Philanthropy Officer

The role

The Philanthropy Office is responsible for raising philanthropic funds as well as building and maintaining lifelong relationships with alumni, volunteers and high-profile ambassadors for the University in the UK and internationally.   

Philanthropic support creates meaningful opportunities for students and researchers at the University of Bristol. The Philanthropy Officer will help cultivate strong relationships with existing and potential donors to raise funds for University priorities, by contacting alumni and friends with tailored communications (post, phone and digital) and creating inspirational updates and fundraising asks with the help of colleagues. 

What will you be doing?

The Philanthropy Officer will help with the operational delivery of effective fundraising and stewardship to inspire donations at Leadership Giving level (£1,000-£10,000), creating communications for different interest groups and building relationships with individual supporters through tailored emails and conversations.  They will also work closely with colleagues to support Regular Giving fundraising (£1-£999) and donor stewardship activity, and will play a key role in implementing Leadership Giving plans, procedures and priorities.

You should apply if

The successful candidate will have strong verbal and written communication skills, equipping them to reach out to current and potential supporters primarily through emails, phone calls and occasional in-person meetings. You will have experience of working in fundraising or donor relations and have the confidence to make philanthropic asks. Excellent time management skills and experience working independently is essential. Your ability to build positive working relationships with a wide range of people, both internal and external, will be a key asset in this role. 

You will have an enthusiasm for supporting students and researchers through fundraising and a belief in the importance of universities to society. The Philanthropy Office’s vision is to ‘build and foster a committed community of donors and philanthropic partners who help to make Bristol accessible to all students, drive forward world-class research, and create transformative spaces and campuses’. The team culture is aspirational, respectful, inclusive and supportive. We always seek to reflect and to evaluate our work, making time for personal and professional development to ensure we can achieve the ambitious goals we set.

Additional information

This advert will close at 23:59 UK time on 01/06/2025

Interviews are anticipated to take place on the 11th or 12th June

Our strategy and mission

We recently launched our strategy to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.

The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.

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