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DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Job description and selection criteria
Job title
Annual Giving Officer
Division
University Administration and Services
Department
Development Office
Location
University Offices, Wellington Square
Grade and salary
Grade 6: £26,264 – £31,331 p.a. with a discretionary range to
£34,223
Hours
Full time
Contract type
Permanent
Reporting to
Head of Individual Giving
Vacancy reference
107768
Introduction
The University
The University of Oxford is a complex and stimulating organisation, which enjoys an
international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It
employs over 10,000 staff and has a student population of over 21,000.
Most staff are directly appointed and managed by one of the University’s 130 departments or
other units within a highly devolved operational structure - this includes 5,900 ‘academicrelated’ staff (postgraduate research, computing, senior library, and administrative staff) and
2,820 ‘support’ staff (including clerical, library, technical, and manual staff). There are also
over 1,600 academic staff (professors, readers, lecturers), whose appointments are in the
main overseen by a combination of broader divisional and local faculty board/departmental
structures. Academics are generally all also employed by one of the 38 constituent colleges
of the University as well as by the central University itself.
Our annual income in 2011/12 was £1,016.1m. The University of Oxford is one of Europe's
most innovative and entrepreneurial universities: income from external research contracts
exceeds £409m p.a., and more than 70 spin-off companies have been created.
For more information please visit www.ox.ac.uk
University Administration and Services
University Administration and Services (UAS) is the collective term for the central
administrative departments of the University. UAS comprises structures to:

support the University’s core academic purposes of teaching, learning and
research;

ensure the University can meet the requirements of government, funding bodies
and other external agencies; and

facilitate the attainment of the objectives set out in the University’s Strategic
Plan.
The offices of the UAS sections are spread across the city centre, with the main University
Offices located in Wellington Square.
For more information please visit: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/
Development Office
The role of the University’s Development Office is to help secure philanthropic support for
the University. The Development Office works in partnership with academic and
development colleagues throughout the collegiate University to build enduring relationships
with external constituencies, including alumni, non-alumni, corporate and foundation donors,
and to increase financial support for agreed academic priorities. In 2008, the University
launched Oxford Thinking, the Campaign for the University of Oxford, aimed at raising a
minimum of £1.25 billion to transform the collegiate University for many generations to come.
Gifts totalling more than £1.5 bn have now been received, and a new minimum goal of £3bn
was announced in October 2012.
In addition to fundraising staff, the Development Office has a number of teams that cover
particular support functions. These include the Research Team (which gathers information
on potential and existing donors); the Proposals Team (which writes proposals and project
information); the Gift Registry (which records and processes donations received by the
University and on behalf of colleges); the DARS Support Centre (which supports the
Development and Alumni Relations database); and the Donor Relations and
Communications team (which ensures that donors are appropriately targeted, thanked and
stewarded through strategic events and communications). There are also three overseas
offices covering North America and Asia whose remit includes development: New York,
Hong Kong and Tokyo.
The Director of the Development Office, Liesl Elder, reports to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for
Development and External Affairs and works closely with officers in UAS, especially in
Alumni Relations, Public Affairs and Finance, as well as with academic and development
colleagues across the collegiate University.
For further information please visit:
www.campaign.ox.ac.uk
Job Description
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Overview of the role
Key relationships:
Members of the Development Office, Alumni Relations Office and
External Affairs Directorate; College and Department development
and alumni relations colleagues; the Legal Services Office and the
Council Secretariat; members of IT Services and the Finance Division;
and other academic and administrative staff, alumni, students, donors
and friends of the University.
Purpose:
To meet the objectives outlined below and other key strategic priorities
as identified by the University.
The successful applicant will join the existing Individual Giving team within the University of
Oxford Development Office in working to secure the long-term pipeline of alumni and other
connected donors to the collegiate University. S/he will focus on engaging non-donors to
give to the collegiate University for the first time and on sustaining and increasing current
donors’ support on a regular basis throughout their lifetimes.
Furthermore, the postholder will work to generate an annual source of revenue which can be
spent immediately by the University and is typically for unrestricted purposes. S/he will also
help create a channel of new major donor prospects, not only by engaging them with the
activity of the collegiate University and its philanthropic mission, but by collecting key data
(including contact and biographical information, employment details, interests, involvements,
philanthropic priorities, relationships etc) and by ascertaining their propensity and ability to
give more significant amounts. As part of the Individual Giving team, s/he thereby will help
provide the base to the collegiate University’s donor pyramid and also provide mechanisms
for generating income higher up this pyramid.
