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Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
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CANDIDATE INFORMATION PACK HEAD OF TRANSFORMATIONAL PHILANTHROPY
WELCOME LETTER Many thanks for your interest in the
completion of our flagship Voltaire
Looking ahead, our ambition is to expand
an important role in our augmentation
Voltaire Foundation.
edition and as we approach this
our activities in two new directions:
and will be vital to our future success.
Merci beaucoup pour l’intérêt que vous
landmark, we are looking towards a very
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exploring the optimal ways of
If, as I hope, you share in our vision and
conducting and delivering scholarly
would like to help us realise our ambition,
portez à la Voltaire Foundation.
exciting future.
The Voltaire Foundation is a small
The movement of liberal ideas in 18th-
research using digital and online
it would be a great pleasure to meet you
century Europe had global repercussions,
resources;
and to discuss these ideas further.
organisation with a unique mission. A research institute at Oxford dedicated wholly to the study of the 18th century and the values of the European Enlightenment, we enjoy a world-wide reputation as the leading research centre in our field. Whilst the work
and at a time when the concept of Europe is again a huge political issue and the mood against expert opinion, the study of the Enlightened values that Europeans hold in common acquires a new significance and a new urgency.
may seem niche to some, the study and
Enlightenment values – free speech,
dissemination of this research is more
religious toleration, personal liberty –
important and relevant to the world we
are at the core of our modern liberal
live in than ever before.
democracies, and they have their origins
Since I was appointed Director of the Voltaire Foundation in 1997, our core mission has been to produce a complete edition in French of all the writings of Voltaire (1694-1778) – amazingly enough, this is the first ever complete edition of his writings – and when finished, in
in 18th-century philosophy and literature. Long taken for granted, these values have never been more vitally relevant than today. Researching into the eighteenthcentury origins of liberal thinking, in all its contradictions, is a vital means of understanding our modern world.
some 200 volumes, this edition will be a
When I joined in 1997, I do not think
landmark in Enlightenment studies.
I realised the importance of what the
2020 will mark an important turningpoint in the life of the Voltaire Foundation. We will celebrate the
Voltaire Foundation contributes to this debate and the impact that study of the Enlightenment has in terms of fostering a stable, civilised and vibrant society.
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attracting doctoral and post-doctoral students as well as research fellows, to create an ideal environment for the generation of new research in this key period of European and transatlantic culture.
Building on our existing achievements, our ambition is to create and permanently endow a research centre that will bring together researchers from across Europe and beyond, to encourage investigation into the Enlightenment and to reflect on the legacy of Enlightenment values in the modern world. We would now like to appoint our first Head of Transformational Philanthropy to join our small and enthusiastic team, to help us achieve these goals. We can only deliver our work with a strong financial base. The post of Head of Transformational Philanthropy matters hugely to the Voltaire Foundation, plays
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
Professor Nicholas Cronk Director
THE VOLTAIRE FOUNDATION In today’s political and economic climate, the work of the Voltaire Foundation is more relevant than ever. Voltaire is one of history’s most famous writers whose influence on many aspects of western cultural and political life is immense. With Voltaire at its heart, the Enlightenment stands as a time in human history when rationality began to replace religion as the guiding principle in human affairs. The twenty-first century reveals nothing so much as that this process is not and may never be complete. The values – tolerance, freedom and rationality – that were championed by Voltaire and his correspondents are yet again being challenged, not only in countries where religion has always been the dominant organising principle, but also in those with constitutions that were built around Enlightenment pillars. The Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford has grown to become a world leader for eighteenthcentury and Enlightenment scholarship. Its core mission was originally twofold: to disseminate the most up-to-
date research on the eighteenth century through the book series Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment; and to research and publish in French the definitive edition of The Complete works of Voltaire (Œuvres complètes de Voltaire). The Voltaire Foundation owes its existence to the visionary bequest of Theodore Besterman in the 1970s.
