“I’ve noticed a difference since LifeCare visits started. When I call Dad, he is more upbeat and chattier than he has been in ages.”

Lifecare is a forward-thinking, growing charity that supports people 50+ across Edinburgh. Our Outreach service supports people to live in their own homes and be independent for as long as possible. You will make a big difference to people’s lives by offering companionship and opportunities to participate in community life, as well as assisting with household tasks and providing personal care where required. Most importantly, you will ensure people feel special and cared for. If you are caring, compassionate and want to work for a charity that also cares about you, come join our growing team.

As well as a competitive annual salary, our valued team also benefits from:

• 35 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Employer pension contribution, including salary exchange schemes
• Death In service cover
• Accident insurance
• All travel time and expenses are covered.
• Access to paid training and development opportunities including SVQ’s
• A supportive team culture.

Previous experience working in social care would be an advantage, but this is not essential. Your enthusiasm, caring nature and willingness to learn are just as important.

LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity (SC012641) with a proud history of supporting local older people for over 80 years. Our vision is a city where no older person is alone or isolated, where they can thrive, and are active members of their communities. Our mission is to ensure that every older person receives the best possible care, companionship, and advice they need to live well and independently in their own homes for longer.

Through our relationship-based approach we support local older people (50+) who are living with dementia, in isolation, with reduced mobilities, mental health concerns and those managing on low-incomes. We also provide dedicated support for unpaid carers and run a busy community hub which provides significant social value.

LifeCare operates with a team of over 70 staff supporting over 1,000 local older people a year. All our care costs are subsidised through our fundraising efforts. We are working hard to deliver as much free care as we can for those that need it including free meals on wheels, free social activity groups, free mobile hairdressing for those living with dementia and our community café currently operates as a welcoming warm space offering free hot food and activities for those struggling with the rising cost of living.

Role Purpose:

This is an exciting new role designed to help LifeCare grow its profile positively and professionally across all stakeholder groups. LifeCare’s communications help the charity to improve the lives of older people, make an impact and produce meaningful change. Across the last 12-months we have steadily increased our profile, but we need a dedicated person in post to develop this great work, taking forward successfully ensuring consistency of branding and voice.

The Marketing and Communications Coordinator will take the lead across all our online and offline promotional channels to promote our charity and our impact, raising awareness of LifeCare overall, promoting our services to maximise client numbers and income, and the beneficial impact of funds raised. The role will work across departments to create and source content for use across multiple platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• The Marketing and Communications Coordinator will work alongside the Chief Executive and Fundraising and Communications Manager to develop an energising communications strategy designed to support the charity to deliver on its recently revised organisational strategy.
• Oversee the implementation of this communication strategy across online and offline platforms, within specific budgets, ensuring consistency of brand and messaging. This includes all formal contact with clients, carers and activity providers, communications throughout our community hub, regular newsletters for stakeholders, all online activities, events and promotional materials as appropriate, such as posters, ads, flyers/leaflets.
• Work across departments to create compelling and engaging content to be used across the charity’s communications. Working closely with care service colleagues to create an effective system to share positive stories and experiences to help generate positive client stories to showcase the charity’s great work. We are interested in developing our use of effective story-telling using videos and images to drive results and impact through our socials.
• Working alongside colleagues to deliver a series of local community events designed to increase the profile of the charity’s activities and support the organisation’s fundraising targets.
• Manage and monitor effectiveness of campaigns, appeals, and social communication platforms to make an impact and continually improve our effectiveness.
• Support the Chief Executive and Fundraising and Communications Manager to develop and improve the organisations internal communications; ensuring all staff are involved, informed and proud to work for the charity.
• Work with the Fundraising Coordinator to develop and update fundraising materials and resources including website, socials, email newsletters, printed materials and presentations.
• Measure the impact of our communications to inform future communication and fundraising activities.
• This is a new role and will require some flexibility within the day-to-day role helping to ensure the charity delivers on its new organisational strategy

Who we are looking for:

• We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, driven and committed to our cause. We hope to engage someone who understands the changing needs of older people and who can demonstrate that they are passionate about making a positive difference to an older person’s life. fun, insightful, and collaborative.
• We hope to engage someone who is creative, results driven, collaborative and keen to share ideas.
• Effective at managing a brand, you will possess excellent attention to detail, communication, interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• The successful applicant will be able to effectively manage deadlines and multi-task.
• Experience of working alongside fundraising activities desirable but not essential.
• Experience of managing and delivering against budgets, reporting on KPIs, and reforecasting useful.
• You will be flexible, able work well on your own and as part of a team

Selection criteria

• Excellent written and verbal communicator with the ability to write clear and accurate communications across the full range of marketing channels.
• Can easily demonstrate a solid track record of delivering integrated marketing and communications strategies and campaigns, designed to secure organisational objectives.
• A strong understanding and good experience of using online, digital, and social media tools for engaging, mobilising, influencing, and growing key audiences.
• Design experience using programmes such as Canva or equivalent.
• Experienced at supporting fundraising activities including public appeals and generation of compelling fundraising content.
• Understanding and appreciation of the changing needs of older people
• Be results oriented with an excellent eye for detail, strong writing, proofreading, and editing skills.
• You’ll ideally have worked in a similar role previously – this can be on agency or client-side – and have good knowledge about current best practice in marketing.
• Team player and ability to represent the organisation internally and externally.

LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity (SC012641) with a proud history of supporting local older people for over 80 years. Our vision is a city where no older person is alone or isolated, where they can thrive, and are active members of their communities. Our mission is to ensure that every older person receives the best possible care, companionship, and advice they need to live well and independently in their own homes for longer.

Through our relationship-based approach we support local older people (50+) who are living with dementia, in isolation, with reduced mobilities, mental health concerns and those managing on low-incomes. We also provide dedicated support for unpaid carers and run a busy community hub which provides significant social value.

LifeCare operates with a team of over 70 staff supporting over 1,000 local older people a year. All our care costs are subsidised through our fundraising efforts. We are working hard to deliver as much free care as we can for those that need it including free meals on wheels, free social activity groups, free mobile hairdressing for those living with dementia and our community café currently operates as a welcoming warm space offering free hot food and activities for those struggling with the rising cost of living.

Role Purpose:

We need to grow our fundraising team so that we can grow the charity’s capacity to increase the reach of our care services and help us continue to subside as many of our services as needed to help those struggling on low incomes. Across the last 12-months LifeCare has generated over £250K through its fundraising but there are many untapped areas to be developed and this new role will play a pivotal part in the growth of new and existing fundraising channels.

The role will work across all income streams – individual and community giving, corporate partnerships, trusts, major donors, and legacies with a strong focus on fundraising administration, supporter care and the coordination of fundraising materials and resources. The post holder will also be involved in research to find new funding sources and prospects.

Key Responsibilities

• Work alongside the Fundraising and Communications Manager to extend and develop our income generating activities across a wide range of income streams: appeals, legacy fundraising, regular giving, donor acquisition and supporting those in the organisation to get actively involved with the charity’s fundraising. Contributing to the Overall Fundraising Team Target of £300K per annum
• Maintain administrative systems, fundraising CRM, and databases, keeping up-to-date records of opportunities, applications, results and reporting cycles.
• Working alongside colleagues to deliver a series of local community events designed to increase the profile of the charity’s activities and support the organisation’s fundraising targets.
• Monitor, evaluate and identify learning points from each area of activity
• Conducting detailed, compliant research, including identifying new potential high-value supporters and income streams
• Contribute to the administration and stewardship of donors to coordinate and improve supporter care journey.
• Work with the Marketing and Communications Coordinator to develop and update fundraising materials and resources including website, socials, email newsletters, printed materials and presentations. Ensuring that a donate now facility is prominent across all relevant communication materials.
• Be the first point of contact for all fundraising enquiries, responding promptly to all supporters.
• This is a new role and will require some flexibility, within the day-to-day role, to help ensure the charity delivers on its new organisational strategy.

Who we are looking for:

• We are looking for someone who is enthusiastic, driven and committed to our cause. We hope to engage someone who understands the changing needs of older people and who can demonstrate that they are passionate about making a positive difference to an older person’s life.
• We seek applicants who have experience of working in fundraising across different income streams with a particular interest in individual, corporate and legacy giving. Experience of managing and delivering against budgets, reporting on KPIs, and reforecasting useful.
• The ideal candidate will possess good research and analytical skills, with the ability to contribute to the development of new prospects and funding pipelines.
• The successful applicant will be able to develop positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, manage deadlines and multi-task.
• You will be flexible, able work well on your own and as part of a team.

Selection criteria

• Substantive experience working in fundraising and ability to demonstrate sound knowledge of fundraising landscape.
• Can easily evidence fundraising results against targets
• Experience using mainstream fundraising database such as Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge or other CRM with transferable skills
• Ability to relate and respond rapidly to stakeholders appropriately
• Highly organised and detail oriented.
• Strong writing, proofreading, and editing skills.
• Understanding and appreciation of the changing needs of older people
• Team player and ability to make connections with others.

Would you like to join our board?

We are looking for new trustees to help LifeCare in its great work supporting local older people.

LifeCare is at an exciting stage in its development and we are looking for Trustees who will passionately inform our services bringing new skills and experience to help lead the organisation.

We are particularly (but not exclusively) interested in individuals with experience in the following fields:

• Health and Social Care
• Finance
• Fundraising
• Marketing and Digital Innovation
• Hospitality

Most of all, we are looking for people with lived experience of care, or as an unpaid carer, to help strengthen our capacity to better embed the voice of the people who use our services at Board level.

Can you help us? We are looking for people who share our values, that are passionate and committed about supporting local older people, who can be creative in building our profile and work closely with our team and stakeholders to deliver outstanding person-centred services to our clients.

The Board usually meets in the evenings (either in-person or via Zoom). The role is non-remunerated however reasonable expenses will be reimbursed and training / ongoing support will be provided. If you have any questions or would like a quick chat to find out more, please contact our chair beverleyfrancis@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk.

Do you want to make a difference?

Lifecare is a forward-thinking charity that supports older people across Edinburgh. Our outreach service supports people to live in their own homes and be independent for as long as possible. You will make a big difference to people’s lives by assisting with household tasks, providing personal care but most importantly ensuring people feel special and cared for. If you are caring, compassionate and want to work for a charity that offers good terms and conditions, quality training and want to make a difference, come and speak to us.

Appointment subject to successful Enhanced Disclosure