Fundraising Manager - Trusts and Foundations

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced trusts and foundations fundraiser to join our small but dynamic team. This rewarding role will see you make a real difference in a hugely impactful environmental organisation. The Fundraising Manager will work collaboratively with our Executive Director, staff team of five, and Board of senior parliamentarians to coordinate and strengthen fundraising activity across the organisation. The role takes day-to-day ownership of funder stewardship, grant management and prospect coordination supporting the achievement of our fundraising targets and the development of long-term, sustainable income to enable Peers for the Planet to meet its ambitious environmental goals. 

This is a focused role rather than a high-volume fundraising programme. Our fundraising strategy and priority prospect pipeline are already established, with initial research and routes into key relationships identified. You will have scope to shape and refine our approach, while focusing your time on progressing the strongest opportunities. Working closely with the Executive Director, you will help deliver our fundraising strategy and annual delivery plan. You will manage a portfolio of existing and prospective trusts and foundations, and some individual supporters, develop compelling funding proposals when opportunities arise, and produce a range of funder communications. You will oversee and maintain effective fundraising systems and processes.

A key priority is to ensure excellent stewardship of the relationships we have with approximately 5-10 existing funders, while maintaining and managing a prioritised pipeline of around 10-15 identified prospects. Many senior funder relationships are held by the Executive Director, senior staff and Board members. The Fundraising Manager will play a central coordinating role, managing day-to-day relationships with grant managers and proactively progressing cultivation and stewardship plans.  The Executive Director and senior colleagues will lead key funder meetings and pitches, with the Fundraising Manager driving preparation, coordination and follow-up. As part of delivery of the fundraising strategy, you will work with senior colleagues and Board members to jointly develop opportunities, build funder relationships and secure a small number of significant new funding partnerships.   

You will have genuine opportunities to shape our approach to fundraising, manage your own responsibilities and priorities, and support the wider team to contribute effectively to fundraising and communications. 

Role profile

Funder Relationship development and management: 

• Maintain strong stewardship of a small number of existing funders through regular communication, reporting and proactive relationship management.
• Manage a focused portfolio of prospects at the £60k-£200k level, working closely with the Executive Director and Board members to develop and implement cultivation plans, build relationships and develop new funding opportunities with relevant trusts and foundations.
• Coordinate the organisation’s engagement with key funders and prospects, ensuring that responsibilities, actions and next steps are clearly agreed and followed up.  
• Research priority prospects to inform cultivation plans, and support colleagues to manage these relationships effectively through each stage of the fundraising pipeline.
• Brief senior staff and board members ahead of meetings with key funders and prospects. 
• Undertake occasional targeted prospect research, as required, to identify new potential funders and replenish the pipeline.
• Work with the team on occasional events to support donor stewardship and relationship-building.

Proposal writing and grant applications:

• Lead the preparation of a small number of high-quality, compelling funding proposals, tailored to meet the specific interests and priorities of funders.
• Work with the Finance and Operations Manager to develop accurate project budgets, and support full cost recovery wherever possible. 

Monitoring, reporting and communications:

• Coordinate grant management, and annual narrative and financial reporting for around six current grants – with input and support from the wider staff team. 

• Work with colleagues to produce effective funder communications, including contributing fundraising content to one impact report and four newsletters per year, and provide fundraising input to relevant blogs and social media content.

Operations and finance:

• Work with the Finance and Operations Manager to maintain an up-to-date understanding of organisational budgets, funding gaps and income targets, using this information to inform fundraising priorities.
• Maintain accurate records, systems and processes, including the database and pipeline, to support effective relationship management.
• Help produce quarterly fundraising updates for Board meetings.

Collaboration and team support:

• Work closely with colleagues to ensure that funding proposals, reports and communications accurately reflect Peers for the Planet’s programmes, impact and strategic priorities.
• Support staff and Board members to contribute effectively to fundraising, providing guidance, information and practical support as required.

Skills, knowledge and experience

Essential experience

• Proven experience of independently managing a trusts and foundations fundraising portfolio within the not-for-profit sector
• Experience of writing successful fundraising applications
•  Experience of funder stewardship, grant management and coordinating timely funder reports.
• Experience of researching funding opportunities

Essential skills and knowledge

• Understanding of how to nurture funders through the key stages of cultivation and stewardship
• Ability to self-organise and manage competing priorities and deadlines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an eye for detail and an instinct for what resonates with funders
• Equally confident working independently and collaboratively
• Meticulous record-keeping skills

Desirable

• Experience of using Airtable and/or a donor management database
• Commitment to tackling climate change