Major Gifts Manager

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world’s largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university-level institution in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world‘s number one art and design university for a remarkable nine consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 – the worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion.

We are seeking to appoint a proactive Major Gifts Manager.

Purpose of the role: 

The Major Gifts Manager reports to the Deputy Director of Development & Alumni Relations and, working alongside the fellow Major Gift Manager, will manage a portfolio of prospects and donors giving 5 to 7 figure gifts to support the College’s mission and vision.  

The current Development & Alumni relations team is small, comprising 12 members at present, operating in a small postgraduate university of only approximately 418 FTE. The team is responsible for all philanthropic income to the College, currently through the successful GenerationRCA campaign and for the relationship with the Colleges over 26,000 alumni. 

It is important that any prospective employee is comfortable with the scale and ethos of a small postgraduate university. There is a strong sense of collegiality that drives the RCA's success and team members at all levels work together to a shared goal and purpose. Pulling together as a team, a willingness to assist a colleague on an assignment, to have an open mind to new ways of working and indeed the desire to jump in and deliver a new project, are the attitudes and mindset we prize at the RCA and which have contributed to our sustained high performance.

The Major Gifts Manager will shape fundraising propositions from individuals both in the UK and internationally, dedicating time to stewarding and cultivating current and prospective donors to ensure renewals and developing new philanthropic income streams. As Major Gifts Manager, you will make a genuine and direct impact by working closely with academic colleagues to craft compelling and exciting fundraising proposals to actively support the RCA and its students.

The successful candidate will have experience of building relationships to successfully raise philanthropic gifts and meet agreed targets, an entrepreneurial flair with a high level of self-motivation and initiative, and a demonstrable desire to achieve results and make a difference. They will also have excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage a portfolio of donors and prospects, while maintaining thorough attention to detail, whilst working to tight deadlines.

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