ARCHIVE - job opportunities at Schoolreaders
Head of Fundraising
Closing date: 30/4/21
Hours of work:
Reporting to:
Location:
Minimum 30 hours per week or full-time
CEO
Flexible – partly home-based by arrangement, but travel to our Bedford office will be required at least two days a week and for management meetings as necessary, plus occasional travel to meet with supporters. The office is a 15-minute walk from Bedford Station.
Role Description:
We are looking for a highly motivated, experienced Head of Fundraising to lead our small, dynamic Schoolreaders fundraising team and help grow income in line with the charity’s ambitious, exciting plans. This is the ideal opportunity for someone hoping to achieve great results within a rapidly-growing charity which is impacting the lives of thousands of children every week.
Duties and Responsibilities:
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With the CEO, to develop the organisation’s fundraising strategy in line with Schoolreaders’ 2020-2025 organisational objectives, and to develop and implement detailed operational fundraising plans accordingly.
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To be responsible for preparing income and expenditure budgets for the Fundraising department, monitoring income targets and other performance indicators and reporting regularly to Trustees and Senior Management Team.
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To identify shortfalls in performance with support from the CEO, and to prepare and implement contingency plans to ensure financial targets are met.
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To be responsible for identifying, researching and developing new sources of funding in order to diversify our funding base and create multiple ongoing income streams.
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Along with other fundraising team members, to be responsible for hands-on ‘account management’ of a number of key supporters: identifying and developing existing and new partnerships with high net worth individuals, corporates and other funding institutions.
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To line-manage and optimise the effectiveness of the Fundraising Manager (Trusts and Foundations) and Fundraising Officer (Corporate, Events and Community) plus other colleagues involved in fundraising activities, including County Team volunteers.
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To be responsible for optimising all supporter relationships, both individual and institutional, through effective stewardship and effective systems and processes.
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To oversee the ongoing development and successful application of the fundraising database, in cooperation with the Operations Team.
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To ensure that all fundraising activities are carried out in accordance with fundraising legislation and good practice, including GDPR.
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To ensure that Schoolreaders’ fundraising is carried out in accordance with the organisation’s values, including carrying out due diligence with key funding partners.
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To represent Schoolreaders externally to relevant audiences and stakeholders.
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As a member of the Senior Management Team, to contribute to the wider organisation’s strategic development and future plans and to support organisational change.
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To ensure that all fundraising activities are carried out in accordance with the charity’s values and aims.
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To carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the job.
Schoolreaders is committed to Equal Opportunities in employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. It is important to us that we have a diverse workforce therefore we request that you complete the diversity monitoring form and job application data processing form. You do not have to complete the whole form. This form is kept entirely separate from the recruitment process. Please email this to: apply@schoolreaders.org.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews offered, on an ongoing basis. We reserve the right to close the role prior to the closing date should a suitable applicant be found, so please submit your application as soon as possible. For the purposes of recruitment, we will store your data for up to 30 days before destroying it unless we invite you to interview.
Schoolreaders is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and requires staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to a range of vetting checks including a basic disclosure check of unspent criminal convictions. If you are appointed to a role within Schoolreaders you will be subject to the organisation's Code of Conduct, a copy of which you can find by clicking here.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, either at application or interview please contact us via apply@schoolreaders.org
Marketing and Communications Manager
Closing date: 30/4/21
Hours of work:
Reporting to:
Location:
19 -24 hours per week, flexible over 3 days
CEO
A combination of office based (Bedford), and home working. The office is a 15 minute walk from Bedford Station.
Role Description:
We are looking for an experienced, creative and highly motivated Marketing and Communications Manager to join our small, dynamic Schoolreaders team and help build our profile and reputation through multi-media marketing and PR campaigns. A wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to play a key role in a fast-growing charity that is impacting the lives of thousands of children every week.