This post forms part of a team also comprising a Data Analyst and Systems Officer, a
Legacies Officer, a Campaign Web and Design Officer, and a Development Coordinator, all
of whom are managed by the Head of Individual Giving.
The Development Office is seeking to grow and expand the remit and achievement of the
Individual Giving team over time, including working to secure a higher gross value of annual
donations for the central University whilst still ensuring the service provided to colleges is
first class. This collegiate University-wide service is vital, as in a number of cases colleges
rely upon this team for supporting much of their Annual Fund activity and income. This role
will incorporate an element of face-to-face fundraising (£1,000-£25,000), prioritising those
prospects which emerge from other annual giving or legacies activity or otherwise have
expressed an interest in unrestricted/other giving.
The postholder will be able to use the support services provided (accounting, database,
proposal writing and research). The line manager will regularly review progress. There will
be opportunities for career development within the University Development structure. The
office seeks to support and encourage staff to help them reach their potential, providing
access to appropriate courses and training whenever possible.
The Development Office culture is professional, collaborative and service-oriented, and
values transparency, flexibility, trustworthiness, tenacity, energy, drive and the ability to act
as an ambassador for the office and for the collegiate University.
The duties of the post are set out as they are envisaged at present, but it will be important
for the person appointed to be flexible and adaptable, and able to contribute to the
development of the fundraising function of the collegiate University.
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Team Priorities
The Individual Giving team has two main areas of responsibilities, both of which aim to raise
gifts for the collegiate University’s Oxford Thinking Campaign and beyond: firstly, the
University’s multi-channel Annual Giving programme – which over time may include
telephone fundraising, direct mail and email campaigns, online giving, and face-to-face
fundraising – and secondly the University’s Legacies programme.
As such, Individual Giving activity is a fundamental part of the Development programme,
particularly for alumni, parents, staff and students. The Annual Giving Officer will help
facilitate the extension and development of annual giving activity across the University’s
worldwide alumni and friends’ base, in close partnership and collaboration with those
colleges and departments which also undertake this activity.
The scope of the University Annual Giving programme is targeted towards inclusiveness; a
donor-centred, regular direct marketing-driven worldwide programme, it embraces all
possible giving opportunities for alumni and friends of the collegiate University. Its goals are
ambitious but critical: most notably to increase significantly overall alumni annual
participation from the current level of approximately 15%.
The Legacies programme is an equally important function of the team in ensuring that the
collegiate University maximises legacies income in the future, in a timely and cost effective
way, and the postholder will support the rest of the Individual Giving team in achieving this
objective.
As a core element of his/her activity, the postholder will be expected to work closely with
other development and alumni relations professionals within both the Development and
Alumni Offices and colleges and departments across the collegiate University. This role will
demand diplomacy and sensitivity to ensure that current strengths are enhanced and
opportunities maximised.
Individual Giving also plays a critical role with respect to data. As a new collegiate
University-wide Development and Alumni Relations System (DARS) has recently been
introduced, this postholder will be expected not only to utilise existing data to advance
opportunities for more effective multi-channel segmented fundraising, but also to enhance
the shared data for the benefit of the collegiate University’s major giving and alumni relations
programmes.
Responsibilities/duties
To be responsible for the day-to-day completion of tasks and management of each of the
annual telethon, direct marketing and website components of the Annual Giving programme
within the Development Office and more widely to help promote and facilitate giving to the
collegiate University from all alumni and friends. This objective involves working closely with
colleges and departments and other parts of the University, partnering in joint activities and
sharing and promoting best practice in order to increase donor participation levels across
Oxford.
