Wildlife trust charity fundraiser jobs

Trusts & Foundations Manager – David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF)

 Hybrid | Full-time | 35 hours per week

We’re looking for an experienced Trusts & Foundations fundraiser to lead and grow our major grant income at the David Shepherd Wildlife FoundationDSWF).

In this senior role, you’ll develop and deliver a sustainable Trusts & Foundations strategy, securing significant multi-year funding to support our conservation, education and art programmes. Working closely with our Senior Management Team, you’ll build strong relationships with UK and international grant-makers and position DSWF as a strategic funding partner.

About you:
You’ll bring a strong track record of securing five-figure (or above) grants, excellent writing skills, and a genuine passion for conservation and the protection of endangered species.

Why join us?
• Make a direct impact on wildlife conservation
• Collaborative, mission-driven culture
• Hybrid working and generous annual leave

Apply now to help protect wildlife and build long-term funding for conservation.

Visit the careers page of our website for full details, job description and application pack. Deadline for applications Monday 16th February.

Head of Development (Fundraising / Grants) 

Shrewsbury, Shropshire 

£41,857 to £47,597

Maternity cover, 12 months 

Full Time, 35 hours per week – Part Time considered 

Closing date for applications: 2 March 

Interview date(s): 13 and 18 March 

We’re looking for an experienced fundraiser and team leader to join us as Head of Development (maternity cover). You will lead a talented team of seven which cover Fundraising (Memberships, Legacies, Grants, Trusts and Foundations and Philanthropy) and Marketing (Communications, Campaigns & Marketing). 

A particular focus of this 12-month contract will be developing the fundraising strategy for a (£5-6m) capital campaign for the transformation of Shropshire Wildlife Trust’s Grade II and II* buildings, at the heart of Shrewsbury. 

The job is full-time, but for the right candidate we would be willing to discuss part-time working with some external support on key areas. 

Shropshire Wildlife Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For applicable roles, applicants must be willing to undergo reference checks with past employers and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the appropriate level. 

The Trust is committed to building an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce we encourage applications from a diverse range of suitably qualified candidates. Please let us know if you require any adjustments to make our recruitment process more accessible. 

As users of the disability confident scheme, Shropshire Wildlife Trust guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a vacancy. We believe that inclusive recruitment practices will help to change attitudes, behaviours and cultures, fostering diversity within our workplace. 

Why work for us - benefits we offer:

• 25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays and Service related holiday (pro-rated for part time staff) 

• Salary sacrifice benefits 

• Life assurance 

• Generous pension - company contribution 7%, employee contribution 3% 

• Enhanced Sick Pay 

• Flexible working policy 

• Employee Assistance Programme 

• Staff discounts 

• Employee away days 

• Enhanced pay for maternity and adoption leave 

• Coaching   

• Support with training and development to assist career progression  

• Inclusive & supportive work atmosphere 

About us:

Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) has a vision of a thriving natural world, where Shropshire's wildlife and natural habitats play a valued role in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies, and people are inspired and empowered to take action for nature. We combine projects across Shropshire (including Telford & Wrekin) with advocacy and campaigning to restore nature and to engage people. We manage over 40 nature reserves and have almost 50 staff, 300 volunteers, and over 9000 members. SWT is an autonomous charity, but we are increasingly working collectively, as part of The Wildlife Trusts (TWT), to ensure that our local actions have a national impact and help to address global issues. 

Who we are:

Hope is here. The Global Returns Project (GRP) is a UK charity unlocking new philanthropy to deliver urgent solutions for our planet.

We are a fast-moving nonprofit that makes donations to high-impact nature and climate charities simple – and we don’t take any fees. We’ve already mobilised nearly £2 million for top environmental solutions and are working to unlock at least £30 million annually by the end of the decade.

We are growing quickly: We expect annual fundraising to increase by 70% this year compared with last year. 

