Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Clore Social Leadership is one of the UK's most respected leadership development providers for social purpose and non-profit leaders. Since 2010, we have supported over 5,000 people from nearly 3,800 organisations, helping them build the capabilities, confidence and resilience to create positive change. We are a small team with national reach, entering an important period of planned growth.

The role

We are looking for an experienced, proactive and highly organised Fundraising and Partnerships Lead to deliver the practical work behind our income generation plans and partnerships.

Clore Social has an established fundraising base, including income from trusts and foundations, longstanding funder relationships and developing opportunities with corporate partners and major donors. The immediate priority will be to strengthen the systems and day-to-day delivery underpinning our fundraising, while continuing to support income from trusts and foundations and working with senior leadership to develop the most promising opportunities for diversification. We are particularly interested in someone with experience of digital fundraising campaigns who is also confident working across different income streams.

This is a Lead-level role with substantial hands-on responsibility and considerable autonomy, including the opportunity to shape how the function develops. Reporting to the Director of Development and working closely with the CEO and colleagues across Clore Social, you will own the fundraising pipeline from prospect research and proposal development through to agreements, stewardship and reporting. You will coordinate budgets, internal input and key deadlines, and help develop and test new fundraising approaches.

The role has no direct reports at present, but there is potential for it to develop and take on further responsibility, including future line management, as our income and fundraising function grow.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver agreed fundraising activity and income targets as part of Clore Social's income generation strategy and annual plan.
• Lead compelling funding applications, partnership proposals, pitches, cases for support and donor communications, tailored to each opportunity.
• Research and assess prospective funders, partners and donors, recommend priorities and maintain a well-qualified pipeline.
• Coordinate evidence, impact data, case studies and budgets with colleagues to ensure proposals are realistic and compelling.
• Cultivate and steward existing and prospective funders, donors and strategic partners, acting as the day-to-day contact where agreed.
• Sustain and grow income from trusts and foundations while developing corporate, major donor and other opportunities to diversify our income.
• Develop and deliver focused digital fundraising campaigns with communications colleagues, drawing on our alumni community where appropriate.
• Lead regular pipeline reviews, monitor performance and provide concise updates to senior colleagues and the Board.
• Maintain accurate fundraising records in Salesforce and manage the full fundraising calendar, including applications, agreements, payments, funder conditions, stewardship and reporting deadlines.
• Develop practical fundraising processes, templates and systems that are reliable, accessible and able to support growth.
• Manage external fundraising specialists where agreed and represent Clore Social credibly with funders, partners and other stakeholders.

What we are looking for

The most important experience is hands-on fundraising delivery: producing excellent written materials, managing opportunities from research through to stewardship, and strengthening the systems and pipeline behind the work.

You will bring

• Significant hands-on fundraising or income generation experience in a charity, social enterprise or comparable purpose-led organisation, with a strong record of securing significant income from trusts and foundations or other income streams.
• Excellent written communication and storytelling skills, with substantial experience of producing persuasive applications, partnership proposals, reports and fundraising materials for different audiences.
• Experience of managing the full lifecycle of fundraising opportunities, including research, proposals, budgets, due diligence, agreements, stewardship and reporting.
• Experience of maintaining and improving fundraising systems, including a database or CRM, pipeline management, deadlines and accurate record-keeping.
• Strong relationship management and collaborative working skills, with the confidence to work effectively with funders, partners, Board members and colleagues.
• Excellent project management, attention to detail and personal organisation, including the ability to manage competing priorities and work confidently with budgets, forecasts and financial information.
• A clear commitment to justice, equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and to Clore Social's mission and values.
• Experience of digital fundraising campaigns would be particularly valuable. Experience of corporate partnerships, major donors, Salesforce, external fundraising specialists or the UK social sector would also be welcome.
• You will suit this role if you are strategic and hands-on, an excellent writer and careful editor, structured and dependable, curious and quick to learn, and comfortable working with autonomy in a small, growing organisation.

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