Key Responsibilities:
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Helping develop and implement the marketing and communications strategy to build name awareness and to maximise reach of the Schoolreaders service
-
Taking responsibility for all marketing and PR activities within the charity
-
Developing and delivering marketing and communications campaigns across the entire spectrum of communications disciplines including media and public relations, brand marketing, advertising, marketing, digital and social media and production of materials
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Increasing the charity’s profile across media (national, regional, social, print and broadcast)
Main Duties:
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Develop key messages, lead on creating consistent language across all media
-
Act as ‘brand guardian’ for internal and external communications
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Copywriting, image sourcing and licensing, printing of bi-annual newsletter
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Copywriting for all other printed materials, ie impact report, posters, flyers, bookmarks etc
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Manage design agency relationship and oversee briefing and campaign delivery ensuring it’s on time and within budget
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Manage the marketing and communications budget
-
Copywriting for fundraising campaigns
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Support the Fundraising team with the marketing of events, fundraising projects and social media content
-
Provide event management support for fundraising events
-
Copywriting for communication to all stakeholder groups (volunteers, schools, county teams, funders)
-
Identify, write and disseminate newsworthy stories and press releases for Schoolreaders
-
Take responsibility for Schoolreaders’ press office, dealing with press enquiries and developing media relationships
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Maintain volunteer and school case studies for use in PR and marketing
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Create a Schoolreaders blog for the website
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Manage crisis situations communications including strategy, holding statements, Q&As
-
Identify issues that could potentially damage the organisation’s reputation and recommend actions to mitigate this risk
-
Carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the job
Person Specification:
Salary:
Reporting to:
Location:
Literacy Charity Operations Coordinator
Closing date: 17/3/22
Hours of work:
30 to 37.5 hours per week over 5 days Monday to Friday within office hours which are 9am - 5pm with 30-minute lunch break
£21,500 (FTE)
Head of Operations
Office based, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, MK41 7PH
Role Description:
An exciting opportunity to become part of the operations team at Schoolreaders, a small, young and fast-growing charity that is expanding to help more children learn to read across the country. Schoolreaders operations team recruits volunteers from local communities and matches them to a primary school where they listen to children read on a one-to-one basis. We support over 13,500 children in over 750 schools every week with a Schoolreaders volunteer.
The core of the operation is recruiting volunteers in target areas for specific schools. The operations team then process the volunteer and school applicants, match the volunteer to the best-fit school, and then there is ongoing management of, and communication with the volunteers and schools. Our aim is to make a real difference to the state of literacy in the UK, particularly for those children further disadvantaged due to Covid-19 and school closures. One in four children are leaving primary school not able to read to the expected standard.
Your skills and experience will reflect customer service ability, excellent organisational skills, a strong familiarity with telephone and on-line communication with the public, and excellent spoken and written English. You need to be competent with Excel and IT generally and it would be an advantage to have experience with the Salesforce CRM system.
Main purpose and scope of the job:
To work within a small team to deliver the operations side of Schoolreaders on a daily basis. This includes interviewing the volunteers, matching them to partner schools using an on-line CRM system, dealing with enquiries and school follow-ups to ensure a seamless experience for both the volunteer and the school.
The operations coordinators are responsible for all operational duties associated with the Schoolreaders charity including general enquiries, application processing and partner management. This is an office-based role.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
• Follow the operations systems and procedures
• General Enquiries
• Application Processing
• Telephone Interviews
• E-mail inbox management and prioritisation
• Resolve school / volunteer enquiries and complaints
• Partner management, reporting and communications
• Schools research and contact
• Mass Mailshots and partner surveys
• Any other operational duties as requested by the Schoolreaders team
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Customer Service Operations Coordinator
Business Support Officer
Closing date: 31/07/21
Hours of work:
Reporting to:
Location:
30 to 37.5 hours per week
Compliance and Business Support Manager/ Head of Finance
Office based, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, MK41 7PH
Main Purpose and scope of the job:
To work with the Compliance and Business Support Manager and Head of Finance to deliver a robust compliance and finance programme across the organisation and provide overall business support. It will require attention to detail, a logical approach and the ability to manage a wide variety of tasks.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
To assist the Compliance and Business Support Manager with:
• Monitoring compliance with data protection laws and related policies.
• Ensuring all safeguarding policies and documentation is monitored, reviewed and updated.
• The management of Health & Safety policies and procedures, ensuring full and accurate health and safety and training records are maintained.
• The development of and monitoring legal compliance with material for competitions and campaigns.
• The compilation and co-ordination of the policy schedule and library.
• General HR administration duties.
To assist the Head of Finance with:
• Managing day to day finance functions and basic bookkeeping tasks including recording donations & invoices, petty cash, banking, allocating payments and ensuring all expense authorisation procedures are followed and documented and filed.
• Bank reconciliations and journal entries as required & liaising on any supplier queries which may arise.
• Supporting the team with ad hoc tasks towards the completion of the monthly management accounts and year end accounts.
• Preparation of Gift aid claims and monitoring of charity giving accounts e.g. VMG, Just Giving.
• Maintaining a fixed asset register
• Monitoring email in-boxes for finance and the office
This is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be expected to perform different tasks as required by the overall objectives of the business.
