The Stroke Association – the UK’s largest stroke charity – provides specialist support, funds critical research and campaigns to make sure people affected by stroke get the very best care and support to rebuild their lives. The charity’s vision is for there to be fewer strokes, and for people affected by stroke to get the help they need to live the best life they can.
The charity have an ambitious, high performing team of over 700 staff and 3,000 volunteers, who are focused on delivering a new strategy with two clear goals:
- Make stroke the priority it needs to be
- Ensure that everyone affected by stroke has access to the rehabilitation and lifelong support they need
As Associate Director – High Value Engagement, you will lead a talented team of 15 across the charity’s corporate partnerships, trusts and foundations/statutory and major donor income streams. The current portfolio is weighted to trusts & foundations relationships, with total income of c.£2million across all high value income streams (£1.3m trusts and foundations, £500,000 corporate partnerships, £250,000 major donors). Their Trusts & Foundations income has developed significantly over recent years, whilst the other areas are stable. The aim is to build upon these achievements, growing high value income and identifying new opportunities for funding across a variety of high value audiences.
It is an exciting time to join the Stroke Association, as they look confidently towards a period of investment and growth in their impact. As part of this new chapter, the charity have have set up projects aiming to deliver a step change in progress towards their strategic goals: to reach everyone as soon as possible after their stroke with their products and services; to increase awareness of stroke and the Stroke Association; and to grow and diversify income. The focus on people in the first year after their stroke offers a particular area of opportunity for this post-holder to creatively lead initiatives to seek out new long-term funding and delivery partners.
About the role
As Associate Director – High Value Engagement, you will:
- Lead and grow financial and non-financial support from high-value partners, including corporate partners, high net worth individuals, trusts, and statutory funders. Delivering results via the team while retaining a personal portfolio as necessary.
- Design, develop, and deliver high-value funding approaches that support stroke survivor needs, meet quality standards, and are financially sustainable.
- Conceive, develop and manage approaches/products designed to engage high net worth individuals and corporate supporters. This includes working closely with the Mass Engagement/Regional Fundraising team to support the delivery of regionally based high value engagement opportunities.
- Develop and manage bids and tenders to statutory, trust, and health system funders, coordinating with relevant teams to ensure coordinated approaches and objectives. For example, working closely with our Commissioned Services Teams to provide support with the largest/most complex applications, contributing to c.£10 million organisational income.
- Lead and build high-performing and collaborative teams, championing organisational values, and ensuring effective financial management.
- Provide case creation services for all high-value approaches and contribute to assessments of customer and beneficiary product effectiveness and impact, by leading and influencing across the organisation.
- Operate as a full member of the directorate management team and as a senior leader for the organisation.
About you
Ideal skills and experience:
- A senior fundraiser with personal expertise weighted to corporate and major donor fundraising, with the understanding/experience to credibly manage the trust, foundations and statutory/case creations functions.
- Proven experience of leading and developing a team of senior fundraising managers.
- Driven to achieve results, with a demonstrable track record of achieving growth within personal and team portfolios.
- Enabling leadership style, ensuring the team is set up for success and adopting a diplomatic, solutions-focused approach to identify and overcome any barriers.
- Leads from the front, gaining enjoyment from personally holding relationships with partners/donors to act as an inspirational example for the team and external partners.
- A relationship focused fundraiser, who looks for co-creation opportunities with internal stakeholders and external partners.
- Dynamic, entrepreneurial individual who can create long term sustainable income growth for high value engagement.
- Comfortable working with ambiguity and change as the organisation enters a new phase of growth.
Employee benefits include:
- 25 days leave per year (plus bank holidays), rising by one day for each completed year of service up to a maximum of 30 days after five years continuous employment
- Pension scheme: employee 3%, employer 6%
- Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
- Critical illness cover, with a tax-free lump sum payment if you are diagnosed with a defined medical condition (your children are automatically covered too)
- Life assurance (3 x gross salary death in service payment)
- Health cash plan, allowing you to claim money back to help with the cost of your essential healthcare, such as dental and optical costs, as well as providing access to valuable health and wellbeing services (your children are automatically covered too)
- Paid dependent leave – 1 week in a rolling year
- Cashback and discount scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme, including a 24-hour doctor phoneline service, around the clock support through their counselling line, and face-to-face counselling if required
