Fundraising Manager

Job title:          Fundraising Manager

Location:         Home based with occasional attendance at our office at WASPS Creative Exchange, Stormont Street, Perth, and travel for team, funder, partnership and worker meetings.

Salary:            £45,000 - £48,000 per year, depending on experience

Hours:             Full-time, 35 hours per week

Contract:         Permanent

Reports to:      Executive Director

Benefits:         28 days holiday per year plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 2 years; flexible working options; training and development opportunities; enhanced pension contribution; and employee-centred counselling support.

Contact:          Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

About the Worker Support Centre  

The Worker Support Centre (WSC) is a Scottish charity working in partnership with migrant workers at risk of exploitation across Scotland to secure their rights, challenge labour exploitation, build collective power, and drive lasting law and policy change. We are an evidence-led, worker-driven organisation with strong governance and a growing track record of policy impact. We're building a movement of people who welcome all workers, working towards a world where we are all safe, valued and respected at work, no matter our job or nationality.   WSC operates a worker-driven structure that places migrant workers at the centre of our governance and decision-making. We deliver casework alongside worker-led organising and policy advocacy, supporting migrant workers in seasonal agriculture and social care to meet basic needs and to understand and exercise their rights, including through our Worker Power programme, which builds solidarity between workers and within communities.   About the role

This is a new senior role at WSC, with responsibility for developing and delivering our fundraising strategy and building the systems, relationships and income streams needed to support the organisation's next stage of growth.

The Fundraising Manager will take day-to-day ownership of WSC's fundraising function and pipeline, leading opportunities from prospect research and assessment through application, award, grant management and renewal. They will combine hands-on fundraising delivery with strategic leadership, developing income from trusts and foundations, statutory funders, corporate partners, major donors and other appropriate sources.

You will work closely with the Executive Director who retains strategic oversight and final approval of fundraising applications and commitments, while taking day-to-day ownership of fundraising activity and the pipeline.  

This is an opportunity for an experienced fundraiser to shape WSC’s fundraising at an exciting stage of organisational development, whilst contributing directly to our work to challenge labour exploitation and promote decent work.

The postholder will be responsible for delivering an agreed annual fundraising target and for building a balanced pipeline of prospective trusts, foundations, statutory funders, corporate partners and individual supporters. In the first 12–18 months, a key priority will be to strengthen WSC's fundraising infrastructure, increase the diversity and predictability of income, and develop a sustainable pipeline aligned with our strategic priorities.   Key Responsibilities   Fundraising strategy and leadership  

• Develop, implement and review of a Fundraising Strategy and delivery plan for WSC to achieve required income targets across fundraising disciplines together with the Executive Director aligned with our overall Strategic Plan.


• Set and monitor fundraising objectives, income targets and KPIs reporting quarterly to the Executive Director and Board on progress, opportunities and risks.


• Develop and maintain WSC’s prospect map identifying priority funders and prospects and setting clear cultivation strategies and next steps for each.


• Develop WSC’s major donor pipeline including compelling cases for support, and cultivation plan for priority prospects.


• Advise the Executive Director and Board on fundraising opportunities, income diversification, funding risk and the implications of changes in the funding environment.


• Lead on management and renewal of WSC’s existing grants portfolio ensuring income is sustained and relationships are developed strategically.


• Assess prospective funding opportunities and make recommendations for the Executive Director on whether to pursue them, considering strategic fit, likelihood of success, resource requirements and financial viability.


• Develop, maintain and improve WSC's fundraising systems, processes and tools, ensuring that information is accurate, accessible and supports good decision-making.


• Maintain a strong understanding of WSC’s current programmes, impact and future strategic priorities and translate these into compelling fundraising opportunities and cases for support.

Pipeline and income generation  

• Research, identify, cultivate and secure funding from trusts, foundations, statutory sources, corporate partners, major donors and individual donors and other appropriate income sources.


• Own and manage WSC's fundraising pipeline, ensuring opportunities are appropriately researched, assessed, prioritised, progressed and recorded from prospect through to renewal.


