Senior Grants Officer

Employer: The Forward Trust

Location: 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.

Working hours: Full time

Salary: £30,000 plus Benefits

• Job description

  • About The Role

  • We are recruiting for a Senior Grants Officer.

    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, generating around £2million per year, 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. 

    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 systemin 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.

    Please not you will need at least 1 years' experience of trust and grant fundraising.

    The Ideal Candidate

    We are looking for a 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;

    • Proven track record of securing high level grants from trusts and foundations and other grant giving organisations

    • Understanding of principles of donor engagement, stewardship, and cultivation

    • Understanding of databases in relation to fundraising (experience of using Salesforce is desirable)

    • Understanding of the key principles of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and how these impact fundraising

    • Good knowledge and understanding of Microsoft office packages

    • Excellent communications skills (verbal and written) and the ability to explain and summarise complex issues in an understandable, compelling, and approachable manner

    • Ability to construct and understand income and expenditure budgets for complex projects and services

    • Good organisational and planning skills (including the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload)

    • Excellent attention to detail

    • Experience of prospecting and writing funding proposals for trusts, foundations, institutional donors and/or corporates

    • Experience of working in a complex organisation

    • 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.
    
    We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits - 

    • Flexible working

    • Training and development opportunities

    • Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)

    • Season Ticket Loan Scheme 

    • Cycle to work scheme

    • Crisis Loan Scheme

    • Electric Car Scheme

    • 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)

    • Access to Blue Light Card

    • 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays 

    • Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter 

    • Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) 

    • Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

    Diversity at Forward Trust

    The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness.
    
    When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.

    To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here.  

    
    Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work

    We recognise the importance of safeguarding, dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview.
    
    If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.

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