ABOUT CHILDREN’S BOOKS IRELAND:

Reading has the power to change lives. Children's Books Ireland’s work aims to inspire and enable children and young people to become readers for life. We support authors and illustrators and we engage with and inform families, teachers, booksellers, librarians, publishers and other adults who influence children and young people's reading.

Children’s Books Ireland’s vision is simple: every child a reader. Our mission is:

• to inspire a love of reading in children and young people in Ireland,
• to share our expertise and enthusiasm with the adults who guide and influence them, and
• to champion every child’s right to excellent books and live literature events and support the artists who make that goal possible across the island of Ireland.

Children’s Books Ireland is a registered charity, who marked 25 years of impact in 2022. We deliver numerous projects that bring the joy of reading to children all over the island of Ireland including Laureate na nÓg (the children’s literature laureate), the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards, Children’s Books Ireland Book Clinics, a magazine and annual reading guide, an annual conference and various book-gifting schemes (supported by corporate and philanthropic partners) which ensure that children and young people in areas of need have access to books. Children’s Books Ireland is the go-to organisation for children’s book coverage across various media. For more information, see www.childrensbooksireland.ie and read our Strategic Plan here and our Impact Report for 2021 here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Children’s Books Ireland is seeking an experienced part-time Development Manager (3 days per week) to lead all aspects of the organisation’s donor engagement and fundraising programme, nurturing relationships with donors, strategic partners and sponsors and maintaining and growing the high level of individual, corporate and philanthropic income that Children’s Books Ireland has worked to establish. This is a key role in the organisation, and the successful candidate will be responsible for implementing our fundraising strategy, working closely with Children’s Books Ireland’s Chair and Board and other key stakeholders to identify potential prospects, research and develop new income streams and maintain and renew existing relationships. Children’s Books Ireland has benefitted for some years from the support of RAISE, a philanthropy capacity-building programme run by consultancy firm OKC on behalf of the Arts Council, and this support will continue through 2023. The successful candidate will be an active participant in the programme and will be responsible for fostering a culture of fundraising and philanthropy across the Board and Executive team. The Development Manager will report to and work closely with the CEO on donor development and the ongoing review and development of the fundraising and donor care strategy.

DUTIES:

• Maintain a high level of fundraised income (over €500,000 in 2022) with a specific focus on core and unrestricted income.
• Implement the organisation’s fundraising strategy and work with the CEO and Board to develop future plans to ensure financial growth and sustainability.
• Nurture and steward relationships with major donors, corporate partners and sponsors and trusts & foundations, and develop a pipeline of new relationships.
• Prepare pitch decks & documents and funding applications.
• Grow Children’s Books Ireland’s Leading Lights individual giving programme, one-off donation campaigns and legacy giving.
• Be responsible for consistent and timely donor communications and impact reporting, including preparing regular newsletters to supporters and required reporting to funders, adhering to deadlines.
• Devise and deliver fundraising, cultivation and stewardship events for donors, supporters and partners.
• Keep informed on key philanthropy trends, emerging research and upcoming fundraising and grant opportunities by staying connected to a broad network of fundraising professionals and representing Children’s Books Ireland at network meetings, events and conferences.
• Work closely with the CEO on annual targets and report on a regular basis to the Board and as needed for the RAISE programme.
• Work closely with the entire Children’s Books Ireland team to ensure that successfully funded programmes deliver on expectations within budget and on schedule.
• Work closely with the Board and executive team to embed a culture of philanthropy across  the organisation.
• Research options and implement a fundraising CRM system.
• Keep up-to-date with key developments (for example in ESG/Sustainability, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Digital Transformation) that are pertinent to building strong philanthropic and corporate partnerships.

REQUIREMENTS

The successful candidate will:

• Be able to confidently carry out the responsibilities outlined above while working independently and as part of a small, creative, fast-paced team.
• Have at least three years’ experience in donor development and fundraising, and a proven track record of success reaching set targets and forging strong relationships based on trust and aligned values. Note: Children’s Books Ireland will also consider candidates who have a strong track record in a business development role in a related field.
• Have excellent digital literacy, with the ability to create presentations in PowerPoint and a good degree of proficiency using Word, Excel, Slack, Dropbox and Zoom. Previous experience using CRM software is desirable.
• Have excellent written and spoken communication skills and be comfortable writing narrative for a broad variety of donor engagement materials and grant applications and confident preparing and making presentations to donors, funders and sponsors in person and online.
• Be a self-starter who is proactive and motivated to support the organisation’s vision.
• Confidently work towards ambitious, achievable financial targets.

Ideally, the successful candidate will have a good understanding of charity governance and good practice in relation to fundraising.

Reporting To: CEO

Location: At least 1 day per week at Children’s Books Ireland, First floor, 17 North Great George's Street, Dublin 1. The remaining two days can be remote or in-person. The successful candidate will be flexible to attend meetings and events as required, given the nature of the work; this may include occasional evening or weekend events.

Start date: As soon as possible

Contract duration: Permanent, with a six-month probation period.

Hours of work: 24 hours per week. How the hours are managed is flexible, with the option to work mornings/afternoons/three full days. Hours are flexible between 8 a.m. and 5.30 p.m.

Remuneration/benefits: €49,500–€53,000 full-time equivalent/pro rata. 5% matching pension contribution after 6 months. 15 days’ annual leave. Ability to work flexibly. Access to Cycle to Work Scheme and TaxSaver Scheme.

To apply: Email a cover letter and CV (preferably in one combined document) to [email protected], with DEVELOPMENT MANAGER in the subject line, before 4 pm on Monday 12th June 2023. Children’s Books Ireland is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work and we welcome applications from all qualified candidates. The position will be subject to reference checks.