Fundraiser & Bid Writer

Job Title: Fundraiser & Bid Writer

Purpose: To deliver three main activities: Develop a fund-raising strategy for
LRT, prepare and submit funding bids, review LRT’s membership scheme.

Reports to: Trust Manager

Location: Hybrid. Working from home and from LRT’s office near Kirkby
Lonsdale.

Hours: Freelance/ Consultancy services contract
Or part-time, 1 day (7.5 hours) per week. Flexible working hours.

Contract: Fixed term Freelance/ Consultancy services contract
Or 24-month fixed term contract (with review after 12 months)

Salary: Either a Consultancy fee up to a maximum of £18,000 (inc. VAT) over 2
years
Or £37,500 pA pro-rata (i.e. £7,500 per year) for 2 years

The Lune Rivers Trust is a small but ambitious environmental charity dedicated to the
protection and enhancement of rivers and tributaries in the Lune catchment. We cover a large
area, from Tebay in the north, to Ingleton in the east and Pilling in the south. Our office is
based just outside Kirkby Lonsdale. Our small team of 6 staff are carrying out lots of
interesting and valuable work in our catchment. But there are plenty of un-met needs that we do
not have the resources to respond to.

Whilst we continue to be successful in securing follow-on funding from the funding partners
that we already work with, we struggle somewhat to successfully attract new funders. Our Board
of Trustees has hence decided to invest some of our hard-won unrestricted funding in tackling
this issue. There are three components that we want to look at, which are described below.

We have not commissioned this sort of work before, and we are flexible in terms of how we
contract this work. We could offer it as a part-time staff position (equivalent of 1 day per
week over 2 years) or as a Freelance/ Consultancy contract. In the case of a consultancy
contract, we would envisage it being over a period of 2 years (although we might be open to
condensing it into 18 months). We would not want a consultancy contract period to be for less
than 18 months, as this would not give enough time for assessing unsuccessful applications,
with a view to resubmission. We are not able to consider a contract/payment mechanism that uses
a % fee of successful bid applications. Such a payment mechanism could only be paid from
unrestricted funding, which would severely limit our options.

The three components of work are:

Funding Context & Fund-Raising Strategy

The context for funding for environmental work in England is quite complex. There are a large
number of active potential funders, all of whom have their own particular areas of interest,
application timetables and application processes. Lune Rivers Trust does not currently have a
fund-raising strategy, and whilst we are active in searching for new funders our approach tends
to be reactive rather than proactive. We are looking for someone to analyse the funding context
related to the environmental work we do, and to help develop a fund-raising strategy. This
strategy would need to look at the key components of core costs, unrestricted funding, and
project-specific funding.

Bid Development

The second component we are looking for is someone to write and submit high quality funding
bids for us. We need someone to present the value of the work that we do in a way that will
appeal to new funders. We will be led by the guidance of the Fundraiser/ Bid Writer as to which
funders we should submit applications to. We anticipate that the findings of the Funding
Context & Fund-Raising Strategy piece of work will also feed into these decisions. We
envisage that in the region of 8 funding bids will be submitted over a 2-year period. This
reflects our belief that we will be applying for relatively small or modest funding amounts.

Review LRT’s Membership Scheme

Lune Rivers Trust has a modest membership scheme that has been operating for the last 15 years.
The level of membership is slowly declining, and our Board of Trustees would like to understand
why and what could be done to reverse the trend. This piece of working would involve looking at
the benefits and costs of the current membership scheme, researching what membership schemes
other environmental organisations offer, and developing a proposal (or proposals) of what a
renewed Lune Rivers Trust membership scheme could look like. This will be presented to our
Board of Trustees for consideration and then consolidated into a final proposal.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Fund-Raising Strategy

• Assess the current funding context of the environmental sector in which LRT operates.
  Consider likely future funding trends/ areas of interest.
• In conjunction with the Trust Manager, assess LRT’s current strengths and weaknesses, and
  consider LRT’s future ambitions and strategic plan.
• Develop a draft fund-raising strategy incorporating aspects of unrestricted funding, core
  costs and project specific funding.
• Consider the review of LRT’s membership scheme in developing the fund-raising strategy.
• Present the draft fund-raising strategy to LRT’s Board of Trustees and gather their
  comments/ recommendations.
• Incorporate these comments/ recommendations into a final fund-raising strategy, for
  sign-off by the Board of Trustees.

Bid development

• Take strategic and innovative approaches to fundraising, philanthropy and impact.
• Craft clear, accurate and persuasive proposals that effectively communicate LRT’s values
  and approaches.
• Approach funds strategically to ensure successful applications, ensuring proposals are
  tailored and aligned to their specific needs, showcasing LRT’s capabilities to meet and exceed
  requirements and expectations.
• Develop and submit at least 2 funding bids in Year 1 and at least 6 funding bids in Year 2.
• Collaborate with internal teams to gather relevant information and insights for bid
  applications.
• Organise and chair bid kick-off meetings and follow up meetings to ensure deadlines are
  met.

Review Membership Scheme

• In conjunction with the Trust Manager and the Membership Secretary, assess LRT’s current
  membership scheme.
• Research what membership schemes other charities are using, including looking at what their
  membership ‘offers’ and what the associated cost of membership is.
• Develop a proposal, or proposals, of what a renewed LRT membership scheme could look like.
• Discuss this proposal(s) with the Trust Manager & Membership Secretary. Consider how to
  consult with existing Members to gather their opinions on a renewed membership scheme.
• Present a draft proposal for a renewed membership scheme to LRT’s Board of Trustees.
  Collate and consider their comments/ recommendations into a final membership proposal.

General

• Stay informed about funding trends, market demands, and activities of similar organisations
  within the environmental sector.
• Use funding insights to enhance the Trust’s bid strategies and positioning.
• Support the development of effective impact measurement and reporting strategies that both
  meet the needs of funders and ensure that the Trust fulfils its mission.

PERSON DESCRIPTION

Fundraising success:

• Proven fundraising success as a bid writer, specifically within the environmental sector.
• Ability to advise on broader fundraising and revenue generation strategies for a charity.
• Strategic, creative and innovative approaches to fundraising and impact.
• Exceptional writing and editing skills with the ability to convey complex information in a
  clear and concise manner.
• High attention to detail, with excellent ability to ensure questions are answered properly
  and accurately.

Sector specific knowledge:

• In-depth knowledge of the principles and practices of environmental protection and
  restoration.
• A good knowledge of the issues affecting the health and functionality of rivers in England.
• Aware of and able to communicate from an objective position the complexities and nuances of
  approaches, perspectives and practices within environmental work.
• Embedded within and knowledgeable about the network of key funders and actors in the
  environmental sector in the UK.
• Ideally, a good knowledge of the environmental and social issues affecting the Lune
  catchment.

General

• Excellent research and analytical skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Highly skilled in striking a balance between working on your own initiative and as part of
  a small team.
• Ability to work in a small organisation.
• Ability to develop trusting and compatible relationships and work effectively as part of a
  team.
• Willingness to work according to LRT’s values, with enthusiasm for our vision and mission.
• Ideally, based within the Lune catchment or nearby.

If you would like more information or an informal chat about the post, please contact Tim Pitt
(Trust Manager) on 079 49 24 26 55 or [email protected].

Closing date for applications: Midnight on 14th April 2025.