Philanthropy Officer - Rapid Progression

Position title: Philanthropy Officer 

Reports to: Head of Philanthropy with dotted line to Stewardship Manager

Location: Singapore                                      

Starting Date: April 2024

About WWF-Singapore
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. As one of WWF’s international hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network spanning over 100 countries. WWF Singapore works closely with local stakeholders towards a greener and more sustainable Singapore and the region around us. We work to address key conservation areas, such as climate change, sustainable finance, deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, marine conservation, and sustainable production and consumption, through collaboration, education and outreach efforts involving the community, businesses, and governments.  For more information, please visit wwf.sg.

I.     About World Wide Fund for Nature, Singapore (WWF-Singapore):

WWF-Singapore is a Singapore-registered charity, part of WWF International — one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations. We protect critical resources for people in Singapore by driving change across government, business, civil society and local communities. To meet key conservation goals, we address issues such as deforestation, haze pollution, seafood sustainability and illegal wildlife trade in Singapore and around the region. As one of WWF's global hubs, WWF-Singapore supports a global network that spans over 100 countries.

II.    Overview of Function

The mission of the Philanthropy team is to contribute significant, sustainable levels of philanthropic funding to support the local (Singapore-based) and regional (SEA-based) conservation, sustainability and education programmes in order to advance WWF-Singapore’s mission. The team works closely with the CEO and Board of Directors to assist in the implementation of WWF-Singapore’s philanthropy strategy. 

The Philanthropy Officer is expected to raise substantial funds from granting organizations including trusts, foundations and government agencies, mid-value and major donors, as well as build effective relationships with various stakeholders. The role is also responsible for the effective stewardship of current donors and supporters. This involves overseeing the stewardship activities to retain and cultivate ongoing relationships. Working collaboratively with the Head of Philanthropy, the Philanthropy      Offer conducts research on potential prospects, analyses and manages the database of donors and prospects, provides bespoke support for donors and organises bespoke events, trips and activities. 

III.   Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Major Gifts Development (30%)

• Work with the Head of Philanthropy to develop and execute an annual FR strategy to solicit individual gifts and raise funds from foundations, major donors and other grantmaking organisations
• Work with the Head of Philanthropy to design effective budget models and be accountable for achievement of income targets; ensure project implementation and expenditure of funds is achieved within contractual milestones
• Effectively manage the donor cycle by developing and managing donor list and prospect pipeline, reporting, developing engagement and grant application plans, and capturing all activity within the CRM system
• Research and write grants; provide timely reporting and ensure compliance as required with grant awards

Stewardship (30%)

• Works closely with the Head of Philanthropy and the Stewardship Manager to develop an effective plan for engagement and donor stewardship activities. Examples include regular check in with donors, sharing relevant news and updates on programmes, editing impact reports, and other activities as required to increase their affinity to WWF and grow their support
• Designs and produces engaging and inspiring communication strategies and materials for major donors to communicate the progress and impact of programmes; using existing materials where possible and aligning communications with the wider Partnerships team. 
• Liaise with relevant teams (e.g. country field teams, WWF-SG conservation, finance) to collate information, fact check and seek clarification to ensure the info provided is accurate and up-to-date. Requires coordination and excellent working relationships within WWF Singapore and across APAC conservation teams
• Designs and manages bespoke, segmented and mass digital communications to UHNWls, VIPs, board members, including newsletters, event invitations and registrations via Active Campaign, EventBrite or similar software
• Designs, drafts and edits philanthropy communications documents and digital presentations, including selection and inclusion of infographics, images, videos and photos to compellingly communicate to sophisticated external audiences
• Proactively seek and knowledge manage environmental and conservation news which may be of interest to the Philanthropy audience

Due Diligence and Research (15%)

• Works with the Head of Philanthropy to fulfill requirements of internal due diligence  processes including software and database management
• Coordinates with key stakeholders in different departments to ensure all due diligence and compliance requirements are met
• Conducts prospective major donor, trusts and foundations, multilateral grants and board of directors research including profiling and preparing of bios
• Assists in research and preparation of briefing documents for HNWIs, VIPs, the government, and other stakeholders

Data Management and Administrative Support (15%)

• Ensures the integrity of the donor database / CRM, and generates associated reports, such as the HNWI prospect pipeline, philanthropy income and major donor projects. Requires collaboration with Finance and CRM teams
• Maintain an accurate database of contacts on Active Campaign for mass/segmented communications.
• Oversee the process of signing gift agreements and no-cost extensions, seeking internal approval and legal advice as appropriate.
• Provides operational and administrative support Procurement process including venue or vendor selection, quotation form, invoicing etc
• Processing invoices and financial statements in close collaboration with WWF-Singapore’s Finance Team
• Provides operational and administrative support (e.g. scheduling meetings, calendar management) as needed to the Philanthropy Lead

Events (10%)

• Organises bespoke events, activities and fundraisers for existing donors and prospects
• Assists in organising bespoke events, activities and fundraisers for existing donors and prospects; coordinates RSVPs
• Prepare talking points, key messages, and briefings for bespoke events targeted at HNWI and major donors.
• Project manages donor and prospect conservation project site visits across APAC, including itineraries and budgets, in collaboration with APAC Network Offices
• Assists in organising bespoke events, activities and fundraisers for existing donors and prospects; coordinates RSVPs
• Drafts and manages communication and /invitations to stakeholders.
• Supports logistics of donor and prospects for conservation project site visits across APAC, including itineraries and budgets, in collaboration with APAC Network Offices, where applicable 

IV. Profile:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant discipline with excellent results. Postgraduate qualifications will be highly regarded.
• At least 3-5 years of relevant work experience in advisory, business development, philanthropy or environmental communications, project management, and / or fundraising, with proven success.
  • Proven track record in high-value target achievement in either trusts and foundations, public sector, major donor or corporate fundraising. Experience with proposals and grant applications a plus.Outstanding verbal and written English expression, including an ability to craft language and tone for impact reports, newsletters, thank-you letters and other correspondence, with attention to detail and correct grammar. Knowledge in Chinese (e.g. Mandarin, Cantonese) a plus  Experience in cultivating relationships and support effective stewardship of granting organisations and donors.

Required Skills and Competencies 

• Strong stakeholder focus and an outstanding service-oriented attitude 
• Income oriented with ability to work with income targets
• Ability to correspond in a context sensitive and sophisticated manner with external audiences, including trusts and foundations, major donors, high net worth individuals, and other relevant stakeholders
• Ability to work independently with all levels of internal management and staff, and exhibit the leadership required to establish effective cross-team collaborations for successful delivery of required outcomes
• Strong research and analytical skills
• Ability to think strategically and intelligently
• Problem solver with ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment
• Ability to apply visual and written creativity to communications
• Plans and organizes/ manages the job independently and proactively
• Must have an outstanding attitude and be highly responsive to providing collateral, support and information to the CEO and Philanthropy Lead as required
• Have an understanding of government policy and regulations for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPC), as well as an understanding of major gifts fundraising landscape in Singapore
• Interest in conservation and sustainability is appreciated
• Adheres to WWF’s values which are: Courage, Integrity, Respect and Collaboration

V.   Working Relationships: 

Internal – Ensure intra and inter-departmental collaboration for the optimal use of resources and organizational alignment. Work closely with the Partnerships Team and the wider Fundraising Team to support their fundraising initiatives. 

External – Works with various partners supporting WWF’s work. Coordinates with external vendors relating to events, communications, materials production as and when required.     

This job description covers the main tasks and conveys the spirit of the sort of tasks that are anticipated proactively from staff. Other tasks may be assigned as necessary according to organizational need