Compassion in World Farming International was founded in 1967 in England by Peter Roberts, a British farmer who became horrified by the development of intensive factory farming. Over 50 years ago, Peter decided to make a difference and take a stand against this farming system. In his lifetime, Peter saw the demise of veal crates and gestation crates in the UK, and in Europe achieved recognition that animals are sentient beings. Compassion in World Farming, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and received 501(c)(3) status in 2015. The USA is an important international office for Compassion, as part of their increasing global reach.

This is an exciting time to join the Global Philanthropy team at Compassion in World Farming and contribute to delivering their mission to end factory farming. With growing awareness of the impact of factory farming, not only on animal welfare but on human health and the environment, now is a unique moment to help raise money for Compassion’s work and bring new supporters on board.

The Global Philanthropy team has a strong track record, growing income from £300K in 2012/13 to over £4.3M in 2023/24. Of that, $1.6M was raised in the US. In 2023, Compassion launched a three-year strategy, alongside a fundraising growth plan which aims to significantly grow income by 2030.

Purpose of role

In this role, you will be responsible for building relationships with individuals (philanthropists and HNWIs) based in the US, cultivating and soliciting significant gifts. You will manage relationships with existing donors, providing them with first-class stewardship through timely and creative communications and one-on-one engagement. New revenue growth is a priority, with a focus on managing relationships with donors contributing between $10K and $50K.

As part of your role, you will drive CIWF events in the US – planning and executing a small number of in-person events and webinars to cultivate and acknowledge donors and prospects. Strong relationship management skills, an ability to think creatively, and excellent writing and organizational skills are essential to the success of this role.

This role is part of the Global Fundraising Directorate of over 50 staff, consisting of Philanthropy, Individual Giving, Legacies, Digital, CRM and Brand teams, based internationally, primarily in the UK (HQ) and six other fundraising markets in the USA and Europe. You will report to the US Director of Philanthropy (Ro Conder) as part of a dynamic and supportive team of 3 major donor fundraisers in the US and a Global Philanthropy team of 12 supporting strategy, proposal and budget development maintaining alignment across markets.

Primary responsibilities

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

1. Secure annual revenue from a portfolio of major donors and prospects

• Solicit donors in portfolio annually to achieve revenue target.
• Deliver first-class account management to donors and prospects.
• Build effective relationships with existing donors and prospects to generate increased support for Compassion’s work, including multi-year commitments.
• Deliver excellent and innovative personalized stewardship (e.g. regular reports, updates, and donor meetings).

2. Proactively research and cultivate a pipeline of new prospects

• Develop a fundraising growth strategy for US major donors, identifying the biggest opportunities for growth.
• Develop a strong pipeline of new funding sources (through desk research, networking etc.), working with the Global Senior Prospect Research Manager to identify and prioritize new prospects.
• Drive income to meet annual targets by securing donations from new individuals in the US.
• Use Salesforce dashboards and reports to manage the prospect pipeline and achieve KPIs.

3. Strategic oversight of income targets and KPIs

• Drive income to meet challenging annual targets by securing donations from new individual donors (with a focus on $10K - $50K).
• Monitor progress against targets, using KPIs and data to develop and adapt the strategy, identify priorities and identify opportunities for growth.
• Input into annual income budgets, forecasts, and strategic plans.
• Deliver reports against KPIs as required.

4. Develop compelling funding proposals, cases for support and impact reports

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of Compassion’s programmatic priorities, their case for support and the impact of factory farming on animals, people and the planet.
• Produce high quality, well-written communications, using plain English to distil complex programmatic information into compelling proposals.
• Use creativity and innovation to keep donor communications engaging and outstanding.
• Extrapolate financial budgets and data for use in donor proposals and reports, working closely with the finance team to ensure accuracy.

5. Secure planned gift commitments

• Identify planned giving prospects within the major donor portfolio.
• Solicit, secure and steward planned gifts from appropriate portfolio prospects.
• Liaise with the US Individual Giving team to support the marketing of the planned giving program.

6. Organize and deliver in-person and online donor events

• Develop an events schedule for Compassion’s donors and prospects, with a strategic approach to cultivating and stewarding donors and attracting new support.
• Organize and deliver in-person events and webinars and coordinate follow-up with team members.
• Monitor the impact and success of events through tracking in Salesforce, and adapt their events plans accordingly.

