Are you a motivated, dynamic person experienced in fundraising and building relationships?

Apply for our Fundraising Manager position today!

About Fighting Words

Fighting Words is a truly original creative writing centre established by Roddy Doyle and Seán Love. For thousands of children and young people, and especially those on the margins of society, it is the most unique and effective resource in Ireland today for encouraging and mentoring creative writers. Using a participative, lively workshop model, Fighting Words encourages and nurtures promising writers and quality writing – but it achieves much more than that. This is because at its core, Fighting Words is also about something much broader and more inclusive. It is about using the creative practice of writing and storytelling to strengthen our children and teenagers – people from a wide range of backgrounds – to be resilient, creative, and successful shapers of their own lives.

 Interested in joining our team?

Reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with them and the Board of Directors, the Fundraising Manager will plan and deliver our fundraising strategy and build relationships with institutional donors and individuals that support the Fighting Words mission and objectives.

We are looking for an individual who is:

• Passionate about ideas, the imagination and creativity, and who enjoys writing and working with people of all ages and abilities who love to write.
• Motivated, a dynamic person, experienced in fundraising and building relationships, with a proven record in achieving growth income results.
• Thrives in a small and committed team, working in close association with others.
• An excellent writer and researcher, with experience of preparing and presenting funding proposals and reports.
• A very strong communicator, with proven experience of developing and managing productive partnerships with donors and institutional funders in the charity sector
• Solid knowledge of financial systems and experience in both setting and managing budgets, with a proven track record of securing income against targets.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Undertake a review of Fighting Words current donor support and engagement, plus the funding landscape nationally and internationally to identify the most relevant partners and prospects to work with going forward. With the Executive Director, identify strategic areas of growth for the charity, balancing costs of future operations with fundraising targets.
• Develop and deliver a related medium term fundraising strategy (2-5 years) including: a prospect pipeline that expands existing relationships and builds new ones, an implementation plan, and the level and timing of resources required to deliver the strategy.
• Ensure that the staff, board, and volunteers of the organisation are supported, advised, and engaged as necessary in all matters related to fundraising.
• Funding systems. Ensure that the necessary systems and processes to record and track fundraising income and manage donor relationships are in place across the organisation and used to maximum effect. These include recording and data.
• Management, reporting on impact and results, financial reporting processes, and relationship management tools and procedures.
• Other duties in line with the needs of the organisation.

Required Skills & Experience:

• A proven record in asking for and securing grants and donations from foundations, government departments and agencies, individuals, or companies.
• Experience of relationship building and networking, ideally with philanthropic donors and supporters, including creativity in building engagement with donors and potential donors and representing the organisation confidently to relevant stakeholders.
• Project management skills, with the planning and results orientation required to deliver against objectives.
• Excellent communication skills – verbal and written, including the capacity to present at senior stakeholder level.
• Experience with budgets, income and expenditure, and reporting on finances.
• Strong knowledge of philanthropy research trends and best practice.
• A team worker, with the experience and ability to motivate and involve colleagues in the projects and processes necessary to ensure the effective management and delivery of fundraising plans.
• Proficient in use of relevant technology and systems including database management and online giving in relation to fundraising and development.
• Enthusiastic about writing, creativity, the imagination, and expression.

Other information

This full-time role is subject to an initial probation period. Salary will be commensurate with experience. We offer flexible working arrangements. Please direct all questions about this position to info@fightingwords.ie

The post will remain open until we have filled the vacancy, where interviews will be arranged on a rolling basis.

To find out more about Fighting Words, go to www.fightingwords.ie

To apply, please forward your CV and cover letter to info@fightingwords.ie