Trusts Officer (part time)
Closing date: 8/10/21
Job title: Trusts Officer
Place of work: Flexible by agreement - with some attendance at our Bedford office and occasional travel to some meetings where necessary
Hours: 14 hours per week
Reporting to: Fundraising Manager
Salary: £25k pro rata
Contract: Permanent
DUTIES:
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To help develop our well-established funding stream from trusts and foundations. You will manage your own portfolio of trust supporters, involving research, bid-writing and meeting reporting and monitoring requirements, plus occasional face-to-face meetings.
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To research and identify other sources of grant-funding, including national and local grants.
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To respond to all fundraising enquiries, requests and gifts received in a prompt, efficient and thoughtful manner within agreed timescales.
-
To input into annual budget plans and support the Fundraising Manager to monitor progress and income from trusts/foundations on an ongoing basis.
-
To help maintain our fundraising database and our systems for applications and reporting to trusts and grant-makers, ensuring accurate data entry and record keeping.
-
To make face-to-face presentations and represent Schoolreaders as necessary.
-
To work with other members of the Schoolreaders team, including our volunteer County Teams, to maximise opportunities for fundraising from trusts and grant-makers.
-
To ensure that the role is carried out in accordance with fundraising legislation and best practice.
-
To ensure that due diligence is carried out thoroughly with all funding partners.
-
To carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the role.
PERSON SPECIFICATION:
Essential
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Experience of managing long term supporter or customer relationships.
-
Results-orientated with evidence of achieving targets.
-
Proven ability to work with others in a team.
-
Ability to work under your own initiative to prioritise and manage varied tasks.
-
Proven experience of meeting deadlines.
-
Proactive and highly motivated, with excellent organisational skills.
-
Excellent written skills with an ability to write compelling, informative bids and reports.
-
Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills (including PowerPoint presentations).
-
Fully computer and IT literate with good knowledge of Excel.
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Knowledge and understanding of fundraising legislation (including GDPR) and best practice.
-
Ability to travel to occasional meetings as required.
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Eagerness to learn and develop as a trust fundraiser.
Desirable
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Experience of Salesforce or other fundraising databases
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At least 1 year’s relevant experience of fundraising from trusts and foundations
Click here for information on how to apply for this position
Please email your application form, diversity monitoring form and job application data processing consent form to apply@schoolreaders.org
Recruitment and County Coordinator
Closing date: Wednesday 9th March 2022
Job title: Recruitment and County Coordinator
Hours: 30 to 37.5 hours per week over 5 days Monday to Friday within office hours which are 9am to 5pm
Reporting to: Operations Manager
Salary: £26,000-£28,000 FTE
Location: Office based, Bedford Heights, Brickhill Drive, MK41 7PH
Role Description:
We are looking for a committed individual to join the Schoolreaders team to deliver the key reading volunteer and school recruitment element of the operation. They will also direct the teams of county volunteers to target recruitment in their specific region. This is a pivotal role and will require adaptability. Your skills and experience will reflect volunteer and customer service ability and strong organisational skills. You will need excellent spoken and written English and telephone, social media and communication skills. You need to be competent with Excel and IT generally and it would be an advantage to have experience with the Salesforce CRM system.
Main purpose and scope of the job:
To work with the operations and communication teams to co-ordinate the volunteer and school targeted recruitment for Schoolreaders. To manage the teams of county volunteers (approx. 50) who recruit in their local regions and provide support to the charity. This includes target setting and recruitment performance meetings with the county teams. This role involves press and social media communication, supporting the fundraising team and some engagement with reading volunteers across the country. This role has some administrative support from the Operations and Communications Administrator.
This is an office-based role, with the option of one day working from home and occasional travel to represent Schoolreaders and support the county teams.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
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Plan, identify and recruit targeted volunteers and schools.
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Support and coordinate the teams of county volunteers, resolve county team enquiries and challenges
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Arrange national annual meetings for county teams, recruitment reviews and termly updates.
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Recruitment, induction and training of county team members
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Plan and run recruitment campaigns including use of social media and press, liaison with community groups and collaboration with other organisations
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Liaise with the communications, operations, fundraising and other departments as required
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Arrange mailshots, mail merges, partner surveys and coordinate and update volunteer on-line sites e.g. www.do-it.org
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Arrange occasional reading volunteer support events with county teams
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Produce and present monthly county reports and updates
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Follow the operations systems and procedures and support the operations team during peak times
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Carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the job
What you can expect:
A highly rewarding, fast paced and engaging environment in a growing national children’s charity. Schoolreaders is a highly professional charity which values every team-member’s contribution to our team efforts. We offer a generous holiday allowance, enhanced sick pay, an employee assistance programme, plus training and development opportunities. If you want to join a great team in a fast-moving, welcoming environment whilst making a huge impact on children’s literacy across the country, this could be the perfect role for you!