• Lead the end-to-end development of funding applications, coordinating input from programme, finance, communications and other colleagues and ensuring applications are compelling, accurate and submitted on time.


• Maintain accurate pipeline data and income forecasts, using these to identify funding gaps, opportunities and risks and to inform organisational planning.


• Monitor the wider fundraising environment and identify emerging opportunities, risks and trends relevant to WSC.

• Ensure appropriate due diligence is undertaken and agreements are in place before accepting significant gifts or grants, in line with WSC's policies and procedures. Ensure donations and grants are processed, recorded and acknowledged promptly and accurately, working with the Finance Officer and other colleagues as appropriate.

Grant Management and Renewal  

• Maintain an overview of WSC's active grants, including reporting requirements, key commitments, deadlines and renewal opportunities.


• Ensure funder reporting deadlines and grant commitments are identified and managed proactively working with relevant colleagues across WSC.


• Lead the preparation and submission of narrative funder reports, working with the programme and finance colleagues to evidence progress, outcomes and impact.


• Work closely with the Finance Officer to ensure financial reports and expenditure information provided to funders are accurate, timely and consistent with grant agreements.


• Develop renewal plans 4-6 months ahead of grant end dates or earlier where required by the funder and lead the renewal process in collaboration with the Executive Director and Finance Officer.


• Maintain and develop funder relationships throughout the grant cycle using reporting, meetings and other opportunities to demonstrate impact and strengthen relationships.

Fundraising Systems, Finance and Reporting  

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date fundraising records, identifying an appropriate CRM and ensuring key information, relationships, deadlines and actions are documented.


• Work closely with the Finance Officer to develop realistic application budgets, monitor grant income and expenditure and ensure financial information provided to funders is accurate and consistent.


• Ensure appropriate fundraising records and documentation are maintained including applications, grant agreements, reports, correspondence and due diligence.

Line management, collaboration and worker-led fundraising  

• Recruit, line manage and support future fundraising staff as the charity grows, providing clear direction, regular supervision, constructive feedback and opportunities for professional development.


• Develop effective systems and processes that enable the fundraising team to work consistently, collaboratively and efficiently as the function grows.


• Manage freelancers, agencies or consultants as required. Participate in WSC's Senior Management Team, contributing to organisational planning, strategic decision-making and alignment across WSC's work


• Collaborate with policy, casework, operations, communications and other colleagues to align fundraising with organisational priorities.


• Champion WSC's worker-driven governance model and ensure that workers have meaningful influence over fundraising activity and how their experiences are represented.


• Co-produce fundraising outputs with workers, prioritising their voices, interests, dignity and agency.


• Actively contribute to a values-led, inclusive and collaborative working culture.


• Ensure fundraising knowledge, relationships, decisions and organisational learning are appropriately documented and shared, supporting organisational resilience and continuity.

  Communications and narrative  

• Work closely with the Communications and Narratives Lead to develop compelling, audience-specific cases for support, donor communications and fundraising materials.


• Support the development and use of evidence, impact data and worker-centred narratives in fundraising.


• Ensure that fundraising and communications involving workers are ethical, accessible and based on meaningful consent, agency and participation.

  Governance, compliance & organisational reporting  

• Ensure fundraising activity complies with relevant charity law and regulation, fundraising standards, data protection requirements and WSC policies.


• Ensure appropriate due diligence, gift acceptance and risk assessment processes are followed for significant gifts, grants and partnerships.


• Provide regular fundraising reports and analysis to the Executive Director and Board, highlighting progress against targets, pipeline value, income risks and opportunities.


• Support the Executive Director and Board with information required for organisational planning, financial forecasting and reporting to funders and other stakeholders.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and a covering letter telling us what appeals to you about this role and what makes you a strong candidate (no longer than one side of A4) to [email protected].

We are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome all candidates to apply, regardless of age, sex, gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or pregnancy/maternity, and encourage applications from people with lived experience of the issues on which we work. If you require reasonable adjustment/s to any part of the selection process or have any requests for support, please contact us to discuss further.

Please note WSC is not a sponsor licence holder and is unable to sponsor visa applications.