The problem: Charities protecting our planet can turn the tide on climate change and nature loss. They have the skills, strategies and networks to deliver fast and global impact. But less than 2% of philanthropy goes to climate mitigation.

Our solution: In the UK alone, around £2 trillion sits with “HNW+” individuals – those holding between £100k and £30 million. Yet traditional philanthropy largely overlooks them. We’re unlocking this funding by offering trusted, pro bono advice and a simple, portfolio approach to giving. Our expertise in UK wealth advice offers a unique path to scalability and systems-change.

What we are looking for:

Job Title: Major Gifts and Partnerships Lead

We’re looking for a confident, experienced fundraiser to lead major-gift fundraising — securing transformational gifts from high-net-worth individuals while building wealth-adviser relationships that generate referral leads. You’ll own the full pipeline: prospecting, cultivation, making direct asks, closing and stewardship.

The ideal candidate will be excited to cultivate networks of wealth managers, private-client teams and other advisers to HNWIs, and to convert adviser introductions into committed support. You’ll also prospect independently for major gifts outside those referral streams.

To succeed you’ll master three distinct fundraising pitches: a business case for advisers; an impact case to persuade donors to support our portfolio charities; and a systems-change case to win backing for GRP’s operating costs (salaries, office costs, etc) to keep the charity running fee-free.

You’ll be comfortable making direct asks for funding, with evidence of having closed high-value gifts or multi-year commitments. You’ll be willing to roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with everyday cultivation tasks. You’ll thrive in a small team, taking initiative and juggling priorities. Crucially, you’ll care deeply about climate and nature.

Experience required:

Substantial experience in frontline major gifts fundraising (as a guide, likely 5+ years), or an exceptional track record in adjacent fields (private client advisory, philanthropy advisory, etc).

Skills required:

• Major-gifts fundraising, with track record securing high-value and multi-year gifts
• Confidence making direct asks for major gifts
• Prospecting, research and CRM
• Donor stewardship and tailored reporting
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Team player
• Time management
• High attention to detail
• Strong understanding of, and passion to address, climate change / nature loss

Skills preferred but not required:

• Experience in environmental philanthropy
• Experience managing relationships with wealth advisers
• Geographic expertise in Jersey, Guernsey or other high-potential jurisdictions
• Trust/foundation expertise

Main duties and responsibilities:

Major gifts to GRP’s portfolio of charities

• Prospect, cultivate and convert major gifts from individuals to support GRP’s charity portfolio.
• Act as principal point of contact for HNW client referrals from GRP’s wealth-adviser network.
• Source and qualify major gift leads outside the adviser network and add them to the pipeline.
• Prepare tailored cases for support, bespoke asks and gift agreements for portfolio donors.
• Coordinate with team to ensure timely, high-quality, bespoke stewardship.

HNW wealth adviser relationships

• Prospect, cultivate and manage relationships with wealth managers, family offices, private-client teams, philanthropy advisers, etc as a referral stream for GRP.
• ​Present GRP’s proposition to advisers (meetings, presentations, webinars) and design adviser-facing materials when necessary.
• Develop initiatives to generate adviser referrals (events, webinars, co-branded materials) and track referral performance.
• Target and visit high-potential jurisdictions (e.g. Jersey, Guernsey) and other adviser hubs (est. once per month).

Major gifts to GRP’s operating costs

• Prospect, cultivate and convert major gifts to GRP’s core operating costs.
• Prepare business-case and budget materials that explain the strategic case for core funding.
• Pursue appropriate institutional core funders (trusts, foundations, family foundations) and draft proposals where needed.

Location: Centrally located, light and airy office on Regent Street, London. Minimum one day per week in the office. Approx. one day London/UK travel per week.

Benefits: 12.5 days’ annual leave (pro-rata), plus statutory bank holidays (pro-rata). Occasional 1–2 days’ additional paid leave over Christmas period. Flexible working.

Reports to: CEO

Preferred start date: 2 March 2026. Applications reviewed on rolling basis.