Further details including the job description and application forms can be found on our website.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews offered, on an ongoing basis. We reserve the right to close the role prior to the closing date should a suitable applicant be found, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Schoolreaders is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and requires staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to a range of vetting checks including a basic disclosure check of unspent criminal convictions.
Trusts Officer (part-time)
Closing date: 23:59, Monday 4th April
Place of work:
Hours:
Reporting to:
Salary:
Contract:
Hybrid
14 hours per week
Trusts and Grants Manager
£25k pro rata
Permanent
Duties:
-
To help develop our well-established funding stream from trusts and foundations. You will manage your own portfolio of trust supporters, involving research, bid-writing and meeting reporting and monitoring requirements, plus occasional face-to-face meetings.
-
To research and identify other sources of grant-funding, including national and local grants
-
To respond to all fundraising enquiries, requests and gifts received in a prompt, efficient and thoughtful manner within agreed timescales
-
To input into annual budget plans and support the Trusts and Grants Manager to monitor progress and income from trusts/foundations on an ongoing basis
-
To help maintain our fundraising database and our systems for applications and reporting to trusts and grant-makers, ensuring accurate data entry and record keeping
-
To make face-to-face presentations and represent Schoolreaders as necessary
-
To work with other members of the Schoolreaders team, including our volunteer County Teams, to maximise opportunities for fundraising from trusts and grant-makers
-
To ensure that the role is carried out in accordance with fundraising legislation and best practice
-
To ensure that due diligence is carried out thoroughly with all funding partners
-
To carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the role
Person Specification:
ESSENTIAL
-
Experience of managing long term supporter or customer relationships
-
Results-orientated with evidence of achieving targets
-
Proven ability to work with others in a team
-
Ability to work under your own initiative to prioritise and manage varied tasks
-
Proven experience of meeting deadlines
-
Proactive and highly motivated, with excellent organisational skills
-
Excellent written skills with an ability to write compelling, informative bids and reports
-
Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills (including PowerPoint presentations)
-
Fully computer and IT literate with good knowledge of Excel
-
Knowledge and understanding of fundraising legislation (including GDPR) and best practice
-
Ability to travel to occasional meetings as required
-
Eagerness to learn and develop as a trust fundraiser
DESIRABLE
-
Experience of Salesforce or other fundraising databases
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At least 1 year’s relevant experience of fundraising from trusts and foundations
Marketing and Communications Manager
Closing date: 23:59, Monday 4th April
30-37.5 hours per week
£28,000 - £35,000 FTE
CEO
A combination of office based (Bedford), and home working. The office is a 15 minute walk from Bedford Station.
Hours of Work:
Salary:
Responsible to:
Location:
Role Description:
We are looking for an experienced, creative and highly motivated Marketing and Communications Manager to join our small, dynamic Schoolreaders team and help build our profile, reputation and fundraising through multi-media marketing and PR campaigns. A wonderful opportunity for someone who wants to play a key role in a fast-growing charity that is impacting the lives of thousands of children every week.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
-
Helping develop and implement the marketing and communications strategy to build name awareness and to maximise reach of the Schoolreaders service
-
Taking responsibility for all marketing and PR activities within the charity
-
Developing and delivering marketing and communications campaigns across the entire spectrum of communications disciplines including media and public relations, advertising, marketing, digital and social media and production of some materials
-
Increasing the charity’s profile across appropriate media (national, regional, social, print and broadcast) including regional volunteer recruitment
-
Work as part of the senior management team
Main Duties:
-
Develop key messages, lead on creating consistent language across all media
-
Act as ‘brand guardian’ for internal and external communications
-
Copywriting, image sourcing and licensing, printing of bi-annual newsletter
-
Copywriting for all other printed materials, i.e. impact report, posters, flyers, bookmarks etc
-
Manage design agency relationship and oversee briefing and delivery ensuring it’s on time and within budget
-
Manage the marketing and communications budget
-
Copywriting for fundraising campaigns
-
Support the Fundraising team with the marketing of events, fundraising projects and social media content
-
Provide event management communications for fundraising events
-
Copywriting for communication to all stakeholder groups (volunteers, schools, county teams, staff, funders)
-
Identify, write and disseminate newsworthy stories and press releases for Schoolreaders
-
Take responsibility for Schoolreaders’ press office, dealing with press enquiries and developing media relationships
-
Create and maintain volunteer and school case studies for use in PR and marketing
-
Manage crisis situation communications including strategy, holding statements, Q&As
-
Identify issues that could potentially damage the organisation’s reputation and work as part of the senior management team to recommend actions to mitigate this risk
-
Carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the job
Person Specification:
Fundraising Executive (Community and Events)
Closing time and date: 23:59, Tuesday 31st January 2023
Hours of work:
Salary:
Reporting to:
Location:
Part-time (28 - 34 hours per week)
£28,000-£32,000 FTE
Head of Fundraising
Flexible – partly home-based by arrangement, and Bedford Office. (Hybrid)
Schoolreaders aims to give all primary school children the opportunity to learn to read, by recruiting volunteers from communities and matching them to local primary schools where they listen to children read on a one-to-one basis. We provide our service free to all partner schools so that every child can benefit.
