bespoke funding relationships sustained through connection, the role requires attention to detail, foresight, and a natural ability to take initiative. Working for a small charity requires tenacity, resourcefulness and grit, so whether you’re an experienced fundraiser looking for a new challenge or have never worked in Fundraising before but believe you can bring these skills, we’d love to hear from you.

We are a unique charity who are proud to do things differently. Whilst we are highly professional and ambitious, we are also very relational in everything we do, whether that be the way we talk to funders, our culture within the office or the way we look after each other. Life moves fast at Basecamp, and as we are looking to both sustain our current Trusts and Foundations operation and develop a new Corporate income stream, it is likely your skills will to an extent steer the specifics of the role.

This is a rare opportunity to get in at the ground level of an ambitious new charity with the potential for significant role development as the charity evolves.

What is Basecamp? At Basecamp Adventure Trust, we empower vulnerable young people from West Yorkshire to thrive through unique, long-term programmes which harness outdoor adventure as a powerful vehicle for personal transformation. Through a combination of skills workshops, exhilarating adventure trips and a deeply relational approach, we challenge, celebrate and inspire young people to discover a newfound sense of confidence, resilience and self-belief, and to explore new possibilities for themselves. Our programmes are intensive, sustained and individualised to make a lasting positive difference on the young people we work with so they can lead happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

The Role

• Trusts and Foundations

• Prospect Research and Future Planning: Proactively carry out detailed and organised research to identify fundraising opportunities across Trust and Foundations. Maintain and build a forward-looking pipeline of prospective funding opportunities, ensuring applications are prioritised appropriately based on size, alignment and/or application deadline. Support us to develop our Trusts and Foundations Strategy including target income, relationship management and best practice.

• Crafting well-written, well-presented and compelling funding applications, taking the time to understand each funder and individually tailor our approach to their criteria. Match new and existing applications with specific elements of our work to increase chances of success. Help to develop a compelling Case for Support, ensuring we are accurately conveying the impact of our work and maintaining consistency across our applications whilst allowing for nuance.

• An innate understanding that winning a grant is just the first step of the relationship. Ensure all funding relationships are acknowledged and appreciated with priority and genuine care. Nurture funding relationships with a person-centred approach rooted in connection, which uses a variety of communication tools (emails, reports, visits) tailored to the funder. An understanding of the nuances between different funders and how this informs how we manage and deepen the relationship with the aim to secure future funding. Producing monitoring and reporting documents, both bespoke to individual funders and universal for the fundraising operation as a whole.

• Maintain our existing management tools for tracking, reporting and stewarding income. Helping us implement a bespoke CRM system as our fundraising streams grow in both scale and complexity.

• Our adventure residentials are the core of what we do, and we believe it’s hard to understand the unique power of our work with young people and convey this to others until you experience it yourself. You’ll join us for two residentials (at least!) per year, working alongside our cohorts of young people to immerse yourself in the work which sits at the heart of the organisation. You do not need any special skills as full training will be provided but you do need to be “up for the challenge”. We do lots of adventurous activities in all weathers so being something of an outdoorsy person would be a definite advantage!

• We are looking to develop a Corporate income stream, led by our Senior Leadership team, by building bespoke and unique relationships with companies based in Yorkshire. If you have skills and experience in this area, you may support us to develop this new strand of our work. This new and exciting venture is currently in the preliminary development stages, however roles and responsibilities may look something like: Continually undertaking prospect research to identify corporate partners who we can build long-lasting, meaningful relationships with. Contacting prospective corporate partners and coordinating meetings with new and existing corporate partners. Supporting us to develop our pitch and offering to prospective corporate partners, creating bespoke partnerships which demonstrate our ethos, culture and impact. Support us to develop new ways corporate partners can be involved in our work for mutual benefit. Support the development of our stewardship and account management process, including new and innovative ways to develop relationships and monitor impact. Work with operational colleagues to plan, coordinate and deliver corporate events. Attend networking events to build new relationships with a view of securing new partnerships.

Skills and Experience

• Prior fundraising experience (Trusts and Foundations and/or Corporate partnerships)
• Highly skilled storyteller able to craft emotive, persuasive and compelling narratives that connect with organisations so they feel inspired to support our vision and mission.
• A natural relationship builder, able to build personal and bespoke relationships with funding organisations using a person-centred approach.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills which conveys ideas and impact to a range of audiences in a clear and confident way.
• Attention-to-detail with sharp focus on small details with understanding as to how they inform the bigger picture.
• A self-starter, able to be self-sufficient, manage time and priorities effectively and take initiative when opportunities arise.
• Foresight into how actions today can shape our fundraising income into 1, 3 and 5 years time.
• Enthusiasm and passion about working for a small charity with drive to help us develop and grow.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Canva.
• Willingness to work variable hours when required (including residential trips away with overnight stays), able to travel and work from home.
• Above all, you will be driven by a real passion for helping young people to thrive. You will be motivated by a core belief that all young people are far more capable than they think and that they all deserve a chance to be hopeful for the future.