The National Literacy Trust has been on an incredible growth journey. The size of their team has more than doubled to 150 people in recent years, and they have become a charity with truly national reach. But as they mature and consolidate, the need for their work only gets bigger. Poverty is growing at a rapid rate, as is the educational attainment gap between rich and poor children.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced senior fundraiser to play a pivotal role in the trusts and statutory funding team who currently bring in c.£4million and have an impressive portfolio of donors giving at the five, six, and seven-figure levels, including organisations such as the Department for Education, Arts Council England, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Sport England and the National Lottery Community Fund.
You and the team will be focused on growing and stewarding existing partnerships, whilst also building opportunities in the pipeline to secure new funding opportunities. As part of this role, you will also work closely with the Head of Trusts and Statutory Funding to develop and execute national fundraising campaigns aimed at engaging partners and prospects.
A key aspect of the role will be providing management support and guidance to the Trusts & Statutory Manager (direct report) and Trusts & Statutory Executive (indirect report), enabling them to achieve their targets and contribute to the team’s long-term ambitions.
Introduction from the Director of Development
It’s been a year since I joined the The National Literacy Trust and I’ve been blown away by the commitment of our supporters, the creativity of our teams, and the impact we are having on the lives of children and young people. The National Literacy Trust is a truly inspiring place to work, and it also offers a really unique environment for fundraisers. If you bring the drive and hunger to do more for children and young people, we can promise you the following:
An amazing cause to fundraise for – Our work gives children the foundational skills needed to build a better life. The ability to read, write and speak well is transformational, and one of the most powerful tools we have in the fight against growing inequality.
A supportive, entrepreneurial culture – Everyone at The National Literacy Trust is a fundraiser. From Marketing and Comms to School Programmes, you will work right across the charity, designing new initiatives and finding creative ways to inspire our donors.
The space to grow and develop your career – Things move quickly here. As our team grows, there are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills and take on fresh challenges. And because we are still a relatively small team, flexibility is not just a nice-to-have it’s essential to how we operate.
I hope that you find our work as inspiring as I do. The connection to our cause is really important for the Fundraising team, where you will be surrounded by people who care deeply about the change we are creating. If you choose to apply for a role with us, I wish you the best of luck, and hope to welcome you to our team!
Michael Stickland
Director of Development
About the role
As Senior Trusts & Statutory Manager, you will:
- Secure and steward long-term funding partners to meet the team’s annual income target of £4million+
- Cultivate relationships with significant trust, foundation and statutory funders giving at the 6-figure+ level
- Support the development of the team’s strategy, and pro-actively support in the designing and implementing of national fundraising campaigns to engage partners
- Establish strong cross-organisational relationships with the programme and service teams to develop new funding projects and cases for support
- Lead and provide direction to the Trusts Manager, and support them in the management of the Trusts & Statutory Executive
About you
Ideal skills and experience:
- Experience of line management, with ability to motivate and develop a team including setting priorities and goals that are achievable and aspirational
- Demonstrable success in prospecting, cultivating, securing and managing partnerships with trust, foundation and statutory funders with a strong track record of securing notable 6-figure+ gifts
- Ability to identify creative funding opportunities and strong written skills to create impactful and compelling proposals and campaigns
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills that enable you to foster collaborative and productive relationships with internal colleagues and senior external stakeholders
Employee benefits
Benefits include:
- Flexible working
- 39 days of annual leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff), made up of 28 days’ annual leave plus the closure of the office on all bank holidays and from Christmas Day to New Year’s Day inclusive
- 8% employer pension contribution
- Enhanced maternity, adoption and shared parental leave and pay policy – after 1 year of service, employees are entitled to 12 weeks on half pay in additional to statutory entitlements, with two weeks of paternity leave at full pay (subject to qualifying criteria)
- Employee assistance programme
- Discounted gym membership, dental plans, health assessments, shopping and leisure venues
