Volunteer Trustee with income generation experience to join innovative Education charity

What will you be doing?

We help students from lower-income households succeed at University, by awarding them Reading List Scholarships to pay for their textbooks in their first year.  We believe our model is innovative, and strikes a chord with a generation of older graduates who got a university education (and all its benefits) for free.  We have a pretty good track record of applying for grants from Charitable Trusts (and this is in hand), but our pool of private and commercial donors is limited.  Our consumer marketing efforts are pretty hit and miss - we are essentially enthusiastic amateurs marketing-wise, with minimal social media reach.  We will only ever appeal to a niche audience, but we believe our message connects with this niche once we get in front of them (our typical donations are £100+).  Our efforts reaching out to commercial donors are minimal. We are looking for someone to help us put our (donor) income generation efforts on a firmer footing.  We have a small marketing/advertising budget (£2,000 or so), and so need to use it as productively as possible. Time requirements are reasonable - we meet once a quarter (in Exeter), and aside from these meetings work is done from home.  Our expectation is that this role might require a few hours per month, rather than days per month - we look for our trustees to provide strategy, expertise and guidance, rather than day-to-day hands-on involvement.  We have a part-time paid support who can help implement plans. There are currently five of us - with experience ranging from a university student to a retired Head of Sixth Form, and we're a lovely bunch!

What are we looking for?

We're looking for an individual who can easily fit into a small, friendly informal team of trustees, and who can raise our income generation game with their fundraising experience.  It is vital the individual has experience of getting an organisation's message across to the right people, in the right way, with positive results.  Our main aim is to grow, and your skills will be pivotal to helping us do that.

What difference will you make?

In only 8 years we have gone from nothing to awarding over 275 Scholarships a year in schools and colleges across England to exceptional students to help them succeed at university.  Our income is around £75,000 per year. "Her ambition was to study medicine and the extra academic work she completed to achieve this was phenomenal. This scholarship will have a momentous impact. For a student disadvantaged on so many levels, the gift will allow her to purchase course materials beyond her means and pursue her love of learning. Perhaps as importantly, it will give her belief that in a dreadful year in which she lost a much-loved parent, good things can still happen. Thank you.”  Head of Sixth Form.” Head of Sixth Form describing Scholarship winner “He is without doubt one of the best students I have had the pleasure to work with.  He has committed himself to his studies with a work ethic that can best be described as prolific.  His perseverance in overcoming challenges demonstrates that he is set for a fantastic future.” Head of Sixth Form describing Scholarship winner You will be part of a small team and see a direct impact from your skills and expertise. With expert advice and support we believe we can grow even bigger and help even more exceptional young people.