Vacancies

Job Number: 2520

Job Title: Head of Philanthropy
Charity:  Schools of King Edward’s
Salary Range: £40,527 – £42,961
Location: Hybrid (3 days/week from school)

Deadline for applications: 19th March

This is an exciting time to be part of the Development and Alumni Relations Team at the Independent Schools of King Edward’s. With a significant anniversary year in 2027 on the horizon, there’s never been a better moment to get involved. We are looking for a skilled fundraiser who can help drive our mission forward.

Head of Philanthropy

King Edward’s School (KES) and King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS), two of the leading independent day schools in the country, seek an experienced fundraiser with a demonstrable track record of securing five- and six- figure gifts. This role would suit a candidate with a background in major gifts and individual giving.

The Head of Philanthropy will secure and cultivate major donor relationships, growing our existing giving programmes and helping to deliver our overall fundraising strategy. With the Development Director, they will continue to build our prospect pipeline to support Assisted Places fundraising. Additionally, there may be involvement with a small number of other discrete fundraising projects.

Community is a vital part of our schools’ ethos and the Head of Philanthropy will play their part in strengthening this ethos. Many of our major donors will support the schools in other ways, including through our vibrant careers network (CareersLink). The Head of Philanthropy will also embed themselves in school life by playing a leading role in our annual telethons, working with the Development Director and Database Manager to deliver this.

The Head of Philanthropy will be an experienced and highly motivated fundraiser with a passion for growing and cultivating our supporter base. They will be a firm believer in the aims of our Assisted Places programme and in the value of an independent education. The role would suit an articulate, tenacious and persuasive fundraiser, with a strong track-record of forging and cultivating long-term relationships.

Development & Alumni Relations Office (DARO)

These historic schools seek to make an academic education accessible to able pupils, whatever their family background or financial situation. To this end, Assisted Places (bursaries) are funded by the Foundation, and through the donations of alumni and other donors to the Development Office.

To date, nearly £20m has been raised for Assisted Places across the schools.

The DARO team leads the schools’ fundraising and alumni relations. The team is led by the Development Director and consists of a Database Manager, Finance Manager, Events Officer and an Alumni Relations Officer who all work across both schools. The office also works closely with the Director of External Relations.

We are also responsible for keeping former pupils, parents and staff in touch with each school, and each other, through a comprehensive events and communications programme. We run around 20 events each year across both schools, including reunions, dinners, drinks receptions, lectures and concerts. Over 1,000 people attend these events every year. We communicate with our former pupils via our database, two websites, two Facebook Pages, two annual magazines and termly e-newsletters.

Key responsibilities

Major Donors:

• Cultivate relationships with a portfolio of mid-level and major donor prospects, particularly through face-to-face solicitations.
• Move prospects through the gift cycle in a timely manner, using the regular giving programme to develop your pool.
• Produce solicitation materials and funding applications as appropriate.
• Secure mid- and high- level financial support, as well as advocacy and gifts-in-kind.
• Implement engagement tools for each prospect in the portfolio and actively seek out opportunities for them to engage with the schools.
• Maintain donor and prospect records on our database (Raiser’s Edge).
• Produce compelling Cases for Support to meet individual donor interests and motivations.
• Offer excellent stewardship of donors and encourage a lifetime of giving offering regular updates and keeping in close touch.
• Represent the charities at school and external events with current and prospective donors.
• Provide insight into your personal prospect pool and identify opportunities for support from the Development Director, Chief Master & Principal or others within the schools’ network.
• Provide updates to the Development Director, Chief Master & Principal and/or trustees as required.
• Utilise all channels of communication and department resources to support individual fundraising and departmental strategy.

Strategy & Reporting:

• Gather and record information and feedback to track progress and monitor progress against KPIs such as conversion rates, with a view to continually improving.
• Work with the Development Director to plan and deliver an excellent programme for all prospect and donor solicitation, cultivation and stewardship, across all levels of giving.
• Work with the Development Director to plan and deliver processes for prospective donor identification and prospecting.
• With support from the DARO team, identify new opportunities and undertake research as necessary.
• Implement necessary processes, communications and events to support the growth of the prospect pipeline, covering the full supporter journey, with support from the DARO team.
• Identify opportunities to collaborate with other departments for mutual benefit, including utilising school events and successes to best effect.

Leadership & Management:

• Line management of Alumni Relations Officer and Events Officer.
• As a more senior member of the team, give time, encouragement and support to other team members to help them achieve their potential and build capability.
• Deputise for the Development Director as required.

Knowledge & Practice:

• Ensure work is of the highest standard and in-keeping with fundraising rules, regulations and best practice. The Trusts are members of the Fundraising Regulator.
• Have keen awareness of ethical codes and guidelines, acting with the highest levels of integrity.
• Maintain an up-to-date awareness of tax-efficient giving opportunities and giving platforms, both within the UK and internationally.
• Attend additional training and conferences as required.

Additional Responsibilities:

• The successful candidate would be trained to deliver the annual telethon across both schools and develop this over time.
• Contribute to the creation of well-crafted, persuasive fundraising materials and communications, with the Development Director and Marketing Department.
• Support the development and delivery of the legacy strategy that will acquire new legacy supporters and maximise legacy income.
• Attend relevant internal meetings, preparing papers and writing minutes as required.
• Actively promoting Assisted Places and a broader culture of giving within the two schools.
• Filing alumni gift or financial correspondence and recording it on the database. Recording all outgoing communications on the database.
• Attending and assisting with DARO events as required.

Other:

• Any other duties as may be reasonably required by the Development Director, Chief Master
  & Principal or Head of School.

For a copy of the full job description, including the full person specifications and details on how to apply please contact us via the form on this page.