Director of Fundraising
Appointment Brief
March 2015
An Introduction from Tim Howarth,
Chief Operating Officer
Dear Candidate,
United World Schools is in the exciting position of
recruiting for a Director of Fundraising, a new role for
the UWS Team, and a vital one to shape our future
strategy and impact.
My personal UWS journey started in 2006, with a
visit to Ratanakiri, Cambodia, an area of desperate
educational poverty. Two years later, a plan was
hatched to build a school in Korng Nork Village,
Cambodia, for 150 out-of-school ethnic minority
children, who otherwise had little hope of escaping
from a cycle of grinding poverty.
Founded by Chris Howarth, my father, UWS became
a registered charity in 2008, and our first school,
UWS Korng Nork, opened its doors later the same
year. And we’ve come a long way since - today we
have 29 UWS community schools serving around
6,000 children and young adults in Cambodia and
Myanmar, and we’ve just broken ground in Nepal.
We have been inspired by the people we have met
on route, by the communities we have supported,
and by those who have joined and supported us.
We are a relatively new charity, but one which is
gathering real momentum. We have a robust model
with a track record of success. And as we build our
momentum we are increasing our level of ambition.
In April 2014 we launched our Transforming 50,000
Lives Campaign – with a clear focus on putting
50,000 children and young adults into a UWS
School by 2018.
The Transforming 50,000 Lives Campaign provides
us with the investment to build a professional and
efficient UWS central team who - with the support
of an active Board of Trustees and many committed
volunteers and supporters - will drive UWS forward
over the next few years. To date, almost three
quarters of our target of £1m has been donated
or pledged. Due to the success of this campaign,
we are excited to be recruiting the small group of
outstanding individuals who will form the UWS
central team, based in the UK. This is the team who
will take UWS to, and beyond, our 2018 ambition.
The Director of Fundraising role is an absolutely
vital position within the UWS central team. It is
a challenging role, of course, but I believe it is a
fascinating and deeply rewarding one too. In order
to succeed in this role you will need a collaborative
working style and an ability to deliver both at a
strategic and operational level.
Within the rest of this pack, you will find information
about our work and the communities we serve.
Information on our values, our structure, current
income and our strategic plans is also included.
We’re on a really exciting journey; and we’re looking
for someone special. Someone who can inspire a
CEO, craft a brilliant grant application, meticulously
re-draft an excel budget and pop to the bank to cash
a cheque for £15. All in one afternoon.
I hope you will be inspired to join us.
Chief Operating Officer
United World Schools
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About Us
United World Schools is dedicated to
improving the educational opportunities for
the world’s poor and marginalised children.
We teach the unreached. We support
communities by providing a free basic
education.
Yet UWS is a charity often accused of building
schools. This is not our objective.
Getting children who otherwise would never see
the inside of a school into education is what we are
about. By providing children with a basic education,
we are striking at the heart of long term poverty and
deprivation – a long game but one we are tackling
head on and with ambition and commitment.
UWS provides a flexible education model that is
simple yet effective in remote regions. The model
ensures that national curriculum requirements are
followed and teachers are supported to implement
grass-root educational programmes which are
locally anchored, protecting indigenous languages,
cultures and customs.
Additionally, UWS schools introduce appropriate
and complementary life and vocational skills.
This is delivered through art, sport, music and logic
programmes and lessons. Independent learning
skills are fostered and nurtured through the UWS
self-learning centres and classroom libraries.
Given the simplicity of the UWS model, the schools
cost less than £20,000 to build, which buys you three
classrooms, a well or running water, two latrines,
teacher accommodation facilities, a solar panel with
four light bulbs. In addition, it covers the cost of
school furniture and the initial educational supplies.
We run the schools equally cheaply, usually around
£5,000 per annum, by relying primarily on in-country
teachers and a locally recruited UWS management
team. We then twin these schools with a school in the
developed world who not only get an amazing insight
into what educational deprivation really means but
also get the opportunity to raise enough money to
run the school – which is what most of them do.
We’re on track to have over 40 schools in Cambodia,
Myanmar and Nepal by the end of 2015, each
serving desperately poor, remote and marginalised
communities. These schools will educate both boys
and girls alike; we do not tolerate gender bias. Each
school will reach 200 – 250 children and, once built,
at a cost of less than £1 per child per week.
UWS now has a genuine opportunity to expand its
global reach. We’re up, running and ready to scale
up what we know works: today almost 6,000 children
have been to, or are attending, a UWS community
school in Cambodia and Myanmar. The UWS 2018
goal is clear – to transform the future of 50,000
children and young adults by developing 150+
schools in areas of significant educational poverty.
