Philanthropy and corporate partnerships manager volunteer roles
The Reading for fun charity
Chair of Trustees of World Book Day
Location: London (hybrid)
Remuneration: Voluntary role, reasonable expenses reimbursed
Time commitment: One day per week
Term: 3 years (may be appointed for a second term, maximum 6 years)
Closing Date for applications: 6th March 2026
About World Book Day
World Book Day (WBD) is a small national charity with significant reach and profile, consistently punching above our weight. WBD champions reading for fun because it seriously improves lives. In fact, it is the biggest indicator that a child will grow up to enjoy a happier and more successful future. With the spotlight in this National Year of Reading on reversing the decline in children's reading, now is an exciting time to join us.
As our current strategy enters its final phase and our 30th anniversary approaches, a new Chair would work with our board and executive team to develop and lead our new strategy and to leverage our existing strengths to realise the potential for growth in our impact. The new Chair will also support WBD's income generation activities, through attending events and philanthropy meetings and supporting corporate partnership opportunities, promoting WBD through their networks and championing donations.
This is a rare opportunity to help more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, develop a lifelong habit of reading for fun and access the improved life chances this brings them.
What we are looking for
World Book Day's new Chair may come from a commercial, educational, public service or other background. In addition to the qualities required for a trustee, they should have the following qualities:
· A commitment to World Book Day's vision and values
Knowledge and experience:
· of senior strategic leadership (e.g. as a Chair or Committee Chair, trustee, non-executive director or senior executive)
· of charity governance and financial oversight
· of supporting, line managing and evaluating the performance of a senior leader
· to support our plans to increase and diversify WBD's income
· to work effectively with WBD's varied stakeholder landscape
· complementary or adjacent to WBD's activities, purpose and strategy
The ability to:
· lead by example
· communicate skilfully and effectively
· be an influential, inspirational and supportive leader who builds confidence and consensus
· develop partnerships and strategic alliances
· act impartially, fairly, with tact and diplomacy and respect confidences.
World Book Day welcomes candidates drawn from a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. We would like our trustees to be reflective of our society and WBD's beneficiaries. We actively encourage applications from those currently under-represented on our board: non-binary, all ethnic groups other than white British and LGBTQ+.
For a full role description and details of how to apply, please see the recruitment pack below. The deadline for applications is 6th March 2026.
Our strategy seeks to increase our impact and strengthen our foundations.



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Fundraising advisors wanted to support East London Waterworks Park in developing and implementing our fundraising strategy.
East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces.
If you are a professional fundraiser and would like to help but are short on time, we would love to hear from you even if you are unable to get deeply involved. We would appreciate one-off or ongoing advice on the phone, online or in person. We would welcome feedback on our fundraising strategy and past applications, any advice about trust and grant fundraising, and any other advice you can give.
The Fundraising Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Thursday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely. We understand that people may not have a lot of time to give, so we want to find volunteers who could give us one-off or ongoing strategic advice and support.
If you have experience in funding strategy, writing grants for funding applications, corporate fundraising, philanthropy, or any other aspect of fundraising, it would be great to hear from you.
East London Waterworks Park is an exciting and ambitious project that offers many rewarding opportunities for our volunteers. You will have a significant impact on the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds and forest schools.
By leading fundraising projects that explore how diverse professionals (architects, ecologists, web developers, community researchers etc.) collaborate to shape community infrastructure, volunteers will directly contribute to the development of a park that truly reflects the needs and desires of the local community.
Without funding we won’t be able to make it happen. Your input will help us craft experiences that inspire, educate, and engage our service users, stakeholders, funders, and the general public, ultimately driving support for the park's mission and ensuring its long-term sustainability. So you will be directly contributing to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds.
East London Waterworks Park is a charity campaigning to create a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Dive into lasting impact: Fundraise for East London Waterworks Park to create and shape natural swimming ponds, ecological habitats and community gardens
East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces.
If you would like to help us develop our digital fundraising and our online offer, would you like to join our fundraising and communications teams in creating and implementing a strategy? We would love to hear from anyone with experience of fundraising online or with enthusiasm and a desire to test things out and learn as you go along. Recently we raised over half a million pounds through our Crowdfunder. Now we are looking to create a sustainable medium term income stream online.
The Fundraising Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Thursday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely. We understand that people may not have a lot of time to give, so we want to find volunteers who could give us one-off or ongoing strategic advice and support.
