Head of Fundraising

Throughout our existence we have depended upon philanthropy to fulfil our mission to nurture and educate the world's brightest young string players and pianists. The role of Head of Fundraising therefore plays a vital role in building sustainable voluntary income through major gifts, trusts, individual giving and legacies. The successful candidate will hold their own donor portfolio and line manage a small, dedicated team, working collaboratively to help embed a wider culture of giving across the school.

Job Specification / Key Areas of Responsibility

Fundraising and Development Strategy

• Support the Director of Development to implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy.
• Actively contribute towards a sound financial management plan to include budgets, forecasts, timely reporting and other necessary financial information.

Leadership and Management 

• Line-manage the Grants Manager (Trusts & Foundations), Development Executive and Development Assistant (currently 2 days/week), ensuring best practice, and professional development.
• Collaborate with the Head of Marketing and the wider Marketing Team effectively.
• Build and maintain good relations with all members of the School community, ensuring an appropriate flow of relevant information to all parties, both internally and externally. 

Delivery and Operations 

Donor Acquisition, Development and Stewardship 

• Work closely with the Director of Development on the identification, cultivation and stewardship of Major Donors.
• Devise and implement effective mid-level giving programmes.
• Identify fundable elements of YMS’s work; source and create cases for support and funding bids.
• Ensure best practice in donor acquisition and donor recruitment, leading to high donor retention levels and a sustained increase in the school’s donor base.
• Ensure exceptional stewardship of our current donors (major and regular) through implementing a donor-centric approach and developing appropriate and creative ways to ensure their continued engagement with the School’s strategic priorities.
• Oversee management of Friends, and Alumni relationships as part of the donor and legacy pipeline.
• Ensure that donors are thanked appropriately and that all donations are acknowledged accordingly. 

Legacy and In Memoriam Fundraising 

• Shape, plan and deliver a legacy strategy for the School.
• Manage the School’s legacy society (The 1963 Society) and devise and manage appropriate supporter journeys and accompanying communications plans for pledgers.
• Liaise with executors and manage the administration of all legacies received by the School, in collaboration with the Bursary. 

Events 

• Organise high-quality cultivation and stewardship events working collaboratively across departments. 

Reporting and Accountability 

• Attend meetings of the Development Committee and provide written and oral updates on current progress and pipelines.
• Ensure that all fundraising systems, including the database, record-keeping and reporting are up to date and fit for purpose.
• Produce reports to measure performance against objectives and budgets. 

General Responsibilities 

• Lead on implementation of compliance and best practice in fundraising.
• Lead operationally on fundraising systems and implementation of new software and SOPs.
• Understand and support the mission and strategic aims of the Yehudi Menuhin School.
• Be aware of and abide by all Yehudi Menuhin School policies and procedures.
• Undertake other duties as may be reasonably requested of your post.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable breadth and depth of fundraising experience, including delivering income growth and achieving targets, preferably gained in the arts or education sector.
• Proven success securing and stewarding major donors and high-value supporters.
• Experience of implementing fundraising strategies through effective systems and processes.
• Proven experience of effectively line managing and developing staff.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage donors, trustees, colleagues and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal and report writing.
• Strong IT literacy and financial numeracy including experience of managing CRM databases, pipelines, monitoring and reporting on performance.
• Good understanding of fundraising regulation, GDPR and fundraising best practice.
• Experience in the arts, education, independent schools, membership or alumni fundraising.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of legacy fundraising and gifts in wills programmes.
• Experience delivering fundraising events.
• Knowledge and appreciation of classical music.