Purpose of role: To support the Head of Partnerships in managing and retaining the charity’s existing donor base and in establishing new major donor partnerships to secure significant income for the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN): an impactful fundraising and grant-giving wildlife conservation NGO focused on supporting grassroots projects across the Global South.
Reports to: Head of Partnerships
Contract: Full-time, permanent contract, working 5 days p/w
Deadline to apply: Friday 23rd May (but please apply at your earliest convenience). Initial interviews will be targeted for end of May.
Whitley Fund for Nature
Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a UK charity supporting grassroots conservation leaders across the Global South. Through project funding (Awards), training, and media profile, we support local solutions to the planet’s most pressing conservation challenges. Our winners are courageous changemakers, working alongside communities to save species and protect ecosystems. Established in 1993, we have channeled £24 million to +220 conservation leaders in 80 countries, benefitting wildlife, landscapes, and people. WFN is governed by a committed trustee board. Our team is dynamic, passionate about our mission, and ambitious. The charity benefits from high profile support from Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, and Ambassador Sir David Attenborough. Our funding is raised each year, mainly from family trusts and foundations, as well as from individuals, corporates, and international NGOs, with a current annual income of around £2.6m/year. We raise funds based on winner need, and in the coming years are seeking to steadily grow what we provide in support to winners, actively pursuing new partnerships to support our mission.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Partnerships Manager to join our small and dynamic team. This new role will support the Head of Partnerships and wider WFN team in delivering our fundraising strategy, stewarding high-value donor relationships, and unlocking new opportunities for income growth.
The Partnerships Manager will work directly with some of WFN’s existing portfolio of 30 Major Donors made up primarily of Trusts, Family Foundations and High-Net-Worth Individual (HNWI) supporters, with some Corporates. The Partnerships Manager will maintain close professional relationships with supporters that are bespoke and require excellent interpersonal skills, with most meetings taking place in-person, in central London.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a highly respected conservation organisation making a real difference on the ground.
PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER - PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Essential
- A proven track record of fundraising, donor management, and/or building relationships with stakeholders in the non-profit or philanthropic sector.
- Excellent writing and communication skills, with experience drafting donor materials and reports.
- A proven track record in the development of grant applications, including drafting objectives, activities, timelines, indicators, and budgets, as well as coordinating narrative content and inputs from across the team.
- Past experience coordinating and delivering fundraising and engagement events.
- Experience coordinating volunteer committees.
- Exceptional interpersonal qualities, and comfortable liaising with high-profile individuals and senior stakeholders.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Proactive, dependable, and able to manage multiple priorities.
- A flexible ‘can do’ approach with the ability to chase opportunities, while remaining resilient and positive
- An open and collaborative working style, with a willingness to share information, communicate clearly, and contribute to a supportive small team environment.
- A genuine interest in conservation and/or passion for social and environmental equity through a grassroots approach.
Desirable
- Experience working with donor databases or Salesforce.
- Familiarity with trusts and foundations, HNWI fundraising, or corporate partnerships.
- Previous work in a small, agile team or start-up-style organisation.
Additional details and benefits
- Attractive holiday package totaling 30 days p.a. plus bank holidays.
- Training and professional development opportunities provided.
- Hybrid working opportunities
- The charity operates a Pension Scheme and a Life Assurance Scheme.
This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship. Only applicants who have the right to work in the UK at the time of application will be considered for this role.
Regrettably, due to limited resources and the high number of applications we receive, we are only able to contact short-listed candidates. If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
Diversity and Inclusion
At WFN we are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse organisation, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. We celebrate and respect diversity in nature and among the people and partners with whom we work. We need more people and diversity across the environment sector, and to achieve our vision. We are therefore particularly keen to receive applications from Black, Asian or minority ethnic; disabled; LGBTQ+; or from lower socio-economic backgrounds. As a small organisation we are committed to progressing and continuing development across DE&I. Please contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application. Applications are considered solely on your demonstrated suitability
Registered Charity
6 - 10
Whitley Fund for Nature is a fundraising and grant-giving nature conservation charity supporting grassroots practitioners across the Global South.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About the role
As a Foundation we are committed to learning together with others and reflecting and acting on what we learn. We learn to improve our understanding about how to approach the complex issues we are trying to address, to examine how our funding relates to the social change we want to see, and to improve how we work and fund.
The Learning & Insight Officer will play a key part in delivering our learning, monitoring and research activities, and we want the successful candidate to be able to develop their skills and interest within the role. They will work closely with the Head of Learning & Insight, wider Grants team colleagues and others across the Foundation to gather insights from our grants and wider work. These insights will inform our strategic direction and contribute to wider sector learning and understanding.
This is a permanent, full time role (35 hours) but we will also consider a part time role at 4 days/ 28 hours equivalent.
We are committed to best practice and accountability in equity, diversity and inclusion. We value, welcome and respect all the differences that make us who we are including: age, disability and mental health, neurodiversity, cultural background, ethnicity and race, sex, gender identity and expression and sexual orientation including LGBTQIA+ identities, religion and socioeconomic background.
Main Responsibilities
• Work with colleagues to design and implement systems for the LEF to collect data and to capture and share learning in a systematic way that reflects our values and our commitment to Power, Cuture and Inclusion.
• Coordinate a timetable of activities for LEF to learn from its grants and direct work (such as regular feedback surveys and internal reflection sessions).
• Work with colleagues to collate and analyse evidence from organisations we fund to identify key insights and learning (such as reports and notes from grant management calls).
• Work with the Head of Learning & Insight and wider grants team colleagues to prepare our grants data for publication (for example through 360Giving and as part of the Funders for Racial Equality Alliance (FREA) Audit)
• Support the LEF to communicate insights in accessible and engaging ways.
• Work with colleagues to prepare key insight reports and data for a range of audiences such as colleagues, trustees or other funders.
• Work with colleagues to run internal sessions with staff and trustees to reflect on our processes (what is working well, less well and what we can improve about how we work) and understand the progress the LEF is making towards its strategic objectives.
• Work with colleagues to run online and in-person events to bring together the organisations and people we fund to reflect and learn from one another.
• Support the development of a ‘culture of learning’ within the LEF and with grantees and
• Work with the Head of Learning & Insight to commission and manage external contractors for particular pieces of work (for example, research briefs or learning partnerships).
• Provide administrative support on tasks, such as scheduling meetings.
• Carry out such tasks as the Director of Grants & Learning or Head of Learning & Insight may from time to time deem necessary for the effective and efficient functioning of the Foundation.
To see a full description of the role and what we are looking for, download the candidate recruitment pack.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.