If you have experience in writing grants and funding applications, corporate fundraising, philanthropy, or any other aspect of fundraising, it would be great to hear from you.
We are keen fundraisers but we are lacking professional in digital fundraising expertise and experience and we would love your help and input. We would welcome one-off advice on the phone or in person, as well as longer term volunteers.
East London Waterworks Park is an exciting and ambitious project that offers many rewarding opportunities for our volunteers. You will have a significant impact on the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds and forest schools.
By leading fundraising projects that explore how diverse professionals (architects, ecologists, web developers, community researchers etc.) collaborate to shape community infrastructure, volunteers will directly contribute to the development of a park that truly reflects the needs and desires of the local community.
Without funding we won’t be able to make it happen. Your input will help us craft experiences that inspire, educate, and engage our service users, stakeholders, funders, and the general public, ultimately driving support for the park's mission and ensuring its long-term sustainability. So you will be directly contributing to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds.
East London Waterworks Park is a charity campaigning to create a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Dive into lasting impact: Fundraise for East London Waterworks Park to create and shape natural swimming ponds, ecological habitats and community gardens
East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces.
We are creating a fundraising strategy for our next phase of work: an exciting programme of community projects. If you have experience of planning or running fundraising campaigns, we would love to hear from you. Our community-led strategic process, as well as all of our work, is open for everyone to participate in.
The Fundraising Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Thursday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely. We understand that people may not have a lot of time to give, so we want to find volunteers who could give us one-off or ongoing strategic advice and support.
If you have experience in writing grants and funding applications, corporate fundraising, philanthropy, or any other aspect of fundraising, it would be great to hear from you.
We are keen fundraisers but we are lacking professional expertise and experience and we would love your help and input. We would welcome one-off advice on the phone or in person, as well as longer term volunteers.
East London Waterworks Park is an exciting and ambitious project that offers many rewarding opportunities for our volunteers. You will have a significant impact on the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds and forest schools.
By leading fundraising projects that explore how diverse professionals (architects, ecologists, web developers, community researchers etc.) collaborate to shape community infrastructure, volunteers will directly contribute to the development of a park that truly reflects the needs and desires of the local community.
Without funding we won’t be able to make it happen. Your input will help us craft experiences that inspire, educate, and engage our service users, stakeholders, funders, and the general public, ultimately driving support for the park's mission and ensuring its long-term sustainability. So you will be directly contributing to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds.
East London Waterworks Park is a charity campaigning to create a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces



Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Dive into lasting impact: Fundraise for East London Waterworks Park to create and shape natural swimming ponds, ecological habitats and community gardens
East London Waterworks Park is a volunteer-led charity that has won a 2024 New London Architecture award and raised £2m towards buying land from the Department for Education to transform the 14-acre Thames Water Depot on Lea Bridge Road on the border of Waltham Forest and Hackney, into a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces.
If you are a good writer and seller of ideas, would you like to join our mini-team of funding bid writers? We would especially love to hear from you if you have experience of writing funding applications, and we are happy to share the skills we have developed with you if you would like to learn.
The Fundraising Circle currently meets fortnightly on a Thursday evening on Google Meet and spends voluntary time outside of the meeting completing agreed tasks remotely. We understand that people may not have a lot of time to give, so we want to find volunteers who could give us one-off or ongoing strategic advice and support.
If you have experience in writing grants and funding applications, corporate fundraising, philanthropy, or any other aspect of fundraising, it would be great to hear from you.
We are keen fundraisers but we are lacking professional expertise and experience and we would love your help and input. We would welcome one-off advice on the phone or in person, as well as longer term volunteers.
We would also love to hear from potential volunteers without experience but with transferable skills.
East London Waterworks Park is an exciting and ambitious project that offers many rewarding opportunities for our volunteers. You will have a significant impact on the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds and forest schools.
By leading fundraising projects that explore how diverse professionals (architects, ecologists, web developers, community researchers etc.) collaborate to shape community infrastructure, volunteers will directly contribute to the development of a park that truly reflects the needs and desires of the local community.
Without funding we won’t be able to make it happen. Your input will help us craft experiences that inspire, educate, and engage our service users, stakeholders, funders, and the general public, ultimately driving support for the park's mission and ensuring its long-term sustainability. So you will be directly contributing to the creation of a new biodiverse community-owned park with free access natural swimming ponds.
East London Waterworks Park is a charity campaigning to create a new biodiverse park with natural swimming ponds, forest schools and community spaces


