Senior Grants Officer in London)

Senior Grants Officer

Location: Remote

Salary: £28,600 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full time

The Fundraising Department at The Forward Trust plays a crucial role in supporting our mission to empower individuals to break the cycles of addiction, crime, homelessness and unemployment. Our team is dedicated to securing vital funds through various channels, including grants, events, corporate partnerships, and individual donations. We work collaboratively across departments to develop and implement effective fundraising strategies, ensuring that we can continue to provide life-changing services to those in need.

One of our unique strengths is the ability to place our service-users at the heart of everything we do, including fundraising. With around a third of our workforce in active recovery and/or having had experience with the criminal justice system, and access to our community of over 28,000 individuals who have benefitted from our support, we can provide living proof of our long-lasting impact.

By joining our team, you will be part of a dynamic and passionate group committed to making a tangible difference in people's lives.

Role Responsibilities

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Fundraising Team to help grow and maximise income from trusts and foundations and other grant giving organisations. As an integral part of the team, you will identify, engage, and approach new grant giving organisations as well as maintain and strengthen relationships with existing supporters to secure funding for our life changing and life-saving services across prisons and communities in the UK.

Whilst The Forward Trust is predominantly funded through Government contracts, our Fundraising Team is responsible for generating around £2million per year (around 10% of the organisation's total income), from a diverse range of charitable sources including trusts and foundations, corporate supporters, individual donors and events.

Over the last two years, we have been working hard to lay the foundations to be able to engage and secure more supporters and advocates for the organisation, enabling us to increase the amount of charitable income we secure. With a new strategy, team structure and customer relationship system in place, it is a great time to be joining a passionate, fun, and target-driven team within a motivating and inspirational environment.

You will be working as part of a team of 10 and the role is fully remote with expectation to travel to Vauxhall once per month. You will also be expected to have the flexibility to attend events and be able and willing to travel to the services in the organisation and supporting fundraising events.

The Ideal Candidate

We are looking for an excellent communicator who is good at building and maintaining relationships and who has writing and fundraising experience.

Please also see a list of skills and experience needed for this role below:

1. Proven track record of securing high level grants from trusts and foundations and other grant giving organisations
2. Understanding of principles of donor engagement, stewardship, and cultivation
3. Understanding of databases in relation to fundraising (experience of using Salesforce is desirable)
4. Understanding of the key principles of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and how these impact fundraising
5. Good knowledge and understanding of Microsoft office packages
6. Excellent communications skills (verbal and written) and the ability to explain and summarise complex issues in an understandable, compelling, and approachable manner
7. Ability to construct and understand income and expenditure budgets for complex projects and services
8. Good organisational and planning skills (including the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload)
9. Excellent attention to detail
10. Experience of prospecting and writing funding proposals for trusts, foundations, institutional donors and/or corporates
11. Experience of working in a complex organisation
12. Experience of prospecting, engaging, and securing support (either monetary or in-kind) from corporate organisations

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

Joining Us

As an employee, we will offer you the following benefits:

1. Flexible working
2. Training and development opportunities
3. Simply Health Cashback Scheme
4. Season Ticket Loan Scheme
5. Cycle to work scheme
6. Crisis Loan Scheme
7. Electric Car Scheme
8. 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
9. Access to Blue Light Card
10. 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
11. Contributory Pension Scheme - Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years' service and up to 9% thereafter
12. Death in Service Payment
13. Critical Illness Insurance

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for Forward Trust, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application:

Apply Here