AUTISM BEDFORDSHIRE
St. Marks Church Community Centre
Calder Rise, Bedford, MK41 7UY
01234 350704
enquiries@autismbeds.org
www.autismbeds.org
Registered Charity No. 1100722
Job Description
Post Title:
Location:
Salary range:
Hours:
Responsible to:
Funding Officer
St. Mark’s Church Community Centre, Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY
£20,700 - £24,686 pro rata, plus stakeholder pension.
20 hours per week
Board of Trustees of Autism Bedfordshire
Job Purpose:
The post holder will work closely with the Senior Funding Officer to research and raise funds for Autism
Bedfordshire’s activities, services and salaries in order to meet the charity’s annual targets for income.
The post holder will be responsible for securing income from a range of sources including:
 Trusts & foundations
 Local and national organisations
 The Big Lottery
 Statutory sources (e.g. local authorities, the NHS etc.)
Key Responsibilities:
1. Finding funding opportunities
-
Researching and identifying suitable sources of funding (national, regional and local)
Examining the background of each potential income source to determine their grantmaking criteria,
interests, funding timetables and other requirements
Identifying projects within Autism Bedfordshire which would be attractive to different funding sources
Maintaining a thorough understanding of Autism Bedfordshire’s activities in order to communicate about
them effectively
Liaising with colleagues internally, and if necessary any external stakeholders, about potential funding
opportunities
Ensuring a close fit between funding sought and Autism Bedfordshire’s strategy, services and
organisational priorities
2. Submitting applications and proposals
-
Planning carefully to ensure sufficient time to complete the highest quality applications
Gathering information for both the narrative and financial elements of applications/bids
Working with the Senior Funding Officer and Finance Officers on the development of appropriate
budgets
Working with colleagues internally to tailor projects to match funding criteria
Completing application forms and drafting comprehensive, well-structured and logical funding
proposals/bids that present a convincing case for support
Ensuring all necessary documentation is forwarded to the funding body as requested
Submitting applications to deadline
3. Relationship building
Autism Bedfordshire is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 4632497
Registered Office: St. Mark’s Church Community Centre, Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY
Registered Charity No. 1100722
-
Page 2
Building positive relationships with senior staff and/or trustees of funding organisations
Following up the progress of applications
Meeting and, occasionally, giving presentations to funders / corporate groups.
Writing personal thank you letters to all who send donations and funds to the organisation
Liaising with colleagues internally regarding projects’ progress including planning, and agreeing,
milestones for monitoring and evaluation
Establishing with colleagues, from the outset, systems to gather quantitative and qualitative information
throughout the lifetime of each funded project
4. Reporting
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Effectively gathering the necessary activity, statistical and financial information to include in the reports
Writing comprehensive, well-structured and accurate reports that clearly show the outcomes that have
been achieved as a result of the funding support and ensuring all reporting deadlines are met
Responding swiftly to requests from donors for information
5. Other duties
-
To present autism awareness talks to funders and those who give donations.
To access the accounting system, SAGE, to get information for funding applications and reports.
Relationships:
Reporting to: Senior Fundraising Development Officer
Responsible for: No supervisory responsibilities
Main internal contacts: Finance Team, Child and Adult Services Development Teams and Managers.
Other information:
The majority of the work will be office based . Occasional travel for training and funders briefings may
be necessary as well as to deliver autism awareness and fundraising talks to other organisations.
The duties of the post may be subject to variation from time to time. However, changes will only be
made in consultation with the post holder.
Equal opportunity and diversity:
Autism Bedfordshire is an equal opportunities employer. The aims of the equal opportunities policy is
to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race,
colour, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, age, religion or any disability nor
disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.
Health and Safety
It is the general duty of every employee to take responsibility for the Health and Safety of
himself/herself and others, including the use of necessary safety devices and protective clothing, and
cooperate with the management in meeting its responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work
Act. Any failure to take such care or any contravention of safety policy or managerial instruction may
result in disciplinary action being taken.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
All staff are required to respect the confidentiality of all matters that they may learn relating to their
employment, other members of staff and to the general public. All staff are required to adhere to the
regulations regarding the Data Protection Act 1998.
AUTISM BEDFORDSHIRE IS COMMITTED TO SAFEGUARDING.
Autism Bedfordshire is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 4632497
Registered Office: St. Mark’s Church Community Centre, Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY
Registered Charity No. 1100722
Page 2
Person Specification – Funding Officer
Listed below are the requirements of the job in terms of what the candidate will need to offer to be able to
perform the job in the first instance. The cross (X) indicates whether these requirements are essential or
desirable.
Work Experience
Experience of fundraising from trusts, foundations and statutory sources
Demonstrable experience of preparing proposals and reporting to trusts, foundations
and statutory sources
Experience of the voluntary sector
Essential
X
X
Desirable
Skills
High level of attention to detail
Concise, clear and persuasive writing skills
Ability to identify key points in written documents
Ability to interpret and present financial and statistical data
Ability to plan own work, manage time and prioritise
Strong organisational and administrative skills
Accurate record-keeping skills
Good verbal communication and telephone manner
Practical and confident in the use of the internet as well as standard office IT
packages e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Databases
Flexible and responsive to the needs of a team
Essential
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Knowledge
Autism
Asperger Syndrome
Special Needs
The role of the voluntary/statutory sectors
SAGE accounts
Essential
Desirable
X
X
X
X
X
Qualifications
A level or equivalent
Essential
X
Desirable
Personal Qualities
A strong team player with positive ‘can-do’ attitude
Ability to work under pressure and be comfortable with working to deadlines
Capable of identifying required tasks and working on own initiative within delegated
authority
Adaptable and flexible
Self motivating
Essential
X
X
X
Desirable
General
Car owner/driver
Willingness to undertake CRB check
Willingness to undertake any training related to the role.
Essential
X
Desirable
X
X
X
X
X
Autism Bedfordshire is a Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 4632497
Registered Office: St. Mark’s Church Community Centre, Calder Rise, Bedford MK41 7UY
Registered Charity No. 1100722
Desirable
X