The UWS Vision
The UWS Mission
The UWS Goal 2014-2018
The UWS vision is to teach the
unreached: where children in
remote and post-conflict areas
have access to basic education
and improved life chances.
To work with communities to
build schools and develop local
teachers, providing a low cost
and sustainable way to teach
the unreached.
To reach 50,000 children and
young adults providing them
with an opportunity to read,
write and count.
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About Us
The Foundation of UWS
United World Schools gained charitable status in
2008, and has come a long way in a short period
of time. The charity began when Chris Howarth,
who had been volunteering with VSO in Cambodia
since 2006, saw a need and opportunity to work
with the hugely under-resourced local authorities of
Ratanakiri, NE Cambodia, and took action. The need
was a school, and education, for the marginalised
ethnic minority children who were without educational
opportunity of any kind. So Chris, and his friend Nan
Sitha, talked to local communities. Trust was gently
built, and the village communities were keen to see
a school facility developed.
To gain further community trust and rapport, Chris
and Sitha coordinated educational projects with the
children, parents and their villages. Chris’s daughter
Anna, was the catalyst for the development of a
united world schools movement, forming partnerships
between the UWS schools and more affluent schools
in the UK and worldwide. Anna, together with UK
school colleagues from Portsmouth Grammar and
Guildford Grammar, ran community engagement
projects to connect the schools, uniting young
people from the UK and Cambodia.
Today, Chris, together with Sitha and the UWS Team
in Cambodia, Ronnie and the team in Myanmar and
recently Surya in Nepal continue to work tirelessly
with remote communities in delivering educational
opportunity. Alongside these teams are the active
and committed UK Board of Trustees, the UWS
Council, 28 UWS Partner Schools and a network of
supporters who champion the UWS cause.
UWS’s ethos, values and beliefs remain true to
Chris’s original vision.
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About Us
Organisational Structure
UWS Core Team 2015
We are looking to professionalise and grow a lean,
efficient central team that can scale the charity.
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This is key to our vision and mission, and key to
taking the organisation to a scale where it can have
significant impact and reach over 100,000 children
who have been denied access to education (with
a basic education delivered to 50,000 by 2018).
Low cost educational provision is in our DNA. We will
remain extremely cautious about adding expensive
central employees, and therefore are looking to recruit
just a small number of exception individuals over
the next few years. They will be complemented by
volunteers and pro bono support wherever possible
to achieve our goals.
Chief Operating Officer (Tim Howarth)
Director of Fundraising (to be recruited)
Financial Officer (Michael Nelson)
Programmes Director (Chris Howarth)
School Partnerships Director (Jack Clark)
Team coordinator/Project officer (to be recruited)
Note: The above represents an interim team; as the
team grows and operations are scaled up, we will
remain a lean core team, but further roles will be
added in 2016 and beyond as required.
The following roles are the central team that we are
asking donors to support through the Transforming
50,000 Lives campaign. In putting this team
together we are building the machine that can build
the schools at scale and that will make such a big
difference to so many people’s lives.
Progress (Historical and Projected)
Phase and Dates
Core Capacity
Reach/Impact
2007 – 2010: Emerging
(organic growth)
Chris Howarth and family
7 Schools, 1,500 attendees
2011 – 2013: Effective pro bono
organisation
Active Board and group of volunteers
in UK
14 Schools, 3,000 attendees
2014 – 2015: Scaling and
professionalising
Active Boards, Council, Ambassador
Network and professional central
team in UK (beginning to build the
HK/USA teams)
43+ Schools, 12,000+ attendees
2016 – 2018: Scaled and
professionalised
Active Boards, Councils, Ambassador
Networks and core teams in UK,
Singapore, HK, USA, Germany, with
connections worldwide
150+ Schools, 48,000+ attendees
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About Us
Budget and Fundraising
The cost of educating a child through the UWS model
is incredibly low, commonly less than £1 per week
per student once the UWS School is established.
To date, UWS has operated with minimal central
administration and has been predominantly funded
by private donations and through support from the
partner schools. However, in order to reach more
children, in more countries, UWS is seeking £5m of
funding towards 2015-2018 work plan, which will
see 50,000 children educated. And by 2018 UWS
will have the scale, systems and reach to receive
significant institutional funding to sustain and develop
operations.
The total budget is £6.5m, of which the Partner
School programme will contribute approximately a
quarter of the costs directly related to the schools.
The remaining three-quarters of the funds will be
sourced from private and public funding, and will
contribute to the school building programme.
