Founded in 2004, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) is one of the UK’s most influential cross-party think tanks. We’re here to challenge conventional thinking and put social justice at the heart of politics. Our goal is to break the cycle of poverty by tackling its root causes, not just managing the symptoms.

Our work has helped shape some of the most significant welfare and justice reforms in a generation. Our work has historically focused on the ‘five pathways to poverty’: educational failure; family breakdown; worklessness; addiction; and serious personal debt. Faced with emerging social challenges, we are now increasingly looking at long-term social and cultural challenges – including our award-winning Lost Boys work.

Our work is reinforced by the insights of our ‘Alliance’ of small, poverty-fighting charities. These grassroots groups are the unsung heroes tackling Britain’s toughest social issues, and we amplify their voice in politics, media, and through directing philanthropy to them.

This is a critical moment for the CSJ. We’re scaling up our research, events, digital platforms, philanthropy and external engagement - and this role is central to that growth.

The CSJ is seeking a highly organised, proactive and ambitious individual to join our busy Westminster office. As part of a small, high-performing team, you will play a key role in bringing in new funding from high-net-worth donors, managing our relationships with existing donors, securing income against targets, and raising the profile of our work amongst potential donors.

While previous fundraising experience would be an advantage, it is not essential. More important is that you are someone who can quickly grasp and champion our organisation and funding model, produce compelling, high-quality written proposals, and communicate with confidence and credibility to senior and influential stakeholders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The successful candidate will work within the Development team & take a leading role in delivering the CSJ’s fundraising strategy. Responsibilities include:

· Securing donations from new donors through meticulous and pro-active prospecting; alongside skilfully managing relationships with existing donors, with a focus on high-net-worth individuals

· Developing and implementing strategies to secure these donations from new and existing donors on a multi-year basis

· Drafting high-quality fundraising proposals, impact reports, and related donor facing correspondence – including regular updates to donors and prospects on our work

· Maintaining meticulous records of all fundraising activities in a timely manner on the CSJ’s CRM database (Salesforce)

· Engaging on a regular basis with the CSJ’s policy and communications teams to remain informed of all ongoing and upcoming policy projects

· Ensuring that exceptional relationship management characterises all fundraising work and impact reporting is communicated to relevant donors

· Confidently representing the CSJ externally and being an ambassador for its vision, mission, and values

· Supporting our Events team in delivering exceptional fundraising events from guest list formation to execution of events

· Producing financial updates and analysis for the CSJ senior team

· Strong experience engaging and influencing high-profile and/or high-net-worth individuals and organisations

· Exceptional written communication skills with the ability to craft concise, compelling and audience-specific stakeholder communications

· Meticulous attention to detail, highly organised, calm under pressure and with a high degree of personal integrity

· Confidence in engaging with high-profile and/or high-net-worth individuals

·  Knowledge of, or experience of working with philanthropists, corporates and trusts, and foundations

· Experience in the political and/or charitable sectors, with an established network and the ability to identify new funding opportunities for the CSJ

· Strong analytical skills, with the ability to understand and summarise complex policy ideas

· Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills, including experience developing high-quality pitches and proposals

·  A commitment to the CSJ’s vision, mission, and values

·  An interest in current affairs, politics and the social justice agenda

· A collaborative team player with initiative and a positive “can do” attitude