Vacancies

About us

We are the county’s leading conservation charity, committed to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature. Our climate is in crisis and nature needs our help, but together we can make a difference.

Our 50-year vision is for a thriving county with wildlife at its heart, which everyone enjoys, values and wants to play their part in protecting and improving.

Our mission is to ensure that:

We protect and enhance the wildlife and wild places of Staffordshire and promote understanding, enjoyment and involvement in the natural world.

Working for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, in any role, means you are part of our ambition to halt and reverse natures decline in Staffordshire and across the UK, and to get more people to take meaningful action for wildlife. Whether you work in IT, in our cafes, or out on our nature reserves you will be working with colleagues towards the common purpose of a county richer in wildlife.

Working for us

At Staffordshire Wildlife Trust we don’t just offer jobs – we offer careers. For our people, being part of the effort to address the climate and nature crisis makes working for us truly meaningful and rewarding.

As well as investing in our mission, we invest in our people and culture. We’re committed to creating an engaging, supportive and inclusive workplace for all and providing opportunities for development, training and growth. We also provide a range of benefits such as flexible working, an employee assistance programme and a wellbeing allowance.
Your journey in the Trust starts with your induction. Whatever role you’re here to do, we’ll explain what to expect, show you where to go, and make sure you understand your new environment before you get going.

You’ll get the chance to see what others in your teams, and across the Trust, are doing through job shadowing and team working. We have 45 other Wildlife Trusts, working passionately just like us, whose knowledge and experience you can also draw from.

Who we are looking for

This is an excellent opportunity for a self-motivated and proactive Trust Fundraiser, with a desire to expand their responsibilities, adapting their skills and experience to drive corporate partnerships and unlock legacy and major donor income.

Using your experience in creating strong cases for support, including unrestricted costs, and pipeline development, you will work with two part-time colleagues to increase annual income from major donors, legacies and corporate partners.

You will thrive on building strong, long-lasting relationships, someone who is curious and able to identify opportunities to strengthen relationships, and who demonstrates resilience when working towards ambitious fundraising goals.

You will be comfortable with supporting colleagues in developing their confidence, knowledge and skills. You will also enjoy collaborating with others learning from those with more expertise to achieve joint goals.

You may not have previously worked in conservation, but through your curiosity and interest you will develop a passion for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, that will ensure you are confident in sharing our vision and impact with others.

If you are a bid writer from the commercial sector or a senior fundraiser from major donors or corporate partnerships, who can demonstrate transferable skills we would welcome a conversation.

About the role

To create a wilder Staffordshire, we are investing in our fundraising and development team to deliver an ambitious 5-year fundraising strategy. The Trusts and Partnerships Manager is a new role, pivotal in securing philanthropic support from individuals, trusts and foundations, and corporate partners.

The Fundraising and Development Team comprises individual giving, including memberships (10 staff); trusts and philanthropy including trusts, major donor, legacy and corporate (3 staff); digital fundraising (1 staff) and marketing (2 staff). Please refer to the department structure.

Reporting to the Head of Fundraising and Development you will manage a part-time senior relationships officer and a part-time fundraising officer. (The line management responsibility may be phased over your first year).

Role Responsibilities

• Work with Head of Fundraising and Development to deliver a robust multi-year fundraising strategy.
• Manage trusts, corporate, legacy and major donor income streams.
• Identify, cultivate and manage relationships with trusts and foundations, major donors and corporates.
• Research, write, and submit high-quality funding applications and grant proposals. Fulfil all funder reporting and end of grant requirements.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the organisation to build a library of strong cases for support. Working with Head of Fundraising and Development to coordinate grants and trust work carried out across the organisation.
• With the Head of Fundraising and Development, develop a partnership pipeline focusing on increasing unrestricted, multi-year support and improving the quality, volume and success rate of applications.
• Conduct due diligence on potential funders and funding sources to ensure alignment with the Wildlife Trust’s mission, values, and ethical standards.
• Provide accurate forecasts, reports and insights to the Head of Fundraising and Development and Finance Manager as required.
• Maintain accurate records of donors, donor engagement, pipeline activity and income using the CRM system.
• Monitor trends in trusts, corporates, legacies and major giving, adapting approaches, including as a response to changes in the external funding environment.
• Line manage staff, supporting their development and ability to achieve delegated targets.
• Work closely with colleagues across Fundraising and Development to ensure joined-up planning and delivery, developing fundraising relationships across income streams.
• Act as a professional ambassador for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, representing the organisation with credibility.
• Keep abreast of programme developments in delivery teams.

For the organisation to work effectively you may be required to assist with other areas of work and therefore you should be prepared to undertake other duties, appropriate to the post, as delegated by your line manager.