Vacancy: Fundraising & Donor Relations Manager

About ORP

Olive Ridley Project (ORP) is on a mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education and outreach. Sea turtles are considered to be a “keystone” species, meaning they play a vital role in ensuring the health of our oceans and marine ecosystems. Unfortunately, sea turtles face many threats to their survival – most of which are caused by human activities.

ORP was founded by Dr Martin Stelfox in 2013 in response to the countless number of olive ridley sea turtles entangled in abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets (ghost gear) he encountered whilst working as a biologist in the Maldives. ORP has since grown and expanded its mission beyond documenting olive ridley turtle entanglements in the Maldives to take a multifaceted and holistic approach to protecting sea turtles and their habitats all over the world. The charity is now at the forefront of sea turtle conservation, influencing local policy makers, fishing communities and collaborating with international research institutes and governments.

We are headquartered in the UK (registered charity in England & Wales #1165905) with bases in Maldives, Oman, Kenya, Pakistan and Seychelles. In 2017, we opened the first veterinary-led rescue centre for sea turtles in the Maldives and now also operate a sea turtle rehabilitation facility with two more under construction.  At the core of our work is a passionate and dedicated team of scientists, veterinarians, conservationists, citizen scientists and volunteers. We pride ourselves in being able to collaborate with a wide range of diverse groups in order to reach our goal to protect sea turtles and their habitats.

About The Position

ORP is a fast growing charity with big ambitions and we are looking for a motivated, successful and confident candidate to fill the new role of Fundraising & Donor Relations Manager. The role is part of a wider plan to diversify and increase the fundraising capacity of the charity, particularly within a significant untapped potential in grants, trusts and major donors, and improve our donor stewardship strategy. This is a rewarding opportunity for an experienced fundraiser to provide the vision, oversight and leadership to diversify our fundraising approach and develop our donor management plan to ensure the best possible stewardship of all donors.

Responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Develop and deliver ORP’s funding strategy in line with the organisational development plan.
• Identify and develop opportunities to grow the income stream from trusts, foundations, grants and major donors and maintain a prospect pipeline
• Nurture and strengthen current funder relationships
• Plan, submit and monitor applications, including liaising with funders at all stages of the process
• Implement and oversee effective procedures for grant management and compliance
• Write persuasive and inspiring funding proposals which articulate the value and impact of ORPs work in a compelling way to new and existing funders
• Assist with the implementation of a new CRM system
• Develop and deliver a high quality, engaging and impactful donor management plan to ensure the best possible stewardship of all donors
• Oversee accurate capture of information to guide donor and funder stewardship, provide income projections, forecasts, and financial reports
• Contribute effectively to the strategic planning and budgeting process
• Represent ORP at engagements hosted by trusts, foundations and corporate supporters, which may involve delivering presentations or talks

requirements

The ideal candidate has a proven track record of securing funds from foundations, trusts and major donors. The candidate is able to build and nurture relationships with charitable trusts and foundations and major donors, research new potential funders, and write compelling funding applications. In addition, the candidate is also self-motivated, confident & resourceful and is able to identify priorities and self-organise a busy workload without direct supervision.

The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications, experience, and skills:

• Good standard of literacy and education (at least A level/NVQ 3 standard), or be able to demonstrate equivalent professional experience
• UK based
• Fluency in spoken and written English
• Experience as a fundraising and grant management specialist, or demonstrably transferable skills from a previous fundraising role
• Proven track record of cultivating donor and stakeholder relationships, recruitment and retention, and proactive donor stewardship
• Demonstrable ability to write compelling proposals, funding bids and funding reports which deliver results
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent time management and organisational skills
• Strong computer skills including all MS Office applications, CRM & Canva

Assets

• Professional fundraising qualification
• Experience working remotely/WFH
• Volunteer work
• Charity trustee role
• Fluency in other languages
• Passion for ocean conservation
• Passion for sea turtle conservation

What We Can Offer You

• 100% Work From Home – no time wasted commuting
• Flexible working hours –  structure your days as you choose as long as quality work is completed on time
• A great opportunity to be part of a friendly, highly skilled and dynamic international team passionate about sea turtle conservation
• The chance to use your professional skills to make a difference in the world
• Opportunities for career progression

How to apply: Consultant Fundraising & donor Relations Manager

If you are interested in joining the ORP team as a Consultant Fundraising and Donor Relations Manager, and fulfil the requirements for this rewarding and interesting opportunity, please forward your current CV, along with a brief cover letter stating your motivation for applying for the role and how you feel your skills and experience could benefit ORP, to opportunitues@oliveridleyproject.org. Make sure to include Job Reference FDRM001 + Your Name in your email subject line.