Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Candidate Information Pack
Director of Development Stephen Perse Foundation
in partnership with
Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Contents
Letter from the Principal
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Stephen Perse Foundation
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Think Again
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An Outstanding Track Record in Managing Change
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Development at the Stephen Perse Foundation
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Job Description
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Person Specification
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Remuneration, Benefits and Terms
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Next Steps
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Further Information
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Letter from the Principal
Dear Candidate We all think we understand what school is about - we all attended one. However here at the Stephen Perse Foundation we think differently about education. Our vision is about preparing young people for the the world they will live in. This is about far more than collecting qualifications as stamps on a passport. Our aim is to offer an education which places our learners at the heart of their learning empowering them to discover their own interests and passions and inspiring them to strive for great things. Our ambitions for our students are supported by a talented teaching community. As one of the few schools in the country to have issued iPads 1:1 to students aged 11-18, the opportunity now presents itself for us to think differently about pedagogy and the way young people learn. Digital learning is an important dimension of our education - a powerful tool in the hands of our learners. This tool has expanded our horizons making us reconsider 'givens' in schools. Why should classrooms be set up primarily for storage and testing? Why should learning be linked to physical space when digital technology allows it to be ubiquitous? We have already reconceived our libraries. After all, school libraries are traditionally about storage of books. Theoretically with a digital device such storage is no longer required. So the purpose of the library for us? Our junior school library is about the power of the story and imagination; the senior school library is a cabinet of curiosities encouraging our students to be curious. This powerful combination of innovation and tradition across the Stephen Perse Foundation places us at the forefront of educational thought leadership in this country.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Letter from the Principal We are keen to share the distinctive Stephen Perse experience of learning with the wider community. Outreach is well-established and we are planning to expand our community footprint in the future by positioning the school as a learning hub in the city sharing pedagogical experience and offering exceptional opportunities to young people irrespective of parental income. The learning environment is crucial to the engagement of our learners. We are now at a stage where an integral part of our plans is the appointment of a Development Director. In order to create the the school we wish to be we need to undertake fundraising. This is not about a shopping list of facilities; this is about becoming involved in the creation of a distinctive 21st century school in Cambridge. Our school undoubtedly benefits from its location within such an inspiring university city and the dynamic Silicon Fen. Our environment seeks to capture the spirit of our unique location. This will be a new role within the school which clearly offers real opportunities for the right candidate to evolve with the school and its needs. The Stephen Perse Foundation is highly regarded as an innovative centre of learning and we seek to appoint someone who will embrace our ethos. Being a team player and learner are critical for this post. This is a truly exciting time in the history of our school. Please do visit our website and Twitter feeds which will give you an insight into how we do things differently. And there can be no more powerful motivation to work in a school than the words of Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Tricia Kelleher Principal
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Stephen Perse Foundation The Stephen Perse Foundation is a group of six independent schools in Cambridge, Madingley and Saffron Walden. The Foundation has always been a leader in innovative education - first in the field of educating women and now in re-imagining the future of schooling in terms of an holistic approach to teaching academic success, and in the use of technology to enhance learning. There is a strong story to tell. Founded in 1881 as Perse School for Girls, the Foundation has always been in the forefront of education developments, providing the best opportunities for students. The approach to learning is inspired by the academic scholarship of the University of Cambridge and the innovation and enterprise of Silicon Fen. It is an exceptional education that prepares students for their future in a world characterised by challenge and change. The Foundation already has a co-educational pre-prep and sixth form and are developing a diamond model of schooling to enable boys to join the Junior School from 2014 and the Senior School from 2018. In 2013 the Foundation merged with the highly successful Dame Bradbury’s Preparatory School in Saffron Walden. The Foundation has 1050 pupils and students, projected to rise to around 1500 in the next five years. Staff (teaching and nonteaching) number approximately 300. There is a secure financial position from which to make future investments.