Donor Relations Manager – Maternity Cover
- Job title: Donor Relations Manager - Maternity Cover
- Job Type: Full Time, Maternity Cover (11 Months)
- Salary: £38,000 to £40,000
- Department: Development and Alumni Engagement
- Reporting to: Development Director
- Location: Highgate, London
- Start: 29th August 2024 for Staff INSET
- Closing Date: 10 June 2024 at 11:59 pm
The need for the work we do – raising funds to provide means-tested fee assistance to bursary families at Highgate, supporting our partnerships with over 60 state Schools across 7 London boroughs and our relationship with the London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham (LAET) – has never been more necessary.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an excellent writer, strong communicator and highly adept administrator to play a key part in our work to advance educational mobility through fundraising. If you are looking to fast-track your career in fundraising, change sector or side-step from a project management, office management or executive assistant role into something new, dynamic and purposeful, then read on!
As Donor Relations Manager – Maternity Cover you will:
- Work closely with the Development Director to help facilitate and drive their donor engagement and strategic work; and
- Ensure our growing community of supporters have a highly rewarding donor experience by managing and creating written, event and multi-media donor stewardship and communications.
You will be well-organised, an instinctive problem solver and proven administrative skill, an excellent writer with creative flair and initiative, and be motivated by making a difference to the educational opportunities of children and young people through your work.
The Director of Development that prioritises creating a positive working environment alongside implementation of a bold and exciting fundraising strategy. You will be an integral part of this, able to bring your ideas and creativity, and become a part of a flourishing, professional and welcoming Development and Alumni Engagement team.
The Department
The Development and Alumni Engagement Department at Highgate School is responsible for delivering on Highgate School’s enduring commitment to public benefit. We do this by fundraising for bursaries for children from the age of seven and for our partnership work, primarily with our sibling school, LAE Tottenham with whom we work closely. By providing opportunities for generations of OC’s (alumni) to re-connect with each other through events and regular communications, we also help to ensure that the Highgate community endures, and that OC’s can play a meaningful role in the school’s future as volunteers and donors.
Our team is small, with both defined roles and opportunities to collaborate on campaigns and special projects, such as Giving Day. The Development Director has a consulting background with experience of coaching, training, and developing fundraisers and leaders, and has a deep commitment to the development of team members. In this role you will benefit from this, whether transferring from a different sector or building on existing fundraising experience.
As Donor Relations Manager – Maternity Cover – you’ll report to the Director of Development, working day-to-day with them, as well as our Development Services Manager, Philanthropy Manager, Head of Alumni Relations and Development and Alumni Coordinator.
Highgate’s Donor Relations Manager – Maternity Cover will have primary responsibility for:
- Stewarding Highgate’s growing pool of donors supporters by coordinating cultivation and stewardship events, researching and preparing compelling donor communications, and preparing funding proposals, tailored stewardship reports and written, visual and digital communications for all of our donor audiences.
- Working closely with the Director of Development to help enable the ongoing management of their prospect pipeline and supporting them as required to ensure the delivery of key strategic projects and departmental planning. This will involve diary management, preparing briefings for donor meetings and ensuring all aspects of donor planning and follow-up are delivered to a high standard and in a timely manner, and some aspects of office management and administration.
- Working closely with the Development Services Manager to ensure prospect activity is accurately tracked using the Raiser’s Edge database.
- Supporting as needed the establishment of the fundraising function at our sibling school, LAE Tottenham, working with their Director of External Relations to ensure donor communications are consistent across both organisations and to support the implementation of LAET’s stewardship plan.
- Keeping up-to-date with innovations in donor relation and stewardship to ensure that our donors have the best possible experience.
- Participating fully as a team member and member of Highgate staff, contributing to key campaigns and activities within the Development and Alumni Engagement Office and to the positive, outward looking, welcoming staff culture.
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to graduate level or equivalent.
- Experience
Essential
- Transferable experience, gained in sectors such as project management, office management, marketing, the charitable or voluntary sector, a start-up, or education.
Desirable
- Working in an educational institution (e.g. a university or a School).
- Knowledge of database systems commonly used in fundraising management e.g. Raiser’s Edge, Donor Strategy, etc.
- Ability/ Skills
Essential
- Excellent written and spoken English;
- Proven ability to prioritise, demonstrate initiative and creatively problem solve;
- First rate administrative skills
- Communicate effectively through written and visual and digital channels with a wide variety of people;
- Numerate and confident in handling financial data;
- Creative and entrepreneurial approach;
- Flexible with a ‘can-do’ approach, and the ability to:
- Work independently and imaginatively, and also as a part of a team, and to take the initiative;
- Work calmly under pressure and manage a diverse workload within tight deadlines;
- Ensure a high level of attention to detail and accuracy in all work undertaken.
Desirable
- Prior experience as an Executive Assistance or equivalent;
- Awareness and understanding of safeguarding and welfare of children;
- Knowledge of Microsoft packages.
- Personal Attributes
Essential
- Commitment to Highgate’s ethos;
- Highly motivated with exceptional attention to detail;
- High levels of personal integrity and maturity;
- High standards of written and oral presentation;
- A willingness to travel in the UK, and to work outside normal office hours;
- A willingness to adapt to the culture of an independent School;
- Diplomacy and tact and a good sense of humour;
- The ability to maintain in strictest confidence any information received concerning School matters;
- Common sense;
- A positive, flexible and responsive attitude and approach to work.
Desirable
- A willingness to be involved in the wider life of the School.
Benefits
Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 21% employer contribution.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Holidays | Generous holiday allowance of 33 days (including bank holidays) for full-time staff. Most holidays will be taken during school holiday periods.
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks’ full pay, then 10 weeks’ half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at Highgate
A culture of community, kindness and belonging
Highgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Dec 2021), it was noted that “Pupils show exceptional respect for, and appreciate diversity within the school and wider community, and their own and other cultures, demonstrating sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions.”
Staff wellbeing
Highgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Charitable work and sustainability
As an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible – through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham – an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure
- Closing Date: 10th June 2024
- Timing of interviews: 12th June 2024
Contact: The Recruitment Team is happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered ‘as and when’ received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply hereInclusion
We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
Safeguarding
As this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate’s Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you apply
Highgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policies
Please note that this role is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not ‘protected’ (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.