Philanthropy Executive, Gifts in Wills

About ChildFund Australia

ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation working to reduce poverty for children in developing communities. Our mission is to partner to create communities and systems change, which enables vulnerable children and young people, in all their diversity, to assert and realise their rights.

We're also a member of the ChildFund Alliance – one of the world’s oldest and most experienced child-focused development agency networks. With a global network of 12 organisations, the ChildFund Alliance assists almost 23 million children and families in 70 countries around the world.

ChildFund Australia directly implements and manages development programs in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, while also supporting projects delivered by partner organisations throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas;  our work is funded through, among other sources, generous public donations and government grants.

Join us in realising our vision of a world without poverty where all children and young people can say: "I am safe. I am educated. I contribute. I have a future."

About the role

As the Gifts in Wills Executive, you will support the growth and development of ChildFund Australia’s Philanthropy program by driving the growth and servicing of a large bequest pipeline, and work across multiple teams internally to increase the organisation’s capacity to secure bequests.

You will also advocate for the importance and value of bequests within the organisation!

This role is a permanent, full-time role based in our office in Surry Hills, Sydney. We’re also supportive of flexible working arrangements, including allowing our employees to work-from-home some days if the responsibilities of the role permit it.

We’re always looking for talented & ambitious people looking to further their careers, so we strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t feel you meet every requirement right now! Being tenacious, determined, and enthusiastic will make you a great fit for this new, fast-growing team!

Key duties of the role

• Manage a pipeline of confirmed and potential bequestors through a strategic stewardship program
• Manage relationships and the communications cycle with Gifts in Wills/Bequest prospects
• Maintain Gifts in Wills/Bequest commitments into the future through personal visits, letters, phone calls, cards, and special events; as well thorough direct mail, advertising, online, events, telephone, and personal solicitation activities
• Plan and implement annual operational plans for bequests to meet budget
• Collaborate with Marketing to support events and campaigns when required
• Liaise with solicitors as required to enable the settling of estates
• Represent ChildFund Australia through initiatives promoting bequests to the Australian public
• Advocate for the importance and value of Gifts in Wills/Bequests throughout ChildFund Australia

Qualifications & Experience

• Tertiary qualification in a relevant area
• Experience in direct marketing and donor relations
• Experience writing compelling proposals & inspiring feedback reports that make an ‘ask’ and create a persuasive case for support
• Extensive knowledge & understanding of the Australian Philanthropic environment

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

• Prior experience soliciting bequests
• Experience with Salesforce CRM
• Experience managing telemarketing and direct mail agencies
• Experience with budget forecasting and monitoring
• Demonstrated understanding of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion

Skills & Attributes

• Excellent at building & maintaining relationships

• Inspiring, proactive & personable communication skills; and capable of exciting potential donors about making a lasting different in the lives of children

• Passionate about international development & children’s rights

• Analytical, especially with a well-developed understanding of how to utilise data to improve fundraising outcomes

• Exceptional interpersonal skills

Working at ChildFund Australia

Some of the benefits of working with ChildFund Australia include:

• A remuneration package continuously benchmarked against local employment conditions to ensure we offer competitive employment conditions appropriate to our sector
• Support for flexibility in the ways you work, which allows our people to to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• A hybrid working model (we currently allow employees to work from home 50% of the time).
• Not-for-profit salary packaging benefits. This allows our employees to reduce their tax liability on a portion of their income.
• Access to mental health support through our EAP, Uprise, a service that gives our employees access to professional psychological support for personal, family, mental health, and employment-related matters for you and your family.
• Support for employee learning & development, including through on-the-job & external training, coaching, workshops, and our online learning platform, the ChildFund Academy.

Department: Fundraising, Philanthropy

Location: ChildFund Australia, Level 8, 162 Goulburn Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Employment: Full-time

Reports to: Philanthropy Manager

Other Information: Must have full working rights in Australia. Some travel is required.

Email us at hr@childfund.org.au if you have any other questions about the role.

ChildFund Australia believes in a global community where children are safe and can reach their full potential. We take extensive steps to safeguard children in any work done by our people, i.e., our staff, volunteers and interns, supporters, partners, board members, ambassadors and suppliers. We strive to keep children safe through child safe practices, and rigorously ensure we prevent, oppose, and combat all exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people. As part of this commitment, all people working with us will undergo relevant background checks before joining ChildFund Australia.

At ChildFund Australia, all staff must remain alert and responsive to any child safeguarding or sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment (SEAH) risks. Staff will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to understand our Child Safeguarding and PSEAH policies & procedures, promote strong safeguarding practices, and conduct themselves consistent with these policies.

In line with our values, diversity of people and ideas is critical to our work and our success at ChildFund Australia. We strive for a team culture that is welcoming, inclusive, and supportive. Childfund is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and strongly encourages people from all backgrounds, abilities, and identities to apply for any vacancies.