Corporate Fundraiser & Community Engagement Officer

It's an exciting time for S.M.I.L.E London & Essex as we enter the next stage of developing our Community Hub and the support we provide to local families.

Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund's Reaching Communities programme, we're growing our team and looking for an experienced, outgoing and community-minded Corporate Fundraiser & Community Engagement Officer.

This is a really varied role with two important aims: developing sustainable corporate income and partnerships for S.M.I.L.E, while also getting out into our community and making sure local families know what support is available to them.

No two weeks are likely to look the same.

One morning you could be meeting a local business about becoming a corporate supporter, that afternoon attending a school coffee morning to speak with parents, and another day working from home researching new opportunities and following up potential partnerships.

We don't want someone who simply waits for people to find us. We need someone who enjoys getting out there, starting conversations, making connections and turning opportunities into something meaningful.

What you'll be doing

On the corporate fundraising side, you'll be responsible for developing new relationships with businesses across Havering, London and Essex, while continuing to strengthen relationships with our existing corporate supporters.

You'll identify and approach prospective partners, arrange meetings and presentations, attend networking opportunities and develop support through corporate donations, sponsorship, workplace fundraising, payroll giving, volunteering and gifts in kind.

A big part of this role is looking beyond one-off donations and developing longer-term partnerships and sustainable unrestricted income that will help strengthen S.M.I.L.E for the future.

You'll manage your own pipeline of prospective partners, keep accurate records of conversations, pledges and income generated, and work alongside our CEO to set realistic fundraising targets and monitor progress.

On the community engagement side, you'll help make sure S.M.I.L.E is visible and accessible throughout the communities we serve.

That will include building relationships with schools, nurseries, children's centres, family services, community groups and other local organisations.

You'll attend school assemblies, parent coffee mornings, toddler groups, community events and outreach opportunities to talk about S.M.I.L.E, our Community Hub and the support available.

You'll also spend time listening.

We're a charity led by the needs of our community, so we want you speaking directly with local families, understanding the challenges they're facing and helping us identify gaps in support.

You'll help us develop relationships with organisations that can provide specialist advice, workshops and regular drop-in services from our Romford Hub, as well as helping families connect with the right support when they need it.

Who we're looking for

This isn't an entry-level fundraising position.

We're looking for somebody with a proven track record in corporate fundraising, business development, account management, partnership development or a closely related field.

You'll need demonstrable experience of developing new relationships with businesses and turning initial conversations into meaningful partnerships or income.

You should be confident proactively approaching prospective partners, pitching ideas, presenting to businesses and working towards fundraising, income-generation or partnership targets.

We're also looking for someone with:

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Strong written communication skills
• Experience managing contacts, opportunities and follow-ups
• Confidence presenting and speaking to groups
• Excellent organisation and time management
• The ability to work independently and use your own initiative
• Experience working towards measurable targets
• Good IT and record-keeping skills
• A strong understanding of family poverty, financial hardship and the challenges facing low-income households
• An understanding of the barriers that can prevent families from accessing support
• The ability to communicate sensitively and without judgement with people from a wide range of backgrounds

Previous charity-sector experience isn't essential, but experience within charities, community outreach, schools, children's services, family support or community organisations would be a definite advantage.

Knowledge of Havering and the surrounding communities, existing local business or community contacts, and experience with corporate volunteering, Charity of the Year partnerships, workplace fundraising or gifts in kind would also be beneficial.

The person

Personality matters to us.

We're a small, grassroots charity and we're looking for someone who is outgoing, proactive, confident and genuine.

You need to be comfortable walking into a networking event where you don't know anyone, picking up the phone to a potential corporate partner or standing in front of a room and talking passionately about our work.

But you also need to be equally comfortable sitting down with a parent who is struggling and listening to what they have to say.

You'll need to be compassionate and non-judgemental, but also commercially minded enough to recognise opportunities that could generate sustainable income for the charity.

You'll be resilient too. Fundraising means hearing "no" as well as "yes", and we need someone who won't be discouraged by that.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who can build genuine relationships rather than simply deliver a sales pitch.

Working with us

This is a 22-hour-per-week role, based from our Community Hub in Romford with hybrid working available.

There will also be regular work out in the community, including visits to businesses, schools, community organisations and events.

We're happy to discuss how the 22 hours are arranged for the right person, although some flexibility will be required for occasional evening or weekend events.

As a small charity, we all muck in when needed, so we're looking for someone who is happy to be part of the wider team rather than sticking rigidly to a job description.

The position is initially offered on a three-year fixed-term contract, funded thanks to The National Lottery Community Fund through the Reaching Communities programme.

Our aim over those three years is not only to grow our reach within the community, but to build new corporate relationships and sustainable income that leave S.M.I.L.E in a stronger position for many years to come.

If you're an experienced fundraiser or business development professional who wants to use those skills somewhere you can actually see the difference you're making, we'd love to hear from you.

Benefits:

• Flexitime
• Transport links
• Work from home

Experience:

• Corporate fundraising: 1 year (preferred)

Location:

• Romford RM1 1HR (preferred)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Romford RM1 1HR