Student Fundraiser

Join our team of friendly student fundraisers! Chat to graduates and fundraise to help support students in need and accelerate life-saving research at Manchester.

Would you like to join a brilliant team of students, being paid to chat to former Manchester students and raise money for some wonderful causes at your University?

The University of Manchester’s fundraising programme raises crucial funds to support projects including life-changing student scholarships and world-leading research.  In the last year alone, more than 6,500 alumni (former Manchester students), friends, and current and former staff have made donations, raising over £20 million for University projects. And over 1,000 current Manchester students receive donor-funded scholarships or grants to support them throughout their studies.

We’re looking for students to join our friendly group of student telephone fundraisers. As a student fundraiser, you’ll raise money to support these life-changing projects at the University and engage with our alumni and friends on the phone. As well as asking alumni for their support through a donation, you’ll also answer any questions they may have and keep our database records up to date. 

The calls you make are really special, as they give us the chance to strengthen the relationship we have with our alumni and find out what they have achieved since they graduated. During your chats, you’ll likely receive valuable career advice and tips for the future, and you may even have something in common with someone who graduated decades before you! 

As well as earning £9.84 an hour (paid monthly), working as a student fundraiser is a brilliant opportunity to improve your negotiation, communication and teamwork skills. You’ll have the chance to develop valuable transferable skills for the job market, and you’ll be in the perfect environment to begin a career in charity, communications or sales. You’ll be joining a welcoming team of people, from current students to Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR) staff, who will be there to provide help, support and advice whenever you need it. Plus, you’ll receive full training and ongoing 121 coaching throughout your experience! 

The Autumn telephone campaign will run from Monday, 22 November to Sunday, 12 December (subject to change). We’ll do our best to work around other your commitments, but we’ll need you to be available to work two evenings (6pm to 9pm), plus one Saturday or Sunday shift per week (5pm to 8pm). 

It’s essential that all successful students are available to attend a remote training session on Thursday 18, November (evening) and Saturday, 20 November (day) – timings to be confirmed. All training is paid, and successful fundraisers may be invited back to work on future telephone campaigns throughout the academic year. Interviews will be held the week of 18 October.

You’ll be based on campus (following University Covid guidelines), and all essential equipment will be provided. 

Duties and responsibilities

• Be an ambassador for the University and the Division of Development and Alumni Relations (DDAR), including having photographs and quotes featured on university webpages
• Represent the University and DDAR office in a professional manner at all times
• Inform alumni about what is currently happening at the University and talk confidently about your own experiences
• Ensure that all calls are completed with enthusiasm and in a polite manner
• Talk to each graduate about our fundraising causes, giving them a compelling case for support and asking them to support the University with a specified regular gift
• Negotiate with alumni to find a level of support that they are comfortable with
• Answer the questions and queries of alumni to the best of your ability
• Produce detailed and accurate notes following every completed conversation
• Process donations over the telephone
• Act on feedback and instructions from Student Supervisors and the Regular Giving team
• Work well with other members of the Calling Team to ensure that we meet team goals

Person specification

• A University of Manchester student for the academic year 2021-2022
• Outstanding communication skills – both written and spoken English
• Ability to work on your own and as part of a team
• Enthusiasm and belief in the causes that you’ll be raising funds for
• Highly confident and friendly manner, both in person and over the telephone
• Willingness to learn and adapt, taking on board feedback from supervisors and members of staff
• Resilience to cope with difficult situations, move on and perform to your best on every call
• Attention to detail – able to write accurate notes and records of calls using our software
• Reliability and dedication to the role
• Able to attend training session
• Able to work three shifts per week throughout the duration (including the occasional weekend) of the autumn campaign

If you’re interested in this role, we’d love to hear from you! To apply, please use the online application form. The closing date for this vacancy is 9am on Friday, 8 October 2021. Any applications submitted after this date will not be considered.

As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, religion of belief (including lack of belief), sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.

For any questions not addressed already, please contact Lucy Hobson at lucy.hobson@manchester.ac.uk. 

Online application form