Charity of the Year scheme team needed

The University is looking to establish a brand new initiative to engage with charities in the Thames Valley region that share our ambitions to advance education and research for public benefit.

Two colleagues are sought to join Kate Green, Strategic Projects Manager and project lead, and Janice Galvin, from the University’s Fundraising Team, to get the Charity of the Year scheme up and running for a trial period of three years.

The first charity is expected to be confirmed for the 2024/25 academic year.

The new Charity of the Year scheme will enable the University to build on the successes of other local community initiatives that support working together for mutual benefit. The scheme will help deliver activities that raise awareness of great causes and promote opportunities for fundraising and/or mutually beneficial research projects.

The Charity of the Year scheme came about following a proposal made by Kate to the Vice-Chancellor during one of his regular VC Surgeries. These surgeries allow any colleague to book a slot to discuss an idea with the Vice-Chancellor that supports the University Strategy. Surgery session times are advertised regularly on the Staff Portal.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Van de Noort said: “Community engagement is a core principle in the University Strategy. The Charity of the Year scheme not only provides an opportunity to support local charities, but also to collaborate to benefit the town and the region.

“I am pleased to see a proposal at one of my surgeries blossom into a formal scheme that is contributing to our strategic goals and I encourage others to share their own ideas.”

Janice added: “The University Fundraising Team has a long history of working with local charities, but we know there is much more we could be achieving. We want to make it easier for local charities to understand where there are opportunities for collaboration as we know that through working together we can deliver greater impact”.

What work will be involved?

The Charity of the Year team will consult with key stakeholders to design the scheme, develop an application form and guidance for charities, help create website pages and deliver a promotional campaign.

They will then lead the process to select a charity for the University to engage with as well as promoting collaboration opportunities to University staff.

If you are interested in being involved, this could be an opportunity for you to gain new skills and project management experience, or you might have existing expertise you bring to the project team.  

Colleagues who participate will likely be required to commit around one day per month to planning processes and attend team meetings every two weeks. The initial commitment would be from January 2024, for at least 12 months and your time commitment would need to be formally agreed with your line manager.

How to apply

If you are interested in being involved, please talk to your line manager and then complete this Expressions of interest form Microsoft Teams Form by Monday 18 December 2023.