Fundraising Lead (Corporate & Grants)

Are you a dynamic fundraising professional with a passion for protecting our rivers and waterways?

Environmental non-profit Planet Patrol is at a pivotal moment of growth and evolution. We re now seeking a proactive, highly organised fundraising professional to help continue this growth. If you have a proven track record in strategic partnership creation, grant fundraising, and have a knack and thirst for hitting financial targets, ideally for environmental causes, we want to hear from you!

About Planet Patrol

Our vision is a world where all beings can enjoy our waterways, free from pollution. We are a global community dedicated to placing people-powered environmental data at the heart of decision-making. Through our unique anywhere, anytime, anybody approach to citizen science, we gather critical evidence of water and litter pollution to drive solutions that protect both environmental and human health. Our data and citizen science methods have been featured in academic journals (Stanton, et al., 2022) and media investigations (Channel 4 and ITV), enhancing public and scientific knowledge of litter pollution.

About the role

The Fundraising Lead (Corporate & Grants) will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of income generation for Planet Patrol, including the planning and delivery of our fundraising strategy; with a focus on corporates and grants. You will secure new partnerships and sponsorships, and develop high-value, multi-year commitments that align with both Planet Patrol s priorities and our funders objectives. Whilst this role is fixed term, we hope to secure enough funding to make the role permanent.

About you

You must thrive in a start-up environment and have a can-do attitude to problem solving. You ll be one of only a handful of employees and a team of excellent freelancers, so being a team player is a must! This is a great opportunity to really shape the organisation and our impact, so if you like having agency and being innovative, Planet Patrol would be a great fit.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Relationship Building

• Meet and exceed the annual new funding target of £300k, whilst maintaining existing funding agreements.
• Secure sponsorship for at least three organisational priorities worth a minimum of £50k each.
• Write and submit innovative, engaging and impactful funding applications.
• Prospect new supporters and build long-term, high-value relationships.
• Quickly and efficiently respond to calls for proposals, maximising all opportunities
• Work with colleagues across Planet Patrol to develop and deliver bespoke opportunities aligned with funder priorities.
• Host cultivation events and support other team members in engaging prospective sponsors.
• Ensure due diligence in line with Planet Patrol s ethics and due diligence policies.

Strategic

• Lead on the development and delivery of Planet Patrol s fundraising strategy, setting income targets and KPIs with the Director.
• Work closely with the Head of Programmes and Campaigns to develop exciting, innovative and impactful funding propositions.
• Contribute to the wider Organisational strategy and annual Business Plan.
• Keep abreast of sector developments and funding opportunities to ensure plans are timely and effective.

Account Management

• Maximise our existing portfolio of corporate supporters, ensuring timely delivery of benefits, publicity and events.
• Oversee reporting to funders, sponsors and partners, demonstrating impact and value.
• Manage budgets within the fundraising portfolio and contribute to organisational efficiency and effectiveness.

Marketing & Communications

• Create compelling and innovative partnership opportunities for corporate supporters.
• Collaborate with colleagues to deliver sponsorship benefits and ensure accurate representation of sponsors across Planet Patrol platforms.
• Coordinate sponsor advertising and communications, with support from colleagues.
• Positively represent Planet Patrol at events and conferences.

Role requirements:

• A minimum three years working in a fast-paced, start-up environment.
• A demonstrated ability in securing funding worth five-and-six figures.
• Experience working remotely and making impactful relationships online.
• Be able to communicate effectively with senior corporate leaders.
• Experience in providing excellent stakeholder engagement, ideally through an integrated CRM.
• A natural networker and innovator, you ll always be spotting opportunities.
• Excellent general IT skills and knowledge of new platforms to enable efficiency (Trello, Slack, HubSpot, Xero).
• Passionate about the environment and the importance of data.
• A commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.
• Legal right to work in the UK without visa sponsorship.
• A clean, full driving license is preferred.

What we offer

Planet Patrol values collaboration, innovation, and a healthy work-life balance. That s why we re proud to be a 4-day week employer. We offer a flexible, remote working environment, paired with regular opportunities to connect as a team. We re a vibrant, mission-driven non-profit that supports professional growth, alongside wellbeing. We offer a generous annual leave package, your birthdays off and encourage you to get out into nature whenever possible.

Application details

If you believe in the work we re doing and think you could add something to it then we would love to hear from you. Please note that we are unable to process incomplete applications.

Applications close midnight Wednesday 26 November.

First stage interviews will be held virtually on Monday 01 December.

Second stage interviews will be held in person on Tuesday 09 December.