Vacancies: fundraiser Chagos Conservation Trust in City of London

In 2010, the UK Government created the world’s largest marine reserve around the Chagos Islands in the British Indian Ocean Territory. This will save an entire oceanic ecosystem, help to restore fish stocks and regional food security, and provide a platform for global science.

The Chagos Conservation Trust (CCT) is a small registered charity of volunteers dedicated to promoting environmental conservation and relevant scientific research and education in relation to the Chagos archipelago. CCT also acts as the secretariat to the Chagos Environment Network (CEN) of leading UK and international institutions committed to the protection of the marine reserve.

The Requirement

We need someone with sufficient relevant experience to help us raise funds for the work we do in promoting environmental conservation in the Chagos Islands. Your task will be to develop a fund-raising strategy for the Trust and then implement it. Your success will be judged on the amount of money raised. You will be self-employed, willing to assist on a fee-paid basis, able to commit to the equivalent of about 1000 hours of work a year (or 21 hours a week), working from your home or business address. You must attend meetings of CCT’s Executive Committee in central London and be prepared to travel as required. Your routine work contact in the Trust will be the CCT Secretary. Fees paid will be subject to a maximum of £20-25,000 per annum, depending on experience.

Skills and Personal Qualities

We are looking for someone with:

• a successful track record in fundraising or previous experience in running a business or area of work in which fundraising was a requirement
• good IT skills including database management
• the ability to communicate persuasively, orally and in writing, at a senior level
• an understanding of the UK charity regulatory environment
• a real interest in environmental conservation work

TASK PROFILE

Contract: fee-paid, subject to a maximum of £20 – 25,000 per annum, depending on experience, for the equivalent of about 1000 hours of work a year (or 21 hours a week), working from your home or business address. You will be required periodically to attend meetings in London. Contract duration is 12 months.

Role

You will play a pivotal role in the Trust’s future development by working to prepare and implement a strategy to raise funds for the Trust’s work in promoting environmental conservation in the Chagos Islands.

Within two months of taking up your contract, you will be expected to present this strategy to the Trust’s Executive Committee. The strategy should aim to raise funds on a sustained and consistent basis from donor organisations in the public and private sector and from high net worth individuals. It should cover, amongst other ideas, the merits or otherwise of mounting fund-raising events and raising revenue from the Trust’s membership and from the sale of promotional material.

Main Tasks

Your tasks will include assisting the Trust to:

• develop and implement a fundraising strategy in support of its environmental conservation objectives
• identify and develop contacts with potential donor organisations and individuals
• seek sponsorship and funding support for CCT’s activities and programmes
• find ways to retain the interest and support of existing CCT members and previous donors
• identify other ways for the Trust to raise revenue
• maintain a database of existing and prospective donor organisations and individuals and to track approaches to them, funds raised, and obligations incurred, including an accurate record of fundraising activities.

The work will involve drafting project proposals for funding support, mounting appeal campaigns and organising fund-raising events. It will require direct contact with grant-giving organisations and other potential donors and attendance at relevant meetings and events.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone with:

• proven experience in fundraising for UK registered charities or other organisations or at least with previous experience in running a business or area of work in which fundraising was a requirement
• good communication and presentational skills with an ability to engage persuasively with potential donors at the highest level
• good written communication skills with the ability to develop convincing funding proposals and appeals
• good IT skills including database management and PowerPoint
• ideally an established network of high net-worth contacts and/or contacts with donor organisations
• experience in organising fund-raising events
• an understanding of the UK charity regulatory environment
• a real interest in environmental conservation work

Membership of the Institute of Fundraisers might help but is not a requirement.

Applicants must be able lawfully to work in the UK; must have a university degree or at least two ‘A’ levels or equivalent qualifications and must have had an unblemished employment history. Applicants will be required to disclose any unspent convictions.

How to Apply

Please send your CV (maximum 2 sides of A4 paper) plus a covering letter by e-mail to: secretary@chagos-trust.org

Applications must be sent before Tuesday, 8 May 2012.

Your CV must include your full postal address and contact details, including telephone number; your education details and academic and professional qualifications; and your employment history.

Your covering letter must explain your reasons for applying; give evidence of relevant experience and fund-raising successes; and indicate the skills that you would bring to the work.