Additionally, this funding will also be used to train
teachers, launch further country programmes and
employ local and international staff to manage the
national and global operations. The table below
provides an overview of the annual costs and the
rate of growth of the UWS over the five years.
UWS’ revenue for 2015 was ahead of budget at
just over £500,000; income was generated through
a portfolio of school partnerships, donations from
high net-worth individuals, corporate sponsorship,
and grants from trusts and foundations. We currently
have significant pledges of support for 2015,
with the platform to secure significantly greater
donations. We believe in investing in growth –
we have a budget for both the Director of Fundraising
role, and the tools they will need to do the job.
The ambition now is to secure £1m through 2015,
growing to a £1.5m - £3m capital and revenue
funding stream in future years by maintaining and
growing existing relationships whilst identifying
and securing income from new sources including
corporate partners, trusts and individuals, as well
as institutional funding by 2018.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Number of
school hubs
1
2
3
4
5
6
Number of
schools
14
24
43
70
105
150
Number of
students
attended, or
attending a
UWS school
3,000
5,000
12,000
20,000
32,000
48,000
Funding
requirement
(£)
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-
950,000
1,300,000
1,800,000
2,500,000
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Job Description
Job Title
Director of Fundraising
Location
Central London/Home working requests considered
Job Type
Permanent/Flexible working arrangements considered
Role Summary
The Director of Fundraising will be responsible for
devising and delivering the fundraising strategy
and case for support that will drive and secure
new income for United World Schools.
Responsibilities
• Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and
working in close collaboration with the Board of
Trustees and wider team to execute and develop
the fundraising strategy, targets and budgets
• Build and implement the infrastructure needed
to deliver a £1.5m - £3m capital and revenue
funding stream
• Develop the case for support and create
appropriate materials to attract funders to the
organisation
• Ensure a robust programme of prospect
identification, cultivation, asking and stewardship
is in place across all income streams
• Develop new income streams for corporate,
institutional and regular giving
• Expand and diversify UWS’s donor base and
pipeline working closely with colleagues,
the Board and senior volunteers
• Write proposals and funding applications to grantmaking trusts, foundations and statutory sources,
ensuring that funders’ requirements are met
• Design and coordinate fundraising and profile
raising events
• Coordinate members of the UWS Council
interested in fundraising, supporting its evolution
as an effective development committee
• Develop donor management infrastructure and
database, including policies and best practice
guidelines
• Ensure systems and process are in place to
report back to donors on impact and return
on investment
• Position UWS ahead of major funding changes
or trends
• Ensure all necessary legal and financial issues
around fundraising are appropriately fulfilled and
adhered to
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Person Specification
Education, Skills & Qualifications
• Educated to degree level with evidence of
continuing professional development
• Demonstrable track-record in fundraising,
including experience working with high net
worth individuals and trusts & foundations to
secure income
• Strong organisational and time management
skills with a sharp eye for detail
• Professional and resourceful, with the ability
to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict
deadlines, including working extended hours
as required
• Excellent communication skills, both written and
oral; with the ability to influence and engage a
wide range of donors and partners and build
long-term relationships
• Ability to work in a small but highly ambitious
organisation
• Motivated, confident and very well presented
• Entrepreneurial approach
• Good understanding of communications and
an eye for branding and design
• Demonstrable interest and empathy with the work
of United World Schools
• Determined, courageous, flexible, co-operative
and a pro-active team player
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How to Apply
To apply for this position, please send a
comprehensive CV and a supporting statement.
Please ensure that your application fully addresses
the appointment criteria in the person specification.
You should give the names, positions, organisations
and telephone contact numbers of two referees,
one of whom should be your current/most recent
employer. References will only be taken once your
express permission has been granted.
Applications should be made via the
Prospectus website at:
www.prospect-us.co.uk/executive/job/HQ00155992
Timetable
Applications invited until: Noon, Thursday 2nd April
Initial interviews with Tim Howarth: 8th to 10th April
Panel interview with UWS: w/c 13th April
This dates may be subject to change and applicants
will be advised in advance should this happen.
Queries
If you have any queries on any aspect of the
appointment process, need additional information or
wish to have an informal discussion, please contact
Linda Griffiths at Prospectus on 0207 691 1920 or
via email at [email protected]
Applications can also be posted to:
Sarah Hill, Prospectus, 20-22 Stukeley Street,
London, WC2B 5LR
Director
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Prospectus Ltd
20-22 Stukeley Street
London, WC2B 5LR
020 7691 1925
www.prospect-us.co.uk