CASE STUDY: DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Sharon Noble, development manager at Chestnut Grove Academy, Wandsworth (1,100 pupils) Hours: part-time (equivalent to three days a week in term time, plus two weeks over the holidays). Background: After taking a degree in marine biology, I worked for an environmental education charity in Dorset, and taught children about wildlife on board a ‘floating classroom’ on the Regent’s Canal. I built a track record in community fundraising as manager of Sutton Ecology Centre, and then as the director of Vauxhall City Farm. During a ‘break’ to have children, I worked as a voluntary fundraiser for the PANDAS post-natal depression charity, and my children’s pre-school. The appeal of school fundraising: The job at Chestnut Grove was advertised in Third Sector magazine. It was a natural fit with my background and my passion for education – and the hours offered a good work/life balance. Since I started three years ago, the role has expanded. For example, I now run workshops on fundraising and persuasive bid-writing for the local authority. This brings
additional income back to the school. Major achievements: Over three years, I have worked with a range of stakeholders to secure around £400,000 of additional income. This includes a £120,000 grant from the London Marathon Charitable Trust for a new sports pitch, following a three-stage application process, together with consultation with Sport England, the local authority, the schools’ sports teachers and community gyms. Collaboration with the PTA is crucial, and they have raised £25,000 to turf the central area of the new school grounds. Additionally, I’ve secured a £39,000 grant from the Wolfson Educational Foundation for DT equipment, and we’ve just received £28,000 from the mayor’s Greener City fund. Last year, I was awarded Development Newcomer of the Year by the Institute of Development Professionals in Education. Lessons learnt and advice:Working in a school presents a unique set of challenges. I started in January and
by the time I had identified specific
grants to discuss with teachers, everyone was in exam mode. I quickly realised that I had to be flexible and not impose on teacher workloads. The best time to
approach teachers is
September. Having a 15-minute meeting to get the specific information you need is far more productive than corresponding by email. You need to be ready to bid for
grants as they come up. You also need to juggle between initiating new projects and managing ongoing ones. One week I might be discussing lawn turf, the next I might be at home putting together a big bid. I have copies of sign-off signatures
from key postholders so that I can send applications straight off as soon as I get email agreement. I also have a folder of available grants on my system. Fundraising takes time and it’s important to manage expectations, but now that staff can see what is being achieved, they are coming on board with exciting ideas.
CASE STUDY: FUNDING AND PUBLICITY
Howard Rose, director of funding and publicity, Balsall Common Primary, Solihull (742 pupils) Hours: 25 hours flexi-time a week, including breakfast meetings and evening networking events. Background: I worked in financial services for 20 years before setting up on my own as a mortgage broker and property developer. The appeal of school fundraising: My first contact with the school was in 2012 when I filled in for a few weeks of sickness cover. Although I hated school as a child, I got tremendous job satisfaction from working in one. The children made me laugh every day and, as I began to do more to help out around the school, the head mentioned the role of part-time fundraiser. Making a difference to the lives of children at the school is something I feel passionately about.
Major achievements: My first project was to deliver £27,000 financing for a new nursery garden. I secured an £8,000 donation from a local estate agent and the rest of the money came from PTA fundraisers
and further sponsorship. I’ve since had CIF funding of £242,000 to
replace 152 windows and £167,000 to repair the school roof. Most recently, I got a grant of £9,420 from Awards for All to create a multicultural community kitchen garden. Gro-Organic, a social enterprise based in Birmingham, came on board as project manager.
Through networking and developing
relationships across the community, I’ve been able to contribute to the school’s real-life learning weeks and inspiration days. Recently, England
World Cup rugby player Paul Sackey and
by p
Olympian Phil Brown joined our school cookathon. I’ve also organised free trips to Silverstone and Monarch Airlines, while local hotels and restaurants have provided amazing food
for our multicultural events. Lessons learnt and advice: On my first day in the role I was given a phone, a laptop and a simple brief: ‘Get us some money!’ I had no fundraising experience, but what I could offer were transferable skills: the ability to think strategically and to nurture relationships with different individuals and organisations. I’ve learnt to make sure that whatever projects I initiate are in sync with the curriculum to ensure teacher buy-in.
FundEd SUMMER 2019 17
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