SMART provides funding to enable Suffolk's young people to access life-enriching music and arts opportunities, and we bring together Suffolk arts alumni to help us do this. We are looking for a Fundraising Officer to join our board of trustees.
We are looking for a Fundraising Officer to join the board of Trustees, who meet every 4-6 weeks via Zoom, usually on a weekday evening from around 7.30pm - 9.30pm. Trustees based in Suffolk occasionally meet up in person to join the Zoom calls. From time to time Trustees will be involved in fundraising and member events, the majority of which take place in Suffolk. The Fundraising Officer will also need to dedicate time between meetings (we estimate this to be around 1 day a month) to carry out duties including:
Please see the full job description for a list of the full Fundraising Officer duties, and the general duties of all Trustees
We are ideally looking for someone who has some or all of the following experience and qualities:
It is not necessary to have previous board committee experience. While trustees will need to understand and accept the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of trusteeship, SMART will provide an induction (and signpost opportunities for external training) to help new trustees develop this understanding. This position would therefore suit someone taking their first steps to develop wider board level and governance experience
Ideally we are looking for someone based in Suffolk, although we will consider applications from candidates based outside of Suffolk who have the required skill set and experience.
We believe that diversity enhances and enriches the arts sector and drives innovation. As a charity, we recognise that we are on a journey to be more representative of the young people we support at all levels, including within our board. We warmly welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds, particularly candidates from backgrounds currently underrepresented on the SMART board, such as global majority and/or disabled candidates.
We are a small charity, set up in 2018 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and are run entirely by volunteers. Our roots are in music, growing out of our close links with the Suffolk County Music Service. We have built our funds through a variety of events and member-driven fundraising initiatives: one highlight was playing at Latitude Festival with an orchestra made up of our members.
Since 2020 we have been able to offer funding: we have now supported nearly 50 talented and committed young people in need of financial support, through nearly £25,000 in grants and scholarships. We have a strong pipeline of grant applicants in need of support (for example, our most recent funding round, one of three a year, attracted applications for more than £10,000 in funding). Our focus is now on growing our funds and our membership to enable us to support more of Suffolk’s young people across a wide range of arts opportunities.
The Fundraising Officer will play a key role in leading SMART to build sustainable sources of income, to enable us to continue and expand our work. As a result, SMART can impact more young people across Suffolk, enabling access to arts opportunities to enrich their lives.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the position, please get in touch with us via Reach Volunteering https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/opp/fundraising-officer-smart-suffolk-m... Please apply via this site with a CV and a short covering message to the Co-Chairs (Vicky James & Becci Reidy) detailing your experience and reasons for applying. We will acknowledge your application and will be in touch after the application deadline to confirm the next steps which may involve a discussion with the Co-Chairs and some of the current trustees. We may ask for references and evidence to support your application.