development strategy for growth. This is an opportunity for someone who has ambition, drive and enthusiasm – and would enjoy working with a hugely engaged leadership team. The Voltaire Foundation culture is professional, collaborative and values transparency, flexibility, trustworthiness, and energy. For more information please visit www.voltaire.ox.ac.uk
As the Foundation has flourished, so its goals have expanded. Today, the mission of the Voltaire Foundation is to encourage scholarly research into Voltaire and his contemporaries, and to bring the debates of the Enlightenment to the widest possible modern audience. The Foundation is at an exciting stage in its development; the challenges of the modern world show that Voltairean values have never been more relevant. As the Voltaire Foundation moves into a transformative phase of growth, it now seeks its first Head of Transformational Philanthropy to play a pivotal role in this exciting period. The Head of Transformational Philanthropy will lead the implementation of a
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
DEVELOPMENT AT THE VOLTAIRE FOUNDATION The Voltaire Foundation has a long tradition of philanthropic fundraising. Founded through a bequest of £2 million of Theodore Besterman in the 1970s, it has secured numerous gifts and grants from both individuals and foundations including LVMH, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the British Academy. Recent gifts include one of £30,000 in support of our digital research programme, and one of £50,000 to dedicate a print volume of the Complete works of Voltaire. Going forward, the Foundation is currently negotiating a major award in support of a cutting-edge digital project, and another to finance an international collaborative programme of postdoctoral students. The Head of Transformational Philanthropy will be responsible for the development and implementation of a fundraising strategy that builds its endowment and revenue income to deliver future initiatives: •
The Voltaire Foundation is a dynamic and interdisciplinary research centre which exists to nurture scholars and scholarship. The eighteenth-century
Enlightenment is an essentially European movement, and looking to the future, the Voltaire Foundation can play a unique role in fostering dialogue between scholars of all nationalities working on the nature of the Enlightenment in England, France, Scotland, Germany, Italy, etc., as well as in North America. The Foundation is affiliated to the Oxford Research Centre for the Humanities (TORCH), and has an annual programme of lectures, seminars and conferences on every aspect of the Enlightenment and the eighteenth century – from debates about tolerance and freedom of speech, questions of intelligent design and atheism, to questions of textual editing in the digital age. •
Digital Voltaire, a digital edition that will carry forward our high standards of scholarship, will allow our work to be regularly updated, and it will allow the works of Voltaire to reach a far wider audience than is the case at present. The creation of new online resources opens up exciting
possibilities that will allow the Voltaire Foundation to engage fully in contemporary research in digital humanities. The Head of Transformational Philanthropy will work closely with Nicholas Cronk, Director, the University’s Development Office and the Foundation’s senior management team who will play a key part in the raising of funds to enable the Foundation to deliver its vision for the future. S/he will also work closely with Miles Young, Warden of New College, Oxford, and Chair of the Voltaire Foundation Board of Management (former worldwide Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather), and with Julien Sevaux, a banker who chairs the Development council/Comité de soutien, which includes prominent figures from the world of business, banking and diplomacy. The Head of Transformational Philanthropy will be a member of the Senior Management Team. The postholder will provide leadership to the office and be responsible for setting and controlling its budget in consultation with the Director.
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
Role of the Head of Transformational Philanthropy The Head of Transformational Philanthropy will be responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy and will have a particular focus on building relationships that facilitate major gifts. These will be with highnet worth individuals, external bodies, trusts and foundations. The postholder will have a transformational impact on the Foundation’s fundraising and in so doing, play a pivotal role in enabling it to affect a step change in its capability to attract philanthropic funding and engage powerfully with its stakeholders globally. The successful candidate will be an exceptional major gifts fundraiser who recognises that success in this role will be transformational not only for the Foundation but also for their own career.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
Welcome to the University of Oxford. We aim to lead the world in research and education for the benefit of society both in the UK and globally. Oxford’s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of social, policy and economic impacts. We believe our strengths lie both in empowering individuals and teams to address fundamental questions of global significance, while providing all our staff with a welcoming and inclusive workplace that enables everyone to develop and do their best work. Recognising that diversity is our strength, vital for innovation and creativity, we aspire to build a truly diverse community which values and respects every individual’s unique contribution.
While we have long traditions of scholarship, we are also forward-looking, creative and cutting-edge. Oxford is one of Europe’s most entrepreneurial universities. Income from external research contracts in 2016/17 exceeded £565m and we rank first in the UK for university spin-outs, with more than 130 companies created to date. We are also recognised as leaders in support for social enterprise. Join us and you will find a unique, democratic and international community, a great range of staff benefits and access to a vibrant array of cultural activities in the beautiful city of Oxford. For more information please visit www.ox.ac.uk/about/organisation
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
JOB DESCRIPTION PURPOSE OF THE JOB
FUNDRAISING
1. Develop and implement the Voltaire Foundation’s development strategy and programme, and to increase support from individuals through major gifts as well as the corporate sector, trusts and foundations and other bodies from whom funding may be obtained.
