Campaign Events Officer - Development and Alumni Relations Office

Do you have outstanding events skills and are ready to be part of a high performing team? Do you want to be part of the largest fundraising and volunteering campaign ever undertaken in the Midlands? We are now in the planning stages of our next campaign. Inspired by our founder, Joseph Chamberlain, it will change lives locally and globally. It will be unique and ambitious and will place Birmingham as one of the leading fundraising and volunteering universities in the world.

We are looking to recruit a Campaign Events Officer to be part of our outstanding Engagement Team. The Campaign Events Officer will work with the events team to deliver the overall Development and Alumni Relations (DARO) events programme to alumni and friends of the University. The post holder will have a specific Campaign remit, and will work closely with the Events Partner and Head of Alumni Engagement to deliver a wide range of creative and innovative Campaign related events and activities. An ambitious calendar of global events are planned to launch the campaign and this role will be a key element in achieving a dynamic and high profile launch.

Our University has a proud history of philanthropy stretching back to its foundation in 1900. With a clear vision to change the lives of the people of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain raised the funds required to build the University from citizens and corporations based locally and around the globe. Since then philanthropy has continued to play an important role in shaping the University. There have been a number of fundraising campaigns, including a £1m urgent capital appeal after the Second World War and a £1.4m campaign to fund the Vale 'student village' in the 1960s. In 2015 we closed the Circles of Influence Campaign, raising £193 million, making it the largest HE fundraising campaign outside Oxbridge and London.

The University has global reach, including several partnerships with other leading universities around the world, and is grounded in its local community, having opened the first fully comprehensive University secondary school in the country in 2015. We are an ambitious and successful researchintensive University (one of the top 100 research-led universities globally) and have produced 11 Nobel Prize winners, including three who received their awards in 2016. Academics here are exploring the impact of climate change, helping to prevent global health epidemics, and changing our understanding of Shakespeare. Our students come from nearly 150 countries and our flagship outreach programmes mean that almost 25% of our student population come from disadvantaged backgrounds, one of the highest proportions in the UK.

DARO exists to support this academic and student community by engaging, inspiring, and celebrating alumni, individuals, and charitable funders who give their money, time, and networks to support the University's strategic priorities. The Office, which is comprised of 50 staff across five teams, is focused on fundraising and volunteering from alumni and individuals who are passionate about changing lives, through funding various research trials, supporting student bursaries, mentoring students, and providing internships.



Main duties

Working as part of the Events team to deliver the overall DARO events programme. This will involve:-

• Working closely with the Events Partner to deliver Campaign events, related activities and other non-Campaign event support. For example: coming up with event ideas, sourcing and booking venues, negotiating with suppliers, writing promotional materials, logistical management, creating event invites, an updating web pages.
• With a specific focus on the University of Birmingham's new Fundraising and Volunteering
  
  Campaign, this role will deliver and support all Campaign events and related activity such as:- o Acting as a first point of contact for Campaign related enquiries and other related activity
  
  • Being an active participant in the Campaign Working Group - this includes staff from across DARO who are engaged with Campaign launch activity and follow on events
  • Project manage all administration concerning UK Campaign events activity o Answering alumni queries concerning UK Campaign events activity
  • Creating and sending out event communications (save the date, invites, reminders) o Managing RSVPs and updating the CRM system with attendees o Managing the communications with attendees, venues, supplies and logistic companies o Working with the Events Partner to shape and influence the look and feel of Campaign events
  • Working with the Events Partner to ensure Campaign Event spend is delivered on time and within budget
  • Responsible for delivering Campaign related materials and assets
  • Attending Campaign events as required o Leading or providing support for evaluation and feedback meetings post events o Co-ordinating Campaign launch activities across DARO and effectively communicating with the department
  • Reporting on attendee figures and KPIs against events as set out by the department
• Supporting the Events Partner with delivery of the full DARO events programme which supports all DARO audiences including students, staff, alumni, parents, donors, high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and volunteers.
• Together with the Events Partner, International Events Officer and Events Assistant, participate in creative planning activity, reviewing and evaluating the events programme.
• Together with the Events Partner, International Events Officer and Events Assistant seeking new opportunities and proposing improvements to the events programme.

Campaign Events and Activities

• Supporting the Events Partner to deliver high profile Campaign events, with Senior University of Birmingham staff, including the Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor or influential alumni.
• Responsibility for coordinating senior staff and DARO travel, including the Vice- Chancellor with Campaign launch events in the UK and internationally.
• Reporting on attendee figures and KPI's against events as set out by the department.
• Creative flair to deliver unique, special and engaging events for the Campaign which will lead to high attendance numbers.
• Working with the Student and Young Alumni Engagement Partner to ensure students and student groups are engaged, inspired and informed about Campaign events and Campaign related activity.
• Working with the Staff Engagement Officer to ensure staff are engaged, inspired and informed about Campaign events and Campaign related activity.Supporting with ad hoc events as required by the Events Partner.

Skills and Experience

Strategic thinking & perspective

• A good understanding of the impact of the DARO events programmes, and a demonstrable ability to initiate and manage new activities.
• Strong understanding of the impact of the DARO events and international programmes, and the role these play in achieving University and DARO objectives.
• An understanding of the needs of individuals within a complex business environment, for example the challenges faced by academics and academic project champions within the University as it relates to the Campaign.

Communication

• Effective, confident communicator with people at all levels (written and verbal), including face to face interaction with alumni, donors and staff.
• Understanding of and the ability to represent, orally and in writing, plans and event data in a concise manner.
• Ability to produce newsletters, presentations, speeches and information in an interesting and informative way.
• Confidence to interact with leaders and senior managers of the University.
• The ability to represent the University with confidence, diplomacy and authority.
• Proactive in developing relationships with colleagues in other areas (both within and outside the University) and confident to offer advice and guidance when required.

General - Essential

• Significant experience of event or project management.
• Experience of managing a complex events programme, with multiple projects running simultaneously.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Excellent project management skills.
• Ability to prioritise own workload, remain motivated and meet strict deadlines.
• Outstanding organisational skills with a demonstrable ability to work under own initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Experience of and passion for relationship management and engaging with a variety of individuals.
• Good all-round IT skills including an ability to learn new software packages quickly. The post holder should be able to demonstrate competence across all aspects of MS Office
  
  (intermediate/advanced user of Excel and intermediate user of Word and PowerPoint), email and the internet.
• The desire to support colleagues in the achievement of their individual and the collective goals and to celebrate others' success as positively as your own.
• Proactively identify opportunities to improve development and alumni events.
• The ability to work calmly, efficiently and effectively, both in a team and independently.
• The ability to use data to interpret wider contextual issues and vice versa.
• Methodical and meticulous with a high level of attention to detail.  Flexible, proactive, and solutions-focussed.
• Commitment to the vision and values of DARO and the University.
• The flexibility to work out of hours to manage events, for instance at evenings and weekends, and to travel as appropriate within the UK.
• An understanding of the implications of the Data Protection Act and GDPR.

General - Desirable

• Experience of working with large CRM systems.
• Experience of updating webpages.
• The ability to brief VIPs and key University and alumni contacts