Operations Manager, Charitable Trust & Philanthropy, ULI Europe

About Uli Europe

ULI, the Urban Land Institute, is a non-profit research and education organisation focused on the real estate sector with a strong mission, to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. To advance the mission, the members have identified three mission priorities, which are decarbonisation, affordable and adequate housing and educating the next generation of real estate leaders.

Founded in 1936, we now have over 48,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines working in private and public sectors.

In Europe we have c. 5,500 members. We have a particularly strong presence in the major European real estate markets with National Councils in 15 countries across Europe, including e.g., France, Germany, Spain, and United Kingdom. ULI’s main revenue sources come from individual and corporate membership, in addition to corporate sponsorship for a wide range of activities ULI delivers, including events, research and mission driven programmes such as C Change or UrbanPlan. To advance its mission priorities, ULI is aiming to diversify and grow its funding sources and especially focus on philanthropic donations from individuals, corporates and foundations, in addition to grants from other local and European institutions.

ULI Europe requires an experienced, highly-organised individual to work closely with the CEO of ULI Europe, Chair of the ULI Charitable Trust, Chief (Philanthropic) Fundraising Officer and VP of Business Development and Membership to administer and support the growth of ULI’s philanthropic fundraising work in Europe.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager of Philanthropic Fundraising will serve as the cornerstone of administrative support for ULI’s philanthropic fundraising initiatives in Europe.

The role will report to the Vice President, Business Development & Membership on a day-to-day basis and work closely with the Chair of the ULI Charitable Trust and CEO ULI Europe. The role will have a functional reporting line to the Chief (Philanthropic) Fundraising Officer.

This position requires excellent organisational, administrative, and stakeholder management skills, particularly within the charity or philanthropic sector.

Specific Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and management support to the philanthropic fundraising initiatives of the ULI Charitable Trust (and the CT Board of Trustees / ULIF Europe Committee) and ULI Europe, including fundraising campaigns, donation tracking, gift processing, and donor stewardship in cooperation with the ULI Finance team in the US.
• Oversee and coordinate design and development of marketing collateral, presentations supporting fundraising campaigns, in collaboration with the ULI Europe Marketing and Communications team.
• Collaborate closely with the ULI Europe Business Development and Membership team, ULI’s country directors, and the governance director to support the planning and implementation of the European philanthropic fundraising strategy set by the CT Board of Trustees / ULIF Europe Committee.
• Coordinate and maintain relationships with individual and institutional donors,, in close collaboration with the corporate accounts team, CEO, ULI Europe and the Chair of the Charitable Trust / Chair of the ULIF Europe Committee;
• Work in close collaboration with Research & Advisory Services and ESG Programmes colleagues, to identify and research (third party) philanthropic funding and grant opportunities and assist in the preparation of applications for philanthropic funding from (third party) foundations and government agencies;
• Coordination of proposal writing for potential foundation funding, in close collaboration with the research, marketing communications and legal and compliance teams.
• Develop and manage internal processes for grant compliance, application tracking, reporting, and gift acknowledgement for ULI Europe.

Experience & Skills

• Experience working in an operations, administration, or governance role within a UK or European charity, charitable trust, or foundation.
• Experience working in an international business environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and coordination skills.
• A track record of managing transactions or projects that required multi-tasking and meeting deadlines
• A quick learner who is able to adapt easily

Desirable:

• Familiarity with UK or EU charitable compliance and reporting standards.
• Experience coordinating funding proposals or donor-facing reports.
• Proficiency in one other European language preferred.
• Real estate background desired, but not essential.
• Occasional international travel required.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in a relevant field or similar experience.