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Think Again The Stephen Perse Foundation is different. The Foundation achieves exceptional exam results without sticking blindly to the syllabus or cramming facts and figures – but what is learnt in class is only half the story. What happens on the sports field, in the art and music department, on the stage or in clubs and societies is just as important. Many great schools might say very similar things, but the Stephen Perse Foundation truly walk a different path. The last five years have been spent re-thinking the School’s approach to teaching and learning and there is now a clear vision and a distinctive ethos that is empowering for staff and exciting for pupils and students. The Foundation’s model for teaching and learning starts with the child at the centre and works out towards the key characteristics of their education. Holding it all together is ‘learning how to think’ and of course, there is detailed subject knowledge along the way. The wonderful news is that the approach works. The Foundation’s results are testimony to this - they have risen year on year during the time of change. In 2013, the Stephen Perse Sixth Form College was awarded the Sunday Times IB School of the Year for the second time (also in 2010) and the results were confirmed by the IB as being the joint-highest in the world. A Level student performance was also the best in the region and GCSE students out-stripped all competitors by a significant margin. Also in this time, students have been reaching their university goals in ever higher numbers and to ever more diverse locations. Netherlands, USA and Hong Kong are all now more popular considerations, while numbers achieving Oxford or Cambridge entry is still very high - between 25 and 30% each year. The Foundation can say with pride, that their students are going to the best courses for them personally.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
An Outstanding Track Record in Managing Change The Foundation’s next steps are to complete their rejuvenation from traditional, academic girls’ school to forward-thinking, actively evolving co-educational school with its own distinctive ethos. There are numerous, successful case-studies which demonstrate an excellent track-record in innovative and bold projects. When the Foundation moved its sixth form, they rebuilt it numerically (meeting its target two years ahead of schedule) and in character. It is now at full capacity, and with amazing results and greater opportunities than ever before. Or take the Pre-Preps. Looking back to 2009 the Foundation didn’t have one - education was only on offer from age seven upwards. An opportunity came to buy Madingley Pre-Prep and the Foundation seized it. So successful has it been that two years later the Foundation opened a second pre-prep on the city Junior School site. Madingley retains its rural idyll feeling. It is a ‘forest school’. The city Pre-Prep, also now over subscribed, has urban chic. Both provide a run through to the Junior School. In 2013 the Foundation was joined by Dame Bradbury’s, an outstanding co-educational Pre-Prep and Prep School in Saffron Waldon. Other transformative projects include the amazing Visual Arts Centre (VAC), the redevelopment of all-weather sports facilities at Latham Road and, most recently, the reconstruction of the river-front jetty. Transformation doesn’t always involve building but it does require investment in people - in staff and students. The adoption of the International Baccalaureate curriculum in the Sixth Form is a good example and its world-beating success only comes through careful investment where the returns really count. Another example is in the way the Foundation is fulfilling their goal to run non-examined courses for every year group in the Senior School and Sixth Form. The Foundation’s profile has never been so high. They are approached on a daily basis by other schools and educators, in the UK and abroad, to learn from their experience and expertise with one-to-one iPads. It is also why both staff and students were invited to run workshops at Apple’s European Education Summit in London during January 2014.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Development at the Stephen Perse Foundation What is it Now The Development office was set up in 2011 following a generous donation from a parent who wanted to invest in future fundraising potential rather than give a one-off gift. This inspired gift allowed the Foundation to work with More Partnership to develop the initial structure of the Development office and the case for support. Since its inception, the development office has been very successful, raising £1,627,400 in pledges, of which £272,400 have been fulfilled. A successful alumni relations programme and comprehensive development database have also been established. The Foundation are now looking to build on this record through the appointment of a full-time Development Director, to lead these activities on a full-time basis as we embark on an ambitious fundraising campaign. Looking to the Future In June 2013 the Stephen Perse Foundation announced a strategy to ensure that in twenty years’ time the Foundation continues to be the inspirational centre of learning that it is now. This strategy included opening the Junior and Senior Schools to boys as well as girls in a diamond formation and the merger with Dame Bradbury’s School in Saffron Walden. As part of this strategy, extensive development plans have been formulated and the work of the Development Office at The Stephen Perse Foundation will be integral to these over the next five years. The plans include: •
The redevelopment and expansion of existing schools to provide 21st Century learning facilities inspired by the Foundation’s unique approach to education and to allow for the increased pupil numbers arising from current success and strategy.
