Background
People and communities around the world have the solutions to social injustice, authoritarianism, and the climate crisis. But repressive governments, corrupt corporations, and armed groups use violence and oppression to try and silence them.
By building resistance and resilience among those challenging unaccountable power, Open Voices supports a shared vision for a world where communities and ecosystems can thrive.
As a mission-driven nonprofit, we join forces with grassroots activists, community groups, and social movements at risk. Working together, we strengthen their physical safety, digital resilience, and collective wellbeing. As a social impact consultancy, we help high-profile nonprofits and foundations manage risk and care for their teams and partners.
This dual approach allows us to work at every level of civil society, from the grassroots to the global.
We have scaled to meet a 66% surge in demand for our support over the past two years, with our international team now responding to 11 new cases every week. Last year alone, we:
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Answered 575 calls for assistance across 100 countries.
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Delivered over 6,000 hours of mentoring and accompaniment.
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Trained over 1,000 activists in 112 holistic security workshops.
Whoever we partner with, we start with questions, not answers. Listening before speaking, understanding before acting. Together, we defend those who speak out.
We are expanding our diverse, inspired, and purpose-driven team. Will you join us as our new philanthropy coordinator?
Role description
As our philanthropy coordinator, you will play a key role in building new partnerships with philanthropists and high-net-worth individuals, with an immediate focus on the UK, US, and Europe. You will design and implement a comprehensive strategy to build a robust portfolio of individual donors, Family Foundations, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) and other personal giving vehicles.
A proactive and thoughtful relationship builder, you will maintain long-term relationships and lead bold strategies to engage new audiences, including millennial and next-generation philanthropists. You will steward Open Briefing’s first global development board, working closely with our CEO and director of development to engage members around a dynamic programme of activities designed to make Open Briefing more fundable and findable.
Together with our director of development, you will drive forward a multi-year fundraising strategy to resource our work with activists and organisations on the frontlines of human rights, social justice, and environmental action.
Your primary responsibilities will include:
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Designing and executing our philanthropy fundraising strategy. Lead a strategy to identify, cultivate, and solicit high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) —including through Donor Advised Funds, Family Offices, Family Foundations, and other giving vehicles—with an immediate focus on the US, UK and Europe.
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Prospecting and donor acquisition. Manage HNWI prospecting, generate new leads, develop solicitation plans, brief senior leadership in advance of meetings, and coordinate cultivation and networking opportunities.
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Stewardship and relationship management. Build strong relationships with existing and potential donors through tailored stewardship plans designed to grow income over time. Manage donor tracking and communication systems.
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Nurture and grow our development board - Work alongside our director of development and CEO to identify and engage members and steward the Board through a 12-month action-orientated development campaign.
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Budget Management. Manage a programme budget for cultivation and stewardship events and activities.
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Collaboration and Communication. Work closely with our communications coordinator, director of development and programme teams in the production and dissemination of donor-relevant reports, updates and other content; and contribute to the conception and organisation of donor-facing online and in-person events.
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Team support. As a key member of our development and communications team, undertaken other duties as reasonably requested relevant to team and organisational goals.
Person specification
Essential
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You will have extensive experience managing a HNWI or major gift portfolio.
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You will have a proven track-record of personally securing four, five, or six-figure donations from HNWI and/or major gift donors in the UK, US and/or Europe.
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You will have experience working within a nonprofit focused on human rights, social justice, and/or environmental action.
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You will have excellent verbal communication skills, including English language skills, both spoken and written.
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You will have experience working with senior stakeholders and board members to support fundraising activities.
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You will have an ability to work both strategically and operationally.
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You will have creative thinking and problem-solving aptitude.
Desirable
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You may have experience working within a global nonprofit.
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You may have knowledge of the human rights, social justice, environmental justice, and/or international development funding landscape.
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You may understand grant-making and grant-management processes, especially with respect to private philanthropic funding, including family foundations, DAFs, and Family Offices.
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You may understand tax-efficient donation mechanisms in the UK, US, and across Europe.
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You may understand the trends in dynastic giving as well as emerging and next-generation philanthropists.
If you feel you meet some but not all of the criteria, we would encourage you to get in touch.
Terms and remuneration
This is a remote, home-working role. You will be contracted for 40 hours a week on a full-time, fixed-term contract. Flexible working is available and encouraged.
We are looking for someone who wants to embrace this pivotal role within our close-knit team and develop a long-term working relationship with us. You will be properly onboarded and continually supported by experienced and compassionate managers and colleagues. Your line manager will be our director of development, Vicky Nida.
In return for your time and dedication, we will offer you a remuneration package made up of fair pay, sector-leading benefits, and progressive leave policies, including:
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Salary of £46,900 per annum.
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7% employer pension contribution.
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Family private medical insurance.
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Employee Assistance Programme, including welfare counselling.
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Unlimited professional coaching.
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Enhanced annual leave of 25 days plus local public holidays.
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Additional leave days for annual closedown.
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Enhanced sick pay.
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Flexible working, including flexitime and remote and home working.
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Access to local coworking spaces.
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Support for climate action:
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Personal carbon emissions offsetting.
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Up to two additional leave days for sustainable travel.
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Up to two additional leave days for climate activism.
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Apple MacBook and peripherals.
If you are based outside the United Kingdom, you will be offered comparable compensation through our local employer of record, Remote. For parity, we contribute 4% above the local statutory requirements into the personal pension plans of staff members employed outside the UK. We will contribute 7% into the personal pension plans of staff members employed in counties where there is no local statutory provision.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Open Briefing values diversity. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where all can be their authentic selves. We therefore encourage applications from all who meet the person specification and particularly from candidates who are from racialised communities and those under-recognised in our development team. This currently includes people of colour and people from countries in the global majority.
Please read our diversity, equity, and inclusion policy for more information. Our ethical and environmental policies are also available. And you may find our Vision, Mission, and Values statements of interest.
Open Briefing is a Disability Confident Employer and a signatory of the Charter for Employers Who Are Positive About Mental Health. We will make reasonable adjustments for disabled and neurodivergent people during the recruitment process and any subsequent employment. Please let us know in your cover letter how we can be the recruiter and employer you need us to be.
We have checked the text of this advert using the Gender Decoder tool.
Safeguarding
Open Briefing is dedicated to upholding the highest safeguarding standards, ensuring a culture of respect and protection for both our internal and external stakeholders. Our approach encompasses preventative measures and a strong response mechanism to any safeguarding concerns, guided by a survivor/victim-centred ethos. We enforce a strict no-tolerance policy towards any violations of safeguarding policies, ensuring that all concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately. Our safeguarding policy is available here.
How to apply
Please submit your application using our online form and note the following dates:
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Closing date: 30 May 2025
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Interviews: w/c 9 June 2025
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Desired start date: As soon as possible
Please let us know on the form if any of these dates are problematic and we will try to accommodate. The successful candidate will need to complete a reasonable vetting process before engagement.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
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
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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.