Development Officer - Individual Giving

A bit about Marketing, Recruitment and External Relations… 

In the Directorate of Marketing, Recruitment and External Relations, we are responsible for the core range of activities that promote and engage with our external environment and stakeholders. This includes both prospective and current students, businesses and our local community. Made up of Marketing and Communications, Student Recruitment and Outreach and External Relations teams, we work together to plan and deliver key activities that support the University’s ambitions for growth, diversity and an increased profile. 

The External Relations team is a busy team with a wide-ranging remit across a variety of activities and stakeholders. We have a shared ambition to raise the University’s profile and reputation on a local, national, and international level. External Relations encompasses the Art Collection team, Events & Conferencing, Public Affairs, and Alumni Engagement & Development, within which this post sits. The Alumni Engagement & Development Team is dedicated to retaining a life-long relationship with our graduates. We identify and unlock sources of philanthropic funding across our alumni, charitable trusts & foundations, and corporate partners for the benefit of our students, campus, and communities

What do we want?

Are you passionate about making a difference to real lives? Are you a great communicator, motivator, and relationship builder? Do you have experience running telephone fundraising campaigns?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and energetic fundraiser to help drive our Individual Giving programme forward.

 As Development Officer - Individual Giving, you will be a member of the University’s AE&D team, delivering a year-round programme of fundraising activity to generate single and regular gifts, engaging with potential Major Donors, and connecting with our alumni network. Your work will provide key opportunities to attract, enhance and retain relationships to further our reach and reputation.

The University’s Individual Giving activity includes mail, phone, digital, community, crowdfunding, and legacy fundraising. The post holder will work flexibly across channels to respond to the needs of the programme. As an Individual Giving Officer, you will have the chance to develop and implement new activity as opportunities emerge, with support from the Development Manager, Individual Giving and colleagues across the AE&D team. You will take a proactive approach, suggesting and implementing new ideas to increase the success of our activity. Across all areas of your work, you will make sure that donors and prospects at different stages of the supporter journey receive a highly tailored and personalised donor experience that reflects and progresses their relationship with the University.

Where appropriate, you will recruit and supervise ‘Student Fundraisers’ to carry out specific fundraising or administration tasks. You will monitor their performance and motivate them to achieve set goals.

You will ensure that the fundraising activities you manage are compliant with best practice around data protection and adhere to PCI and fundraising legislation, and that systems and software are being used correctly and in the optimum way. You will use your understanding of data-driven fundraising to interrogate the performance of our fundraising activity, working in a proactive and responsive way to maximise results. You will also provide regular reports on activity to senior staff and the wider team.

Applicants should be educated to Degree level (or equivalent) and have relevant work experience in either managing a team of Regular Giving telephone fundraisers or a related field (eg Sales team management or similar). You will be results-driven and have excellent skills in communications, an understanding of prospect database segmentation as well as experience of effectively training and managing student fundraisers to achieve ambitious revenue and participation targets. You will also be able to demonstrate your experience in providing innovative solutions in a diversifying environment.

This is a full time, fixed term opportunity for 12 months.

Please ensure you provide evidence in your cover letter/personal statement of how you meet the criteria within the person specification.

 What’s in it for you?

With over 200 languages spoken across Greater Manchester, we want to create an inspirational, inclusive learning and working environment, celebrating the diversity of our University community in our everyday conversations. Our student population is already incredibly diverse, and we want to ensure this is reflected across our colleague profile as well. 

To help you, we have wide ranging colleague support networks, promoting awareness events throughout the year and giving you the opportunity to share your experiences with others. Our extensive faith centre facilities reflect our continuing commitment to support the student and colleague experience and the beliefs and values you bring to our community. 

There is a varied benefits package available through ‘MySalford’ where you can tailor your benefits to suit your own lifestyle – everything from additional annual leave, savings on High Street shopping, travel discounts as well as health and wellbeing support. To maintain work/life balance (and to help you through this pandemic!) you can connect to work from wherever you are, whether it’s our Peel Park Campus, MediaCityUK or your living room at home, the tools are there for you to do your best work from your chosen location. Flexibility on working from home is supported where possible, however the role will be based on the University of Salford campus. 

However you identify, whatever your pathway has been to get here, come and join us at the University of Salford where we are all proud to belong -  watch us in action here!