7. Administer the Circle of Compassion mid-value donor program

• Build donor-centric relationships with current donors in the Circle of Compassion ($1K - $10K) using strategic personalized communications and stewardship to retain donors.
• Working in collaboration with US colleagues and the Global Senior Prospect Research Manager, identify prospective Circle of Compassion donors from current donor and supporter base, networking, and desk research.
• Implement a lightly personalized outreach plan to efficiently cultivate and solicit new donors of $1K and above to grow their mid-value donor community using a “one too few” strategy.
• Create compelling materials and systems to solidify the Circle of Compassion as a viable and ongoing fundraising tool.
• Maintain strategic oversight of the Circle of Compassion, including the communications plan, monitoring KPIs and income.

8. Maintain accurate donor records for financial reporting and evaluation purposes

• Keep comprehensive records (including financial) of all fundraising related activities, in line with CIWF’s US data protection guidelines.
• Work with Finance and program colleagues to provide timely, precise and appropriate updates to key funders regarding the charity’s activities (including the use of restricted funds).
• Use Salesforce to record donor activity logging all donor communication, interactions, findings and ensuring accurate financial reporting.

9. Contribute to the wider team’s activity and success

• Contribute to the strategic direction of the US Philanthropy team and the wider Global Philanthropy team, contributing expertise on fundraising and inputting into growth plans and objectives.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Global Philanthropy team’s policies and processes.
• Ensure fundraising literature is kept up to date and available to members of the team and other colleagues as appropriate.

Additional responsibilities and requirements

• Actively support the promotion, delivery and embedding of equality, inclusion, and diversity.
• Help create a fundraising ethos to benefit the work Compassion does now and in the future.
• May be required to travel to carry out the duties of your employment.
• There may be a requirement to carry out some work outside of office hours. This work is to be arranged in accordance with procedures.
• Provide training at the request of your line manager, senior manager or director, on your areas of expertise, to other members of staff, work experience students, trustees, etc.
• Take due and reasonable care of oneself and others in respect to Health & Safety at Work.
• Act in accordance with the principles of Compassion in World Farming International’s Ethical Policy.
• Comply with data protection legislation and Compassion in World Farming International’s requirements for the protection of personal information and the privacy of individuals.
• The job description is not exhaustive, and you may be asked to carry out additional tasks which are appropriate to your job role, as required by your line manager.

Requirements to carry out the job effectively (and which may be developed). The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Experience and Skills

Essential:

• Proven ability in fundraising from individual major donors, family foundations, and HNWIs.
• Demonstrable experience of successfully soliciting individual gifts of $25,000 or more.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to write clearly and persuasively.
• Proven ability to inspire and motivate donors.
• Demonstrated ability to conceive creative experiences and manage event details.
• Able to be entrepreneurial, identifying and seizing new opportunities.
• Able to present complex information to small and large groups of people appropriately.
• Excellent event management skills and proven track record of delivering successful events.
• Budgeting and financial management skills.
• Good IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite applications.

Desirable:

• Experience of fundraising for an animal welfare, environmental, or climate NGO.
• Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts, environment, or equivalent.
• Experience working with an international NGO or in an international context.

Personal Traits and Qualifications

Essential:

• Outstanding relationship-building skills across stakeholders including donors, prospects, staff, volunteers, trustees, vendors, donors and others.
• Excellent understanding of philanthropic fundraising including prospect research, cultivation, gift solicitation and stewardship.
• A well organized, methodical approach with fantastic attention to detail.
• Positive disposition; approachable and adaptable with a sense of humor.
• Interest in, and enthusiastic about, Compassion’s mission and work.
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Uses information effectively to present a persuasive case.
• Truly can-do attitude – used to thinking strategically AND making it happen.
• Personal motivation that inspires energy and commitment in the team.
• An analytical and questioning mind.
• Able to pioneer new ideas, adapt processes and create innovative solutions.
• Excellent proof-reading skills.
• Ability to complete tasks fully and efficiently with timely and meaningful follow through.
• Desire and ability to work collaboratively and virtually with staff members across teams with clarity, transparency and effectiveness.
• Ability to work effectively within Eastern Time Zone hours while collaborating across global time zones and cultures.       

Desirable:

• Good working knowledge of Salesforce or equivalent CRM database.
• Proficiency in graphic design for crafting communication pieces such as invitations and newsletters.

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV/resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements set out in the job announcement by clicking on the link below.

Please contact Shoshana Grammer at shoshana@darylupsall.com for any queries you may have.

The deadline for application is Sunday 5th January 2025

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