Northumbria University – Alumni Association
Alumni Telephone Fundraising Campaign – Autumn 2011
Student Telephone Fundraisers
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Development and Alumni Relations Office
The Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) is responsible for coordinating major fundraising activity for the University, and for nurturing life-long relationships with our growing community of graduates (alumni).
Northumbria Alumni Association is part of DARO and provides a life-long link between the University and its graduates. We have over 130,000 Northumbria graduates on our files and have contact details for over 80,000 of these. The Alumni Fund helps to maintain Northumbria’s academic excellence and provides opportunities for former students to give something back to their University.
We have already run four highly successful Alumni Fund telephone appeals. To date, over 8,000 UK graduates have been contacted and more than £100,000 has already been donated to the Northumbria
University Alumni Fund by its former students. This Autumn, thanks to the generosity of graduates there is roughly £80,000 worth of Alumni Fund grants available to allocate to projects across campus.
The Alumni Fund relies entirely on donations from alumni, staff and other supporters of the University. It raises money in key areas of great need, namely providing additional scholarships to those who face challenging financial or personal circumstances and funding projects which will provide more opportunities for students and help to strengthen the student experience.
It is vital that we continue to raise money in order to build on Northumbria’s success. All of this would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of the Student Calling team!
Job Purpose
This Autumn, we will hold our sixth telephone fundraising campaign with alumni. Its purpose is to:
 raise money for the Alumni Fund
 build on the success of the previous telephone appeals
 enhance communications and links between the University and its alumni population
All proceeds from the Alumni Fund will directly benefit current and future students, so by helping us to raise money for the Alumni Fund you are helping to ensure that you, and future generations of students like you, have the facilities and support they need whilst at Northumbria.
We have vacancies for around 20 student telephone fundraisers.
You will need to be available on
Saturday 12 th November 2011 for a mandatory training day. The appeal runs from Monday 14 th
November to Thursday 1 st December 2011 inclusive.
Duties
You will be part of a team of around 20 current students making telephone calls to former students who graduated from our institution in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s from a range of degree subjects.
Full training will be given. There will be no ‘cold-calling.’ Each graduate you are calling will have been sent a letter from DARO to let them know why we are ringing. During each call you will be expected to:
 update alumni on University news and activities
 engage them in conversation about the University and get their feedback about their careers, Alumni events, publications etc
 ask them to make a gift to the Alumni Fund
 keep accurate (and legible!) records of each call, its outcomes and any follow-up actions required
 write a short thank-you note to alumni you speak to
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Person Specification
We aim is to create a team environment amongst student callers. Successful applicants will need to:
 have excellent written and spoken English
 enjoy speaking to people
 possess excellent communication skills – both verbally and in writing
 have good listening skills
 have a confident, outgoing and positive disposition
 a good knowledge of the University would be an advantage
 active involvement in student life at Northumbria would be an advantage
 relevant job experience is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.
Dates, Hours and Rates of Pay
Calling will take place on City Campus from Monday 14 November to Thursday 1 December 2011 and will be on a shift basis. You will be paid
£7.31 per hour
. You will be paid for the training day at the end of the campaign, provided you attend all your allocated shifts throughout the campaign. Incentives are also available and these will be explained to you during training.
Shifts are: Monday – Thursday evenings (6.15pm - 9pm), and Sundays (5pm - 8pm). You can vary your shift pattern from week to week. We ask you to commit to a minimum of 2 shifts per week. Priority for any additional weekly shifts will be given to those callers who are most successful at fundraising.
Training & Selection
Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend a telephone interview and further assessment. The date for this will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates.
For candidates who pass the Assessment Centre/ Interview, there is a further mandatory training day.
This will be on Saturday 12 th November 2011. Anyone failing to attend this mandatory training cannot become a student caller. Those who have been previously employed as student callers at Northumbria, are required to attend part of this training, by way of a refresher.
How to Apply
Complete the dedicated Alumni Fund Calling Team Application Form in your own hand-writing and return to Development and Alumni Relations Office, Room 111, Sutherland Building, City Campus or you can scan the handwritten form and return to alumnifund@northumbria.ac.uk
Closing date is 12 noon Wednesday 19 October 2011 . Sorry, no late applications can be accepted.
Comments from Previous Student Callers
“Friendly team atmosphere, new friends, great for my CV and earning money too! If I enjoy my next parttime job half as much as this one, I’ll be happy!”
“The training was excellent, I was quite nervous at the thought of telephoning so many people but by the end of the session I felt ready for almost anything”
“…a fantastic opportunity to develop my negotiation skills – very useful preparation for my career as a barrister!”
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