Charity Development Manager

About the Royal School for the Blind Charity

The Royal School for the Blind Charity Liverpool is a charity that runs both a School for young people aged 2-19 years old and an adult day service for young adults over the age of 19 with vision impairment, sensory, or additional needs. Although our funding comes from a variety of sources, we are starting to fundraise to support our income and make our work more sustainable for the future. Income generated will support the development of our pupils and young adults, prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life and encourage their independence, communication and mobility.

Why this role matters

We have ambitious plans for the future including building a new Centre to provide opportunities for therapies and independent growth for young people, and we know that developing sustainable voluntary income will be critical to achieving them. That's why we're investing in fundraising and creating this new role. As our first Development Manager, you'll have the opportunity to build our fundraising approach from the ground up, developing new relationships with individuals, businesses, communities and charitable funders and helping us tell the story of our work to new audiences.

Role Overview and Application Process

Job Title: Charity Development Manager

Hours: Full Time (37 hours per week)

Location: This role can be either office-based at the Royal School for the Blind Charity, or hybrid.

Responsible to: Charity Leadership Group and managed by Head of Central Services

Pay Scale: £35k - £40k, depending on experience (NJC 26-30)

Term: Two-year fixed term in the first instance, with the ambition to establish fundraising as a sustainable long-term function within the charity.

This is a rare opportunity to build and shape a new fundraising operation from the ground up, playing a pivotal role in the long-term growth and sustainability of the Royal School for the Blind Charity. As the function develops, there will be scope to expand its reach and impact, offering excellent potential for career progression.

The Charity Development Manager will lead efforts to secure vital income that underpins the charity's vision and purpose, driving support through donor engagement, targeted campaigns, and strategic fundraising initiatives. Our long-term ambition is to build a diversified fundraising programme capable of generating approximately £400,000 annually. This role will be instrumental in developing and delivering a growing, high-performing fundraising portfolio.

We are looking for an experienced fundraising professional who can design and deliver a robust, evidence-based fundraising strategy. This will involve gaining a deep understanding of the charity's mission, stakeholders, and audiences, as well as the broader funding landscape, creating a diversified and effective approach that maximizes income and long-term sustainability. This is an exciting time for the Charity as we become much more outward-looking. Alongside our existing work, we have begun a capital building project to enhance our resources. When completed, the new Rushton Centre will house facilities which are open to the public, including a hydrotherapy pool and a café. At the heart of this is a wish to make the Royal School for the Blind Charity part of the fabric of the City.

In this new post we are looking for someone who can help open up our work to the wider public: the role is well suited to an experienced fundraiser looking for autonomy and the opportunity to help shape the next chapter in the charity's history.

Although this is a new standalone fundraising role, you won't be building the function in isolation. The post sits within a well-established and supportive team and will be strategically led by the Charity Leadership group and Board of Trustees. In addition, you will have access to colleagues across our services to help bring our impact to life, and support to develop campaigns and engage new audiences. Alongside this, the Charity is currently fundraising for a capital project for a significant new building to resource our activities and reach out into the wider community. Whilst this is a separate project, in the future there will be exciting opportunities to link the new building into the core fundraising strategy.

For full roles and responsibilities please see the application pack.

Applications close: 9am on Wednesday 21st October

Shortlisting: Thursday 22nd October

Interviews: Wednesday 4th November

Preferred start date: January 2027 (or as soon as possible)

Safeguarding

The Charity considers safeguarding as its highest priority and fosters an active safeguarding culture. The post will be subject to a range of pre-employment checks, including collection of 3 references, online checks and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.