• Articulate the Foundation’s strategy in a way that is compelling for donors.
2. Work closely with the Director on development strategy and vision.
• Oversee all aspects of major gift fundraising from prospect research and identification to direct solicitation. The post holder will be expected to encourage prospective donors to consider making a gift and, when appropriate, personally to solicit a specific sum of money, often working jointly with the Director.
3. Manage an effective cultivation and stewardship programme for all donors. 4. Build constructive relationships at all levels within the Foundation and the University.
• Actively identify and cultivate major donors, including those without a pre-existing connection to the Foundation.
• Develop close working relationships with prospects and donors to the benefit of the Foundation, and independently undertake meetings to cultivate major gifts for a range of priorities.
STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT
• Work closely with the Director and other senior staff on significant fundraising opportunities.
• Develop and implement the Foundation’s fundraising strategy.
• Identify, recruit and work with high-level volunteers who can assist with prospect identification, cultivation and solicitation. To support those volunteers in soliciting gifts as appropriate.
• Work closely with the senior management team to promote the aims of the Foundation. • Responsible for the Development Office budget.
COMMUNICATIONS • Manage relations and communications with supporters of the Foundation, including cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Manage approaches and applications to trusts and foundations. • Optimise philanthropic support for the collegiate University and to adhere to best practice in prospect cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. This will involve collaboration with College-based and other development staff in line with agreed principles and protocols. • Ensure that a current and accurate record of all development strategy and activity for which the post holder is responsible be maintained.
• Overall responsibility for relevant sections of the Foundation’s website.
• To champion the Voltaire Foundation, sharing projects and priorities with other fundraising teams in the Development Office and the collegiate University to maximise opportunities for fundraising. In particular, to act as the main point of contact between the Foundation and the Oxford University Development Office in New York (OUDNA), and the international Principal Gift Officers, to enable major donor and foundation fundraising beyond the UK.
• Contribute to the Foundation’s online and social media presence.
• Work to agreed KPIs.
• Oversee management of donor/prospect records/data and have overall responsibility for ensuring GDPR compliance.
The above is not an exhaustive description and other requirements may emerge as necessitated by changing roles within the Voltaire Foundation’s and its overall objectives.
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
PERSON SPECIFICATION
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT
• Education to degree level or equivalent. • Proven fundraising experience and direct involvement in securing major 5 figure gifts. • Strong strategic skills, comfortable with setting strategy as well as taking a hands-on approach to fundraising. • Proven experience of generating and maximising opportunities to secure multiple major gifts.
SALARY
Commensurate with experience
PENSION
You will be enrolled in to the Universities Superannuation Scheme, unless you notify the Foundation otherwise.
• Demonstrable experience of rigorous pipeline building and management.
Further information about the USS can be found HERE
• Outstanding oral and written communication, presentation and persuasion skills. • The ability to promote interest amongst prospective donors in the goals of the Voltaire Foundation and the University as a whole.
ANNUAL LEAVE
• Strong IT skills including Raiser’s Edge or equivalent and knowledge of how digital technology can support fundraising.
38 days - inclusive of all public holidays and any locally agreed closure days.
LOCATION
99 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6JX – flexible, home-working and/or 4 days a week will be considered.
HOURS OF
Out of hours work and travel, both in the UK and internationally, will be required due to the nature of the role, including some evenings and weekends.
• A desire to be “out in the field” soliciting and securing major gifts. • An ability to think and plan both strategically and tactically about the relations between potential donors and fund-raising goals.
WORK
• Dynamic and proactive individual who inspires the confidence, enthusiasm and support of colleagues and donors. • Excellent administrative, organisational and project management skills and the ability to ensure that deadlines and targets are met by self and others. • A credible figure both within Oxford and the UK as well as with international high net worth individuals, corporates and senior executives. • Strong interpersonal skills, personable and capable of building and developing relationships at every level.
BENEFITS
A full list of benefits of working at the University can be downloaded HERE
IMPORTANT
Important policy information can be downloaded HERE
INFORMATION
• The capacity to understand the needs of the Foundation and communicate these to donors. • A commitment to the aims and values of the Voltaire Foundation.
HOW TO APPLY
• An ability to speak French or another European language [desirable]
To apply for this role, please click HERE
Candidate Information Pack | Head of Transformational Philanthropy, The Voltaire Foundation, University of Oxford
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