Role Description:
This is the ideal opportunity for someone with initiative and fundraising flair to make a real impact on a dynamic, rapidly growing child literacy charity. We are looking for someone with a minimum of 2 years’ fundraising experience to join our small, successful fundraising team and help develop our support from individuals, companies, schools, events, and fundraising groups. Whilst the position is based in Bedford, the remit of the position extends more widely across England.
Main Duties
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Act as a point of contact for fundraisers and supporters, ensuring that we deliver first class supporter service and stewardship.
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Build and manage our individual supporter base.
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Manage our annual Race for Reading virtual challenge event.
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Lead on excellent stewardship of our amazing challenge event participants, ensuring they feel motivated and valued.
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Research and pitch new event ideas or improvements as appropriate to keep the event portfolio fresh, exciting, and consistently delivering a strong ROI.
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Support the County Teams to deliver cost effective events that adhere to all health and safety requirements and legal obligations.
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Identify and develop fundraising opportunities with primary and secondary schools, particularly in areas where we have Schoolreaders volunteers. This will include both schools within the Schoolreaders scheme and others which are not.
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Manage a varied calendar of fundraising events.
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Identify and develop fundraising opportunities with parishes, church networks and community groups, particularly those local to our partner schools, plus other membership networks.
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Identify opportunities for generating funds nationally from other fundraising schemes including Book Club Quiz, sponsored challenge events and online fundraising schemes.
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Develop and maintain our fundraising database where it relates to the above supporters.
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Make face-to-face presentations and represent Schoolreaders as necessary.
-
Work with other members of the Schoolreaders team, including our volunteer County Teams, to maximise opportunities for fundraising.
-
Identify PR opportunities created by our fundraising, and work with PR/Comms team to optimise these to raise funds and profile further.
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Manage online giving platforms.
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Ensure the role is carried out in accordance with fundraising legislation.
-
Ensure due diligence is carried out thoroughly with all funding partners.
-
Carry out any other duties which are relevant and appropriate to the role.
Person Specification
Benefits
As part of our commitment to making Schoolreaders a great place to work, we offer access to the following employee benefits:
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25 days annual leave (3 of which must be taken over Christmas) plus an additional paid day off on your birthday and public/bank holidays (pro-rated for part time staff)
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Contributory pension
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Access to a free 24/7 support service providing legal, financial, emotional, and medical advice
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Free parking
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Access to a variety of onsite services, including a gym, a canteen and pop-up events
To apply for this role, please email your CV and cover letter to Alexandra Spurgeon, Head of Fundraising: a.spurgeon@schoolreaders.org
Schoolreaders is committed to Equal Opportunities in employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. It is important to us that we have a diverse workforce therefore we request that you complete the diversity monitoring form and job application data processing form. You do not have to complete the whole form. This form is kept entirely separate from the recruitment process. Please email this to: apply@schoolreaders.org.
Applications will be reviewed, and interviews offered, on an ongoing basis. We reserve the right to close the role prior to the closing date should a suitable applicant be found, so please submit your application as soon as possible. For the purposes of recruitment, we will store your data for up to 30 days before destroying it unless we invite you to interview.
Schoolreaders is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people and requires staff to share this commitment. This post is subject to a range of vetting checks including a basic disclosure check of unspent criminal convictions. If you are appointed to a role within Schoolreaders you will be subject to the organisation's Code of Conduct, a copy of which you can find by clicking here.
Should you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, either at application or interview please contact us via apply@schoolreaders.org