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As part of this, key responsibilities are to work towards stated targets for encouraging
(asking) as many people as possible to give as much as possible as often as possible for
long as possible through executing:
 At least three telephone fundraising campaigns each year involving at least twelve
colleges, including related training activities and call centre management and a
potential future University-specific telethon;
 Direct marketing appeals, including a segmented worldwide mailing to alumni in
November each year and future expansion into email solicitations, delivered around a
clear and cohesive case for support;
 Online giving management, utilising the DARS web portal to maximise opportunities;
 Engagement with students and current leavers;
 Face-to-face fundraising, including (co-)managing a portfolio of personal prospects
and close collaboration with college and department fundraisers;
 Organising and delivering student training, call supervision, drafting pre-call letters
and other materials, managing mailing houses and printers, student recruitment,
drafting solicitation letters and cases for support, etc.
 Continuous data collection and enhancement onto DARS;
 Stewardship of existing donors, including through thank you calling and reporting;
 Best practice guidelines and other advice to collegiate-wide fundraisers; and
 Other specific activities over time – for example, there are future opportunities in
pledge-chasing, reunion giving and/or mobile giving.
This postholder will also be responsible for assisting the Head of Individual Giving in the
overall messaging of Annual Giving activity to both external and internal audiences. To
optimise this marketing, s/he will be expected to work closely alongside the Development
Office’s Communications team.
There will also be other duties as the Head of Individual Giving may from time to time
request, commensurate with the level of this position. This role will involve some work out of
regular hours (extensively during telethons) and some travelling.
Selection criteria
Candidates will be judged on the basis of the following criteria, and should ensure that their
application shows how they meet these criteria:
Essential
1. A high general level of education, including a degree or equivalent.
2. A desire to pursue a career in fundraising and a proven interest in and passion for
Higher Education.
3. Experience in annual fundraising, including managing or otherwise playing a key role
in delivering telephone campaigns, direct mail and/or an annual fund programme.
This should include in-depth knowledge of core annual giving activities such as data
segmentation and preparation, making solicitations, gift fulfilment and retention,
recruiting volunteers/fundraisers, stewardship and reporting.
4. Confident use of the Microsoft™ Office toolset, email and web browsers and
demonstrable experience of using CRM database solutions and the appropriate
toolsets for analysing, querying and manipulating them.
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5. Ability to manage, plan and take responsibility for a range of tasks occurring
simultaneously, with a proven track record of managing their own work successfully
to very tight schedules and of working effectively as part of a wider team.
6. Excellent written communication skills and the ability to produce marketing materials
of extremely high quality and without errors.
7. Proven outstanding interpersonal skills, including the ability to relate effectively to
users and decision-makers at all levels and the diplomacy, personal sensitivity and
tact that is needed when working with senior staff across the collegiate University.
8. The ability to use creativity and initiative to achieve results in response to changing
circumstances and overall trends.
9. Prepared to work out of regular hours and to travel.
Desirable
10. Direct experience of managing students and/or volunteers.
11. Direct experience liaising with third-party suppliers, such as designers, printers and
mailing houses.
12. Experience working alongside or as part of a federated or collegiate organisation,
such as the University of Oxford.
Working at the University of Oxford
For further information about working at Oxford, please see:
http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/jobs/professionalandmanagement/
How to apply
If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, click on the Apply Now button on the
‘Job Details’ page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a user. You will then
be required to complete a number of screens with your application details, relating to your
skills and experience. When prompted, please provide details of two referees and indicate
whether we can contact them at this stage. You will also be required to upload a CV
supported by a letter of application explaining why you are interested in the role and how you
meet the selection criteria. Your CV or letter of application should include details of your
employment and/or education during the past 10 years, and describe what you have been
doing if you have taken time away from these activities, for example in order to raise a
family, care for a dependant, or travel. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of
how you demonstrate that that you meet the selection criteria outlined above and we are
happy to consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which you may have gained
outside the context of paid employment or education.
Please save all uploaded documents to show your name and the document type.
All applications must be received by midday on the closing date stated in the online
advertisement.
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Information for Priority Candidates
A priority candidate is a University employee who is seeking redeployment owing to
the fact that he or she has been advised that they are at risk of redundancy, or on
grounds of ill-health/disability. Priority candidates are issued with a redeployment
letter by their employing departments and this letter must be attached to any
application they submit.
The priority application date for this post is midday on 13th May 2013
Full details of the priority application process are available at:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/personnel/end/red/redproc/prioritycandidate
Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please
email recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk
To return to the online application at any stage, please click on the following link
www.recruit.ox.ac.uk
Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic
e-mails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail
regularly to ensure that you receive all e-mails.
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