Application Pack
Corporate Fundraiser
AT HOME
IN PORT
AT SEA
CHARITY BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
Sailors’ Society is a Christian maritime welfare charity that meets the practical, emotional
and spiritual needs of seafarers and their families, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, in
ports all around the world.
With their roots in the post Napoleonic war era when thousands of sailors returned to
London destitute, the Sailors’ Society have helped seafarers in need for almost two hundred
years.
From providing floating homeless shelters and chapels on the banks of the Thames in the
1800’s to the international network of chaplains and Seafarer Centres in the 20th century,
the Society has always been a leading provider of maritime welfare, constantly revising its
programme to meet the demands of a fast changing industry.
In the last 30 years the shipping industry has further increased pace, reducing the time a
ship and her crew spend in port and therefore the contact a seafarer might have with the
world beyond their vessel.
The average crewmember now spends 9 months at sea, often more, and it’s the place of
maritime welfare charities such as Sailors’ Society to help them whilst they are away from
home and family.
Sailors’ Society is responding to these changes with a robust programme of services to
seafarers ‘At Home, In Port and At Sea’.
At Home: We work with seafaring communities providing education and welfare
opportunities for families who are without a parent (husband or wife, brother, sister, father
or mother) for months at a time. The Society’s recent work in the Philippines following
Typhoon Haiyan is one example of this.
At Sea: The Society is committed to providing resources and publications to help seafarers
whilst onboard. We are exploring new technology to enable services through virtual
chaplaincy and engaging with seafarers through social media platforms. The Society’s Chart
and Compass magazine has a reach of over 100,000 and we expect to see that double in the
coming year.
In Port: Most obviously we reach seafarers through port chaplaincy and ship visiting activity.
This is the core work of the charity and we intend to expand our port coverage in the
coming years with a port expansion programme. To better enable this service, and help
inform the strategy of expansion, we are embracing the use of modern technology including
the development of our Ship Visitors App.
SAILORS’ SOCIETY FUNDRAISING DEPARTMENT
The Fundraising Department is a talented, fun and energetic department and currently
consists of 11 staff, including an Events Team, Database & Individual Donor Acquisition
Team, a Major Donor Fundraiser and the Trust and Corporate Team. The role of Corporate
Fundraiser sits within the Trust and Corporate Team of 3 people.
The charity is currently going through an exciting period of growth, expanding our reach and
developing new and innovative projects and programmes to support seafarers and their
families worldwide. As such, our income targets are also growing year on year, and this role
will be pivotal to ensuring new business is developed, putting us in a good position to
expand our corporate supporter base going forward. We have a large amount of corporate
support from within the shipping and related industries – an industry which is ever changing
and developing, but which understands our need to support seafarers. In addition, the
Trust and Corporate Team generates income from Trusts and Corporate Foundations, so
although predominantly focused on corporate fundraising, the role will also involve some
writing of applications to grant giving organisations.
We are fortunate to have recently moved to modern new offices in Woolston, providing an
inspiring and comfortable working environment. We offer free parking, flexible working
arrangements and development opportunities.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Title:
Corporate Fundraiser
Reports to:
Corporate & Trust Manager
Budget Responsibility:
none
Based at:
Head Office, Woolston, Southampton
Hours of work:
Full-time [37.5 hours per week]
Team Association:
Corporate & Trusts Team
Fundraising Department
Job Purpose
To be pro-active in identifying and developing new and existing
relationships with corporate partners and prospects in order to
generate income and assist the team in reaching agreed income
targets.
Key Responsibilities:

Identify, research and approach prospective contacts in order to cultivate relationships
and generate new business income.

Support the Corporate & Trust Manager in maintaining and building upon existing
corporate partnerships.

Gain an in-depth knowledge and keep abreast of the progress of all Sailors’ Society’s
programmes, projects and events in order to prepare high quality, commercially relevant
and compelling proposals, reports and presentations.

Take responsibility for own ‘portfolio’ of contacts, following all leads through to
completion and accurately recording all correspondence.

Manage Sailors’ Society’s Ambassadors Programme, including sending meeting notices,
finding and liaising with meeting venues, managing Ambassador communications and
being the first point of contact for all Ambassador enquiries.

Manage employee engagement and external collection initiatives such as ‘Woolly Hat
Week’ and after dinner collections at industry events.

Prepare applications to Trusts and Foundations, as directed by the Corporate & Trust
Manager.

Keep accurate records of all correspondence with Society stakeholders on Raisers’ Edge.

Attend internal and external meetings, events and presentations as required.

Ensure donors are promptly thanked and their gift is accurately recorded.

Provide administrative duties related to corporate and trust income generation, such as
sourcing materials, preparing invoices and other activities as required.
Personal Development
The Corporate Fundraiser will be expected to maintain a high level of competence and
capability, identifying appropriate training and development opportunities as required.
Person Specification (minimum requirement)
Essential Attributes
 Commercially driven with a proven track record in business development or B2B
sales.
 Confident and competent at approaching new business prospects on the telephone,
face to face and in writing.
 Excellent networking skills.
 Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to relate to people at all levels and to
represent the Society in person.
 Ability to listen to the needs of corporate prospects in order to propose relevant
ways of working together.
 Excellent writing skills with the ability to write accurate, powerful, compelling and
persuasive copy in a range of formats e.g. proposals, reports, brochures and
posters/flyers.
 Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to plan and manage a complex and
demanding variety of tasks and to meet strict deadlines.
 Educated to degree level or equivalent in experience.
 Prepared to work outside of normal office hours in the evenings and occasional
weekends, including some overnight stays and overseas travel.
Desirable Attributes:
 Experience in working in a busy corporate fundraising environment.
 Experience of using Raisers’ Edge or other CRM database.
 A good understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility, corporate community
engagement initiatives and established corporate fundraising techniques.
 Experience of working for a charity and an understanding of charity law.
 An understanding of the global shipping and maritime industry.
Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR)
This role HAS NOT been identified as having a GOR to be filled by a Christian under the
provisions of the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations 2003 Section 7.2.
SAILORS' SOCIETY CHARACTER
As well as looking for ability, experience and expertise the Sailors’ Society is also interested
in the character of its staff and would want to know how you demonstrate the following:
Awareness
You will be self-aware and able to recognise both your strengths and weaknesses as you
grown personally and professionally. You will demonstrate awareness for colleagues,
enabling you to help them flourish and achieve positive outcomes.
Teamwork
You will demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, personal loyalty to colleagues and a
collaborative style of solving problems through a shared sense of common mission and
purpose.
Leadership
You will recognise that the trustees look to the executive leadership team of the Sailors’
Society to develop the cultural, relational, intellectual, spiritual and physical capital of the
organisation. You will be expected to play your part in developing a successful organisation
that is a world leader in the provision of maritime welfare, this means that you will bring
valuable leadership qualities to your role. You will be expected to take responsibility for
your actions and show initiative to excel in your role.
Vision and Values
The mission of the Sailors’ Society is Christian in essence. At its heart is a vision to transform
the lives of seafarers and their families. Our values inform how we work and we look to you
to uphold and promote these values as you help us in our work.
Society values
Integrity
Innovation
Collaboration
Compassion
Inclusivity
Accountability
Community
Leadership