Job Description
Position: Unrestricted Fundraising Officer
Reporting to: Executive Director
Place of work: Nairobi and outside as required
Job Description:
The Challenge
Over 90% of Nature Kenya funding (Ksh 70 million) is from overseas restricted funding project
funders. We have seen foreign funding for nature conservation declining and Nature Kenya is pro-
active. We want to achieve sustainability, take charge of our own success as well as diversify our
income streams. This means we need to engage with Kenyans who share our goals for conservation.
Target
Mobilise annually Ksh 20 million from local sources for core actions e.g. technical staff who match
every core shilling to 5 shillings from donors to implement the Society’s strategic plan.
The Opportunity
Nature is food (irrigation), drinking water (water towers), electricity (hydro-power) and climate
regulation (carbon sequestration). Rural communities are still depended on nature e.g. 90% of rural
households use fuel wood. Kenya is among top dollar millionaires for Africa. There exists a good
representation of people who have descent incomes. The culture of environmental conservation
exists—UNEP is in Nairobi and Nature Kenya has 1000 members. Kenya has many corporates some
with roots in other parts of the world where environmental sustainability is taken more seriously.
They can do the same here in Kenya.
Specific duties
A. Reporting
1. Report to the Executive Director
2. Work closely with the membership manager and conservation staff in Nairobi and in the field
3. Contribute to timely preparation of annual workplans, reports and budgets
B. General Fund-raising
4. Develop fundraising strategy and action plan.
5. Develop unrestricted funders data-base.
6. Develop project catalogues and match to appropriate donors.
7. Oversee donor development communications plans and fundraising activities, such as
newsletter and special appeals, through a variety of media including direct mail,
telemarketing, email and mobile.
8. Keep up-to-date with giving techniques and strategies to increase or maintain donations from
multiple donors.
9. Plan and manage the design, content, and production of all marketing materials.
10. Write up corporate fundraising proposals and submit to prospective private sector donors.
11. Assist to create opportunities to market Nature Kenya’s activities and projects to potential
supporters and donors.
12. Assess areas where corporate donor support is potentially needed and match to appropriate
corporates.
13. Ensure that staff and operating costs are consistently incorporated into funding proposals.
14. Support the Marketing Committee as appropriate to tap ideas and support for enhanced society
marketing.
C. Philanthropy/Individuals
15. Recruit, support and mobilise funding from high-net-worth individuals.
16. Develop action plan on raising funding from individuals.
17. Research and profile donor outcomes based on Nature Kenya site work.
18. Identify and profile individuals to be approached.
19. Develop individualised access plans for profiled individuals, develop pitches, organise
meetings to deliver the pitches to target individuals.
20. Develop pitches, recite the pitches.
21. Organise meetings to deliver the pitches to target individuals.
22. Follow up and implement individualised fundraising action plans.
23. Innovate and implement approaches for winning individuals to fund Nature Kenya.
24. Implement solicitation strategies, gained by collaborative working, to secure financial support
either by direct solicitation, preparing a written proposal, or working with other to make a
solicitation.
25. Work with colleagues in relevant departments to plan cross cutting donor relationships and
solicitation strategies to achieve the best outcome for Nature Kenya.
26. Contribute to and assist in the development of funding proposals for approved priority
projects that will inspire potential donors to secure gifts.
27. To work closely with the membership/events team towards successful donor events and to
contribute and participate actively in those events to build relationships with donors and
prospect for future income.
D. Corporates
28. Be responsible for cultivating a portfolio of company and corporate prospects through face-to-
face meetings, pitching for and winning new business that support Nature Kenya projects
financially or through in-kind services/products.
29. Liaise with colleagues as appropriate to prepare professional proposals that will be used for
corporate pitches to seek and win new business or continue existing business.
30. Be responsible for the Account Management of corporate relationships that deliver increased
support over agreed periods of time by monitoring activity against deliverables.
31. Managing the fundraising information to advance solicitation plans by keeping all information
and procedures related to donors up to date.
32. Work with colleagues in relevant departments to plan cross cutting donor relationships and
solicitation strategies to achieve the best outcome for Nature Kenya.
33. Liaise with colleagues to generate reports and performance data of corporate relationships
managed to improve and inform strategy.
34. Work closely with the membership/events team towards successful High Net Worth events by
contributing and participating actively in those events.
35. Be responsible for building effective internal and external relationships that will enhance the
Nature Kenya’s reputation and ultimately secure funding understanding donors’ wishes,
aspirations link with linkages with approved priority projects with the aim of securing major
gifts.
36. Use good judgement when working with high value donors and recognise potentially sensitive
areas between prospects and Nature Kenya to ensure reputational and values maintained. This
problem solving may involve gaining the support of more senior colleagues to provide
information upon which to make judgements and feedback the Nature Kenya position.
37. Create a data-base of corporates in the Kenyan corporate ecosystem.
38. Classify corporates according to the environmental footprint: Green, Amber, Red.
39. Identify and profile corporates relevant to the Nature Kenya work.
40. Develop and implement corporate access strategies.
41. Link corporates raw materials and wates they produce to nature.
42. Identify corporate individual change makers/champions.
43. Develop individualised corporate pitches and deliver the pitches.
44. Develop corporate action plans and follow through.
E. Foundations
45. Establish a data-base of foundations local, regional and global.
46. Profile and prioritise foundations and develop access plans.
47. Develop promotional materials targeted at particular corporates.
48. Reach out to foundations and liaise with conservation staff to develop and submit proposals.
49. Coordinate reporting to foundations.
F. Events
50. Liaise with membership to organise fundraising events for example Golf Tournament, sports,
talks, walks, exhibitions etc.
G. Appeals
51. Identify issues suitable for appeals.
52. Develop the appeals.
53. Launch the appeals, follow up and report back if needed.
H. Merchandise
26 Develop and promote merchandise including nature-based products including honey, baskets,
curios and others.
27 Develop and promote online shop for these products.
28 Identify and promote/market nature-based publications, equipment and wears and others.
I. Management and reporting
54. Support the Executive Director to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of Nature
Kenya’s strategic plan, projects and programmes, and that donor requirements of reporting and
accounting are met.
55. Assist in producing workplans, budgets and quality reports to donor requirements.
J. General
56. Strive for personal and professional development by updating your knowledge and skills, and
taking part in appropriate conservation-related activities outside the workplace.
57. Maintain a safe, clean, organised and efficient personal work space and common areas.
58. Any other reasonable duties as specified by the Executive Director.
What we need
Essential
• A university degree, ideally in a relevant subject, or equivalent experience
• Demonstrable interest in and knowledge of nature conservation
• High levels of drive and motivation
• Good team-working skills
• Strong written communication skills
• Familiarity with standard Office apps such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook
• Willingness to tackle a wide range of tasks of varying levels of complexity, and the ability to deal
with several of these tasks at the same time
• Willingness to work in a post-covid setting in which the amount of direct, face-to-face interaction
with colleagues is likely to be limited
Desirable
• Some previous work experience in conservation
• Some previous work experience in fundraising
• Experience of project development and/or budget creation