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Improvement in sports and outdoor facilities, including a dedicated sports hall.
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Expansion of the bursary programme to maintain the social diversity of the pupil body.
Success in fundraising will have a significant and positive effect on both the pace at which the Foundation can take these plans forward and the scale and scope of its ambitions
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Job Description Location:
Cambridge & Saffron Walden
Responsible to:
Principal
Job Purpose To lead and manage the Development Office team across both fundraising and alumni relations to raise significant financial and nonfinancial support for the Foundation, embedding a culture of giving. Critical Success Factors In the first twelve months the successful candidate will have: •
Developed a strong working relationship with all members of the Stephen Perse Foundation Community
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Identified potential key donors and formulated a donor relationship plan
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Established a robust systematic and successful approach to major giving to the Foundation
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Developed a detailed three year fundraising strategy and action plan, including key short and medium term funding and development milestones and targets linked to the Foundation’s strategic plans
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Attracted income from existing and new donors
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Job Description continued Main Responsibilities Strategy •
To work with the Principal, Bursar and Governing Body to develop and implement a sustainable fundraising and alumni relations strategy to support the Foundation’s vision.
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To develop a comprehensive fundraising programme ranging from regular giving through to legacies.
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To implement strong supporting activities, systems and policies for potential donor identification, research, involvement and management, donor stewardship and recognition, gift management and accounting and ethics.
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To take personal responsibility for a portfolio of major gift prospects and to ensure that a systematic, appropriate and planned solicitation and cultivation of prospects is undertaken
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To be fully informed about the developments and achievements of the Foundation
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To represent the foundation professionally and in keeping with our ethos in all relationships.
Reporting and Communication •
To ensure that donors and volunteers who have supported the Foundation either financially or with their time, are appropriately thanked, are kept informed on progress towards the Foundation’s goals and are appropriately recognised for their contribution.
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To provide timely and relevant information on progress against targets and all matters of policy relating to fundraising to relevant parties including the Governors and Senior Management Team.
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To build and maintain good relationships with members of Foundation staff in order to ensure effective coordination and integration with every aspect of Foundation life.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Job Description continued •
To attend and contribute to the Governors’ Development subcommittee and other fundraising working groups as necessary, preparing minutes and supporting data as required.
Management •
To provide leadership for, and management of, all staff involved in fundraising and to coordinate the activities of the senior staff and volunteers.
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To lead and manage the day to day activities of the development team, ensuring that clear objectives are set and that individual team members receive the necessary support, training and guidance to ensure activities are efficient and effective.
