The posting
Safe Childhoods is an international initiative dedicated to mobilising more—and more effective—philanthropic funding to prevent and respond to childhood sexual violence. We work with leading philanthropists, foundations and partners around the world to raise awareness, connect donors with trusted experts and organisations, and unlock larger, longer-term and more strategic investments. Our mission is to transform how philanthropy addresses childhood sexual violence, making prevention and effective responses a global priority.
Safe Childhoods is hosted by Purposeful Ventures, a UK charity that partners with social entrepreneurs and philanthropists to build and grow organisations that improve the lives of children and young people. Purposeful Ventures is committed to creating a fairer society in which every young person can thrive. The Philanthropy Manager will be employed by Purposeful Ventures.
The Philanthropy Manager will support Safe Childhoods’ donor engagement work by identifying, researching and tracking potential funders and strengthening the systems that underpin thoughtful, well-organised donor relationships. You will research foundations, family offices, high-net-worth individuals and other philanthropic actors with a potential interest in preventing childhood sexual violence or related fields, producing concise donor briefs, background notes and meeting preparation materials for colleagues.
A significant part of the role is creating effective systems and processes across the full prospect and donor cycle. You will maintain high-quality internal records of donor engagement, ensure meeting notes and follow-up actions are captured, and keep Safe Childhoods’ pipeline, relationship records and prospect tracking systems accurate and up to date. This role also helps the team understand donor interests, giving history, decision-making processes, key contacts, relationship history and next steps, and support preparation for meetings and events.
We are looking for an excellent researcher who is highly organised, discreet and able to turn information from multiple sources into concise, useful insight. This is not primarily a cold-fundraising or direct-ask role: it is an opportunity to build strong prospect intelligence and development operations at the heart of Safe Childhoods’ donor engagement model.
Please download the full job description on the Purposeful Ventures website.
Job Description
Purpose
This role will strengthen Safe Childhoods’ donor engagement by identifying, researching and tracking potential funders and by maintaining high-quality prospect intelligence, pipeline information and relationship records that enable thoughtful and well-organised engagement.
Responsibilities and duties
Prospect research and intelligence
- Research foundations, family offices, high-net-worth individuals and other philanthropic actors who may have an interest in preventing childhood sexual violence or related fields.
- Prepare concise donor briefs, background notes, meeting preparation documents and other research products that give colleagues useful, decision-relevant insight.
- Build and maintain a clear picture of donor interests, giving history, decision-making processes, key contacts and relationship history.
Development operations and records
- Maintain high-quality internal records of donor engagement, including clear meeting notes, agreed follow-up and next steps.
- Actively maintain Safe Childhoods’ donor pipeline, relationship records and prospect tracking systems so information is consistent, accurate and up to date.
- Support disciplined use of donor information and appropriate handling of sensitive or confidential material.
- Working with Purposeful Ventures, our host, to ensure efficient processing and stewardshjp of gifts.
Pipeline management and follow-up
- Help the team track and prioritise donor follow-up and maintain visibility of ownership, next steps and progress across priority relationships.
- Support the Philanthropy Directors and wider team to use research and pipeline information to plan donor engagement.
Meeting and event support
- Support preparation for donor meetings and events, including briefing materials and background research.
- Support follow-up correspondence and materials after meetings and events as required.
The job description is subject to change and the postholder may be required to undertake tasks not specifically referred to above. Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the job description.
Who we are looking for
Essential
Key requirements
- Passionate about creating a fairer society where all children and young people thrive.
- Demonstrable track record of taking ownership of commitments and working hard to succeed.
- Strong operational judgement and excellent organisation, with the ability to bring structure without creating unnecessary process.
- Comfortable working across finance, governance, HR, contracts and team coordination, even without being a technical specialist in every area.
- Practical, discreet and calm under pressure, with the ability to work closely with senior stakeholders.
- Able to manage multiple moving parts, identify priorities and ensure actions are followed through.
- Right to work in the UK.
Knowledge
- Working knowledge of the core operational requirements of a small organisation, including planning, governance, budgets, contracting, HR, compliance and risk management.
- Understanding of good governance and internal coordination practices, including clear records of decisions, actions and accountability.
Experience
- Demonstrable experience managing or coordinating operational systems and processes across multiple areas of an organisation.
- Experience supporting governance meetings, planning cycles, budgets, contracts or organisational reporting.
- Experience working closely with senior leaders and coordinating priorities and follow-up.
- Experience in a small charity, foundation, hosted initiative, start-up, fiscally sponsored project or international NGO would be helpful.
Skills and competencies
- Excellent organisational and time management skills, detail orientated and systematic, with the ability to inject pace and ensure delivery of multiple moving parts.
- Ability to be pragmatic and agile, using good judgement to identify the most effective actions.
- A tenacious problem solver, focused on finding practical and effective solutions.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues, senior stakeholders and operational partners.
- Commitment to implementing and improving systems and processes.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion.
Desirable
- Experience working in a small charity, foundation, hosted initiative, start-up, fiscally sponsored project or international NGO.
