Senior Community Fundraising Officer

Willow Foundation; Welwyn Garden City; Hybrid; GBP 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization is seeking a Community Fundraising Lead to enhance fundraising strategies and develop relationships within the community. The ideal candidate will possess at least 1-3 years of relevant experience, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to inspire others. Successful candidates will manage fundraising campaigns, analyze results, and ensure compliance with regulations. This full-time position includes hybrid work with essential travel across the country.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1-3 years of experience in Community Fundraising.
• Proven record of meeting targets and managing projects.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Community Fundraising strategy and plans.
• Build strong relationships with donors and community partners.
• Coordinate presentations and fundraising activities.

Skills

Community Fundraising

Relationship building

Project management

Presentation skills

Data analysis

Negotiation

Tools

Raisers Edge

Job description

Location:
Hybrid working – Minimum 40% of working time to be spent in the office based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Includes occasional local, regional and national travel.

Reporting to: Community & Challenge Events Manager

Direct reports: N/A

Salary: £31,000 per annum

Hours: Full time, Monday to Friday (37.5 hours per week).

Job purpose:

Lead and grow community fundraising activity and campaigns to support Willow’s strategic income goals.

Build and steward strong relationships with donors, fundraisers, volunteers, and community partners to increase support and awareness.

Develop innovative fundraising initiatives with the Community and Challenge Events Manager, informed by sector insights and trends.

Contribute to the successful delivery of Community, Challenge, and wider Fundraising Team targets and events.

Key Responsibilities

• To help lead and develop our Community Fundraising strategy and plans within agreed budgets to achieve financial and non‑financial targets.
• To raise awareness of our work and to inspire support through:
  • Providing outstanding stewardship to our network of supporters to maintain engagement and build loyalty.
  • To proactively develop relationships with various organisations within the community setting, including schools, societies, community groups and companies.
  • To create a pipeline of activity that helps us reach new audiences through proactive outreach.
  • To coordinate and deliver presentations to a variety of community audiences, with support from the wider team and volunteers.
  • To organise and deliver a calendar of fundraising activity that creates opportunities for supporters to help Willow and ensures participation and income targets are achieved.
  • To develop the charity’s social media fundraising activity in collaboration with the wider team.
  • Collaborate closely with the Communications Team to plan and develop multi‑channel campaigns, both online and offline, that inspire and engage people.
  • To work with the Communications Team to produce campaign materials, share interesting stories and fundraising updates, and prepare content for newsletters, website, and social media.
  • To develop a volunteer team to support fundraising activity, including delivering talks, attending events, and promoting Willow at community events.
  • To foster relationships with Willow’s network of charity shops and explore collaborative opportunities to support each other’s initiatives.
• To ensure accurate recording of supporter information and reporting on activity through:
  • Updating the charity’s database, Raisers Edge (RE), recording all donor contact and fundraising activity.
  • Using RE as a tool to aid fundraising by providing data insight and reporting.
  • Preparing end‑of‑campaign reports to improve results for future campaigns and capture learnings.
  • Preparing regular income reports and updates as required.
• To keep up‑to‑date and comply with the rules set by the Fundraising Regulator, GDPR and other relevant legislation and codes of practice and good practice.
• To keep up to date with changes and trends in the UK fundraising environment.
• To undertake any other tasks required.

Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in Community Fundraising of at least 1‑3 years.
• Experience in managing staff and/or volunteers.
• Proven record of accomplishment in delivering and meeting targets.
• Self‑motivated and able to work on own initiative.
• Well organised with attention to detail.
• Ability to inspire and influence others to support Willow.
• Ability to develop, motivate and manage individuals and groups.
• Ability to manage several projects and tasks simultaneously and skill at prioritising.
• Excellent verbal, written and presentation skills.
• Effective negotiating and influencing skills.
• Strong numeracy skills and ability to forecast and analyse fundraising results.
• Decisive and quick problem solver with the ability to adapt easily to change.
• Innovative outlook and a willingness to suggest new ideas.
• Experience of producing fundraising reports for activity and outcomes.
• Proven experience in delivering timely fundraising campaigns and initiatives.
• Fundraising database experience – preferably Raisers Edge.

Other

• Regular travel across the county will be required. Willing to work flexibly, including evenings and weekends as required.
• Full driving licence and access to a car.

Closing date extended to 5 January 2026. Please don’t delay, share your CV as soon as possible, as we will be contacting candidates as they apply.