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To initiate and manage relationships with companies contracted to undertake specific tasks such as the preparation of fundraising literature and the running of a telephone fundraising campaign
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To respond to all enquiries about fundraising from Old Perseans, parents, donors, prospects, well-wishers and other members of the community in a timely, welcoming, friendly and helpful manner
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To manage the department’s budget and work with the Deputy Bursar (Finance) to provide appropriate input both to the annual budgeting cycle and to longer term financial forecasts
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To remain up to date with developments in fundraising, refreshing skills as necessary and keeping abreast of relevant philanthropic news, charity law and other relevant legislation
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To ensure all activities undertaken by the office are performed using best practice as established by professional bodies.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Job Description continued Working within the Foundation •
To build and maintain good working relationships with all Foundation colleagues
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Work at all times towards the aims and goals of the Foundation and any individual objectives and targets you may have agreed
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Act in accordance with Data Protection principles at all times
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Adhere at all times to Foundation Operational and Employment policies and procedures
Safeguarding and welfare of children The job holder’s responsibility for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom s/he is responsible, or with whom s/he comes into contact, will be to adhere to and ensure compliance with the School’s Child Protection Policy Statement at all times. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the role-holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the School, s/he must report any concerns to the School’s Child Protection Officer or the Principal This job description is not necessarily comprehensive and the position holder will be required to carry out such other duties as may be reasonably be required within the general scope and level of the post
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Person Specification Qualifications/Professional Bodies Essential •
Educated to graduate level or equivalent
Desirable •
Fundraising management qualification
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Full membership of the Institute of Fundraising or other professional body
Experience Essential •
Proven track record in fundraising
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A minimum of five years of successful fundraising or transferable professional experience (e.g. in PR or marketing)
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Successful experience of planning and securing major gifts and of managing a portfolio of relationships over a 12 -18 month period
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Experience of providing a high level of care to both existing and prospective donors and supporters
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Experience of leading and managing a team
Desirable •
Experience of fundraising in an educational institution
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Experience of fundraising from donors not resident in the UK
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Experience of alumni relations within an educational institution
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Experience of a range of different fundraising approaches including legacy programmes, annual funds, telephone campaigns etc.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Person Specification continued Skills/Knowledge Essential •
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
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Confident in handling financial data
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Excellent IT skills including Microsoft packages and presentation software
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The ability to: •
work independently and imaginatively
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work independently and as part of a team
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communicate effectively with a wide variety of people
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manage a diverse workload within tight deadlines
Desirable •
Awareness and understanding of safeguarding and child protection
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Experience and working knowledge of database systems commonly used e.g. Raisers Edge, Donor Strategy etc.
Personal Attributes Essential •
Commitment to the ethos of the Foundation
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A willingness to be involved in the wider life of the school
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Highly motivated and target driven
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Excellent standards of written and oral presentation
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The presences required to represent the foundation in interactions with prospects and donors
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Willingness to work outside normal office hours
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A positive, flexible and responsive attitude and approach to work
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Remuneration, Benefits and Terms A competitive salary will be paid for this position. Benefits include: •
Contributory pension scheme
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BUPA Private Health and Dental Plan subscriptions after two years’ service.
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Staff discount on School Fees of 50% should senior staff have a child at the Stephen Perse Sixth Form College, Senior School or Junior School or Dame Bradbury’s School and 10% for children at the Stephen Perse Pre-Prep
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30 days Holiday
The requirements of this role will necessitate evening and weekend work.
Next Steps
in partnership with
For a confidential discussion about this role, please contact the Stephen Perse Foundation’s executive search consultant: Mairi Shirley Director Execucare +44 (0)20 3589 0468 mairi.shirley@execucare.com
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
Further Information
Invitation for Interview and Recruitment Arrangements The School has a statutory duty to apply for DBS clearance and shall ask the successful candidate to complete the form which must be cleared before the applicant can commence work. Such checks may take three to four weeks. If called for interview at the Foundation, you will be required to take with you your Birth Certificate, Passport and professional qualification certificates. All appointments for the Stephen Perse Foundation are subject to reference and DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) checks, proof of identity and eligibility to work in the UK.
Stephen Perse Foundation Data Protection Statement The Stephen Perse Foundation adheres to the Data Protection Act 1998. In order for us to process your application for employment, we capture information about you. This may include your physical and mental health, and any criminal convictions you may have. All information will be kept confidential. We will only use it to process your application for employment. Your criminal record is used to enable us to discharge our legal obligations as a School. We destroy this information once we have obtained it, and simply log the fact that we have seen it. Your physical and mental health details enable us to assess that you will be able to fulfil the demands of the job. Should your application be unsuccessful we will delete all your information from our systems and dispose of it in a secure manner, unless you request that we retain it.
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Candidate Information Pack Director of Development, Stephen Perse Foundation
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