Job Description
Charity: Youth Adventure Trust
Role: Director of Fundraising
Location: Location: Home-based within Swindon. Wiltshire or Somerset
Salary: £50,000-£53,000
Hours: Full Time 35hrs
About the charity
At the Youth Adventure Trust, we use outdoor adventure to empower vulnerable young people from Swindon, Wiltshire and Somerset to fulfil their potential and lead positive lives in the future. We work with them to build resilience, develop confidence and learn skills that will last a lifetime, helping them to face the challenges in their lives. Dedicated support, guidance and mentoring from our staff and volunteers ensures young people receive the maximum benefit from our long-term intervention. Our aim is to make a lasting improvement to the lives of vulnerable young people.
All our programmes are provided completely free of charge to the young people who are nominated by schools and other youth organisations, which means the fundraising team is crucial. With ambitious plans to help more young people over the coming years, our Director of Fundraising role is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference
About the role:
We are searching for an exceptional fundraising leader, who can be an ambassador for the charity and shape the fundraising strategy to ensure we deliver our organisational ambitions. You should be a strategic thinker with a creative approach, analytical and an expert multi-tasker able to juggle multiple priorities. You will have a proven track record of demonstrating sustainable income growth across multiple streams, with particular experience in developing and managing major donor relationships, corporate partnerships, grant making trusts and fundraising events.
Role responsibilities to include:
* Design, implement and monitor a comprehensive fundraising and engagement strategy to achieve sustainable income growth, aligned with the charity's plan to double its delivery capacity.
* Oversee and optimise a diverse fundraising portfolio encompassing Corporate Partnerships, Trusts & Foundations, individuals and Challenge Events to ensure institutional income stability.
* Have full financial oversight of the charity’s income, including setting, managing, monitoring and reporting on organisational income budgets and fundraising expenditure budgets.
* Serve as an active, collaborative member of the SLT, contributing to the wider strategic direction, risk management and governance of the charity.
* Act as a high-profile ambassador for the Youth Adventure Trust, networking extensively across Swindon, Wiltshire, Somerset and the wider South West.
* Personally manage and steward key strategic relationships with major individual donors (HNWIs), senior corporate partners, local leaders and key grant makers.
* Engage with high-profile individuals of regional influence, including MPs, local councillors, dignitaries, and business networks to raise the profile of the charity.
* Provide strategic oversight of the charity’s communications channels, including social media,the website, media press releases and supporter newsletters.
* Lead, inspire and manage the fundraising team through an effective, supportive and delegated management structure.
* Maintain a strong strategic and operational understanding of our Salesforce CRM platform, ensuring it is leveraged effectively to monitor pipelines, track trends and guide data-driven decisions.
* Ensure the highest standards of supporter care and donor stewardship are maintained, fundraising practice remains ethical and fundraising is carried out in line with our organisational values.
Person specification to include:
* Proven track record of operating at a senior or head-of-department level within a fundraising environment.
* Experience of delivering successful fundraising strategies with a proven track record of increasing income across multiple streams.
* Significant experience in managing staff, setting targets and building a high-performing fundraising team.
* Demonstrable success in driving sustainable income growth across a diverse fundraising portfolio.
* Direct experience in personally securing and managing high-value relationships across individuals, Corporate Partnerships and Grant-Making Trusts.
* Experience in challenge event management and executing highly profitable fundraising events.
* Advanced strategic planning and project management skills with the clear ability to translate high-level vision into operational fundraising success.
* Exceptional financial literacy and numeracy, including direct experience setting, tracking and forecasting income and expenditure budgets and supporting annual audit processes.
* A natural leader of people who balances high expectations and accountability with empathy, support and professional empowerment.
* An exceptional multi-tasker with high attention to detail who can systematically prioritise a varied, fast-paced workload under pressure.
Deadline for applications: 25th June
PSR interviews: ongoing and 29th June
Client interviews: 7th July
To receive a copy of the job pack or to have an informal chat about the role please apply via this site.