Job Description and Person Specification
Job Title: Philanthropic Partnerships Assistant, Global Greengrants Fund UK
Salary: £35,000 per annum (Band A)
Benefits: 10% employer’s pension contribution, remote and flexible remote working, generous family and sick leave, employee assistance programme, health and life insurances, 28 days annual leave plus all UK bank holidays.
Location: Remote or hybrid working within the UK. Individuals will be required to attend occasional in-person office days in London as needed and prescribed by the organisation. This role requires applicants to be able to show that they have the right to work in the UK. Must be able to internationally travel on occasion.
Team: Line managed by the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships; line management of the Philanthropic Partnerships Officer
Contract: Full-time 35 hours a week; permanent
About Global Greengrants Fund
Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) supports grassroots activists and civil society organisations around the world working to address environmental and social justice in over 160 countries. GGF applies a participatory and decentralised model in making grants to grassroots groups through regional and thematic boards of advisors, global partner networks and independent funds, to support grassroots environmental and social justice action.
Global Greengrants Fund comprises two organisations: one located in the USA, Global Greengrants Fund Inc (established in 1993), and Global Greengrants Fund UK (established in 2012). The two organisations work closely together with a shared grantmaking programme and strategic collaboration at the senior leadership level. GGF UK consists of thirteen staff members working on fundraising and influencing philanthropy; finance; communications; and operations, with all of these functions operating autonomously but in close collaboration with their US counterpart functions.
In 2024, Global Greengrants Fund is amid a strategic journey in which we collectively centre our values, including diversity, equity and inclusion, and organisational care in our work, and to rediscover our identity and potential after 30 years of work. We have experienced tremendous growth over the past two years and we are thoughtfully, yet rapidly, growing our annual grantmaking, our philanthropic advocacy, and our global partnerships and collaborations to new levels. This includes creating a globally networked learning organisation and transforming our organisational culture to be more collaborative and self-steering – we call this our transformational journey. The MEAL Officer will need to understand the challenges and opportunities that come with these transformations and to remain flexible, steady, and adaptable.
Philanthropic Partnerships Assistant
The Philanthropic Partnerships Assistant plays an important role in supporting the financial sustainability objectives of GGF UK. The postholder will provide support to a small portfolio of trust and foundations partnerships giving up to $200,000 per year, and will also be responsible for stewarding our portfolio of individual giving supporters donating up to £10,000 per year. The role also contributes to GGF UK’s communications activity in collaboration with our global Communications function, as well as contributing to ensuring that the organisation’s fundraising activity is supported with robust infrastructure and processes.
The position reports to the Head of Philanthropic Partnerships, and works closely with colleagues across Global Greengrants Fund UK and Global Greengrants Fund Inc.
The postholder will have experience of providing high-quality fundraising support to enable income generation from a range of sources, including trusts, foundations, and individual givers. Experience of international and / or environmental work, particularly with a social justice lens, would also be a strong advantage.
Major duties and responsibilities
- Provide wide-ranging support to a designated portfolio of 4-5 trusts and foundation supporters giving up to $200,000 per year, including developing high-quality proposals and reports, coordinating administrative needs, and providing day-to-day relationship management support
- With the Head of Philanthropic Partnerships and Philanthropic Partnerships Lead – Major Donors, identify and support new funding opportunities in support of GGF’s programmatic and other objectives
- Work closely with the Grant Writer to deliver high-quality donor reports and proposals; collaborate with Finance colleagues in the UK and global organisations to support accurate and timely financial reports
- Manage the GGF UK Individual Giving portfolio, currently comprising 40 individuals giving up to £10,000 per year, providing excellent customer service and stewardship to ensure individual supporters feel valued and to develop new fundraising opportunities, including working with the Philanthropic Partnerships Lead – Major Donors to identify donors with the potential to give above £10,000 per year
- Manage our annual Big Give Green Match Fund appeal, and identify other potential appeal opportunities for raising income from individual supporters
- Collaborating with the global Communications function, coordinate all GGF UK communications activity, including managing regular supporter communications and supporting social media activity
- With Operations colleagues, contribute to ensuring the Philanthropic Partnerships team has access to the processes and infrastructure required to continue growing the team’s work sustainably and responsibly in service of organisational objectives
- Represent the organisation at conferences, meetings and events as required
Position Specifications
Essential Values and Competencies
- Commitment to the guiding principles, mission and values of Global Greengrants Fund
- Transparency and accountability
- Critical thinking and analysis
- Self-awareness and insight
Essential Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience
- Relevant experience of fundraising from trusts, foundations and / or individual donors, ideally within an environmental, international, and / or rights-based organisation
- Exceptional attention to detail and time management skills; able to prioritise effectively and achieve excellent results within a complex, time-sensitive and varied workload
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; experience of developing compelling proposals, presentations, reports, and other written materials
- Strong IT skills including MS Office, Google Apps, and virtual team collaboration software such as Trello and Slack; experience working with Salesforce or other CRM systems
- A strong understanding of and commitment to environmental and social justice, including some knowledge of the issues Global Greengrants Fund is working to address
- Experience working with diverse communities from multiple identities across the globe, in a virtual environment
- Fluency in English; proficiency in other languages, especially another European language, preferred
- Ability to travel within the UK and the rest of the world (c. 1-2 weeks per year)
Personal Characteristics
- Committed to shifting power in philanthropy and promoting trust-based or power-shifting approaches to philanthropy and grantmaking
- Excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills
- Adaptable to change; able to give, receive and work with feedback constructively
Desirable Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience
- Relevant lived experiences related to Global Greengrants Fund’s work and community
- Understanding of and interest in Global Greengrants Fund’s work and environmental and climate justice, human rights, and philanthropy
- Knowledge and understanding of majority world grassroots movements
Global Greengrants Fund UK is an equal opportunities employer. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life. We believe that diversity and inclusion in our team is critical to our success. We seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.