What is the VF?

The VF is a charity passionate about supporting the vulnerable veterans and it has paid out in grants over £20M since inception in 2016. It operates as an independent grant-making foundation offering targeted support to a broad range of charities and charitable organisations that support those in need among serving armed forces’ personnel, veterans, operationally qualified seafarers, and their immediate families.

Funded projects include those that tackle homelessness, increase employment, overcome poverty, and provide welfare and medical support. It also supports initiatives that increase confidence and social integration, as well as reducing dependence on alcohol and drugs.

The VF gives priority to well-run small and medium-sized charities and organisations in need of funds that help the target beneficiaries.

To date the majority of funds raised by the VF have come from the highly successful Veterans' Lottery (VL). However, individual donations are growing significantly and show potential for further development. We now need a member of staff to support the VF’s Fundraising Manager in building a broader fundraising base.

More information about the VF can be found at: veteransfoundation.org.uk.

A summary of the VF’s work can be seen here: Impact Film 2024

About the post

The position of Fundraising Assistant has been created to support the Fundraising Team with administrative tasks, working with our donors and volunteer fundraisers to raise funds. The postholder will work under the direction of the VF’s Fundraising Manager, as well as working closely with other team members in the VF and partner organisations.

The Veterans’ Foundation is a highly successful charity that helps those in need in and from the armed forces. The Veterans’ Foundation creates income from donations and its Veterans’ Lottery; it is prominent on most social media, including Facebook and Instagram. Since inception it has given away nearly £17M in grants to small and medium-sized charities or charitable organisations. It expects to give away £20M in the next 3 years. The Veterans’ Foundation has an office in Edinburgh but staff tend to operate most of their time remotely.

We are looking for a finance assistant to join the Veterans’ Foundation, to start as soon as is possible with a starting salary of £23K. The full job description is attached to this advertisement.

The Veterans’ Foundation is a Edinburgh-based, UK-wide charity that helps members of the armed forces’ community who are in need. Started in 2016, it has given away £12.7M and continues to grow.

The Veterans’ Foundation seeks to fill a part-time or full-time Grants Manager post. The initial contract would be for one year but the post is likely to be turned into a permanent one. The person we seek is one who ideally has experience in grants' management in the Third Sector, dealing with the armed forces' community. The successful applicant should be degree-educated, have initiative, be a self-starter and be comfortable with, and good at, working remotely or face-to-face with others.

The successful applicant will be joining a small team and would work remotely and/or in the VF’s office in Edinburgh.

The Veterans’ Foundation seeks an experienced Grants Manager.

Reporting to: Senior Grants Manager and CEO

Location: Edinburgh, but would consider working from elsewhere, dependent upon experience. Remote, home-based work and some attendance at offices. Currently working within government guidelines.

Contract: 3-4 days per week; but is likely to develop into a full-time job. Pro rata 35 hours per week full-time. Some flexibility is required from team members around travel to and from events and meetings.

Purpose of role

The Grants Manager will help run the VF’s grant-making programme as well as develop the grant-making processes and reporting mechanisms to support expansion of the VF's grant-making programme.

The Grants Manager’s key responsibilities will include representing the VF to internal and external stakeholders; investigating and assessing grant applications; preparing grant applications and reports for consideration by the grants' team; recommending what funding and support should be committed; monitoring and managing a portfolio of existing grants including visiting grantees (and potential grantees) across the UK; reporting on various aspects of the grants programme; staying abreast of sector developments and supporting the VF generally.

This role will provide temporary professional accountancy cover for a fixed term of 12 months within the Veterans’ Foundation (VF) which, mainly supports veterans of UK armed forces and their dependants in need through its grants’ programme. Even though our Executive Team is small, the VF has achieved significant growth over the last five years largely due to the success of the Veterans’ Lottery. As a result, this has enabled the VF to award grants of over £7.1 million since we started in 2016.

The main responsibility of the Temporary Finance Manager (TFM) will be, mainly, to support the CFO in managing the finances of the VF. Currently, the VF has a team of four; therefore, it is important that you are comfortable working in such an environment. You must be a self-starter, with lots of initiative, energy and enthusiasm, willing to take on a wide range of tasks, but thoroughly reliable and consistent. The FM will be expected to liaise closely with our partners, including our accountants and our bankers. The role can be performed mainly by remote working; there may be occasional requirement to attend our Edinburgh office.

For more details about us, please refer to veteransfoundation.org.uk

Tasks for the FM will include:-

• Providing relevant details to accountants ahead of monthly management accounts.
• Reviewing management accounts, with short reports ahead of Trustees meetings.
• Liaising with accountants to ensure the annual audit process is managed effectively
• Preparing and monitoring of the annual budget and updating this, when necessary
• Preparing and administering regulatory returns.
• Monitoring funds available for grants and outlining future grant instalments.
• Reviewing the financial performance of the lottery and other fundraising activities.
• Organizing invoice payments and administering bank accounts
• Administering Gift Aid Claims and their submission to HMRC
• As appropriate, to carry out other tasks, within competence and capacity, as determined by CEO and CFO, to spread workload.