Objective: To support fundraising and communications within an impactful wildlife conservation charity, enabling the team to raise vital funds for grassroots projects led by Award winning conservationists across the Global South.

Reports to: Director

Place of work: Central London, with the option to work remotely up to 2 days/week

Contract: 12 month fixed-term contract (maternity support cover), with the possibility for extension. Working 5 days p/w.

Salary: £32,000 p.a.

Deadline: We are accepting applications on a rolling basis. Please apply as soon as possible for consideration. 

The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN)

WFN is a UK-registered charity (www.whitleyaward.org no. 1081455) offering funding (Awards), training and media profile to inspiring leaders of wildlife conservation projects across the Global South. We support pragmatic, sustainable and long-lasting work rooted in science and community involvement. The charity funds projects directly and we remain in regular contact with our winners. WFN also raises awareness of the serious problems facing wildlife, landscapes, climate and people through promoting the work of our winners. We focus support on nationals (leaders who were either born in the country where they work or have gained nationality) and aim to build the capacity of successful local NGOs and grassroots work. We fund mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America where income is often hardest to raise and can have the biggest impact for people and biodiversity. Our funding is raised each year, mainly from family foundations and trusts, as well as from individuals, corporates and international NGOs, with a current annual income of £2m/year. WFN is governed by a committed trustee board. Our small team is dynamic, hard-working and strives to go above and beyond expectations. The charity benefits from high profile support from Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, Trustee Sir David Attenborough, and Ambassadors Kate Humble and Tom Heap. Next year, WFN will be marking its 30th anniversary, which provides a special opportunity to celebrate 30 years of supporting inspiring conservation leaders, and to look to the future. In line with our ambition to raise £3m/year by 2025, we are expanding our team to meet targets and increase the amount of support we can channel to our growing network of conservationists around the world as we seek to further raise their profile and foster south-south collaborations among WFN alumni.

Position of Fundraising Officer

This exciting new role at WFN combines fundraising, communications, and event organisation, offering the successful candidate the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to the charity’s ability to raise vital funds for conservation. The Fundraising Officer (FO) will interface on a regular basis with our Head of Partnerships and report to the Director, to together enable the charity to raise a target of £2.3 million in 2023. The FO’s principal responsibilities will include drafting reports to existing donors on fund use and developing new proposals for funding, working with senior management to seek new donors, leading on the development of WFN’s NextGen network engaging young people with conservation, and on managing new and existing partnerships with like-minded organisations. This role will also support the Head of Communications with the running of WFN’s social media channels and maintenance of our Google Photos archive, and will play a key role in the delivery of fundraising events and the annual Whitley Awards Ceremony. We are looking for a strong writer, who can take updates from our winners in the field and turn these into engaging reports for our existing donors, persuasive fundraising proposals for prospective donors, and social media content for the public.

FUNDRAISING OFFICER – SKILLS REQUIRED

Essential

• Existing experience working in a fundraising or communications role within the charity/NGO sector
• Excellent writing ability, with the skill to turn scientific text into engaging content for a lay audience
• Experience preparing and writing reports and fundraising proposals, with a track record of success
• Keen attention to detail inc proof reading
• Strong understanding of social media, with experience creating engaging content and managing channels, including using online tools like Canva and Hootsuite, and paid posts to run campaigns
• Confident webmaster/editor (WordPress experience preferred)
• Past involvement in the planning and delivery of events and/or fundraising challenges
• Ability to take ownership over fledgling programmes/partnerships, and use initiative and creativity to grow their reach
• Understanding of key issues in wildlife conservation and ability to horizon scan/spot opportunities
• Proficient in Microsoft Office - Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Word
• Able to manage and prioritise a varied workload within deadline
• Capable to work as part of team and on own initiative
• Flexible ‘can do’ approach and will flourish in a small office environment

 Desirable 

• MSc in Conservation/Biology/Zoology (or similar relevant subject)
• Proven ability in effective budgeting, negotiating and budget management
• Competency with basic video editing
• An individual with a flair for ideas and design creativity
• Competency using Salesforce database and/or Vertical Response
• Experience working with high profile individuals

 Additional details related to the position

• Attractive holiday package totalling 30 days p.a. plus bank holidays
• The charity operates a Pension Scheme
• Apply: Send your CV, contact details for two referees and a covering letter explaining why you feel you would be right for this position and your motivation to: [email protected]. Please also send a signed copy of our Candidate Privacy Notice with your application
• Please indicate what your notice period, if any, would be in your letter
• Only applicants who have the right to work in the UK at the time of application will be considered for this role