Fundraising Lead

Fundraising Lead

(Part-time, fixed-term contract)

Peers for the Planet (P4P) is the House of Lords cross-party climate and biodiversity action group bringing together over 160 members of the Lords to put climate change and biodiversity loss at the top of the political agenda. Since our launch in 2020 we’ve seen exciting momentum, building cross-party collaboration and winning world-leading legislative changes to  embed climate and nature requirements in areas as diverse as financial markets, pensions, energy, health, skills, R&D, built environment and much more.

A combination of seed funding and subsequent grants has enabled the organisation to flourish. Following a successful start-up phase, P4P is established as a valued, trusted and highly effective specialist in the climate policy landscape. Fundraising to support and sustain our objectives for the future is a top priority over the coming year.

Role Profile

We are excited to recruit an experienced fundraiser who will work closely with our Director and our Board of senior Parliamentarians in the House of Lords to meet our ambitious targets. This is our first dedicated fundraising role and is an opportunity for a fundraising specialist with considerable experience of managing relationships with funders and bringing in new funding partners. This could have been as a fundraising manager in a larger institution or as a Director or Head of Fundraising.

Our annual budget is around £700k a year, and the single key priority is to find someone who can help manage the relationships we have with 5-10 existing funders, and research, engage and bring in 5–10 additional funders as part of a funding portfolio, which may include high net worth individuals. We will prioritise those applicants with direct experience of finding and engaging new high value donors/granters. Whilst we welcome interest from candidates with a climate fundraising background, we would also strongly encourage applications from well-connected, dynamic fundraising experts with a strong track record of securing grants and donations in other fields.

This is a critical role for us to help realise a sustainable future for a unique organisation which punches above its weight in impact and which offers a flexible and warm working culture. The position is being offered on an initial 9 month contract but if we can find someone able to deliver on key objectives, we have every intention of extending the role and cementing it into our leadership team.

Our fundraising lead will have an exceptional track record of securing grants and in developing and operationalising funding strategies. You will be able to think both creatively and strategically, navigating the funder landscape with intelligence and confidence, and will drive fundraising activity forward and coordinate all the necessary processes and systems to enable this to happen effectively and efficiently. You will be a resourceful do-er, using your funder knowledge, financial acumen and communications skills to work both independently and in collaboration with our talented and supportive team. The role will cover:

Fundraising priorities:

• Develop/operationalise a fundraising strategy, leveraging the best return on investment of fundraising activity for the organisation and, where necessary, diversifying funding sources
• Along with the Director and Board, hold responsibility for meeting fundraising targets, including securing a mix of new grants/donors at the £10k-£250k+ level.
• Craft and coordinate compelling funding bids, drawing on the expertise of staff

Managing funder engagement:

• Coordinate a programme of engagement and internal systems/processes needed to nurture and steward a range of current and potential funder/donor relationships
• Work closely with the Board and staff to understand and build on pre-existing relationships with donors, Trustees and senior leaders at relevant trusts and foundations
• Undertake prospect research to identify new potential funders
• Deepen existing connections with the broader fundraising community, both within the climate/nature funders community but also in related/overlapping sectors
• Work with the Policy and Communications Lead to ensure that P4P’s organisational comms are compelling and meaningful for a broad spectrum of potential grant makers or donors
• Organise fundraising events

Insight & opportunity:

• Maintain latest insights on trends and issues, as well as on specific grant opportunities and other potential income streams, both in the climate funding sector and related/overlapping policy areas (health, finance, science, skills etc)
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of the opportunities for P4P to drive positive change for climate and nature in order to identify new funding opportunities

Operations & finance:

• In collaboration with our Finance and Operations Manager, develop and maintain a thorough understanding of organisational budgets, funding gaps, resourcing requirements, and income targets in the short, medium and long term
• Coordinate reporting and monitoring for all grants and lead on maintaining our funder database
•  Set up and lead the preparation (e.g. briefings) for meetings with current and potential funders, and ensure timely follow up
• Lead internal fundraising meetings with relevant colleagues/directors to support development, implementation and evaluation of our fundraising plans
• Take responsibility for internal training to embed fundraising skills across the team

Skills and experience

• Long-term experience of developing and delivering fundraising strategies and functions with an established track record of meeting fundraising goals
• Good knowledge of the funding landscape across a range of geographies and sectors, which may include climate and nature but also other subject fields that may intersect with or complement these
• Exceptional writing, editing and presentation skills; able to communicate with precision and in an engaging style
• Evidence of analytical skills and ability to think innovatively and creatively about funding opportunities, within political and other restraints
• Strong relationship and influencing skills, with evidence of ability to persuade and negotiate at a senior level
• Evidence of ability to respond with energy and speed to new and unexpected opportunities
• Strong understanding of fundraising regulation, governance and compliance, and of diverse giving models
• Strong process, planning, database management, budget and monitoring skills
• Commitment to P4P’s mission and to using your skillset for the good of people and planet

Experience: Min.7 years+ relevant experienceStart Date: Asap (negotiable)

Equality, diversity and inclusion: We are committed to providing equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background, and we believe that we will be stronger and more effective as an organisation if our team represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skillsets. We acknowledge that the environment sector is among the least diverse in the UK and we particularly welcome applications from candidates with protected characteristics. We want job applicants to have a positive experience and are keen to draw out the best in everyone. If there are any reasonable adjustments that can be made that would help you during the recruitment process, please do let us know by contacting hmesserp4p@gmail.com. For those experiencing challenging financial circumstances, we can reimburse applicants' travel expenses for in-person interviews.

Contract: Fixed term 9 months (potential to extend) working 2-3 days per week (open to negotiation). The successful candidate will need to spend some time in Westminster but we strive to support our staff to work from different locations and regions.

Application process: Please apply here with your CV plus a cover letter of no more than 400 words, by 9am on Monday 23 September. We will review applications as they come in. Please confirm that you have the right to work in the UK as unfortunately we can't sponsor visa applications. More information about Peers for the Planet can be found at www.peersfortheplanet.org

Salary: circa. £70,000 p.a. FTE, dependent on experience