Philanthropy Manager (fixed-term role)

Designability is a national charity who for over 50 years have created equality of opportunity for disabled people, by removing barriers to independence, enabling them to live the life they choose.

Following a person-centred design approach, and by including disabled people at each point of the design process, we ensure their ideas and lived experiences are taken onboard and that what we create reflects people’s needs as well as products and services they want to use. We are best known for the iconic Wizzybug powered wheelchairs for very young disabled children. To date, they have been loaned to over 1,400 children, typically aged between 14 months and 5 years, across the UK completed free of charge thanks to the support of our generous donors. 

We are coming to the end of the first year of an ambitious three year strategy and having recently welcomed a new Chief Executive. We are in a strong financial position with healthy reserves, and celebrated the end of 2023 with a highly successful televised BBC Lifeline Appeal demonstrating the impact of our work to a new and wider audience.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our welcoming and dynamic team at an exciting time and to make a meaningful difference through our work supporting disabled people to live with greater independence.

We are seeking an experienced and self-motivated individual to join our friendly team to manage income and relationships from Charitable Trusts and Major Donor prospects, with the support of the Trusts and Foundations Fundraiser. This is a fantastic opportunity for a person who loves making new connections, building strong relationships, and working closely with a multidisciplinary team to join Designability and help us achieve our ambitions set out in our 2023-2026 Strategy and make a difference to daily life for disabled people across the UK.
You will have proven experience of:

• Successful track record of securing five to six figure gifts, and of building strong relationships with new and existing donors and prospects.
• Producing compelling proposals, funding applications, reports and presentations as required to demonstrate a case for support or meet grant criteria. 
• Researching, identifying and successfully managing a new pipeline of donor prospects.
• Maximising networking opportunities and establishing long term support. 
• Line management experience.

You will joining an independent, national charity based in Bath. Our creative and inspiring team includes engineers, technicians, product designers, occupational therapists, fundraisers and administrators. We are led by strong values: we are creative, inclusive and practical, with our vision being to create a future where every disabled person has the products they want to live the life they choose.

To find out more about Designability visit designability.org.uk  

For an informal conversation about this role, please email Genevieve Arney, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Designability on [email protected]  

Closing date: Applications are being taken on a rolling recruitment basis
Interview date: Successful applicants will be offered a mutually convenient interview date
Start date: Early March 2024

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