Stewardship and Philanthropy Lead

Job Title	Stewardship and Philanthropy Lead
Reports to	Director of Grants and Impact (with a dotted line to the Philanthropy Director)
Direct reports	Philanthropy and Grants Manager
Salary	£46,371
Contract	Permanent
Working Hours	35hrs per week (part time considered)
Location	London (hybrid – min 1 day a week in the office)

Primary Purpose

This role leads LCF’s stewardship and growth of existing donor relationships, working closely with individual relationship holders across the team. LCF works with a diverse range of donors committed to supporting London’s communities. This includes endowment holders and flow-through fund donors, which comprise a mixture of individuals, corporates, trusts and foundations and statutory funders.

Specifically including:

Creating and embedding clear, tailored stewardship approaches and journeys for both active and inactive donors
Oversight of the full donor portfolio, including quality assurance and links into pipeline, and direct management of a portfolio of donors and endowment holders
Strengthening the quality and consistency of relationship management across the team
Embedding insights and learning into approaches to encourage donors towards more supportive giving
Ensuring that excellent stewardship translates into retention, renewed and increased giving, and year-on-year growth in income from existing donors

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Stewardship and management of LCF’s existing donors

Own and lead LCF’s strategy, standards and quality assurance for the stewardship of all existing donors.
Develop and embed differentiated stewardship approaches and journeys for the different types of donor.
Deliver an agreed annual target for year-on-year growth in income from existing donors through retention, renewal, increased giving and reactivation.
Maintain strategic oversight of the full donor portfolio, using Salesforce to ensure each donor’s information, relationship status, stewardship plan, income potential, interactions and next steps are accurate and current.
Support colleagues to manage donor relationships effectively through coaching, training, practical guidance, tools and constructive challenge.
Directly manage a small portfolio of strategic and high-potential donors, providing responsive relationship management, informed philanthropy advice and oversight of invoicing and income.
Ensure relationships are managed in line with LCF’s policies, donor agreements, due diligence requirements, risk appetite, delegated authority and standard operating procedures.

Impact and insights

Use and contribute to LCF’s growing data, impact and insights work to strengthen donor advice, engagement, reporting and income growth.
Use donor, income and engagement data to segment the portfolio, assess potential, prioritise activity and evaluate the effectiveness of stewardship journeys.
Ensure donor reporting and communications clearly demonstrate the impact of support and create informed opportunities for continued or increased giving.
Maintain high-quality information on donors, funds, programmes and grantees in Salesforce and use learning to improve stewardship and grant-making practice.

Grants and Impact team

Line manage the Philanthropy and Grants Manager, who will lead the grant-making delivery associated with their donor portfolio. Set clear objectives and provide regular supervision, support and development.
Build stewardship capability across the team through coaching, training, guidance, templates, case reviews and shared learning.
Hold relationship owners to account for agreed follow-up, Salesforce updates and delivery of stewardship activity, addressing gaps constructively and promptly.
As part of the Grants and Impact Leadership Team, lead stewardship and philanthropy practice and contribute to team strategy, planning, culture, capacity and portfolio management.
Report to the Director of Grants and Impact, with a dotted line to the Philanthropy Director for existing-donor income targets, pipeline, forecasting and opportunities for growth.
Identify and raise issues or risks to the Director or Deputy Director of Grants and Impact with recommendations and solutions.

LCF / external

Networking and representing LCF with internal and external stakeholders, including donors, partners and community organisations.
Championing and advocating for LCF’s vision, mission, values and approach internally and externally, demonstrating behaviours and implementing operating principles.
Contributing to LCF’s strategic priorities, particularly investing in community organisations, growing insight and knowledge, and inspiring and mobilising philanthropy.
Any other tasks which are commensurate with the role and may be required from time to time, including occasional evening or out-of-hours events.

Skills, Experience & Knowledge

Essential

Substantial experience at manager or senior manager level leading donor stewardship, account management or philanthropy across a varied portfolio.
Demonstrable experience of creating and embedding differentiated donor journeys, stewardship frameworks, service standards and quality assurance processes.
A strong track record of retaining and growing existing donor relationships and delivering against income, renewal or pipeline targets.
Experience of managing strategic or high-potential relationships and providing credible, responsive advice to donors or partners.
Experience of portfolio management using a CRM, ideally Salesforce, including maintaining accurate records, setting next steps, using dashboards, monitoring activity and producing forecasts or reports.
Ability to coach, train and guide colleagues, build consistent practice across a team and hold others constructively to account for agreed actions and standards.
Strong analytical judgement and the ability to use donor, income, impact and engagement data to prioritise activity, identify risks and opportunities, and improve stewardship.
Ability to produce and quality assure persuasive donor reports, briefings, stewardship plans and communications that bring impact to life.
Knowledge of London’s civil society, communities and social issues, with the ability to translate insight into informed philanthropy advice.
Collaborative, solutions-focused and able to work effectively across Grants and Impact, Philanthropy, Communications and Events, Finance and Data and Insights.

Desirable

Experience of people management, including objective-setting, regular supervision, support and development.
Understanding of endowments, community foundations, donor-advised funds, pooled funds or other models of place-based philanthropy.
Knowledge and expertise of a specific issue or theme affecting London’s communities.
Experience of developing templates, processes, guidance or training materials to improve consistency and quality across a team.
Evaluation, impact or learning experience.

The London Community Foundation

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Stewardship and Philanthropy Lead