Role: Advancement Assistant (Corporates, Trusts and Foundations)
Grade & Salary: Grade 5, £26,707 - £31,236 per annum
FTE and working pattern: 1FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday - Friday
Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday).
The Role
The Advancement Assistant will provide essential support to fundraising activities led by the Advancement team, with a focus on Corporates, Trusts and Foundations. The role combines administrative responsibilities with creative opportunities to help ensure that we are maximising our philanthropic income potential from corporate and grant-giving bodies. This is an excellent opportunity for early-career fundraisers keen to consolidate and develop their skills, or for more experienced fundraisers looking to transition into a higher education environment.
The Team
This new role is part of the Major Gifts team within our Development and Alumni Office and will be led by the Head of Major Gifts, as well as two Development Executives (Major Gifts), and one Development Executive (Trusts, Foundations and Corporates).
Key Responsibilities
Stakeholder Management
1. Ensure all relevant activity and information relating to Trusts, Foundations and Corporates is appropriately logged and monitored on our CRM (Raiser’s Edge);
2. Work with the Stewardship team to ensure relationship touchpoints are set and recorded; monitor these regularly for relevant actions by the most appropriate person, supporting as necessary (e.g. end of grant reporting);
Fundraising Intelligence
3. Monitor the funding landscape for new opportunities and ensure these are appropriately recorded and shared;
4. Undertake and maintain up-to-date and in-depth intelligence on potential funders’ priorities and preferences through desk research and telephone/face to face meetings.
5. Work with the Advancement Operations team to identify potential connections to prospective funders.
Fundraising Applications
6. Maintain good relationships with existing funders and work to help secure their repeated support through timely and effective communications;
7. Support the development and creation of attractive funding proposals for different audiences.
8. Ensure that funding applications of the highest quality, priority and relevance are developed, agreed and submitted in a timely fashion, and that all relevant parties have been consulted.
Essential Criteria
9. Degree-level education or equivalent experience in donor/customer relations.
10. Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a professional, donor-focused approach.
11. Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
12. High attention to detail and quality in written and verbal communication.
13. Experience with administrative and financial processes in a large organisation.
14. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and database systems; working knowledge of Raiser’s Edge preferred.
15. Ability to work collaboratively and proactively in a fast-paced environment.
Desirable Criteria
16. Understanding of fundraising principles, data protection regulations, and tax-efficient giving.
17. Experience of researching organisations/funding trends, and condensing that information down to easily digestible and actionable briefs.
18. Ability to translate technical/academic language for a broader audience.
19. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
20. Attention to detail and accuracy in data handling.