Could you help us with fundraising?
We are looking to re-launch our Fundraising Working Group to reinvigorate raising funds to support our heritage railway. Could you help increase our income from donations and grants?
The newly formed Group, of which you will be a voluntary member, will consist of around six to eight people who have complementary skills and experience. We'll generally meet once a month, online or in person at Tenterden, and we anticipate there being about 4-6 hours of work a month, but you're welcome to do more if you can!
We've broken down the attributes for multiple candidates. If you possess one or more of the following attributes, we'd love to hear from you:
- You may already have fundraising experience as a volunteer or a trustee - perhaps as a school development officer, a charity worker or a business development professional.
- Ideally, you will have some experience of fundraising for other charities.
- Do you have experience of managing the collection, storage and use of information from customers or donors?
- Have you managed customer or donor information on a system - a customer relationship management system, for example, or a database that relates to transactions, values, project record-keeping etc.?
- Do you have a basic understanding of charity accounting: Restricted Funds, Gift Aid etc.?
- Are you aware of the Fundraising Regulator rules?
- Do you have experience of how money may be donated to a charity, such as CAF?
- Do you know what organisations and not-for-profit entities support and promote the interests of the under-represented and disadvantaged members of society?
- Do you have links to elected representatives (MPs, Councillors, Mayors etc.) and/or local government bodies (Ashford Borough Council, KCC, ESCC etc.)?
- You may be the person who knows contacts within, for example, mainline railway companies, understanding their policies towards assisting the charitable sector. This will enable us to know what funds are available for us to bid for.
- Do you have limitless imagination, dedication and enough spare time to offer?
- Are you an experienced communicator - happy to craft content for a number of different formats - letter, email, web, social media, appeals leaflets, campaigns?
- Do you understand how to target different audiences with different messages - perhaps as a digital or data-driven marketer?
It would be a distinct advantage if you already have knowledge of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, its history, operations and management structure. However, there are a number of roles and responsibilities required within the team, so this is not an essential criteria for everyone!
If you believe you could be part of our new team, please contact us by email in the first instance, setting out how your skills experience could support our fund-raising. Please email Norman at fundraising@kesr.org.uk.
Suitable candidates will be invited for a face-to-face interview at Tenterden Town Station.
Thank you!