Join us and be a part of a meaningful campaign that makes a lasting impact!

Job summary

Working within the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO), you will have a unique opportunity to connect with University of Birmingham graduates over the phone, inviting them to support students through charitable donations.

This role offers you the chance to hear inspiring stories from alumni, build your confidence, and gain valuable transferable skills such as effective communication and negotiation – all of which will boost your career prospects after university. 

Please note, this is a hybrid role with both on-campus and remote working. To work from home, you must have:

• A stable internet connection
• Access to a laptop and smartphone (calls are free to you)
• A quiet, private space to work
• UK residency during employment

If you are interested in the role but unsure about any of the above requirements, please contact the Telethon Campaign Manager, Zarah, at z.alam@bham.ac.uk for more information.

Mandatory paid training will take place on campus from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October 2026. Attendance on both days is required.

Please note the application process has three stages:

1. Submit your application through Worklink by 24 August 2026
2. Candidates will be invited to complete a short questionnaire and video submission via our partners at Buffalo Fundraising Consultants Ltd to be completed by 6 September 2026
3. Selected applicants will be invited to an in-person assessment centre w/c 21 September 2026

Main duties

• Aim to meet and exceed campaign fundraising and engagement targets by securing charitable donations from alumni.
• Confidently and respectfully ask for donations, using persuasive communication and negotiation skills to support our fundraising goals.
• Handle each phone call with professionalism, courtesy, tact, and sensitivity, representing the University at all times.
• Create personalised videos through ClipConnect to thank alumni after each call (full training is provided).
• Demonstrate enthusiasm, reliability, and commitment to your role, your team, and the overall success of the campaign.
• Handle all alumni data with care and precision, ensuring confidentiality and data protection policies are upheld at all times.
• Follow employment expectations and performance standards, including working a consistent number of weekly shifts throughout the campaign.

Required knowledge, skills, qualifications & experience

If you like communicating with people, are excellent on the phone and want to gain some valuable experience raising money for a great cause, this could be the perfect job for you. 

Our student fundraisers will need to:

• Have a good standard of spoken English, particularly when using the telephone.
• Have excellent communication and listening skills.
• Be comfortable communicating and building rapport with a wide range of people.
• Be able to convey a confident, friendly and positive telephone manner.
• Be confident in asking for donations and have good negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Be comfortable recording personalised videos through ClipConnect to alumni.
• Be able to use your own initiative and work independently towards targets.
• Be reliable, hardworking and punctual.
• Be able to work well as part of a team.
• Have a good general knowledge of the University of Birmingham and a passion for the work we do, with a willingness to learn more.
• Have an understanding of Data Protection (successful applicants will receive full training).
• Be able to manage university workload and the Student Fundraiser job commitments.

We particularly welcome applications from Pathways to Birmingham scholarship recipients. We value diversity at the University of Birmingham and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

Please note that previous fundraising experience is not required, as full training will be provided.

Further details

Call shifts will take place from the 19th October 2026 to 29th November 2026. 

You will be expected to work a minimum of three shifts per week, including at least two weekend shifts (either Saturday or Sunday).

You will be able to choose between one of two rotas for the campaign at the point of recruitment. Any changes after that would need to be agreed with us directly.

Calling shift times are likely to be as follows:

• Monday to Friday: 6pm – 9pm (on-campus shift)
• Saturday: 11am – 2pm (remote shift)
• Saturday: 2pm – 5pm (remote shift)
• Sunday: 5pm – 8pm (remote shift)

Successful callers are also required to attend mandatory training on 17th and 18th October.

For any informal queries, please contact Zarah Alam (z.alam@bham.ac.uk).

The University of Birmingham restricts all students to working up to 20 hours per week during term time for a maximum of 13 consecutive weeks. If your application is successful and your course does not follow the usual academic term timetable (e.g. PGT, PGR or PhD student), you and your supervisor must formally agree vacation periods if this role exceeds 20 hours per week. In addition to this, please be aware if you are an international student you will be required to apply to the Registry for the appropriate authorised absence. 

You are only eligible to apply to this role if you are a current University of Birmingham student. If you are not a University of Birmingham student your application will not be considered.

To work you will need to carry out a right to work check. These checks will need to be completed prior to work commencing.

Regarding the use of AI in applications, we review hundreds of applications and shortlist candidates based on their unique perspective, motivations and potential. Cover letters generated through, or edited by, AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT or CoPilot) are easy to identify. They produce generic answers and will not score highly enough to progress. You may use AI tools for research, but all written content in your application must be your own work. Authenticity and originality are key to standing out in this process. 

Due to the high volume