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.
